Page 32 of Love Me Ever After
“I’ll be there now. Thanks, Curtis.” I picked up my notebook and pen and shooed them both out of the office. “See you later,” I directed to Mason.
“Absolutely.” He slapped my arse, grinned, and then disappeared.
“Didn’t know you two were back on,” commented Curtis.
I swallowed, wondering if he did actually know what had happened the other night. “It’s only a recent thing.”
“You’re good together, so congrats.” He paused by the door to The Rose Room. “They’re in there. Good luck.”
I took a deep breath and went into the room. Melody and her guests were milling around the present table. Polly wove her way through them, a tray of drinks in her hands, offering them an aperitif.
“Ah, Emily, there you are.” Melody appeared in front of me, resplendent in a flowered dress which dipped low to show off her cleavage. She already had a glass of champagne in one hand. “We’ve had a change of guest and they’ll need a vegan menu.” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, the kids are fickle when it comes to girlfriends. When we’d organised it, we thought Lucy was coming and now it’s Charlotte.”
“Right. I’ll go and check with the kitchen they can organise it. Shouldn’t be a problem.” I plastered on a fake smile.
Melody frowned. “I should hope it wouldn’t be a problem. We have paid for the lunch after all.”
I bit my tongue against what I wanted to say. Sure, we dealt with last minute changes all the time and itwasn’ta problem. But there was no need for her to be rude.
“If there are any issues, I’ll let you know straight away.” Turning on my heel, I left the room. Suddenly, it felt like it was going to be a very long afternoon.
15
Mason
“I can’t believeyou and Ems are back together.” Luke finally broke to talk about the elephant in the room while he was spotting me doing chest reps with a stupidly heavy set of weights.
Laying on my back, I put everything I had into lifting the weights up and over my chest, then lowering them back down. Blowing out a breath, I ignored him, choosing instead to focus on slowing my speed to get the maximum results from the repetitions.
“How long have you been back? Two? Three weeks? It’s like you never left.”
I had five more reps to do before I finished this set. I wasn’t prepared to talk until I was done.
“Surely you must have been with someone in New York? I’ve seen all the films, mate, and the chicks arehot.”
Well, I hadn’t lived like a monk out there. But Luke would tell Tasha, who would tell Ems and I didn’t need that level of stress. It was bad enough Ems had thought Whit and I were together.
“Seriously, it’s like you haven’t moved on.”
I placed the weights on the floor with a loud clang, then stood up, rolling my shoulders around and stretching out my muscles. “What the fuck are you bleating on about?”
Luke took my place on the bench, beginning the same exercises I’d just done. “You and Ems. It seems odd you went straight back there.”
If I was honest with myself, I’d never really left her. Physically perhaps, but emotionally she was the one person I’d always love. It had been easy to fall right back in where we’d left off. Were we the same people we’d been when I left? Probably not. When I’d gone to the States, I hadn’t known what to expect. I’d thought it would be heaps of fun with a bit of work thrown in. But working with a different team and meeting new clients changed my way of thinking. That seemed to have paid off because I now had a seat at Robert Lane’s table and my career suddenly looked like it was going somewhere. I’d also got into the gym and working out while I was there too, so not only was I improving mentally, but I was also making a difference to my physical appearance too. Something I knew Ems appreciated.
My mouth curled into a smile as I thought back to all her questions about the tattoo.
“How many reps do you want to do?” I didn’t respond to Luke’s comments about Ems.
“Twenty,” he huffed. “These weights are heavier than I’m used to.”
I watched him while he worked out, pointing out a couple of things that would make his effort a little easier. When he’d finished, we did a short treadmill run before heading into the changing room.
“I’ll get showered at home,” I said, running a towel over my face. “We’re going to that restaurant thing tonight.”
“You and Ems?” Luke raised his eyebrows. “A proper date?”
Knowing he wasn’t going to let this go, I suggested we go and grab a smoothie from the cafe at the gym.
