Page 85 of Five Things I Love About You

I shiver with desire.

‘Later.’

He groans and turns towards the bar and I take a deep breath, trying to steady my heart. Because the thing I’ve noticed? He’s wearing a pink tie – just like the one he was wearing the day I almost knocked him over in London!

It’s the final piece of the jigsaw; the ultimate confirmation, if I needed it, that he’s the man I’ve been searching for all this time.

I’m dying to ring Sophie and Kirstie. But there’s no time as Jay’s handing me a glass of wine, leading me towards a table full of his friends and introducing me.

When we sit down for dinner I end up between Jay on my left and Simon on my right. Jay spends much of the meal with his hand on my thigh, creeping up higher when he thinks no one is watching. I bat it away several times, trying to ignore the tug of desire.

But if I’d been expecting to find Jay’s friends hard work, I’m pleasantly surprised. Sure, some of the things they talk about aren’t my cup of tea – golf, work, football, for starters. But they’re nice people, and they’re welcoming, and by the time the plates are cleared I feel relaxed, and happy.

‘Hello, we haven’t been introduced.’

A voice beside me brings me out of my reverie and I turn to find one of the wives smiling at me.

‘I’m Helen,’ she says. I take her proffered hand and give it a shake.

‘Miranda.’

‘I know,’ she replies. ‘It’s really lovely to meet you at last.’

‘At last?’ I raise my eyebrows, surprised and pleased at the idea that Jay might have been talking about me to his friends.

‘Oh yes,’ she says, leaning in conspiratorially. ‘I mean,theymight not talk about anything of any consequence, but James told Ade – that’s my husband, the one with the beard that needs a trim over there’ – she waves her hand across the other side of the table – ‘about you and then Ade told me. Me and the girls were amazed.’

‘Oh.’ I’m not quite sure what to say. Why would it be so amazing that Jay had met someone? Surely he was a pretty eligible bachelor?

‘Thrilled too of course,’ she says, with a laugh. ‘Anyway, I was desperate to meet you, and now I have so hooray!’ She’s obviously had quite a lot to drink and her words are beginning to slur into each other. Her wine glass is full to the brim and she sips at it constantly, topping it up when it reaches half-full and starting again.

‘I didn’t realise I was famous,’ I say, smiling.

‘Oh gosh yes. We never thought James would findanyoneto put up with him after everything.’ Her eyes widen and she claps her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh gosh, I didn’t mean that.’ She glances round. ‘Me and my big mouth.’

‘It’s fine,’ I say, but my heart is hammering. I want to ask her what she meant by ‘everything’. Was she talking about Amy’s affair? But why would that mean nobody would want to be with him?

I’m just working out how to ask her, when she knocks her wine glass flying, spraying wine onto her lap.

‘Oh shit!’ she says, dabbing ineffectually at her dress with a napkin. She looks at me. ‘I’m so sorry, I’m just going to sort this out. I’ll be right back.’

Before I can reply she teeters off unsteadily in the direction of the ladies’. A couple of the other women follow her and as soon as they’re out of the door I turn to search for Jay. He’s talking to a few of his friends at the bar and when he sees me looking he flashes me a smile.

What had Helen been about to tell me, I wonder? Was Jay really hiding some dark secret – or was she just drunk and trying to stir things up?

I’m not sure how I’m going to find out now, so I stand and head towards Jay. When I reach him he curls his arm round my waist.

‘Hello, you,’ he says, and I lean into him. ‘Sorry I abandoned you, I was just telling Rich about the car.’

‘Fascinating,’ I say, rolling my eyes, and Jay grins at Rich.

‘Miranda’s not much of a car lover,’ he says.

‘Can’t blame you, neither’s Leah,’ he says. ‘Sorry for keeping him away from you for so long.’

‘It’s fine,’ I say, smiling. ‘Please carry on.’

As they continue to drone on about test drives and electric charging points, I keep half an ear on their conversation and the rest of my attention on looking out for Helen. I want to see if I can get her to tell me what she was about to say before we were interrupted.

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