Page 89 of The Last Saturday In July
Checking that Adam was still on the phone, she took the smaller envelope out of her bag and glanced through the photos of her and Simon. Technically, they were stunning, but she couldn’t find a single photo she liked. A bit panicked, she shuffled through them again. It wasn’t possible: she and Adam looked happier together than she and Simon did. She remembered how stressed Simon had been that day. And, if she were being honest, she knew she’d been different around Simon since her hen weekend.
She’d been so stupid to think that cheating on her fiancé, even once, could be dismissed as a drunken mistake. Not when it had stained every relationship in her life. Jess looked over the photos one last time. She’d have to pick something for the two sets of parents. But if it was up to her, she wouldn’t use any of them.
Chapter 34
‘FRANK looks like he’s about to burst with happiness.’ Jess regarded the chief executive with a mixture of awe and affection at the awards ceremony across town later that evening.
‘Three awards in one night.’ Adam raised his glass to his uncle. ‘And he told me he was swimming at the Forty Foot this morning.’
Jess grinned. ‘That’s an image I’ll never get out of my head. But hey, you must be proud, too.’
‘I’m happy for Frank.’ Adam rolled his wineglass gently between his hands. ‘You get as much credit as anyone.’
‘Thanks.’ Jess tugged self-consciously at the deep-blue, three-quarter-length, slim-fitting dress she’d changed into after work. She hadn’t worn it since the previous summer and now she was dying to get home and take it off. Why was it that other stressed brides-to-be lost weight in the run up to their big day, while she’d piled it on?
Adam pulled off his bowtie and opened the top button of his dress shirt.
‘What?’
He gave a bemused smile and Jess realised she’d been staring. ‘Nothing.’ She felt her face warm. ‘I was just thinking you’ve probably been to tons of these.’
He glanced around the room. ‘Actually, they’re not really my thing.’
There was so much about him that didn’t add up, she thought, especially given his promotion within the company. ‘Too many speeches?’ She realised she sounded flippant.
Adam just smiled wryly and gestured to his dinner jacket. ‘Not a huge fan of the clothes either.’
Jess tried not to compare him to Simon, who had four dinner suits in his wardrobe. She wondered if he was this honest with everyone. By rights, things should be incredibly awkward between them, but the more time they spent together, the more she liked him.
It was just as well he’d be gone soon.
Adam leaned back in his chair.
‘So, can I buy you a drink?’
Jess’s heart crashed against her chest and, as she met Adam’s eyes, she guessed he’d experienced the same flash of déjà vu.
‘Or how about we get out of here?’ he said hurriedly. ‘I’ll have to leave the car in town, so we could share a taxi.’
Jess thought for a moment. Now that the main part of the night was over, people were mingling at other tables, or getting drinks from the bar. Under normal circumstances, she’d stay until the bitter end.
Frank came over back to the table. ‘What are you pair up to?’ His shrewd gaze belied his jovial tone, and Jess briefly wondered if Adam’s mother had told Frank that she and Adam had been to visit.
‘I was about to leave.’ Adam looked at Jess. ‘I’m not sure what Jess is doing.’
‘You’ve worked hard. Go home, get some rest.’ Frank shook Jess’s hand and clapped Adam on the back.
After Frank left, Adam lifted an eyebrow. ‘What do you think?’
Jess nodded, and they left the noise of the big room behind them, walked along the corridor to the stylish reception, and out into the cool night.
‘Do you feel like walking for a while?’ Adam said.
Right now, the only thing she wanted was to spend more time with Adam. Which probably meant it was the worst thing she could do.
He pushed his hands into his pockets. ‘Unless you’d rather just get a taxi home.’
She was completely overthinking this. ‘A walk would be great.’
