Page 68 of Booked for Summer

Did she think he’d pissed himself? ‘There’s a drink in my jacket pocket,’ he told her through gritted teeth.

‘Oh.’

He inhaled sharply, gripping tightly to the box as she rummaged in his pocket. Finding the take-out cup, she peeled off the lid and sniffed.

‘Tea?’

‘Must have got it by mistake.’ Christ, he was usually a better liar than this. ‘You keep it.’

Her expression softened. ‘Thank you.’

With a sharp incline of his head, he marched out as fast as his pounding heart and rubbery legs would allow him.

* * *

By the time he reached the safety of his office, he was a hot, wet mess. Literally. And finding Jeremy loitering outside did not help the maelstrom of emotions burning in his gut one little bit. ‘Is there a fire?’ he snapped. ‘A flood?’

Jeremy smiled in his unique, laconic fashion. It made Liam’s temper flare that little bit more. ‘I don’t believe so. Nor do we appear to be plagued by swarming locusts today.’

‘Then what are you doing here?’

‘Would you believe I’ve come to update my boss on the week’s activities, like I do every Tuesday at this time?’ His gaze fell to the box Liam was clutching as if his life depended on it. ‘Have you brought me cake?’

‘What?’

‘I thought you might be carrying a treat for your favourite employee.’

‘I don’t have a favourite,’ he muttered as he settled the box on his desk. ‘You’re all as bad as each other.’

‘Oh dear.’ Jeremy paused, a glint entering his eyes. ‘Surely there’soneemployee you like?’

Liam was not in the mood to be teased about a woman he was terrified he’d already let get too close. ‘Tell me what you came here to say.’

Jeremy ambled up to the desk and took a look inside the box. Then smirked as he carefully sat down, crossing one neatly pressed cotton chino leg over the other.

‘What’s the smirk for?’

‘Just wondering what our Jade has done to put you in such a spin.’

Our Jade? Like Jeremy and the little band of Haven haters owned her. ‘What has she got to do with anything?’

‘Well, I addedLiamplusbox of booksand gotbeen to see Jade. Of course there’s also the fact that you appear to be, how shall I put this politely, not quite your usual self, which does seem to have become rather a habit since she started here.’

Liam glowered. ‘We are not discussing this. Or anything beyond your work here. Ever,’ he added, determined to push the point home because Jeremy had a habit of ignoring what he wanted to. ‘Understood?’

‘Absolutely. You’ve put your point across eloquently, as usual.’ Jeremy cleared his throat. ‘There is just one small thing I’d like to ask, before we definitely don’t discuss anything of a personal nature ever again.’ His gaze slid to Liam’s and there was enough of a twinkle in it to make the hairs on the back of Liam’s neck twitch. ‘Would you be my best man?’

ChapterTwenty-Four

Jade flipped the signed toclosed for lunchand set off towards the resort, praying she wouldn’t run into Liam. It had been four days since their encounter in the shop and so far she’d managed to avoid him. Jeremy had assured her Liam wasn’t around today– Saturday– but it wasn’t until she saw his yacht not in its usual mooring place that she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

To think she’d defended him, thought there was more to him than that cold, aloof façade. Turns out once again she’d shown appalling judgement when it came to men.

Frustratingly none of that stopped her mind from flashing up images of the mortification on his handsome face when he’d seen the takeout cup of tea in her hands. The one they both knew he’d come into the shop to give her. If Mary had come in five minutes later…No!She was not going to think about him anymore. She was done with the guy.

Spotting Jeremy’s red hair from across the courtyard she marched towards the resort café, smiling for the first time in four days when she saw the people sitting, waiting for her.

Friends, she thought, a warmth invading her chest, pushing away the hurt over Liam. Mary, Emma, Claire, Jeremy and Philip all greeting her with cheery smiles. Thankfully, the two men who made her uncomfortable, Adam and Henry, couldn’t make it. Good. She didn’t need their negativity.

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