Page 65 of Not So Happily Ever After (British Bad Boys)
“Mmm.” She gives a restrained smile. I sink as far back into my chair as possible, but luckily no one’s looking my way. Why would they? As far as they’re concerned, that weekend was totally in the friend zone.
“Oh, where did you go?” Alice asks.
“Uh, Wales.”
“Sometimes a change of scene is all you need to see things more clearly,” Margo says.
It’s like they’re having a coded conversation. Except Mac doesn’t look as though she has any more idea what Margo’s on about than I do.
When everyone leaves, Mac comes over to me. “Lucas sent me a text. He’s flying over with Violet, and they’re going to the party tonight.”
“Yeah, sorry. I kept meaning to tell you that.” By the time we got back to my flat yesterday, I’d completely forgotten.
“He’s hired that limo and is picking me up.” She pauses and glances toward the door, but it seems her dad and Margo are having a long goodbye. “Andapparentlyyou’re bringing a date.”
I swear under my breath. “I don’t know what’s up with him. I told him I’m not seeing anyone.” At least, I think I did. I can’t remember what I said now.
She traces the tip of her finger across my chest. It’s an oddly tentative gesture, not like her at all, but before I can comment on it, she takes a deep breath. “Did he ever know about your ex from Uni?”
Okay. I wasn’t expectingthat. “No. Like I said before, it was just a Uni thing.”
“Just casual, then?”
It’d be so easy to agree. It’d stop the questions I know she wants to ask. But it wouldn’t be the truth. “It was serious.”Don’t say it.But for some reason, I need her to know. “Ithoughtit was serious.”
“But she didn’t want to keep in touch after you graduated?”
“It wasn’t that.”You know me, Will. I don’t do family shit.“She wasn’t expecting me to join the business. That had never featured in the plans we’d made together.”
Comprehension dawns in Mac’s eyes, and she sucks in a sharp breath. “She left because your dad died?”
It’s the first time anyone’s said that to my face, and it feels strangely right that it comes from Mac, the girl whose support got me through that first tough year.
I could shrug it off. Change the subject. But it’s too late for that. And I don’t want to, anyway. “Yeah.”
She cradles my jaw, and I cover her hand, sliding my fingers between hers. I don’t know why I feel so good when I’ve just spilled my guts, but I’m not about to challenge it.
The door swings open, and Harry comes into the room. The three of us stare at each other, frozen in place.Why isn’t she pushing me away?
“Huh.” Harry gives us a suspicious frown as Mac slowly drops her hand from my face. Not that she puts any distance between us. I rake my hand over my head and can’t think of anything to say.At least we weren’t kissing.
She gives him a brittle smile, not that he seems to notice. “Did you forget something?”
“My phone.” He goes over to the sofa and picks it up before turning back to us. “Am I missing something?”
“Alice?” I suggest, which at least earns me a quick smile from Mac.
He shakes his head like he’s trying to clear his mind. “Never mind. See you later.”
As he leaves, their dad comes back in. “I just had a message from Lucas. He and Violet are popping in later. What a pity they couldn’t get here earlier for the lunch.”
I don’t want to leave, but I can’t hang around now everyone else has left. It’d just look weird. “I’ll see you later,” I tell Mac, and she nods before walking with me into the hall.
“Anyway,” she says, “thanks for coming today. It wasn’t too bad in the end, was it?”
“You do realize the scariest woman on the BBC is a bit afraid of you, don’t you?”
That makes her laugh. “That’s insane.” Then a small frown creases her forehead as though she’s just guessed I wasn’t joking. “You think?”
