Welcome To Crete Chapter 73

Adam takes a risk in the hope it will force Fay to show her feelings.

The following morning Fay was woken by the sound of a message coming through on her mobile phone.

Morning sleepyhead. Time to get up. How about I bring your car over, cook us breakfast and then we can head to the office?

She looked at her clock and groaned.

How about missing breakfast and giving me more hours in bed? Why are you so cheery and energetic in the morning?

He read the message and laughed.

I'm always at my best in the morning!! How about we do both, breakfast and bed?

She tutted.

How about you tell me when you're leaving the island?

He grimaced.

Don't you want me to leave?

She narrowed her eyes.

Well you're not a bad boss. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't I think. Still, all things considered I'm getting up now. I'll meet you at the office.

He frowned.

Ok babe.

She hauled herself out of bed and headed for the shower, feeling better when the cool stream of water tumbled over her head and reawakened her. Climbing out of the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, she moved back into her bedroom to get dressed. She picked out the first top she came across in her wardrobe. It was a fitted, filmy, white blouse.

Hmm, a bit transparent.

She went to put it back but stopped herself and threw it on the bed as she had a change of heart.

Okay so she'd play him at his own game, what did she care? He was leaving anyway. Let him suffer but she'd not sleep with him!

She matched the blouse with a figure hugging beige, skirt which stopped just above her knee and showed off her tanned legs nicely. In the process of applying some face powder, mascara and lip gloss she suddenly stopped and wondered to herself what the hell she was doing.

She was dressing for a man who was leaving her. Or was he? Either way he was playing games and she didn't like it!

She threw her lip gloss down and stomped into the lounge, feeling angry and agitated with both him and herself for letting him get to her. Grabbing her house keys and handbag, she left.

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In the office Fay met a distraught and flustered Ann who was chasing five year old Amy around a desk.

"If you don't behave yourself I'm telling your father and he'll have to come back from Heraklion so he won't be very happy Amy, not at all! Amy!" she shouted as Amy ducked under the desk and crawled along the floor to Adam who was standing at the photocopier.

Amy grabbed him by the leg and shouted out, "Don't care!"

Her mother growled angrily and looked to Adam apologetically.

"Don't think you are impressing Adam either because he won't have you running riot in his office! He will throw you out!"

Amy looked up at Adam with wide eyes. "Why?" she asked him.

He laughed and put down the papers in his hands, reaching down to prise Amy off his leg and pick her up off the floor.

"I promise not to throw you out you little monkey but you have to stop running around the office because it's dangerous, someone could get hurt. How about you sit down there and draw me a lovely picture. It has to be good though," he warned, "because I want to put it up on the wall in here." He put her down and ushered her towards a small table.

"Where's my desk?" Amy asked, sulking.

"Hey Amy," Fay called.

Amy looked up in surprise to see Fay and her face lit up.

"How would you like to share my desk? We could be partners," she suggested.

"Fay!" Amy exclaimed, running across the office and reaching up to hug her around the middle.

Fay smiled and planted a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up to Fay and asked, "What's 'partners?'"

Fay led Amy to her desk and grabbed a chair for her which she climbed onto, kneeling up and looking around her with a satisfied smile.

"Partners are like the very best friends, we stick together," Fay smiled, placing some paper and pens in front of Amy and taking a seat next to her.

"Okay, you can be my partner," she replied, picking up a pen and beginning to draw.

"Thanks Fay," Ann said, returning to her desk. "I wont be long and then we'll be out of your hair. Dimitri had a meeting today so he couldn't take her and I'm all out of babysitters."

"I'm not a baby," Amy interjected crossly.

"Okay, childminders," Ann amended, rolling her eyes at Fay.

"I'm not a child either, I'm Fay's partner," Amy corrected.

Fay giggled and turned on her computer, looking across the room towards Adam who was watching her intently.

"So do you want help preparing the transfers at the weekend?" she asked.

He hesitated as if his mind was elsewhere but then he shook his head. "No, Ann has that covered. Do you think you could start to compile some information on Knossos? We haven't really touched on that and it's going to be a popular trip."

She nodded and set to work.

She had just begun to research the palace of Knossos when her phone beeped in her bag. She frowned and ignored it, scrolling through the website she had found with interest. Seconds later her phone beeped again and she growled, turning her attention away from the screen, retrieving her phone and reading the messages.

How come you never asked me to be your partner?

She huffed and looked across at Adam. His gaze abruptly moved away from her and he grinned, making a pretence at studying some paperwork. She read the second message.

Are you ignoring me madam?

Rolling her eyes, she typed in a reply.

Didn't you hear what I said? Partners are supposed to stick together!

She turned back to her computer and continued working. He read her message and thought for a moment, typing in another message a few minutes later.

So let's stick together!

She sighed.

A little hard to do if we are in different countries!

He smiled.

But if we weren't??

She heard her phone beep again and she began to feel annoyed.

Well we will be and I wish you'd just hurry up and go so I can get my life back to some sort of normality again!

Not exactly the reply he'd been hoping for! Was he wasting his time? Let's face it, she was not going to ask him to stay. Maybe he should just give up on this and do his usual chasing her around!

His heart sank suddenly and he pushed the papers around on his desk, unable to concentrate on work and itching to get out of the office.

"Okay, I'm finished," Ann announced. "Come on trouble, let's see if Daddy is home."

Amy jumped off her chair, picture in hand, and ran over to Adam's desk.

"It's good, will you put it on the wall?" she asked, handing him the picture.

He looked at it and smiled. "That is a good one! I'll put it up for everyone to see."

She smiled and hugged him around the middle. "Will you be my partner too?"

"Partners," he confirmed, holding up his hand for a high five. She slapped his hand and skipped off with a smug look.

"I'm going to try to get an hour off later, Dimitri said he would babysit when he gets back from Heraklion. Want to meet me in The Wheelhouse for an hour Fay? We haven't done that for ages," Ann pointed out.

"Sure, why not," Fay replied, waving to Amy who was skipping around Ann in circles.

Fay couldn't help but chuckle at her as they left the office, and she caught Adam's eye as he laughed with her.

"Well at least one female likes me!"

She shook her head at him in exasperation. "You have women in the palm of your hand all over the place and you're so bloody arrogant at times Adam! And I'll tell you something else," she continued as her annoyance built, "I wouldn't ask you to stay if you were the last man on the island!"

He frowned.

"Furthermore, You know what I think? I think that you have no intention of leaving; you're just playing games with me. Well it won't work Adam," she finished, turning away with determination to ignore him.

He stared at her for a moment and then grabbed his phone angrily, storming out of the office. She shrugged and continued her research.

Adam crossed the road and stood overlooking the sea as he punched a phone number into his phone.

"Susie, hi it's Adam. I need you to do me a favour for me. Do you have any flights to the UK any time soon? That's okay, I don't need it right away, anytime within the next few weeks will do...and to any airport...yes it's for me. Thanks. Listen will you drop the ticket into The Wheelhouse for me to collect, it's nearer to you and you can leave it with Ruth. No, that's fine. Actually if Fay's in there she could pick it up for me. I'll fax you my payment details now if that helps. Great, thanks a lot Susie, bye."

He went back into the office and headed straight for the fax machine with his heart pounding.

If this didn't work then he'd know she didn't give a damn!

During the following hour Adam tried and failed to get any work done, eventually shutting down his computer and turning to Fay.

"I have to shut the office up now, go and meet Ann if you want and I'll open up later. Or you can finish up at home, it's up to you."

Where was he going now? It was not as though either of them had got much work done so far. Oh what the hell.

"Fine, I'll finish it at home later," she said, preparing to leave.

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[Dupree]

That's a risky move Adam.