Spring's Promise

By Minnie Adams

It takes more than a yearning for someone, to make love happen as these two people, Zoe Makepeace and Gavin Trelawney, find out. She thinks he's already married and therefore any advance he makes she views with suspicion. It's going to take a lot to happen before our star crossed lovers find each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christine Bryden
• Release date: Mar 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301991471

Minnie Adams

Minnie Adams is a prolific writer of my inner self, naughty but nice.

Book preview

Spring’s Promise

A Modern Romance

by C M Bryden

Chapter One

It was nearly seven o’clock and the last few minutes Zoe would spend in the office. She’d hoped to have the paperwork that at the moment was strewn over the desk, sorted and filed. Unfortunately she’d been hampered by last minute visits from her soon to be ex colleagues, all wanting to say their fond farewells and to wish her well.

‘You’d better get a move on if you’re going to catch your flight,’ Mary Lloyd, her present boss had called out from the inner office.

‘Why does everything go wrong when you’re in a hurry and you’ve a deadline to meet?’ Zoe asked. ‘And yes, I do know it’s getting late, thank you!’ she answered in the slightly irritated tone of voice of someone who is on the point of losing the plot, finally gathering the papers into a tidy pile before stashing them in the desk drawer.

Mary laughed, ‘I know, I’m sorry. It’s known as sod’s law my dear, that’s when everything that can go wrong usually does and always at the wrong time! Still, it was good to see the crew. They will all miss you for sure. By the way, have you heard from your love-rat, Richard, lately? Does he know you’re leaving?’

‘No, I haven’t told him. In any case, he doesn’t need to know. I told you months ago it was all over between us and I haven’t seen him since the night I told him to leave; I expect he’s got someone else in tow by now. I just hope he rots in hell!

Mary laughed. ‘That’s a bit strong, isn’t it? I didn’t know you had it in you!’

‘Well you do now! It’s not a laughing matter either, he took me not only for an idiot but for a lot of money as well, which I didn’t appreciate.’

‘I thought you were serious about each other?’

‘I thought so too. Unfortunately for me all he wanted was a cheap place to live and someone daft enough to take over where his mother had left off, vis-a-vis doing his laundry et cetera and available in bed. Anyway, I’m off men, thank you very much. I haven’t got time to tell you all the gory details; I’ll e-mail you when I get home as I’ve still got to finish off here!’

Zoe carried on working, clearing her desk, until all that was left was the laptop she’d been using; this she placed in its case and locked it away with the papers.

With her year’s contract at the studio ended, and her work in order, she handed her keys over to Mary.

‘That’s it then, I’m all done and dusted!’ she said, giving a final glance around the room she’d used as her office for the year of her internship. ‘I can now leave with a clear conscience. If you need any info about my projects, you know where they are, she said, pointing at the desk, before turning on her high heels and walking into a side room the staff used as a rest room.

Mary followed her across the room to stand in the doorway, her arms folded across her ample chest watching as her protégé stepped out of the business suit and the high heels she’d been wearing, before pulling on a pair of brown tweed trousers, a cream cashmere sweater and a pair of low heeled boots she intended travelling in.

She moved out of the way as Zoe carried the folded suit and shoes back into the office, stuffing them into an already bulging canvas satchel, one she’d used for years as a suitcase, before reaching for the long, black woollen overcoat, as old as the hills that nearly reached her ankles.

It was her favourite charity shop purchase. Fastening it, she then pulled on a multi coloured hand knitted Fairisle beret, a gift from her parent’s after a holiday they’d spent in the highlands of Scotland. Thankfully, the hat covered most of her blonde hair and ears, knowing she would need it once she’d left the office, it being early December and already freezing, which was not an unusual occurrence for Chicago.

Zoe checked her watch, tut tutting to herself as she saw the time; she had to leave right now if she was to get out to O’Hare in time for the red-eye flight to London.

Seeing her young colleague almost ready to leave, Mary walked across the office and put her arms around Zoe’s shoulders, giving her a motherly hug; sorry to see her go. The past year had been one of the most enjoyable she’d ever had with an intern. With Zoe’s departure for London imminent, Mary knew her working life in the office was also about to change; it wouldn’t be the same without Zoe, who was always ready for a laugh, except for the time she’d been with Richard. Mary knew she was going to miss her young friend and her wicked sense of humour, and her use of irony that only the English seemed to be accomplished in using; she was going to miss her vibrant young friend more than Zoe would ever know.

‘Take care of yourself Sweetie!’ she said, trying not to weep. ‘Have a great holiday with your folks and I hope you get the dream job you’re after as well. I’ll be routing for you!’

Zoe hugged Mary in return. ‘Sure thing, it’s been great working with you too. I’ll miss you and thanks for everything and don’t forget, you promised to come over and stay with me sometime soon.’

With a final wave, Zoe shouldered the old satchel and, with the energy of youth she bounded out of the office, heading for the elevator, wiping her own tears away with the back of her gloved hand.

The cold air hit her as soon as she left the warmth of the building, reminding her to pull up the collar of her coat as the temperature outside was dropping drastically; it was already minus five degrees, without taking into account the wind chill factor. Winters in Chicago were always bitterly cold and that day was no exception. Zoe pulled her beret down as far as it would go, glad to be going home to Cornwall, and not just because there it would be considerably warmer.

Looking down at her watch she could feel her stress levels rising as she saw the time. She had no option other than to be patient as she waited for the concierge to stop a cruising cab for her. All she needed was just one who would be willing to take her out to the airport because there’d been a heavy snowstorm that afternoon with another promised for sometime in the next few hours. Therefore the city workers had all made their exoduses home earlier than usual.

A feeling of panic started to rise in her chest as she stood waiting in the lobby of the skyscraper building, the minutes ticking by, wondering whether she would make her flight or not. At last a cab slithered to a halt outside the building. With the doorman holding the back door of the cab open for her, she gingerly made her way across the snow-covered sidewalk and sank into its warmth, relieved to be on her way.

‘Where to lady?’ the driver drawled, as she threw her satchel onto the seat and settled herself beside it. She travelled light these days, a remnant from her back- packing days as a student.

‘O’Hare, please!’

‘You’re in luck lady. I’m heading home and it’s on my way. What flight you on?’

Zoe told him, afraid the weather might already have worsened and she would end up stranded at the airport. For a moment she was in despair as she realised she just had to get on the plane. She had no home in Chicago to go back to having given the keys to her rented apartment back that very morning, her personal belongings already boxed and sent home earlier in the week. She certainly didn’t fancy sitting alone in the airport for hours; it didn’t appeal at all, but she knew she had no alternative. She would have to wait and see the state of the international flights when she got to O’Hare.

She closed her eyes as the cab crawled along, shutting out the wintry scene, practising the relaxation techniques she’d learnt when the strain of living with Richard had finally made her realise she needed to learn how to de-stress properly. It was no good relying on a few too many glasses wine to do the job that only left her with a hangover and a massive headache.

Sitting in the cab, Zoe breathed in deeply, counting slowly to herself as she went through the technique she’d been taught. Then she exhaled again, slowly, counting, clearing her mind of everything, except the image of herself lying on her favourite beach in Cornwall, the sun warming her body. Gradually, the breathing exercises worked their magic and she felt herself becoming calmer, letting her mind drift, unable to rid herself totally of the sense of loss and sadness she felt. Perhaps she would always carry this sense of failure with her, knowing her past experience with Richard would definitely make her wary of men in the future. She found it difficult to believe how naïve she’d been, incapable at first of believing Richard had been having an affair with another woman at the same time as he’d been living with her! The bastard!

Zoe closed her eyes and laid her head back against the seat as she remembered how she’d first met him. This, she decided, was to be her final delve into her past. She had to do as her therapist had suggested and visualise herself with a clean slate in her hand after she’d removed all the details of the disastrous affair. She then had to imagine herself wiping the slate clean and placing it at the back of a cupboard, this very act relegating him to the back of her mind so she could go forward with her life and he became history!

Her mind drifted back to when she’d only been in Chicago a few days, It was at a ‘welcome to Chicago’ dinner party, given by Lindsey, one of her new colleagues were they’d been introduced.

She’d been more than flattered by his attention when Lindsey had insisted on them sitting next to one another at the table. Believing him to be personable and charming in the ensuing conversation, Zoe found out he was single and twenty-eight years old. Both facts, on reflection had impressed on her. She’s seen for herself he was quite good looking, in a boyish sort of way. He was probably about six feet tall, though it was difficult to say exactly. He had a charming manner he obviously used to great advantage in his job as a salesman, selling corporate insurance.

As other young women before her, Zoe had been flattered by his attention and, like a fool, she arranged to see him again when later the same evening he’d asked her out.

At first she’d held back, being young and inexperienced in the wiles of a persistent suitor, not sure if she wanted a romantic entanglement so early in her internship. Finally, his incredible persistence won her over. No wonder he was so good at his job!

Over the next few days he’d flirted with her and, as her mother would have said, ‘wooed’ her. Of course, being young and naïve Zoe soon found she was falling for him and was soon convinced she was in love. For Richard, though, romancing Zoe was all a sham! Something she found out for herself a few months later.

It was obvious to her looking back that Richard loved all women, young or old. At times she’d become increasingly annoyed by his blatant flirting but, like so many other women in his past, by then she’d become putty in his hands, unaware he was using her for his own ends. Unfortunately, Zoe was already convinced he loved her as he swore his undying love.

Flattered, she’d finally given in. Within a short period of time, which she later realised had only been a couple of weeks, he’d persuaded her to let him move into her small apartment. Until then there’d been no sexual activity between them at all, other than some heavy petting that had led nowhere. Believing his words