Read Online Recipe for Disaster by Miriam Morrison - Free Book Online
Authors: Miriam Morrison
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tell you lots of
things you would rather not hear and, frankly, anything
you might have to contribute isn't going to make any
difference.' Oh crap.
'I'll just put the steaks back in the fridge then. I don't
suppose we're going to want them,' he said coldly.
'Oh, please, just leave them and sit down.'
'Certainly not. Whatever you might have to say will not
be a good enough excuse for treating food badly.' He
busied himself in the kitchen for a few minutes, putting off
the horrible moment. It also gave him a small amount of
satisfaction to make her wait.
She was sitting at the table, shredding a napkin into tiny
pieces.
'Things haven't been right between us for a while now.'
'Haven't they?' This was news to him.
Jill swallowed and wished he would open that bottle of
wine, but he just sat there, very still, waiting.
'I've been seeing someone else.' When he didn't respond,
but just looked at her blankly, she burst out: 'Oh, please
don't make this more difficult than it already is!'
'For whom, exactly? You or me? Because it's bad enough
for me as it is. But let me help you out. By "seeing" someone,
I take it you mean you've been sleeping with him.
You're terribly sorry; you never meant this to happen and
you certainly didn't mean to hurt anyone.'
This was exactly what Jill was going to say, but it didn't
sound quite the same coming out of Jake's mouth.
'So, who is it?
'You don't want to know.'
'That means you are too scared to tell me.'
She took a deep breath. Jake wasn't the violent sort, but
you never knew, and this might be the one thing that would
tip him over the edge.
'It's Harry.'
Jake continued to sit very still and concentrated on
keeping his face under control. He was damned if he was
going to let her see how shocked and upset he was.
'That's a very stupid thing you are doing.' That was
good. He sound quite calm, almost casual, but he knew it
had hit home because she flinched.
'I knew you would say that, but –'
'Even before we were going out I told you to stay away
from him, didn't I? He is a devious, manipulative, arrogant
shit who will sleep with you for a while and then dump you
because that's what he's like. I don't want to burst the
bubble of your self-esteem, but he's just using you to get at
me.'
'Thanks! Anyway, he told me you would say that!'
Jake leaned back in the chair, eyes narrowed. He was so
angry he was almost detached from the whole thing. Which
was good, but he knew the pain would come later.
'Let me see, I suppose he took you for a drink and it just
sort of escalated from there. You can spare me the details.'
She had intended to do that anyway. It would be
impossibly hurtful to Jake to explain how much fun she had
had that first afternoon. They hadn't done anything wrong
either, just listened to some music, which neither of them
had liked, and talked, a lot. It turned out that they had
plenty in common, so much that it seemed imperative and
entirely natural to arrange to meet again. OK, this time it
was in the sort of cocktail bar she'd always longed to be
taken to (what woman didn't?) and yes, they had drunk
Bollinger, which she'd only ever heard about on Ab Fab , but
it was really to do with their personalities seeming to mesh
together. That and the fact that when his hot blue gaze
looked down at her (he was so tall!), being with him was like
basking in a Mediterranean sun. And it was certainly
unthinkable to describe how Harry's huge bed was made
for the sort of inventive sex that would result in serious
injury if they tried it on Jake's lumpy single mattress.
Jill concentrated instead on saying how sorry she was.
She said it in so many ways Jake half wondered if she'd
consulted a thesaurus before coming out. Eventually he
could listen no longer.
'Enough! Is that the gist of what you have to say?'
She nodded miserably.
'Then you might as well just fuck off.'
When she'd gone, Jake lay down on his bed, watching the
thirty-two candles dripping wax on the carpet and
things you would rather not hear and, frankly, anything
you might have to contribute isn't going to make any
difference.' Oh crap.
'I'll just put the steaks back in the fridge then. I don't
suppose we're going to want them,' he said coldly.
'Oh, please, just leave them and sit down.'
'Certainly not. Whatever you might have to say will not
be a good enough excuse for treating food badly.' He
busied himself in the kitchen for a few minutes, putting off
the horrible moment. It also gave him a small amount of
satisfaction to make her wait.
She was sitting at the table, shredding a napkin into tiny
pieces.
'Things haven't been right between us for a while now.'
'Haven't they?' This was news to him.
Jill swallowed and wished he would open that bottle of
wine, but he just sat there, very still, waiting.
'I've been seeing someone else.' When he didn't respond,
but just looked at her blankly, she burst out: 'Oh, please
don't make this more difficult than it already is!'
'For whom, exactly? You or me? Because it's bad enough
for me as it is. But let me help you out. By "seeing" someone,
I take it you mean you've been sleeping with him.
You're terribly sorry; you never meant this to happen and
you certainly didn't mean to hurt anyone.'
This was exactly what Jill was going to say, but it didn't
sound quite the same coming out of Jake's mouth.
'So, who is it?
'You don't want to know.'
'That means you are too scared to tell me.'
She took a deep breath. Jake wasn't the violent sort, but
you never knew, and this might be the one thing that would
tip him over the edge.
'It's Harry.'
Jake continued to sit very still and concentrated on
keeping his face under control. He was damned if he was
going to let her see how shocked and upset he was.
'That's a very stupid thing you are doing.' That was
good. He sound quite calm, almost casual, but he knew it
had hit home because she flinched.
'I knew you would say that, but –'
'Even before we were going out I told you to stay away
from him, didn't I? He is a devious, manipulative, arrogant
shit who will sleep with you for a while and then dump you
because that's what he's like. I don't want to burst the
bubble of your self-esteem, but he's just using you to get at
me.'
'Thanks! Anyway, he told me you would say that!'
Jake leaned back in the chair, eyes narrowed. He was so
angry he was almost detached from the whole thing. Which
was good, but he knew the pain would come later.
'Let me see, I suppose he took you for a drink and it just
sort of escalated from there. You can spare me the details.'
She had intended to do that anyway. It would be
impossibly hurtful to Jake to explain how much fun she had
had that first afternoon. They hadn't done anything wrong
either, just listened to some music, which neither of them
had liked, and talked, a lot. It turned out that they had
plenty in common, so much that it seemed imperative and
entirely natural to arrange to meet again. OK, this time it
was in the sort of cocktail bar she'd always longed to be
taken to (what woman didn't?) and yes, they had drunk
Bollinger, which she'd only ever heard about on Ab Fab , but
it was really to do with their personalities seeming to mesh
together. That and the fact that when his hot blue gaze
looked down at her (he was so tall!), being with him was like
basking in a Mediterranean sun. And it was certainly
unthinkable to describe how Harry's huge bed was made
for the sort of inventive sex that would result in serious
injury if they tried it on Jake's lumpy single mattress.
Jill concentrated instead on saying how sorry she was.
She said it in so many ways Jake half wondered if she'd
consulted a thesaurus before coming out. Eventually he
could listen no longer.
'Enough! Is that the gist of what you have to say?'
She nodded miserably.
'Then you might as well just fuck off.'
When she'd gone, Jake lay down on his bed, watching the
thirty-two candles dripping wax on the carpet and
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