"We've finished the McKnees order, Kirk's making that delivery right now, but there was some water damage to the silks set aside for the Drysdales order, so I'm getting a couple of replacement bolts couriered over. Hopefully the insurance will cover the damage to the original lot. I'll get onto the insurance company now."

Sarah had been in uber-efficient mode all morning, limiting her interactions with me to those purely professional and spending the majority of her time on the sewing room floor or in packing.

"Sarah."

"We should get that claim in A.S.A.P.," Sarah deflected.

But I was not to be deterred.

"Sarah, stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending that nothing happened. We need to talk about last night."

"I don't see that there's anything left to say. You know what they say, Carla, a picture is worth a thousand words, and boy did you and Adam paint a vivid picture."

"I understand you're upset."

"Upset?" Sarah's sarcasm was palpable. "Why would I be upset?"

"Because of what… you know."

"Because you're sleeping with my husband," Sarah didn't hesitate to spell it out, "again."

"Ex-husband."

"We've not signed the divorce papers yet."

"He told me you and him were over, for good."

"He said that?" Sarah seemed genuinely surprised.

"Is it not true?"

"I… I don't know, I guess. Yes, it's true. But…"

"But you don't want him to move on?"

"Of course I want Adam to be happy, someday, with someone."

That's when it hit me, this was more about me than it was about Adam. There'd always been an antagonistic edge to mine and Sarah's relationship, Adam was merely the latest sticking point.

"Oh, I get it, it's not Adam moving on that's the problem, it's that he's moving on with me."

Sarah shook her head and opened her mouth, no doubt to deny my accusation, but instead laughed bitterly as the sting of self-realisation took hold.

"You know what," Sarah admitted openly, "yes. I know it's not fair, but it's how I feel. I don't want Adam moving on with you. Anyone but you."

"Do you want me to stop seeing him?"

Sarah shot me a piercing look as if to gauge my sincerity.

"That's it, isn't it? You want me to end it with Adam."

"If I said yes, would you do it?"

"Look, Sarah, I don't want to hurt you." I was playing for time, not wanting to make a promise to Sarah I doubted I would keep. "I don't want to end things with Adam either, but…"

"You know what, Carla, I really don't care what you do, or who you do it with, it's got nothing to do with me."

"But you just said…"

"I know what I said, but you're not worth it, you're not worth the time or energy it takes to hate you. Neither of you are worth it. Just do me one favour, yeah?"

"Anything."

"I don't want to see it. You and Adam. I saw more than enough last night, so just, keep away from me."

I knew it would be impossible, the proximity in which we all lived and worked ruled this out, but I assured her all the same, we would keep out of her way.

The talk with Sarah having gone pretty much how I expected it to, I settled into work for the rest of the afternoon, hoping that Adam's talk with Ken would result in a better outcome.

I was disabused of this hope however as I glanced towards Number 1 on my way to the Bistro and saw Adam storming out of the front door, followed closely by Ken.

"Adam, you're being unreasonable," Ken spoke calmly, assured as always of his moral superiority.

"I'm the one who's unreasonable?" In contrast to his grandfather, Adam was highly agitated. "Me?"

I hadn't planned on being present during Adam's talk with Ken, not wanting Ken to feel like he was being press-ganged, but now that I had become an unwilling witness to what had clearly devolved into an argument, I had no choice but to enter the fray.

"What's going on?" I asked as I hurried to where the two men stood facing each other on the pavement.

The way Ken looked at me, with eyes full of grave disappointment, gave me some appreciation of how his students must have felt back in his teaching days when they had failed to adequately understand one of his lessons.

"Adam's been telling me about the two of you, that you want to," he exhaled and shook his head, "make a go of things."

"And?"

"I'm sorry, Carla, but I simply cannot see any good coming from this. Too many people are going to get hurt, there will be too much collateral damage. I think the best thing you could do is end things right now, draw a line under it, and move on with your lives. Separately."

"Ken," I began my charm defence with my softest pleading voice, but Ken wouldn't let me speak, he had made up his mind.

"I'm sorry, Carla," he spoke with resolve, "but I don't support this relationship, I will never support your relationship with my grandson."

Having made his feelings known and fully expecting us to abide by them, Ken returned to the comforts inside, leaving me and Adam out in the cold to pick up the pieces.

"So I guess that's the end of that," Adam said, resigned to his fate.

"The end of what?"

"The end of everything, the end of us. I don't know why you made me do this, why you're so desperate for his approval. You know what, I'm not having this."

Not having it indeed. Adam began banging on the door of Number 1, pounding on it, until Ken opened the door, exasperated that the matter he had deemed closed was refusing to remain so.

"What now?" he asked.

"You do not get to decide who I can have a relationship with."

"I already explained it to you, Adam–"

"No! I am done listening to you, it's time you listened. After all the affairs and scandals you've been involved in over the years, you've got no right to pass judgement on me or Carla. We aren't doing anything wrong."

"That's debatable."

"Shut it!"

"Adam," I softly rebuked him. No matter how correct I believed Adam was, I hated to see Ken being yelled at by his own grandson.

"No, Carla, it's time grandad heard some home truths. Because every single person in this family has done some truly reprehensible things. And I hold my hands up, I'm as guilty as the next person. But not this time. You and me, Carla, we're both single, for all intents and purposes, we're not cheating on anyone, we're not sneaking around, we've gone out of our way to speak to everyone who might be impacted by us–"

"You've not spoken to Peter," Ken pointed out.

"Peter's thousands of miles away," I interjected.

"He'll still be affected by whatever this is."

"You know what," Adam threw his hands up in the air, "I don't care if Peter is affected. He left, so he has no say. None! And neither do you, grandad, because that would make you a hypocrite of the first order."

Having given up on reasoning with his grandson, Ken turned to me to plead his case.

"Carla, you see what's happening, don't you, the aggravation this is already causing. You know what you're doing isn't right. You know what you need to do."

I looked at Ken intently, at this man I respected and wanted to please, and then I looked at Adam, and it was in that moment that I was sure of what I needed to do.

"Actually, Ken," I spoke as gently to him as I could, while remaining steadfast in my convictions, "it seems to me like you're the only one causing aggravation here. We've tried to be respectful and talk to you before things got too serious, but if you refuse to listen, refuse to understand, then that's on you, not us. You do not get to dictate what we do with our lives. And look, I don't know where this is going, this thing between me and Adam, but there's something there, and I want to, no, I'm going to find out what that is, with or without your blessing. Now," I turned to Adam and smiled, "are you taking me to dinner or what?"

My smile widened when I saw it reflected on Adam's face, the relief in his eyes clearly visible to me. "Let's go," he said, taking my hand in his, interlinking his fingers through mine, and leading the way.