‘You’re not the only one with doubts you know. I’ve got Ben to think about as well. And if I’m going to bring someone into my life then they have to be right for Ben too.’
‘Yes, I completely agree.’ She smiled, knowing how easy it would be to grow fond of Ben. Another hurdle crossed.
* * *
She was disorientated when she woke up the next morning, being in neither her own bed nor the spare bedroom in Daniel’s house. The large bed seemed to engulf her, the pillows soft, the sheets made from crisp Egyptian cotton. She could havelain there all day given the chance. As she looked around the luxurious bedroom, she smiled at the memory of last night.
They’d woken in the early hours of the morning and made love again, that time being even more glorious than the first time. There was something about Daniel that made her feel protected and cared for. She feared she may need to guard herself — that was how she’d felt about Mark when they had first got together. She knew it wouldn’t be easy negotiating both their careers, but at least now she had one, and that was down to Daniel encouraging her to believe in her abilities, which was more than Mark had ever done. It was different with Daniel, though. Unlike Mark, Daniel supported her and pushed her to achieve her own ambitions. Mark had been happy for her to achieve at work, as it reflected well on him, and had made it easier for him to do as little work as possible. But he’d never encouraged her photography. He could have easily hosted an exhibition for her ages ago, but all he’d done was put her down. Admittedly, then her work would have shown little of the quality it had now, but he hadn’t even given her a chance.
Chapter Twenty
‘Someone looks happy,’ Daisy said as she joined Anna at their regular table in the Angel.
‘Do I?’ Anna could barely keep the smile off her face. She felt like she’d been grinning like a fool since the night of the exhibition.
‘I’ve seen that look before,’ Daisy said darkly. ‘And this time you can’t deny it.’
‘Deny what?’ Anna took a sip of her wine.
‘You know what. You and Daniel.’
‘Maybe.’ Anna’s smile widened even further.
Daisy groaned. ‘What is it with you and your bosses? Haven’t you learned anything from last time?’
‘This time it’s different.’
‘How is it different? He’s still your boss.’
‘Technically, yes, but things are changing.’
‘How so?’
Judging by the frown on Daisy’s face, Anna knew that she’d take some convincing. ‘I’m still working for Daniel, but he’s setting up a new project in Cheshire, so he’s going to be spending more time up there. Which will give me time to concentrate on my own photography.’
‘So it’s going to be a long-distance relationship? How’s that going to work?’
‘It doesn’t have to be long-distance, not initially anyway.’
‘How come?’
‘I’m thinking that when Daniel goes up to Cheshire, I can go with him, at least some of the time.’
Daisy had been about to take a sip of her wine but she banged her glass back on the table, causing some of the wine to spill over the top. ‘And how exactly does that further your own career? This is just typical of you, going in all guns blazing.’
‘I’m not,’ Anna protested. ‘And I have thought this through, I’m just not explaining it very well.’
‘Go on then,’ Daisy said, her face still sceptical.
‘Okay, well, the exhibition was a huge success, and Charlotte has done a brilliant job on my PR. So I’ve got to work hard on getting my next exhibition together while people still remember my name.’
‘And?’
‘And, when I first went to Cheshire with Daniel I took some pictures in Chester. It’s a fascinating city, so I’m going to contrast the buildings in that landscape to those here.’
‘And conveniently your work will take you to where he is when he’s there.’
‘Yes.’ Anna beamed. ‘It’s brilliant, isn’t it?’
