‘Bit posh, eh?’ she muses, gazing around the plush kitchen. ‘It makes my place look like a cluttered mess. ’
I laugh at the referral to her cute, homely town house that looks like Cath Kidston has vomited, sneezed and coughed all over it. ‘You mean impressive, I’m sure. ’
‘Yes, that too. I couldn’t live here though. ’ she says with no shame at all. I’m not offended. While I’m proud of the finished result, the sheer vastness of the place intimidates me.
‘Me either. ’ I concur.
‘I saw Matt earlier. ’ She downs her champagne, immediately scooping up another from a tray as a waiter passes.
‘Oh, I bet that was nice for you. ’ I tease, imagining Kate hissing and spitting like a cat at poor Matt. It’s no less than he deserves.
‘No, it wasn’t. The part where he told me that you were going out for dinner with him was particularly unpleasant. ’ She purses her lips at me. ‘Ava, what are you thinking? I’m here to threaten you. ’
‘Oh, and there was me thinking you’d come to support your friend in her working triumph. ’ I raise my eyebrows.
‘Pah! Your working life is not an area in which you need support. On the other hand, your personal life is very interesting lately. ’ She jiggles her eyebrows up and down suggestively. I know what she’s getting at, and she’s not heard the half of it. Damn Matt as well. We’re not even together anymore and he still can’t resist winding her up.
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
I feign a hurt face. ‘You needn’t worry. I assure you, I’m not going back to that. I’m enjoying being man free, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Anyway, for the record, Matt’s winding you up. ’ I sip my champagne.
‘Not even for tall, handsome, slightly older blondes?’ She grins.
I narrow my eyes on her. ‘Not even then. ’ I confirm.
‘Oh, don’t be such a bore. ’
‘Excuse me?’ This time, my hurt expression isn’t feigned. Boring? I’m not boring. Kate’s Wild! I look at her in disbelief, genuinely hurt by her harsh remark. I wait for her to back track, but she doesn’t. Instead, she’s looking over my shoulder with the biggest smirk on her face.
Impatient and quite pissed off with her, I swing around to find out what’s caught her amused attention.
Oh no!
‘He’s like a bad penny, isn’t he?’ she remarks coolly.
Chapter 8
Oh, she has no idea.
I’ve not even filled her in on any of the developments since she met him at lunch. And here he is again, stood chatting with the acting estate agent, wearing a navy suit and pale blue shirt, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a file. He looks, as always, like a fucking God. And as if he can sense me staring, he looks up and our eyes meet.
‘Shit!’ I curse, turning back to Kate. She drags her gaze from Ward and onto me, her eyes dancing with delight.
‘You know, I was going to go home and cry into my Haagen-Dazs, Bridgette Jones style, but I think I’ll just hang around for a bit. You mind?’ She sips her drink through her grin, while I snarl at her. ‘This is not the behavior of someone, supposedly, unmoved by a certain someone, Ava. ’ she teases.
‘I went to The Manor on Tuesday and nearly slept with him. ’ I blurt.
‘What!’ Kate splutters, grabbing a napkin to mop up the trail of champagne that’s dripping down her chin.
‘He apologised for the text he sent. I went back to The Manor and he had the big guy lock me in a room. He was waiting for me half naked!’
‘Get out! Oh my God. Who’s the big guy?’
‘Well, he’s not a butler. I’ve no idea what role he plays. Trapping women for Ward, maybe. ’
‘Why haven’t you told me this?’
‘It was a disaster. I ran out when I heard his girlfriend calling him. Ward screwed and turned up at the house last night making demands. ’ The urgency to bring Kate up to speed has me spitting out the basic facts in a rush.