The doors of the crowded train opened and Kayleigh was practically lifted off the Northern Line. She tried to make herself as small as possible as the people around her rushed about their business, zipping off in every direction while she stood unnaturally still. The underground station seemed to be closing in on her with every passing second, but finally, the tremulous sea of shirts and hats parted, and Kayleigh was relieved to see a particularly handsome man waiting for her with a breath-taking smile splitting his angular face.

Jack Monroe stuck out like a sore thumb in his crisp, white shirt and dark dress pants, and Kayleigh couldn't hold back the smile tantalizing her mouth. He looked like a brand-new Lamborghini in a used car yard.

"Hello," she greeted as she walked towards him. "You didn't have to come all the way down here. I would've found my way."

The corners of his mouth drooped slightly as he reached for her hand and pulled her closer. "You don't like flowers or gifts or big gestures and I respect that. But at least let me greet you at the underground as they do in those old-timey movies."

Kayleigh felt the twinkle in his eyes diffuse all remnants of anger towards Marcus Burrows. She let the irresistible charm of the man in front of her work its way through her and the world became slightly rosier.

"Alright," she sighed finally. "I'm sorry. What if I pretend I was away and we've been waiting to see each other for months?"

Jack rewarded her with his smooth, soul-soothing laugh. "Oh, Ms Moore, if that were the case, I'd be here with two dozen roses and a big, old sign to welcome you and there would be nothing you can do about it."

His cheesy quips no longer caught her off-guard, but a slight blush tinged Kay's cheeks nonetheless when Jack kissed her forehead softly. When he pulled back, he observed her for a long time, a slight wince visible in his expression.

"Too much?" he asked furrowing his brows adorably.

Kayleigh crinkled her nose back at him. "Just a tad."

"Darn it. I'll find the right balance, I promise," he winked. "Come on. Lunch awaits!"

He slung an arm around Kay's shoulders and together they climbed onto the busy street. They walked straight to Camden Market where Kayleigh's eyes shone with excitement as they wandered around the different food stalls and artisan shops. They bought dim sum, fries and sweets and ate as they strolled.

"Have you never been here before?" Jack asked an overly-excited Kayleigh who had just purchased an overpriced Jim Morrison t-shirt.

"No," she answered swinging her bag like a little girl. "I've actually never been out of Southwold. London is so weird, though. How do you call this a market? Everything is more expensive than from the shops!"

A disbelieving laugh escaped his lips. Jack stopped walking and turned Kayleigh so that she was facing him. "You are incredible, do you know that? I can't believe you just packed up your things and decided to take on the craziest city in the world all by yourself. I am constantly in awe of you, Kayleigh Moore."

Kayleigh stood frozen, not knowing what to say. It wasn't exactly like that and his praise made her feel like a fraud. "That is too much!" she accused poking a finger into his chest, referring to their earlier banter. "It's not that crazy, it wasn't an overnight decision and Southwold can be very suffocating. Honestly, was more like running away than anything else."

"I don't believe that. You can't run away from anything." 

He moved in closer but before their lips touched, Jack's phone rang in his jacket pocket. He hung his head in disappointment and held out an apologetic hand to her before taking the call.

Kayleigh smiled to show him that it was okay, even though she was secretly disappointed with the interruption. And then, somewhere at the back of her head, she heard Marcus's words again, and a familiar storm reared its ugly head inside her stomach.

Up until that morning, she hadn't thought much about her meetings with Jack. But now that a flag was raised, she realised the man hadn't let go of her hand for a single minute and there was a warmth in his eyes she recognised all too well.

"Hey, Burrows. How can I help you?" Jack's face brightened at the same time as Kayleigh's darkened. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That's wonderful. Yeah, sure. Send me the changes you want to make and I'll get the contract ready for you."

Kayleigh would have paid half her savings to hear the full conversation, but when Jack checked his watch and threw her a worried look, she realised it didn't take much to fill in the blanks.

"Well, I'm kind of in the middle of something... Yes... Yes, I understand," Jack went on, his frown deepening. "Okay. Send everything now and we'll meet in my office in about half an hour... Great... Alright. See you soon."

Jack stuffed his phone back into his pocket before placing both palms on Kay's shoulders. "I'm really sorry about this, Kayleigh. I need to head back to the office. Burrows finally agreed to enlist his clinic with our company and he wants to sign now. I don't want him to change his mind. I've been trying to recruit him for years."

"It's okay. I understand," she smiled, making a mental note to give Marcus Burrows a piece of her mind that evening.

Jack looked at her hesitantly for a few seconds, then surprised her by saying, "Come with me."

Kayleigh blinked three times. "What?"

"It's a fifteen-minute job anyway. Come with me, then we'll go for coffee and I'll drive you back to KHF."

She didn't have to think about it for long. A mischievous smile spread on her lips as she nodded her agreement.

#

Kayleigh Moore turned away from the wall of diplomas and awards just in time to witness Marcus's smug face fall as his eyes zeroed in on her. She grinned broadly at her friend as her ego inflated. It wasn't a feeling she experienced often, but boy did it feel good.

"Good afternoon, Dr Burrows," she sang sweetly.

"Kayleigh," he acknowledged as his now guarded eyes flitted away and the muscle on the left side of his face snapped. "What a lovely surprise."

"Yes, it is," she agreed as she took in how close to losing control he was already. "Jack and I were having lunch when you called."

"Oh?" Marcus's brow lifted just slightly. "Sorry, I disturbed your date. I thought you'd have gone back to the office when I called."

"You called forty minutes after I left your side," she replied, dropping all pretence as she leaned against Jack's impressive mahogany desk. "Congratulations, by the way. Now, you've actually earned your Rolex."

Marcus chewed on the corner of his mouth and his eyes stayed firmly on the wall behind her. But Kayleigh was patient. There was no hiding his disappointment from her after his plan to crash her date failed so spectacularly.

"Where is dear, old Jack anyway?" Marcus gritted.

"He's going over your requests to make sure Mitch included everything in the new contract."

"Wonderful."

The acid in his voice should have been satisfaction enough for Kayleigh, but her anger was stirring inside her again. She tore her eyes away from him and flexed her fingers once.

"Do you need a lift back to Kilton's?" he asked after a short while. "I can take you. I'm going that way anyway."

Kayleigh didn't understand why her mood had dropped so suddenly. Just minutes ago she was riding the high of winning this battle. "Are you going to see Abi?"

"Yes. We're going to buy the rings."

There was no ignoring the bile that rose in her throat now. She wondered if it was true or if he just wanted to get back at her. Luckily, Jack stepped in at that moment holding what must have been Marcus's contract.

"Burrows. Sorry to keep you waiting," he greeted clapping him jovially on the shoulder.

"That's okay. Kayleigh kept me company."

She closed her eyes as Marcus's fiery gaze turned to her again.

"Then I guess you should be the one thanking me," Jack winked. 

Marcus's gaze grew hot and the room suddenly became very stuffy. Kayleigh hoped they would be out of there soon. She didn't think she could stomach this conversation for much longer. She ran a finger through the collar of her shirt which seemed to have shrunk two sizes in the last two minutes.

"Okay. Well, here is the contract. You can go through it if you want but all your conditions are there. I signed it already so when you're ready you can either leave it with Mitch or send it back later. As you wish."

Jack held out a hand for Marcus, but instead of shaking it, Marcus narrowed his eyes at him. "Where are you going?"

Jack smiled broadly and gave his hand to Kayleigh instead. She took it and watched his fingers close over hers. "I still have to take this pretty lady for coffee before I take her back to work. We were kind of in the middle of something when you called."

He knows, Kayleigh's mean voice drawled in her head.

"Coffee?" Marcus turned to Kayleigh with a furious look. "You know coffee isn't good for you, Kay Kay."

"Don't worry, Marcus. I didn't have any caffeine at all today. I can handle it," she replied spitefully.

And with a final See you later from Jack, they rushed out of the office, hand in hand and without a backward glance to the man slapping the contract onto the large, empty desk.

👜👒👗

This is getting intense. Do you think Jack's efforts will ever be enough to keep Marcus out of her head?