Page 29 of The Invitation

Elijah bounces on my lap. “Ring, ring!” he cheers. “Hi, hi!”

Charley throws her upper body across the counter, getting her mouth close to my mobile. “There are children present!”

I scramble to reach for my phone, punching at the screen to cut the call. “Oh my God,” I breathe, as my friends stare at me with gaping mouths.

“You have to go for dinner with him,” Abbie says. “I’m living for this sexual showdown.”

“No,” Charley snaps. “He’s obviously only after one thing.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Abbie asks. “She’s a free agent. Do you expect her to be celibate until her happily ever after comes along?”

And that’s a good point, isn’t it? This man isn’t happy-ever-after material. And given I’m not interested in a happily ever aftereverright now, he’s a good bet. A safe bet.

Right?

Charley laughs. It’s sarcastic. “Don’t take relationship advice from the woman who compares every man to a one-night stand she had in France with a man who wouldn’t even give her his name.”

“He didn’t know my name either,” Abbie protests. “It was a mutual understanding.”

“It’s unhealthy.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but life doesn’t work out perfect for everyone like it has for you.” Abbie reaches for the wine and tops up. “Fuck the God, Amelia,” she snaps. “That’s an order.”

“For God’s sake.” Charley puts her hands over Ena’s ears and looks at me to do the same with Elijah. I shrug. One hand is holding my wine, the other holding Elijah on my lap.

“I ...” I frown when I hear the distant voice of a man. “Can you hear that?” Everyone stills and listens. “There it is again.” I follow the sound of the voice.

All the way down to Elijah’s hands.

Where my mobile is held between his chubby fingers.

The screen is illuminated.

Oh my God, he’s called him back!

I jump up, off-load Elijah onto Abbie, and snatch the phone out of his hand. He immediately screams. “Shit, I’m sorry,” I say to Charley as I stare down at the number, cringing.

“Talk to him,” Abbie hisses, flapping her hand at me.

On a sigh of resignation and a ton of yet more mortification, I take my wine and leave the kitchen, my phone at my ear. “Hi.”

“Who’s your friend?”

“Which one?” I ask, looking back to see Abbie following me, her ears pricked. She doesn’t make it far. Charley hauls her back to the island and pushes her down onto a stool. I go into the lounge and swipe the toys off a cushion, lowering.

“The loud one,” he says.

“That’s Elijah.”

“Your boyfriend?”

I roll my eyes and try not to smile. “It’s Charley’s eldest. He’s a toddler.”

“And Charley is . . . ?”

“One of my best friends.”

“From the hotel?”

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