Page 46 of Forget

Both her eyebrows arched. She didn’t buy his bullshit. Who knew, he’d fit right in here.

‘Let’s get this over with,’ he said, dropping a quick apologetic kiss on her lips before they wound their way through the tables.

‘The staff did a great job,’ Jayda said, pointing to the table decorations. ‘They already had everything under control. All I had to do was look over the colour scheme, check in with the caterers, and ensure the band could play a good mix of songs across several decades.’

Brock would bet she’d done a lot more than that. He hated how she downplayed her assets when she’d obviously done a stellar job considering the modern, luxurious vibe in this place.

‘I thinkyoudid a great job,’ he said, brushing a kiss across the nape of her neck as he pulled out her chair. ‘Though these seat covers make me nervous.’

She laughed and ran a hand over the white silk covering the chair, tied in a giant shimmery silver bow on the back. ‘Entrée is smoked salmon soufflé, main is eye fillet steak with sautéed veggies, and dessert is white chocolate mousse, so you should be safe without a tomato in sight.’

He pulled a funny face and pointed at the bottles of pinot noir and Shiraz. ‘But there’s red wine, a recipe for disaster.’

She patted his cheek with affection and he struggled not to turn his head and nibble her palm. ‘I’m pretty sure the laundry bill is covered in the function fee, so knock yourself out.’

‘The tables do look amazing,’ he said as he guided her into the chair. ‘You’ve got real talent for this kind of thing.’

He couldn’t fathom the strange expression that flitted across her face as she sat and semi-turned away from him. He sat and touched her thigh. ‘You okay?’

She turned back to face him and nodded, but he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. ‘As it turned out, all I ever was to my folks was a glorified party planner. They didn’t trust me with…’ she swallowed and covered his hand with hers ‘…the truth.’

Brock wanted to know more. She hadn’t shared much of her home life with him. Then again, when they were together they didn’t do a lot of talking. Sex and work dominated their time and he liked it that way, but seeing the darkness in her eyes made him want to slay dragons for her.

However, before he could delve, a man sat next to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

‘You must be George’s kid?’ The beefy guy in his fifties held out his hand. ‘Pat McFitz. Pleased to meet you.’

Annoyed at the interruption, Brock forced a polite smile. ‘Hey, Pat, I’m Brock, and this lovely lady on my right is Jayda.’

Pat clapped him on the back again before holding out his hand to her. ‘Lovely is right. You look exquisite, Jayda.’

‘Thanks.’ She smiled, a completely genuine smile that made his chest ache.

She didn’t have to fake it as he did. She didn’t judge Pat for his too tight navy suit or his belly straining at the sole jacket button or his florid face that hinted he’d already had more than a few beers. She accepted the man on face value and not many people in his world would do that.

Brock moved in moneyed circles these days, always on the lookout for new clients who ran mega companies who could benefit from his software. He schmoozed and pretended to like people, when in reality he didn’t tolerate many people at all.

It was why he’d dreaded tonight, because in their own way this crowd performed like he did. They bluffed, guffawed on cue, and faked reactions to get what they wanted: sell crappy used cars, while he strove to sell his software.

In that moment, a revelation so startling crashed over him, and his throat tightened.

Maybe he was like his father after all?

This was the second time he’d drawn the comparison, first with his possessiveness over Jayda at the bar over a week ago and now this.Hell.

He dragged a deep breath in, willing his throat to relax, while Pat and Jayda chatted over his head, oblivious to the ramifications of his realisation.

He couldn’t be anything like George.

He’d never treat a woman how his father treated his mother.

Haven’t you already?

He shot a glance at Jayda, who caught his eye and winked. It made his throat tighten further.

She’d been nothing but honest and willing since they’d hooked up. She’d welcomed him into her life for however long, intent on having fun.

And what had he done? Pushed her away every single time they moved beyond sex. Any sign of deeper conversation or hard questions and he’d shut down or left. He’d done it more than once too.

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