Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 26

David's eyes narrowed at the cool, frigid tones. Lise was about to launch another mortar attack when David pre-empted her. "Lise, would you excuse us a second?" David glanced across at Lise, "I'd like a word with Ms Jones, in private." Lise pouted. David missed it as he kept his eyes on Ella. When Lise didn't move, he added with more force and authority, "Lise, please wait for me in the lounge."

Lise pouted, to no avail. With a glare for Ella, Lise turned and she did as she was told.

David rolled both lips inward, as he hesitated, and looked for the right words. This situation was spiralling, like a tornado, just with language lightning up reactions and high wind resulting in turbulent emotions. He folded his arms. Ella mirrored that action.

David said as he released a sigh, "I never imagined we'd bump into each other again." Which is why he kept arranging for some woman to be around whenever Ella visited for this project. He needed that protection. There was still something between them, and he was not going to let it grow into anything. But he needed the house decorated. This house had taken him two years to build and he wanted the inside to be as perfect as the outside. He'd been told, several times, as he'd hunted for an interior designer for many months, that Ella was good. The best some said. It had taken him ages to pluck up the nerve to contract her to do the job and only did that after Amelia and Jack had forced his hand. David knew that he'd have run a mile if he'd really thought about it, especially after their recent kiss.

She said nothing. She was livid, and upset. Anything she said at the moment would probably come out laced in fury or strangled through tears. She was fed up with this situation, having to deal with him and his recent girlfriends. If he has so many girl friends who apparently have experience with interior decoration, he should get one of them to do it. This was a farce. She spend ages getting this draft, determined to do a good job for him. She had put aside her concerns, pretended that the last time was just a trial, and she had spent a lot of time, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted. Hence the various options.

"Nor that you'd handle my house's interior decoration, for me." He unfolded his arms and placed his hands in his pockets. Still she said nothing and that goaded him into saying, "You have to admit, it's not a run of the mill occurrence, having to employ someone who once accused me of taking advantage." David watched her face. She was obviously really cross with Lise's statement.

"I never did." She replied coolly. "I have never accused you. I have never accused you about anything!" She closed her mouth before she could rant at him.

"True." He shook his head, tipped his head from side to side as if he was weighing up the statement. "Henry implied I took advantage." That statement brought so much baggage to the front. As a young guy, being accused of sexual harassment, was not what he expected at a rugby camp. And he was definitely naïve. The way the situation escalated, left him in pandemonium. He remembered that he phoned home, immediately, to let them know that people at the camp had accused him of sexual harassment. His father and mother were there within hours. He moved to the door, ran a hand over his mouth, then turned and added, "You never told me you were still in school."

"I never lied to you." She stated, keeping her cool.

David thought she gave the impression of being pleasant, but distant, like now. He reminded, "Economical with the truth."

"I didn't ask you about your age." She snapped at him. And then took a breath to steady her nerves. " It never dawned on me to tell you my age."

David shook his head as he remembered the fact that he was falling in love. An alien experience for him. Falling in love. First, you find out that you gave your heart to someone, assumed they would look after it, only to find out that someone did that to lots of guys. "No, just as it never dawned on you to tell me you'd slept with the guys at the previous training camp." The hurricane of words spewed out without thinking about the effect.

She smacked his face. Hard.

For a second they both just stood looking at each other.

Ella was breathing hard. David wasn't breathing at all. Her heart was hammering. She doesn't do violence. She kept her emotions in check, until now. This was wrong. But she was not ready to apologise for that smack. His heart stuttered in shock. She hit him. His fingers ran over the imprint on his skin.

Ella's fingers were rubbing together, as she tried to control her emotion. No tears. In fact she was close to laughter as frenetic thoughts raced through her mind. Just panic-stricken. Thoughts were frantic, how could she sort this out, she has never hit anyone. Time to apologise? Her head suggested, unfortunately her heart had not reached that speed, "I owe you that, for then and now." She finally told him.

David blinked. He expected an apology.

Ella folded her arms again, and looked at him.

David thought, blindsided. He could remember feeling this bewilderment. Confusion grew. But he said with puzzlement, "Surely you owe me an apology."

She told David candidly, ignoring his statement, "Ask Lise to help you with your home." Ella shook her head, even as she contemplated the ramifications of her rash slap.

His bafflement flourished. It remind him of that day when he was accused of taking advantage her.

She went to brush past him. "I'm clearly not the right person for the job, given my loose morals."

He reached for and held her arm. "Wait." Ella waited. It was either that or go through a tugging session. "I apologise." He finally said. Her eyes met his. She saw the sincerity. "I'm sorry." He said bluntly. She didn't say anything. For several minutes they simply stood a few inches apart as each did their best not to let their true feelings show. He stepped away, then turned around and said, "Can we take a look at these again?" When she hesitated, he added, "I've got a meeting after school tomorrow, but if you've got time, I could come to your office, around six? Just me. And look at your ideas for this place." David waited.

"Why?"

"Because Amelia says you are the best."

She snorted inelegantly, and looked at him as if he'd spouted horns.

"Well within a two hour drive, at any rate." He qualified. "So?"

Eventually she nodded. "Ok." She gave him a card with her address and contact details. "Phone me with dates and times. I will check my diary. My office is at the rear." Then she walked past him and headed for the door.

"Gabriella," He called. She stopped, and turned to face him, "I am sorry."

"Me too." She huffed, and ignored the warning in his eyes as she recognised the fact that David wasn't sure if her words were her apology or she accepted his apology. David rubbed at his forehead. She turned and stepped out of the room.

As the door closed he reached for his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He flipped it open, and began to slide the card into it when he saw the hair tie. For a second his breath caught. Then he pushed the card in and snapped the wallet shut, heading for the front door to show her out.