“Sorry,” he says, then he gives us a cheeky grin. “I’ve been waiting all night for Isabel to get distracted. I’ve organized a surprise for the honeymoon and I just need to check some details.”
They’re going to New Zealand for their honeymoon. I’m pretty sure the “surprise” is tickets to a rugby game—Isabel is sports-mad. In any case, Paul leaves the room, and… Now I’m alone with his brother.
I down the last of my champagne in one gulp, then glance hesitantly at Jake. He’s staring at me, his gaze hard, and I try to force myself to be polite and to make an attempt at small talk.
“How have you been? It’s been too long,” I say. It’s possibly the stupidest thing I could ever have said to Jake Winton. Jesus. I don’t know even why I said it. It’s just what people say, isn’t it? My voice is all wobbly. Where’s my supposedly endless confidence when I need it? Where are those “balls of steel” lovers and business rivals have accused me of having? Oh God. I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
Jake sits. He leans back in his chair and surveys me for a moment, then he sighs impatiently.
“We have to play games when the others are around because that’s how you wanted it to be. But when we’re alone, let’s not pretend this isn’t uncomfortable.”
Even as I nod in agreement, I feel my heart sink. There’s no mistaking the disdain in his tone. I usually don’t give a flying fuck what other people think about me, and I’m still not sure what makes Jake so different… But he is different. And I hate the idea that he might hate me.
I’m saved by the return of Izzy with the champagne, and she immediately launches herself into rapid-fire chitchat about the meal. Everyone else returns soon enough too, and at first, I figure the tension between Jake and me will dilute, at least a little, as we settle into the company of our friends.
But I’m wrong about that too. Jake is polite enough to ignore me in conversation, but tense enough to narrow his gaze every time our eyes meet.