Page 22 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“WillDuncan? Are you sure?” Juliet stammered, hoping Margot was talking about one of the men standing with Will andnotthe man she’d spent the night with. Worse, her fatherwas also heading towards him. This didn’t look good. Could Will be the Mr Duncan her father had mentioned? She remembered suddenly that the receptionist had called him Mr Duncan, but she’d never connected the dots – it was a common surname.
“Are you okay? You look a little pale,” Margot said, as Juliet watched her father shake Will’s hand. Her stomach dropped. She’d already slept with the man she was being set up with.I should’ve known one night of fun would come back to bite me on the ass.
“Too much champagne,” she said, downing her glass. “I need some air.”
Margot’s brow creased with worry. “I’ll go with you.”
They’d just passed the table nearest the terrace doors when Will and her father blocked their path. Given Will’s devilish smile, one Juliet remembered from a much more intimate setting, the humour of this moment wasn’t a surprise to him.
“Juliet, let me introduce you,” Mr Frost said, shoving Will towards her.
“Will,” Will corrected him, eyes on Juliet.
“Juliet.” She didn’t know what else to do but to play along.
“Have we met before?” he quipped. Her father frowned, looking between them.
“No,” Juliet said, a little too quickly. His stubble was gone, and his dark hair had been combed. But his eyes hadn’t changed, nor the way they looked at her.
“My mistake.” Will took her hand and brought it to his lips. The sensation was enough to make her hate herself.Had this been a set-up all along? Did he approach me on purpose the other night?
He was still holding her hand. Disengaging rather abruptly, she decided to make up some excuse to leave, only to stop herself when she remembered she had to talk with her father about theletter. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted by a devastatingly handsome man in an expensive suit.
“Dad, could I talk to you?” Juliet tried to draw him away, but he refused to budge.
“About what chickpea? Now isn’t the time – unless you’d like to praise me for having picked a good one? I was bound to get it right one of these days.” He looked at Will like he was a champion racehorse. Margot was doing her part as buffer and client hunter, introducing herself to Will with ease.
Juliet clenched her fist, wishing he’d focus. “No, it’s about Nana Rose. Did you know she was talking with—”
The breaking of glass interrupted them. A waiter passing Will had stumbled and dropped his tray, spilling red wine and glass shards all over the white tablecloth and floor.
“How clumsy of me! Sorry, man, I didn’t see you behind me,” Will said, helping up the frazzled waiter, who hurried off without a word. Will grabbed a napkin and placed it over the stain on the white tablecloth before it spread further.
“Sorry, what were you asking?” Mr Frost said, handing Will a new glass of wine. Juliet watched him put it down immediately.
“Did Nana Rose ever—”
“Might I ask your daughter to dance?” Will interjected. Juliet could’ve sworn he was doing this on purpose. Before she could protest, he added, “Perhaps it might bring back a memory of having met before.”
Juliet glared at him. If he revealed just how well they ‘knew’ each other, her dad would be planning their wedding before the end of the night.
“I’m sure she’d be honoured.” Mr Frost nudged her towards him.
Will offered her his arm. Juliet looked for Margot, hoping for an escape, but her friend had been distracted by a man who’d apparently decided against a jacket and tie, in spite of thestringent dress code. Trust Margot to find a rebel amongst the guests.
Will followed her gaze. “Don’t worry, your friend is in safe hands,” he whispered with a wink.
Her buffer had clearly been intercepted by his friend. Juliet forced a smile, wishing she’d confronted her father earlier so she could have left before Will arrived.
“There aren’t many dancing quite yet, and I don’t want another spectacle like last year,” Juliet said, not wanting to be gawked at.
“Don’t be silly, when has a dance ever hurt anyone?” Frost said, eager to forgo the rules to get them together. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe Gillian is talking to the CEO of City Bank. I should go and save her.”
“I’m sure the Prince of Maldonia would speak to the contrary,” Will murmured over her shoulder as she watched her dad go. He wore the same aftershave as when they’d met, causing her body to remember some of the other, finer details of that night.
Juliet wanted the ground to swallow her up. Clearly he knew far more about her than he’d let on. “You do know this is a set-up, right? I suggest you run for the hills before the wedding venue and theme is decided.”
“I do – and thankfully my friend can keep your buffer company.” He looked to his friend, who’d whisked Margot away to the bar.
