‘You have to be joking!’
Stacy shook her head. ‘If Matthew’s annoyed because he imagines I’ve slept with either of those men he can calm down, because I haven’t.’
Juliet looked disappointed if anything. ‘You mean he spent the best part of the night sitting in our room chainsmoking for nothing?’
‘If that’s what he did, yes.’
‘I don’t believe it!’
‘It’s the truth, Juliet. I’ve already told you I don’t go in for those sort of affairs.’
‘I don’t mean I don’t believe you, I just meant I find it incredible. But if you say it’s so then it’s so.’
‘I wish everyone had your faith,’ Stacy said dryly.
Juliet shrugged. ‘You’re bound to get a bit of jealous maliciousness. After all, as Anna said, you seem to have captivated the two dishiest men here.’
‘Forgive me if I disagree with you about the last statement.’
‘About the two dishiest men?’ Juliet raised her dark eyebrows. ‘What one doesn’t fit the description?’
‘Guess?’
Juliet laughed. ‘Well, as you came here with Mr Weston I suppose Paul Forbes must be the o
ne out of favour?’
‘He’s never been in favour as far as I’m concerned,’ Stacy declared vehemently.
By this time Juliet had changed out of her costume and into her denims and sun-top. She sat down opposite Stacy. ‘You were with him last night.’
‘The biggest mistake I ever made in my life.’ Remembering his threats of a few minutes ago, Stacy thought it just had to be. ‘For a few brief, stupid minutes I thought I may have made a mistake about how awful he is.’ She grimaced. ‘I hadn’t.’
‘So where were you last night?’
Stacy blushed. ‘I don’t know how to tell you that without giving you the wrong impression of what actually happened.’
‘I’m not here to pass judgment on anything you did,’ Juliet grinned. ‘Goodness knows I haven’t lived a life of complete innocence.’
Stacy couldn’t meet her eyes. ‘I stayed in Jake Weston’s suite.’ She went on to tell Juliet of the events of the night before.
There were bright spots of angry colour in Juliet’s cheeks by the time Stacy had finished. ‘Good for Mr Weston! I hope he hurt him.’
‘He did.’
‘Good,’ she said with satisfaction. ‘I just hope I see Matthew before you do, though. I don’t think he’ll hold back long enough to hear what really happened.’
‘You see what I mean about his brotherly protection.’
Juliet nodded. ‘I’m beginning to. He wasn’t exactly jealous, just angry.’
Stacy stood up. ‘So will Jake be if I don’t soon make an appearance. Oh, by the way,’ she said as an afterthought, ‘he isn’t married.’
Juliet shrugged. ‘I told you I could be wrong.’
She would never know how glad Stacy was that she had been! ‘I’d better get out there or he’ll think I’ve been attacked again.’
‘Are you going to introduce me? I’d love to meet him.’