troubleshooting, and was only too ready for a relaxing week abroad.
However, in the meantime, and with all the hullabaloo with Michael, she hadn’t managed to get Steve on the phone, and instead, she’d texted him the details of their flight and arranged to meet him at the airport. Obviously, he was trying to get this property deal tied up before they went, so much better to just let him get the job done and then they could both enjoy their time away. Then, on her way to Heathrow in the cab on Saturday morning, she’d sent him another text telling him she’d meet him outside WH Smiths in Terminal 2.
Almost immediately Steve phoned.
“Natalie, I can’t go on holiday with you today!” he said, sounding flustered. “What on earth made you think I could?”
“But it’s all booked, Steve! We’re flying out this morning. You knew that!”
“I did not know that! You told me you were thinking of booking a week away for us at some stage. As far as I was concerned it was just an idea! Then when I got these texts telling me we were flying out this weekend, I didn’t know what to make of it. To be honest, I thought you were having me on.”
“But –”
“Natalie, are you out of your mind? What made you think I could just drop everything and take off for a week at such short notice? I have a business to run!”
He sounded very upset, considerably more upset than the situation merited, Natalie thought. After all, he was the one leaving her stranded, after more or less agreeing to go on the holiday with her!
“Natalie …” Steve paused for a moment. “Nat, this is coming across a little bit weird … a little bit heavy, to be honest. And the thing is – ”
“The thing is what?” Natalie asked, her nerves instantly on alert.
“I don’t like being railroaded – into anything.”
Sensing that she’d crossed some invisible line, Natalie’s heart began to race. “Look Steve, we obviously got our wires crossed here,” she said quickly, her voice unnaturally bright. “I really thought you were fine about this trip, so I went ahead and booked it. Obviously I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were.”
This was followed by an uncomfortable silence, and Natalie wanted to kick herself. Why oh why had she pushed it – why had she been so impulsive? Of course she should have checked the details with him, of course she should have made sure.
But when Steve eventually spoke again, his voice had softened somewhat. “You’re right. Maybe I didn’t make things clear enough. But look, why don’t you go along without me? You said yourself you badly need a break from work.”
The idea of going on holiday alone, quite frankly, sounded a little sad to Natalie, but then again, unlike Steve she could get away. Jordan King had since signed with the agency and her boss, Jack was so pleased about that, he’d have let Natalie fly to the moon if she’d wanted to.
“Honestly, you should go,” Steve insisted. “And I’ll pay you back for the money you lost on my ticket.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. It was my fault for booking it in the first place without consulting you properly.” It had been rather rash of her. But he’d seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea initially so …
“Even so, there is no point in letting a perfectly good holiday like that go to waste,” Steve went on, his tone now sounding rather impatient, she thought.
Natalie bit her lip, trying to decide one way or the other. She’d really wanted this time alone with Steve – time to make him see how important she was in his life, and how he couldn’t possibly live without her. “I suppose.”
Eventually, and after considerable encouragement from Steve, Natalie decided that she would go. If anything it proved to him that she was an exciting unpredictable woman, who was confident and assertive enough to go on holidays on her own. So, she bid Steve a regretful goodbye over the phone, and promised to call him when she got to the hotel in
However, in the meantime, and with all the hullabaloo with Michael, she hadn’t managed to get Steve on the phone, and instead, she’d texted him the details of their flight and arranged to meet him at the airport. Obviously, he was trying to get this property deal tied up before they went, so much better to just let him get the job done and then they could both enjoy their time away. Then, on her way to Heathrow in the cab on Saturday morning, she’d sent him another text telling him she’d meet him outside WH Smiths in Terminal 2.
Almost immediately Steve phoned.
“Natalie, I can’t go on holiday with you today!” he said, sounding flustered. “What on earth made you think I could?”
“But it’s all booked, Steve! We’re flying out this morning. You knew that!”
“I did not know that! You told me you were thinking of booking a week away for us at some stage. As far as I was concerned it was just an idea! Then when I got these texts telling me we were flying out this weekend, I didn’t know what to make of it. To be honest, I thought you were having me on.”
“But –”
“Natalie, are you out of your mind? What made you think I could just drop everything and take off for a week at such short notice? I have a business to run!”
He sounded very upset, considerably more upset than the situation merited, Natalie thought. After all, he was the one leaving her stranded, after more or less agreeing to go on the holiday with her!
“Natalie …” Steve paused for a moment. “Nat, this is coming across a little bit weird … a little bit heavy, to be honest. And the thing is – ”
“The thing is what?” Natalie asked, her nerves instantly on alert.
“I don’t like being railroaded – into anything.”
Sensing that she’d crossed some invisible line, Natalie’s heart began to race. “Look Steve, we obviously got our wires crossed here,” she said quickly, her voice unnaturally bright. “I really thought you were fine about this trip, so I went ahead and booked it. Obviously I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were.”
This was followed by an uncomfortable silence, and Natalie wanted to kick herself. Why oh why had she pushed it – why had she been so impulsive? Of course she should have checked the details with him, of course she should have made sure.
But when Steve eventually spoke again, his voice had softened somewhat. “You’re right. Maybe I didn’t make things clear enough. But look, why don’t you go along without me? You said yourself you badly need a break from work.”
The idea of going on holiday alone, quite frankly, sounded a little sad to Natalie, but then again, unlike Steve she could get away. Jordan King had since signed with the agency and her boss, Jack was so pleased about that, he’d have let Natalie fly to the moon if she’d wanted to.
“Honestly, you should go,” Steve insisted. “And I’ll pay you back for the money you lost on my ticket.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. It was my fault for booking it in the first place without consulting you properly.” It had been rather rash of her. But he’d seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea initially so …
“Even so, there is no point in letting a perfectly good holiday like that go to waste,” Steve went on, his tone now sounding rather impatient, she thought.
Natalie bit her lip, trying to decide one way or the other. She’d really wanted this time alone with Steve – time to make him see how important she was in his life, and how he couldn’t possibly live without her. “I suppose.”
Eventually, and after considerable encouragement from Steve, Natalie decided that she would go. If anything it proved to him that she was an exciting unpredictable woman, who was confident and assertive enough to go on holidays on her own. So, she bid Steve a regretful goodbye over the phone, and promised to call him when she got to the hotel in
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