Temptation

Chapter 30

The remainder of the afternoon was as near perfect as it could have been. The horse and carriage ride through Central Park was a thing of beauty. We had sat in awe of the size of the park, taking in the breathtaking views as we snuggled up together as our legs were covered up by a fleece blanket which helped take off the crisp air.

"I feel like a movie star!" Angelica repeated over and over again. Her thoughts were as far from the problems we had going on at home as they could be. I tried my best to clear the thoughts from my mind and enjoy the moment but they were there, nagging away at the back of my head.

We took a walk down 5th Avenue once the ride was over, Angelica wanting to stop off in every shop along the way, looking at price  tags and walking away. She may have felt like a movie star this afternoon but the prices on these garments brought her back down to earth again. Neither of us were on movie star salaries to be able to afford any of them.

I did want to treat her. Maybe, it would cross a line or two but I wanted to buy her something just as a memento of her first trip to New York and something she will treasure and remind me of her for the rest of her life should this relationship not last. Given the circumstances, I couldn't see how it would last.

Would I really give up my happy home in order to continue sleeping with a woman half my age? Would Kevin's death bring about an end to it? It was only a matter of tile before his death would come to light so whatever happens in the future, it was time to take life by the scruff of the neck and treat her, life was too short and in our case, potentially even shorter.

"Come in here..." I stood beside the shop door and opened it for her.

"Tiffany's?!"

I smiled as she walked passed me. "You like necklaces, right?"

She walked passed me, silent and in shock. Her mouth open as she took in her surroundings. "I can't believe it! You're really going to buy my a Tiffany necklace?"

I took her hand in mine as we walked around the store, her eyes not able to keep up with the beautiful jewellery around her. Yes, it was expensive but she was worth every penny.

She browsed for a while, gratefully accepting a complimentary glass of champagne. I always thought this was a clever way of making them push you into a sale.

"I really like this one." Angelica pointed towards a double heart pendant. Two silver hearts with 'Tiffany & Co' engraved into them.

I was pleasantly surprised that Angelica didn't pick an extravagant gift, this one was rather simple with a good price tag. Not that money was a problem, but I saw that she wasn't the type of girl just to go for the expensive stuff.

I hadn't seen her smile this much since id know her. She couldn't wait until we left the store before putting it on. She pulled the necklace from the green box almost as soon as it was handed to her and before I knew it, I was stood behind her as she held her blonde hair to the side allowing me to clasp the necklace around her neck.

"It looks beautiful." I said as she turned to face me, tip toeing to kiss my lips gently as she whispered a "Thank you."

                                   ~~~

We headed back to the hotel that afternoon as I had made dinner reservations with a view of the city. Angelica insisted we went back to freshen up and look our best for the evening.

As we threw ourselves down on the bed, her fingers still playing with the necklace pendants. I told her she needed to phone her Dad and get it out of the way.

"Fine!" She huffed.

It wasn't often I was the teenage angst in her but the way she huffed and dragged herself back up to the edge of the bed was a reminder that maturity hadn't quite reached her fully yet. I wasn't sure if she was acting more grown up when she was around me but for a split second, if she was wearing that mask, it had just slipped in front of me.

My nerves were shot as she pulled the phone to her ear. Had there been anymore information on Kevin since this morning? Had they found him? Were they now looking for me too?

"Hi Dad. Sorry, I left my phone in the room all day."

"I know it was stupid of me..." she turned and rolled her eyes.

"Is everything okay? What did the police say?"

I held my breath as David spoke, annoying that I could only hear one end of the conversation. The most important conversation of my life and I had no idea of what was being said.

"Okay, so they just want to speak to me? Can they phone me instead?"

"Okay, well we will be back in two days, can it wait until then?"

"Yeah, I understand. I'll see you on soon. I love you too."

She hung up and threw her phone down on the bed. I waited with baited breath.

"So? What did he say?"

She puffed out her cheeks. "Nothing much. They haven't found him yet. The police need to speak to me when we get back. Apparently they are not treating his disappearance as suspicious due to his mental health issues."

How was she being so blasé about this?

"Well, that's good. No?"

"I guess but we did kill him. There's no hiding away from that, is there? Even if they do find him and assume he took his own life. I still have to live with the truth for the rest of my life, don't I?"

I could see her beginning to tear up again.

"We."

"Sorry?" She looked at me puzzled.

"We have to live with it. Not just you. We're in this together. I think we just play on Kevin's mental health and that he was off his medication and I think we should be okay. There's nothing to suggest we had anything to do with his murder, we're only suspects because of the argument the other day but we have witnesses to prove it was all his doing."

"But what about Lyn?" She asked as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"We need to make sure she keeps her mouth shut. We do anything it takes to keep her quiet." I sounded assured but inside I was anything but.

"Okay."

I sat bolt upright on the bed. "Let's go and get ready. There's a fancy restaurant waiting for us, with your name on it."

I looked over and smiled towards her glazed eyes. "It will be okay, Angelica. I promise." My hand rubbing her thigh in an act of reassurance.

"You can always wear that sexy underwear you sent the picture of to me the other night...."

***

Tiffany Necklace - Is that another step too far in their relationship?

Is Joe finding out more and more about the real Angelica with her mood swings?