Another Way to Fall. Amanda Brooke

in their little corner of the bistro.

      ‘Not a problem,’ Steven said as he placed one plate in front of Emma, turned in one smooth move and headed back to the kitchen carrying the other.

      By the time Ben arrived at the table, Alex had vanished.

      ‘My compliments to the chef,’ Emma said, licking her fingers. ‘The salmon is delicious.’

      Ben wasn’t about to be fooled by false bravado. ‘Are you alright?’

      ‘I’m fine,’ she said with a note of steely determination. ‘Alex had to leave, that’s all. I’m going to finish my dinner and then head off home.’

      Emma wasn’t ready to tell the world that Alex was no longer her leading man. She especially wasn’t ready to tell her family, and Ben was an extended part of that. Her visit to the office and outpouring into her book had been the catalyst for a breakup that had been brewing for a long time but it wasn’t over yet. Her emotions were still rattling around inside her head and she would tell no-one how she felt until she knew herself.

      ‘I’m stuck in the kitchen but I’ll get Steven to take you home. We can manage without him for an hour. Unless you want me to phone your mum?’

      ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was almost a threat.’

      ‘As if anyone could manipulate you, Emma Patterson,’ Ben said, holding up his hands in all innocence.

      Emma shrugged. ‘Maybe once, but not any more.’

      Ben was torn between staying and returning to the kitchen, which demanded his attention. Emma could read his mind.

      ‘Go! I think I can smell burning,’ Emma insisted with a smile that took all of her strength to maintain. ‘And tell Steven I’m ready whenever he is.’

      As Ben stood up, he took one more look at Emma. ‘That offer still stands if you fancy going to the museum tomorrow.’

      ‘I’ll see how I feel,’ Emma said, not knowing how she would feel, physically or emotionally.

      ‘Well, if you ask me, you’re looking pretty amazing tonight.’

      Emma’s smile came naturally but it was tinged with sadness. ‘So I’ve been told,’ she said as she remembered Alex’s fumbled and backhanded compliment. From Ben, it sounded genuine. ‘Now go before we need to call the fire brigade.’

      Emma watched Ben disappear back into the kitchen, rubbing his face as he went as though his cheeks were burning as much as the meals he had abandoned.

      Emma was silent throughout the journey home and thankfully Steven didn’t try to make small talk. It was possible he had heard some of her conversation with Alex but then the atmosphere alone would have been enough for him to know that their relationship was floundering.

      ‘Do you want me to walk you up to the apartment?’ he asked when they pulled up in the car park.

      Emma shook her head. ‘No, you get back to the bistro. I’ve taken enough of your time.’

      ‘You can have my time, any time,’ Steven told her. ‘Me and Ben are at your service, you know that.’

      ‘Like the brothers I never had,’ Emma said as she clambered out of the car.

      Steven’s response was muffled by the strong gust that tore at her flimsy dress. ‘Goodnight, Steven,’ she shouted above the wind that had whipped across the river and tasted of salt.

      She waved Steven off but the car didn’t move. He was determined to wait until she was safely inside the building so, with Steven’s eyes upon her, she made her way across the tarmac. To her left, a path wound its way around the apartment block, towards the promenade and, if she hadn’t been watched, she might have been tempted to forgo the confines of her luxurious prison and head to the river instead. The howl of the wind and the shriek of the seagulls would be background noise compared to the scream she held at the back of her throat. Instead, she turned to wave goodbye before stepping into the light and being swallowed up by the building.