Page 44 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Well, she’s my closest friend. And she doesn’t judge me – she maynudgeme from time to time to get me out of my comfort zone – but it comes from place of love. She can also be a lot of fun.’

‘Oh, I don’t doubt that,’ he says, his eyebrows raised.

I realise too late that I’ve circled back to the subject of fun, something I’d like to avoid delving into deeper, especially having admitted to myself that my life is markedly devoid of it.

We’re quiet for a moment, and I contemplate whether I want one last bite, or if I should listen to my protesting stomach. I set my cutlery across my plate, deciding I’ve had enough. Willem, however, has scraped his plate clean. Impressive considering it was a full ham hock and a mountain of chips.

‘Would you like to order dessert?’ the nearest ‘aunty’ asks me cheerfully. ‘We havepoffertjes.’ She nods encouragingly and although I’ve yet to try the enticing tiny pancakes, there is no way I’d fit in even one.

‘No, thank you,’ I reply with a smile.

She looks to Willem, and he orders an espresso. ‘Would you like a coffee?’ he asks.

‘Oh, I can’t drink coffee this late. I’m amazed you can. Won’t you be up all night?’

There’s an amused glint in his eyes as he shakes his head, alerting me to the unintended double entendre. I look away.

You two have more chemistry than Kate and Anthony.Margot’s words blare annoyingly in my head as I struggle to think of something innocuous to talk about.

‘So, it seems thereisthe possibility of a third fiancée,’ I say, instantly regretting it. I was supposed to switch to an innocuous topic, not anoxiousone.

‘Maybe,’ he replies, his expression suddenly serious. He steeples his fingers, lightly tapping them together – a tell that he’s uncomfortable talking about this, perhaps? ‘I did investigate further after I saw you in London, but as far as I could tell, he wasn’t engaged to anyone else – for now, anyway.’

‘Okay.’ It’s hardly a relief to learn that I’m currently one of only two when there’s every chance Jon is in New York shagging some poor, unsuspecting American.

Willem’s coffee arrives and he doctors it with a packet and a half of sugar.

‘But, as I told you, I work in cyber security. I’m not really an investigator; I could be missing something.’

‘Oh, right.’

‘I’ll do my best, Kate, I promise.’

‘I know.’

I trust him, but as he’s just said, we may be bumping up against the limitations of his expertise. I wonder if there’s some way Poppy and the Ever After Agency can help.

Willem tips his head back and downs his espresso, setting the empty cup on the table. ‘Shall we go?’ he asks, and I nod. He signals for the bill and taps his phone after waving away my offer to pay half.

We head towards the bikes in silence.

‘Kate?’ he says after we’ve walked a few blocks.

‘Yes.’

‘Thank you –really, I mean it.’

‘For what?’ I ask with a gentle laugh. ‘Youpaid for dinner.’

But he doesn’t laugh. Instead, he stops, reaching for my hand to lead me out of the foot traffic. It’s like I’ve been plugged into an electrical socket. Energy surges from his hand to mine, then through my whole body, pulsing between my legs. He releases my hand and looks at me intently, and I reluctantly shove aside the desire to reach up and pull his mouth down to meet mine. He clearly has other things on his mind.

‘Thank you for coming to Amsterdam,’ he says, ‘and for talking with Ady… I fear this will get harder for her before it gets easier. I can tell she likes you and she’s going to need you on her side – I hope that’s okay.’

‘Ofcourse. I am on her side. And as difficult as all this is, I need Adriana too. Look, Willem, I had no idea what to expect coming here. I knew it was the right thing to do – and that it might help me in some way – but it was terrifying. Right up until the moment Adriana stopped glaring at me as if she wanted to skin me alive and toss me into the canal.’

He sniggers. ‘She can be… formidable.’

‘That’s one word to describe her.’ We share a smile. ‘And there’s something else… I get that you’re not keen on our plan – oranyplan to get back at Jon.’

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