Page 92 of Reluctant Chemistry

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The Fitzroy

The Fitzroy was full to bursting when CeCe and Tracy walked into the pub for the bi-monthly Business After Dark quiz night. Three other members of their team had already grabbed a table and were waiting for the quizmaster to arrive.

After ordering a drink at the bar, they took a seat with the others. CeCe looked toward the door asa group of guys pushed their way through the crowd. She recognized one as a friend of Mitch’s and when he lifted his chin in recognition and offered a smile, she returned the gesture.

She was about to look away when Luka appeared at the back of the group, smiling at the woman beside him as she stepped closer to whisper something in his ear. CeCe sipped her lime and soda, trying to ignore the heat flushing her cheeks at the sight of him.

As teams of players filled the tables, CeCe flicked her sight toward the bar, watching Luka interact with the woman. Smiles and laughter moved freely between them, and at one point, she struggled to tear her eyes away. Before leaving home, the thought of a night out excited her, but she’d never expected to run into Hot Chopper Guy at the Fitzroy. Wouldn’t have thought he was the pub-quiz type.

Distracted, she didn’t noticed Jaz slipping into the seat beside her until she spoke. “Sorry I’m late, everyone.” She looked at CeCe. “Thanks for filling in.”

“My pleasure. I love quiz nights. Haven’t been to one since I was at uni.”

CeCe looked up and caught Luka’s gaze. She froze. The acknowledgment he offered could hardly be called a smile, but at least he didn’t frown or ignore her. She watched him settle at a table with his team, now wishing she’d refused when Jaz pleaded her to fill in for the night, while at the same time musing about how hot Luka looked in tight black jeans and a cinnamon-colored linen shirt.

As they waited, CeCe recalled her emotional outburst the day she visited him at the yurt. The contact she’d expected in the following days hadn’t eventuated, and seeing him now with the blonde in the white jeans and midriff-revealing top, she understood why.

Eyes fixed on the quizmaster as he perched on a high stool behind the mic, CeCe picked up her pencil, relieved that Luka wasn’t in her line of sight and admonishing herself for her sudden burst of jealousy. She had no claim over him. He could see who he liked.

“Welcome to quiz night at the Fitzroy, people. Let’s start the ball rolling with a ten pointer in ‘who said it first?’”

“I love these.” Tracy clapped her hands, and CeCe grinned at her enthusiasm.

The quizmaster read from the paper in his hand as the question appeared on the flat screen behind him. “According to popular opinion, who was the first person to coin the phrase, ‘send him packing’?”

As he repeated the question, Jaz whispered, “That would be Shakespeare. It’s from Henry the Fourth.”

Still smiling, CeCe shook her head at the irony.

If she’d hoped to ignore Luka for the rest of the evening, she was out of luck. When she returned from the restroom at halftime, she found Luka at their table, flashing his charm between Jaz and Tracy as he got reacquainted with them.

CeCe wanted to return to the restroom before he noticed her, but when the quiz master shuffled up to the mic, she had no choice but to slip back into her seat and say, “Luka. How are you?”

“Well, thanks, CeCe.” He held her gaze with those sexy eyes, and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn’t until he did so first. “Right, I’d better rejoin my team. Nice seeing you both again, ladies.”

“You too, Luka,” Jaz said as Tracy smiled up at him.

The three of them watched him return to his table, and when Jaz caught CeCe’s eye, she arched her brows and whispered, “He’s keen.”

“Pity you’re taken then,” CeCe whispered back as she picked up her pencil and doodled on the paper in front of her.

“I don’t mean me, Little Miss Innocent.”

“He said three words to me, and coolly.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean. He’s keen.”

“Listen up, people,” the quiz master said into the mic. “Seventies music for five easy points. What was Fleetwood Mac’s biggest-selling album?”

CeCe glanced over at the woman sitting shoulder to shoulder with Luka, wroteRumourson her answer sheet, and pushed it into the middle of the table for the others to see.

* * *

The following day, Luka knocked and popped his head around Mitch’s office door. “Hey, mate. Any idea where CeCe is? I tried her lab, but it’s locked.”

“So you’re not here to join me in a beer then? That’s a shame.” Mitch shut the lid of his computer and stood to greet him. “She’s down at the store with Jay, setting up her product display. It’s going on sale tomorrow.”

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