Page 44 of The Last Saturday In July
Simon grasped his hand. ‘Simon Donohue.’
Jess was pretty sure her heart actually stopped, but Simon didn’t expand, and for once she was grateful that he rarely offered unasked-for information.
Frank Charleston briefly shook Simon’s hand. ‘We’ll leave you to enjoy your lunch.’
Adam gave them both a polite nod before striding off in the direction of their table on the far side of the restaurant.
Simon waited until they were out of earshot. ‘They seem very pleasant. Who were they?’
Jess drank some water and tried to calm her heart, which was now threatening to burst through her chest. ‘That’s Frank Charleston, the chief executive. Adam works for the group too.’
To her relief, Simon changed the subject. Jess didn’t dare look over to see where Frank and Adam had gone. With a bit of luck, she and Simon would be finished before them. Had Simon picked up on any undercurrent between her and Adam? There was no reason why he should: he trusted her. And she’d betrayed that trust in the worst possible way.
She looked him in the eye. ‘Leave your mum’s request with me. I’ll sort it out.’
Jess braced herself for the worst when Adam walked into her office that afternoon. She hadn’t talked to him since Saturday.
After their kiss in the church, she’d shut down his attempts to discuss it on the drive home. Adam had seemed frustrated by her silence, but he hadn’t pushed her. She hated that he’d probably already guessed who Simon was, but it was a clear sign for her to come clean. ‘Adam, have a seat.’
‘Thanks.’ He threw himself into the other chair, put his phone on her desk, and hitched one ankle over his leg. ‘That was a nice restaurant. Bit fancy for lunch, but Frank was paying.’ He gave a lopsided smile. ‘How was your meal?’
Jess picked up a pencil and started to doodle a cartoonish couple on the open notebook beside her. ‘Um, good. Look, now that you’re here …’
Adam cut across her. ‘I want to apologise for what happened on Saturday.’
She looked at him, her heart thumping. He seemed sincere. Her eyes slid away from his, as she tried to ignore the weird little flips her stomach was doing.
‘I should have just said no.’
‘Right, sorry. For everything. For putting you in that position in the first place.’ He dug a hand through his hair. ‘It won’t happen again.’
Jess probed her feelings, knowing she should feel relieved. Weirdly, she felt more confused than ever.
Adam clasped his hands behind his head.
‘So, Simon seems like a nice guy. Does he work for the group?’
This was it, confession time. It was for the best: Adam would think the worst of her, but he’d back off completely. ‘No, he doesn’t.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Actually, he’s getting married soon.’
Adam’s face was a study in polite interest. There was clearly a deeply buried streak of masochism in her, or she would have just told him. It was like ripping off a plaster. Her mam had always done it so fast she and Zoe had hardly known it was happening.
But this wasn’t the same.
Jess looked back down at the page and drew a tutu on the tiny, curvy woman. Maybe she could just leave it at that. She sat up a bit straighter. ‘So, what did you want to see me about?’
‘Who’s he marrying?’
What was wrong with the man? Unless he’d guessed and was just messing with her head. She just needed to say it. Three little words:He’s marrying me. ‘Why? Why do you want to know?’ She wiped her hands surreptitiously on her skirt.
Adam’s eyes seemed to bore into her. Finally, he shrugged.
‘Frank thought he recognised him from one of the company picnics.’
Jess tried not to sag in the chair. She was certain that Frank didn’t have a clue she was getting married, and he obviously didn’t even know she was with someone. Why should he? Frank was nice, but he wasn’t the sort of boss who took a massive interest in anyone’s personal life.
‘He’s marrying Kate, from Accounts.’ She blurted out the lie.
‘Kate.’ Adam paused, frowning. ‘I don’t think I’ve met her.’
