Page 125 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Oh, good point.’

‘And the contractisabove board. If Dunn has a bone to pick, it’s with the person who manages his legal affairs, not the agency.’

‘You really came through, Poppy. I feel like I’ve been exorcised.’

She laughs.

‘Seriously, though, thank you.’

‘Eh, all part of the service,’ she says with a modest tilt of her head.

I doubt thatanythingshe’s had to do for this case is typically ‘part of the service’. I wish I could do more than give her my thanks.

We’re interrupted by a young woman delivering the Champagne, cracking it expertly with a whisper and pouring into four flutes. When she leaves, we raise our glasses.

‘To Kate, who totally kicked Jon’s arse,’ says Lucia. ‘You’re oureroina,ouramica.Grazie mille.’

I flush, chuffed but also embarrassed by her words. ‘To Kate,’ say Poppy and Adriana.

I tap the rim of my glass to theirs and we all take a sip. It’s delicious but I know that as soon as it hits my empty stomach, it’ll go straight to my head. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Adriana and Lucia break into excited chatter about how they’re going to spend the weekend at Jon’s expense, and my gaze wanders to the window. Now that I’ve closed the door on this chapter, I can give my full attention to making things right with Willem.He did message me this morning, I think, and a glimmer of hope bubbles up inside me.

But if itistoo late, if the damage is done and Willem doesn’t want me, at the very least I’m free and clear of Jon. My romantic slate is clean and I’m ready for a fresh start.

‘Penny for your thoughts?’ Poppy asks quietly. ‘And no pun intended.’

I turn to her with a closed-mouth smile. ‘Willem,’ I whisper, and she nods in understanding.

Then the realisation lands like a shockwave: why am I still here when I should be on my way to Amsterdam?

‘Er, sorry,’ I say, setting my glass on the nearest table, ‘but I need to go.’

Lucia and Adriana look over, both clearly baffled, then exchange a glance. Ignoring their obvious disappointment, I race over and drop kisses on their cheeks and say goodbye to Poppy, promising I’ll be in touch.

I leave the suite, rushing down the hallway and stabbing at the button to call the lift. It takes an aeon to arrive and once I’m inside, another one to descend to the lobby. The doors finally open, and I sidestep a waiting elderly couple, apologising over my shoulder for my brusqueness. When I turn back around, I run smack into a human wall.

The deep, guttural timbre of the ‘oof’ sparks recognition within me a split second before I glance up and gasp at the sight of Willem’s handsome face.

‘Hallo, Kate,’ he says, an amused twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes. ‘Fancy running into you like this.’

‘What are you doing here?’ I ask, breathless.

‘You keep asking me that,’ he says, and for a moment, I’m lost. But then I recall the time he showed up at Elev8te unexpectedly. ‘Should I go?’ he asks, turning as if he’s about to leave.

‘No!’ I say, grabbing his arm. I’m instantly aware of how loud that was, and when I glance about, several people are watching. I wave my apology, and most look away.

‘Sorry,’ I say to him.

‘It’s okay.’ His eyes scan the lobby, then land back on me. ‘Kate, can we talk?’

‘Absolutely,’ I tell him. ‘But not here. This is where Jo— Just not here,’ I say again, and he seems to understand.

‘I saw a café around the corner,’ he suggests, reminding me how observant he is.

‘Sure, okay.’

Once outside on Portland Place, he indicates which direction we’re going and we fall into step. I long for him to take my hand, but he doesn’t. There’s every chance he’s only in London to support Adriana and is about to give me a polite, but heartbreaking, goodbye.

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