Page 105 of The Truth About Love

“We’re together right now.” I blink at her like she’s stupid.

“Just seeing how things go,” Max answers vaguely, winking at me across the table.

I blush despite my discomfort.

“Oh, wow, isn’t that just lovely?” Cara exclaims, though her expression says she thinks it’s anything but. Too obvious to be unintentional, she clasps her hands in front of her and twists her wedding band round her finger.

My stomach plummets, the tiny amount of food I’ve eaten tonight threatening to make an appearance all over her scarlet dress.

I should never have come tonight.

Cara slaps her hands together just as I’m taking a long glug of wine, startling me. “I’ve just had a thought,” she says. “My husband and I”, her eyes swing to mine and she smirks, “are hosting a dinner party next weekend. You two should come.”

It’s such a ludicrous suggestion that I almost spray my mouthful of merlot across the table.

“We’d love to.” Max grins, a mischievous glint in his mahogany eyes. “Wouldn’t we, baby?”

“Um, no actu ?”

“Yes,” he cuts me off. “We’ll be there. But would you mind leaving us to finish up? I need Summer to eat if she’s to have enough energy for what I’ve got planned tonight.”

I choke on my wine.

What the hell?

Cara’s eyes widen in shock as her cheeks flame in embarrassment. Though I get the feeling her discomfort has less to do with Max’s crudeness than the surprise of being dismissed by him. She probably doesn’t get the cold shoulder from men very often, looking the way she does.

She was beautiful enough to make Auden fall in love with her after promising himself to me, after all.

“Very well,” she laughs lightly, composing herself. “I’ll have an invitation sent out to you.” She nods and with not another word, turns on her red-soled shoes and takes a seat at a table with three other women, all dressed as glamorously as her.

She’s not here with Auden.

I feel my body relax in relief. At least I won’t have to face seeing them together. I won’t have to watch as he looks at her the way he used to look at me, or tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

I wouldn’t have been able to survive it.

“What the fuck was that?” I demand, snatching my hand out of his. “We’re not going to that dinner.”

“Yes, we are,” he states simply, not even looking at me as he tucks back into his dinner.

“Max” I sigh. “I don’t know what impression I’ve given you, if you think I’m more into this than I am, I don’t know. And if I’ve led you on, then I really am so sorry because that was never my intention, but?”

“That was her, wasn’t it?” he interrupts me for the second time this evening.

“What?”

“The woman he married.”

I blink at him in shock.How could he have possibly known that?

“It was obvious,” he says, reading the thoughts displayed on my face. “You were so uncomfortable with her presence that your skin was basically grey and the hatred on her face when she looked at you was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

I scoff. “She has no reason to hate me.”

“Sure, she does.” He pulls a card out of his wallet to pay for dinner, batting me away when I reach for my own. “Look, I don’t know exactly what happened between you and that guy but for whatever reason, she sees you as a threat.”

I shoot him a sceptical raise of my eyebrows.

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