Page 67 of Before You Say I Do
Jordan met her gaze. “It was pretty recent. I remember it all.”
Abby squirmed under her stare. She remembered it all, too. “Cup of tea?” Abby had no idea what she was saying. She was on auto-pilot.
A shake of her head. “I think we need to talk. So when you’re finished being polite, come and sit on the sofa with me, please.”
Jordan was being firm. Pushy. That wasn’t doing anything to quell Abby’s desire for her. If she’d turned up crying, that might have repelled her.
But not this.
Abby did as she was told.
Jordan stared at her. It wasn’t a warm stare. Or one filled with want. It was a hard stare. Jordan meant business.
Abby sat up straighter, trying to get her head into the same game.
“You’ve been ignoring my calls and my texts.”
“I texted you back to cancel lunch.” Jordan couldn’t deny that.
“Once,” Jordan said. “But this isn’t just about us, Abby, or about what went on over the weekend. This is about our work, too. My professional reputation. I can’t drop the ball on your wedding so close to the finish line. People talk. So even if you want nothing more to do with me personally, we still have to decide what we’re doing professionally. Either we carry on and get this done, or we agree to sever ties and make up a lie.”
Abby nodded. Everything Jordan was saying made perfect sense. But it didn’t stop her feeling like she was being ripped in two from the inside out.
However, she had to do the right thing.
But what was the right thing?
Everyone told her Marcus was the real deal.
Everyone couldn’t be wrong, could they?
“I know. I’ve just been so busy since we got back. Then Marcus stayed last night.”Why had she said that?They hadn’t had sex, after all.
Too late.
Jordan’s lip wobbled, but the rest of her face hardened. Clouds gathered in her eyes. Once they were sky-blue, now they were icy.
Abby’s stomach rolled. She never wanted to be the cause of pain for Jordan, but she didn’t see how she could avoid it. “Then I went to work and got that promotion. The one I told you about?”
Jordan nodded. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Abby felt hollow. “Then my team gave me a congratulations cake. Marcus is picking me up at six to go for dinner at his parents.” She threw up her hands. “I haven’t been avoiding you, Jordan, but I can’t change the path my life is on. It’s too late. Everything’s on track, and I can’t stop it rolling.” She went to take Jordan’s hand, then thought better of it. Better if they didn’t touch each other.
Her throat had gone dry. Did she believe the words she was saying? It didn’t matter. She had to say them. She had no choice.
“The weekend was a mistake.” She gulped hard. “I’m marrying Marcus. I’m sorry you got hurt in this. I really am. But I can’t just turn my back on the life that I’ve built over the past few years. The man I’m due to marry. The job I’ve worked hard for.”
Jordan was still staring. Then she took a deep breath, stood, and walked over to the bay window. Standing just where Abby had stood a few minutes earlier. Where her heart had exploded when she’d seen Jordan. She wasn’t going to dwell on that.
“What about everything we spoke about in Cannes?” Jordan turned.
Her stare rooted Abby to the spot.
“About you getting a new career? Saying you’d fallen for me? Are you forgetting all that? Are you able to forget what happened between us?”
Abby stood, too. “I can’t overthrow everything in my life because of one shag.” As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she wished she could put them back. Lock them up and leave them on a high shelf, where nobody ever had to hear them or see them. But she couldn’t. They were out there and they’d sliced through Jordan’s soul. Abby could see that in the way her face dropped.
“I’m sorry.” Abby winced. “That came out wrong.”
