Page 90 of Riding the Waves
Stepping away from him, Amy shook her head, hating the way he spoke as though it was a done deal. “I don’t think it’s right,” she said, quietly but firmly. Then she thanked the estate agent for showing them round and made a hasty exit.
“What was wrong with that one?” Damian asked, as they walked towards the car.
“I just didn’t get a good vibe,” she said.
“It’s close to the school,” Damian said. “And it’s within our budget. I think it’s the best we’ve seen.”
He was right there – it was the best of the bunch. But she still didn’t like it. “I’ll think about it.”
“I guess it won’t be on the market for long.” They stopped at the car, and Damian took her hand. “Even if it doesn’t feel quite right, we can redecorate it and make it nice.”
She tried to smile, and gave him a quick kiss before walking around to the driver’s side. His eyes were on her, and she knew he was waiting for a response.
“We need to hurry up,” she said. “Anthony and the boys will be coming soon and I need to do some food prep before they arrive.”
They stayed silent for the drive home. Amy went straight to the kitchen to make a start on dinner. After pulling out the salad bowl, she got to work cutting veg.
“Need me to do anything?” Damian asked, hovering behind her.
Amy shook her head. “No. I only need to make the salad. Anthony is bringing the meat. I’ve got drinks in. I think everything is under control.”
“Why are you so stressed then?” He planted his hands on her shoulders but she failed to relax into his massage.
“I’m not stressed.”
Gently he kneaded her muscles. “All this tension in your shoulders says otherwise.”
She stopped chopping the cucumber and tipped her head to rest against his hand. “Do you think this is going to be really awkward?”
“Having Anthony and Christina here?”
“Yes. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“It’ll be fine.”
“But what if we don’t get on or something? What if Christina’s a complete bitch?”
“I doubt it.” Damian lowered his head to plant a kiss at the side of her neck. “Anthony’s always had good taste in women, I’m sure she’s nice.”
Amy rolled her eyes and gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow.
“She must also be a nice person to agree to come over here. If you’re worried it’s going to be weird, imagine how she must feel. It must be more uncomfortable for her than anyone. At least we all know each other.”
“But maybe she’s a weirdo, because I can’t figure out why she’d agree to it.”
“Maybe because she loves Anthony,” Damian suggested. “And it’s clearly important to him that we all get along.”
“What if we don’t though? You and Anthony have never really spent time together. Not properly.”
“We were fine when we went surfing.”
“That’s true.” She took a calming breath. “Why am I freaking out about this so much?”
“I don’t know.” He gave her shoulders another squeeze. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take over the salad? Or shall I get you a glass of wine? That might help.”
The doorbell rang before she could respond and her heart rate went through the roof. Being so nervous about the evening seemed silly, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow it would end up an unmitigated disaster.
CHAPTER 45