‘Oh, Jay, this is divine. If only we could spend more time together like this.’
‘I know. We really do need to make more of an effort. And I need to stop being so focused on what I want to achieve and make more time for you.’
‘I’m not asking you to do that. I know how ambitious you are and that’s part of who you are, so I wouldn’t ask you to change. All I want to feel is included.’
‘Yes, I get that. You know, you said something the other day about your childhood and how your parents pushed you away. We’ve been together a while now, but we don’t really speak to each other about the important stuff.’
‘It’s not something I like to talk about.’
‘I’m guilty of that too,’ Jay said. ‘But maybe these are the things we do need to talk about.’
Emma sighed. ‘Okay. What do you want to know?’
‘I want to know everything about you,’ he said.
‘There’s not a great deal to know. I’m an only child and both my parents were only children too. They had me later in life and there was no other family. They were very academic and career-orientated, and, growing up, I wondered why they had bothered to have me at all. They certainly didn’t seem that interested in me. And there was very little in the way of hugs or love.’
‘Oh, Em, I’m so sorry.’
‘The other day, when I saw the relationship you have with your nan, I realised that’s what I’ve always been missing.’
‘My own family situation hasn’t been that great, as you well know.’
‘Yes, I understand that, but maybe that can be good again if you work on it.’
He nodded. ‘Maybe.’
‘But what you have with your nan is so easy.’
He grinned. ’It is. She’s always been my idol.’
‘I always felt as though I had to fight for Mum and Dad’s approval, and, no matter how hard I worked, I never quite lived up to their expectations.’
‘That’s really sad.’
‘It is. You should have seen them when I said I was going into the hospitality industry. It was as if I’d told them that I’d murdered someone. At first they tried to get me to change my mind, but I think they both knew I wasn’t cut out for what they wanted me to do. After that it felt as though they gave up on me. I went to uni and they moved to Portugal. And they’ve held me at arm’s length ever since. So, that’s the reason I hate it when I feel like you’re pushing me away.’
Jay leaned over the remains of the picnic and pulled her towards him. ‘I’m so sorry, Em. I shouldn’t have made you feel that way. At least now I understand.’
‘I’m so glad we’ve had the opportunity to talk. Just know that I’ll support you in whatever you want to do, but don’t shut me out.’
‘I won’t.’
Chapter Eighteen
Jay was puzzling over the sauce for his fish dish in the function kitchen at Diva’s on Monday afternoon. He was meeting Liz here later so had decided to do a practice run before she arrived. Maybe she could shed some light on the problem. He looked up as the door opened, expecting it to be her. Instead, he watched Tia enter the room. His heart sank. He wasn’t in the mood for a wrangle with her this afternoon.
When they’d first taken on the contract and Liz had been having difficulties with Tia, Jay had confidently told her he would be the front for the function catering at Diva’s. He had thought then that Tia would be a pussycat underneath her hard-nosed business persona. Now he knew differently. If she were any kind of cat, she would be more like a jaguar than the average domestic moggy. And she was very much a lady who needed to be in control. Of everything. He didn’t know how Alex and Roberto put up with her being their business partner. They must have the patience of saints.
‘Tia, how nice to see you.’
‘I didn’t know anyone would be up here. There aren’t any functions on tonight, are there?’
‘No, not tonight, no, but—’
‘So what are you cooking there?’
‘I was...’ Jay stalled for time as he chose his words carefully. ‘Trying out a new idea for the function menu.’
