Page 36 of When You Were Mine

“Remember that great love we talked about?” Darby asked as if no one else was at the table. “Emil was mine. He was my first everything. I thought he’d be my last. We were going to America together, but at the last minute, he bailed on me. Never even told me why.” She glanced up at Jasper and Jess. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear any of this. I’m just…rattled.”

“It’s okay.” Jess understood better than Darby would ever know.

“I thought I was over him. I thought…” Darby waved her hand as if flicking away dust motes. “I was so sure I didn’t have any feelings left.”

And that was the moment Jess couldn’t help herself. She finally looked at Trevor.

And found him watching her. He looked ravaged. The stark desperation in his eyes was almost too much to bear.

Had she gotten it wrong? Was he as shaken about seeing her as she was about him?

“I feel so foolish. I’m sorry.” Darby shook her head. “I think it’s just too much at once. I’m jet-lagged, newly engaged, and the last thing I expected was to bump into Emil in my grandparents’ hotel. Okay, enough. Let’s go over the schedule again.” She let out a strained laugh. “I’m a race car driver. Trust me, I normally have better focus than this.”

She could see how badly Darby needed to recover, so she clicked the side button of her tablet, awakening the screen. “So, like I said, our first tasting is here at ten. Hákon Björnsson’s a chef on Westman Island, who’s looking to move back to the mainland. Considering the name he’s made for himself on an island that gets so little business in winter, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do. After that, we head into the city to meet with two other chefs.”

But Darby’s napkin had become an origami project, and a storm of emotion clouded Trevor’s eyes. Neither was listening. Neither cared.

Jess set the tablet down. “It’s a busy day with four hours of driving, so you certainly don’t have to participate. I think your brother was hoping you’d choose a chef for the wedding weekend, but I can work that out on my own if you’d rather not make the drive.”

“Oh, I’ll be happy with whoever you choose,” Darby said. “I’m not a foodie at all.”

But Trevor is.

“We’re going,” Trevor said definitively, looking Jess right in the eyes. “To all of them.”

“Of course.” Darby patted his thigh. “He’s particular about his food.”

It was more than that though. Trevor ate with gusto. As a kid, he’d take a huge bite of watermelon, close his eyes, and declare, “Damn, that’s good.” Or she’d make him cookies, and he’d gobble them up, telling her she was magic in the kitchen.

Of course, he’d devoured her the same way he did a slice of watermelon. He did everything with gusto.

So, maybe that was his nature. It wasn’t about her specifically.

Oh, man. That hurt.

Her hand pressed on her chest, but nothing could soothe the ache. So, she forced her thoughts back on business. “Next on my list is, do you know how many guests you’re inviting? We need to know how many rooms to renovate.” She figured—between Hollywood and NASCAR—they’d have a lot. This might be a bigger project than Chris realized.

“I don’t know.” Confident, badass Darby Pullman was now uneasy and a little lost. “We talked about it, and we can’t agree. Trev wants it small.”

Trev?He used to hate when people shortened his name.“How hard is it to go for the second syllable? Is it so exhausting to add the or?”

“And I want it huge.” Darby rallied with a smile. “But then, I’m over-the-top on everything.”

“Don’t let him fool you. He loves the attention.” Only after the words came out did Jess realize how unprofessional she’d sounded.Really? Making fun of your client’s future brother-in-law?But she’d said it, and she had to turn it into humor. “Mr. What-Am-I-Wearing-Under-My-Kilt is notoriously over-the-top.”

Jasper and Darby laughed, but she wanted to slink under the table. Way to let him know he was getting to her.

“Oh, that’s for show,” Darby said. “He’s not really like that.”

But Trevor watched her, head tilted as if trying to figure her out.

She was being immature and petty, and it stopped right then and there.

No doubt about it, planning his wedding to another woman was the cruelest job she’d ever had, but her reputation was on the line, and she wouldn’t let Chris down. “We’ll need to figure that out as soon as possible. I’ve found a hotel supplier, so I’ll start ordering things as soon as I get a number from you.”

“Trev?” Darby nudged him. “How many people are you inviting?”

“Inviting?” He looked like he’d just snapped out of a fugue state. He sat up and tossed his napkin down on the table. “We have some things to talk about.” When he stood up, he addressed Jess. “We’ll see you at ten for the tasting.”

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