She laughed softly. ‘I’m glad you called, actually.’
‘Oh?’ This was very pleasing. I sat carefully on my couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table.
‘Yeah. Do you have time to catch up for a drink?’ she asked. ‘I realised some things after we talked the other night. If you can spare me some more time, I’d really like to chat again.’
‘Of course I can spare the time,’ I said quietly. My mild tone belied my elation as I accepted her offer.
We arranged to meet at a bar on Darling Harbour that evening.
Once again, it was an odd kind of place for me to find myself – given the uncomfortably pretentious décor and the trendy and affluent crowd. Molly was fifteen minutes late arriving, and I started to wonder if I’d misunderstood her instructions.
‘Hi,’ she breathed a greeting as she took the seat opposite me. I could see a little flush on her cheeks beneath her make-up, and she was buzzing with a flustered energy as she sat down and drew in a deep breath. ‘God, I’m so sorry I’m late – my phone has been ringing off the hook. We posted record dividends this week and there’s been a bit of a flurry of media stuff to do. And you know what journalists are like.’ She flashed me a wry smile.
I smiled back. ‘No problem. So you’re okay?’
‘Yes, but I’m exhausted and frazzled. Actually – you know what? I need wine.’
I laughed. ‘That sounds good.’
Once we’d secured our drinks, we took a table out on the waterfront, sitting beside one another on a long, cushioned bench seat. I angled myself slightly towards Molly so that she was within my natural line of sight. She was framed by the glitter of the restaurants and bars and the harbour behind her. I was struck by how much she stood out in this crowd – an exceptionally beautiful, well-coiffed young woman in a sea of well-dressed but bland inner-city types.
‘So, record dividends, huh?’ I prompted.
‘All my doing, naturally,’ she said with a grin.
‘Of course.’
‘Actually, it was just a good year. But our shareholders expect good years now so it’s always nice when we deliver.’
‘And… the stuff we talked about?’
‘Yeah, I’m good,’ she said, and she smiled at me. ‘I haven’t talked to my parents yet – I don’t know if I will. I can’t even say they are clinging to this false idea of who he was and how he died – they are just completely shut down to acknowledging his life at all.’ She glanced at me, and said hesitantly, ‘You know, if you ever spot my father in a dark alleyway, you should probably run in the other direction. He really seems to have an issue with you.’
‘I think I can handle Laith but if he has bodyguards with him, I’ll definitely take your advice,’ I said, and she laughed. ‘I’m really sorry that your parents are still closed to discussing him.’
‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘At least I know the truth now. Quite often when I was at work I’d wonder if I was living up to the role he once filled. But these last few days I have felt I can be myself for the first time, and that’s marvellous – and it’s all thanks to you.’
‘Oh, no!’ I cringed at the praise, uncomfortable with her gratitude. If only she knew how non-altruistic my motivation for this catch-up was. ‘Don’t say that. I didn’t do anything at all, but – congratulations. Here’s to being yourself,’ I said, and I raised my glass to her. She shuffled closer to me and we clinked glasses.
‘And to healing,’ she added, gesturing towards my shoulder.
‘And to healing.’ We each took a sip, and I realised how close she was sitting to me – close enough that if I just moved my knee to the left, it would brush hers. How would she react? It was far too soon to find out, but just the idea was captivating. I leant back a little so that I could glance down beneath the table. She was sitting with her legs crossed, her knees angled towards me. I dragged my gaze back up to hers.
‘Sometimes, I think about leaving TM,’ she murmured as she stared out to the harbour. ‘Not yet, but maybe someday.’
‘That would be a brave move.’
‘Please. Brave? A trust-fund kid thinking about leaving her cushy job at the family firm to loaf around and binge-watch the back catalogue of The Bachelor is not brave.’
‘Taking a step into the unknown is.’
‘It’s only brave when you don’t have a safety net. And I have three safety nets – I have my shares in TM, I have Declan’s shares in TM, and I have a trust fund. I don’t need to be there at all, really.’