Against The Odds Read Online Free PDF Page B

in?”
    Rebecca
was puzzled because she had no appointment that afternoon. “I am
sure you are mistaken. I have no appointments now. Perhaps Jessica
or Ralph?”
    “ No, Princess. It is only you that I seek.”
    There he
was, looking dashing in a dark blue suit and smiling with those
blue eyes.
    “ Clayton!” She got up and he took this as an invitation to
pass Tim and come in.
    “ Thanks Tim. Clayton is a friend of a friend, not a patient.
Please come in.”
    Her
heart was beating fast at the sight of the blue eyes, watching her
as she squeezed her hands together and tried to look comfortable.
He seemed to fill the room, which was decorated with toys and teddy
bears and rainbows on the wall. He took his eyes off her and looked
around the room.
    “ I decided that since you would not answer my calls, I would
come see you. I was quite willing to be a patient.” He was smiling.
“Perhaps I might need your services soon, according to
Jono.”
    “ Yes, I’m sorry about that. I have been very busy.”
    “Liar,”
he said and looked right into her eyes.
    “ Where is the infamous couch, where I can unburden all my
deep, dark feelings to you?”
    “ I work almost always with children and they sit down there.
So if you wish, please feel free.” She pointed to the beanbags on
the floor. He laughed and she simply looked at him.
    “What
did you want to talk to me about?” She waved her arm to the
‘parent’ chairs.
    “I
wanted to apologize for the inexcusable way I behaved at Jono’s house. It was totally
unwarranted. I guess I was feeling tense.”
    “ You do seem to make habit of accusing me of things. I find it
rather disturbing.”
    “ I know. I really want to make it up to you. What do you
desire?”
    His eyes
has become darker, a rich dark blue, but his face was still
smiling.
    “ Nothing. Thank you for coming over. Really, it is alright. It
is not as if we are likely to meet again.”
    “ Why do you say that?”
    “We both
have known Jono and Jackie, or rather Double J, a long time and we
have never met. I can’t see why it would be different now. I don’t
socialize with their legal friends. I find it tedious when they ask
me all sorts of analyses about their clients.”
    She was
trying to talk to disguise her nervousness. She did not like the
fact that she did not feel in control right now. He was standing
there, casual and comfortable, while her stomach was doing
somersaults as he looked at her. It was just
unacceptable.
    “ I feel really bad about the way I behaved. Can’t I just take
you to dinner or a long lunch? I promise I will accuse you of
nothing.”
    He had
tilted his head slightly, pleading, but not quite.
    “ Okay, perhaps we can meet for lunch. When are you
free?”
    He
smiled in a slow easy way, like a Cheshire cat that got the cream.
He had not expected her to say yes, she realized. Damn! I should have
been sharper than that ,
she chided herself.
    “ Now.”
    “ What?”
    “ Now, I am free now. So, let’s go for lunch.”
    “ Well, but I have to be back...”
    “ No, Denise told me that you are free this afternoon. Yes,
don’t look so surprised. I phoned so many times for you, that
Denise and I have become friends. She has been most
helpful.”
    “ Oh, I will deal with her later. Alright. Let’s
go.”
    “ We are going to Monet’s. Jono says you like it
there.”
    “ Have you got the whole world conspiring against
me?”
    He threw back
his head and laughed.
    ~ ~ ~
~
     
    Rebecca was feeling a little frustrated. How could he be so
calm when she felt out of control? He made her nervous and jumpy,
while he calmly went about his business. She was also surprised how
different he was to what she had expected. For one, he drove a
standard Dodge Calibre,
a functional car. She had expected something more flashy and large.
At the same time, he wore expensive tailor-made suits, which did
not fit the image. Jonathan had told her that he was a famous
constitutional lawyer and that was