Page 82 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘How long ago was that?’

‘Hmm,’ he murmurs, his eyes narrowing, ‘seven years ago. Wow.’ He shakes his head as though he can’t quite believe it’s been that long.

‘Well, you’re clearly smashing it,’ I say, instantly regretting my choice of words when he gives me a funny look. From what I’ve seen so far, Willem de Vries is a proper grownup who never uses colloquialisms like ‘smashing it’.

‘What makes you say that?’ he asks, his eyes glinting with amusement.

‘Let’s see…’ I begin, hoping to redeem myself. ‘Your business straddles the Channel, you’ve got clients across Europe… Even Marie Maillot knew who you were and she’s something of a legend in your field.’

Nicely done, Kate – a proper, grownup (i.e. Willem-like) response.

‘Well, if those are your metrics for “smashing it”, I’ll take the compliment.’

Right on cue, the heart flutters arrive, intensifying as we regard each other for a long moment. His gaze drops to my lips for a fraction of a second, then lifts to meet my eyes.Frisson, I think – just like Margot said.

Maybe thisisn’tone-sided. Only every time I think that, something happens to make me doubt myself again.

A platter of sushi rolls appears on the table with a thud, breaking the spell. Willem pours soy sauce into a small ramekin, then uses chopsticks to load up his plate with sushi, and I do the same.

‘And is Max still a Londoner or has he moved to the Netherlands?’ I ask.

‘He’s here, but we see a lot of each other. Most clients prefer to meet with both of us, especially in the initial stages.’

‘Mm-hmm,’ I murmur as I chew on a piece of sushi. It’s delicious. I’d bring Margot here if it wouldn’t traumatise her. ‘So, Max lives here…’ I begin. ‘Don’t suppose you have a London-based ex-girlfriend lying about as well?’

What on earth possessed me to say that?! I’d give anything to turn back time, especially as Willem looks as horrified as I am, his sushi-laden chopsticks suspended between his plate and his mouth.

‘Er, no. No ex-girlfriend in London,’ he says, setting the sushi down.

‘I’m so sorry. That was rude of me, which makes twice today.’

He doesn’t respond right away, cryptic thoughts dancing behind his eyes, disquieting me. Should I apologise again?

‘Kate…’ he says eventually, only he trails off, leaving me none the wiser about what he wanted to say. We stare at each other a moment longer, then I look away.

‘So, tell me about this prospective client,’ I say brightly, changing the subject. ‘Unless it’s Victoria Beckham and you’re sworn to secrecy.’

I glance up and his troubled expression dissolves, his mouth quirking. ‘I told you, I’m always sworn to secrecy.’

‘Go on, I promise I won’t tell anyone – not even Margot,’ I retort, playing along – anything to make up for that mortifying faux pas. ‘You can trust me,’ I add.

‘Oh, I knowthat, Kate,’ he replies pointedly, loading his words with meaning I can’t quite divine.

I look down, moving sushi about my plate. My heart, once prone to fluttering in Willem’s presence, hammers away, making it hard to breathe.

‘Kate…’ When I don’t meet his eyes, he reaches across the small table and lays his hand over mine. I lift my gaze. ‘There’s nocurrentgirlfriend either. Not in London, or in Amsterdam… Not even in Verona.’

I’m positive that last bit was to make me smile, and I do, but not because of Willem’s weak joke about Jon. But because Willem just made a big to-do of clarifying that he’s single.

If only I didn’t have Poppy’s voice in my head telling me it’s a bad idea to get involved with Willem this soon after Jon.

He sits back, taking his hand away.

‘So, how long are you in London for?’ I ask, once again changing the subject.

‘Until tomorrow, then back to Amsterdam.’

‘Oh!’ I say, suddenly realising I’ve forgotten to tell him the news. ‘I’m so sorry. This completely slipped my mind. Jon’s flying to Verona this coming Saturday. It looks like he’s planning to propose to Lucia.’

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