Page 96 of Another Lucky Number

‘Are you done?’

‘I’m done.’ I scrunch up my nose while I wait for him to respond to my mad tirade.

He seems to take a moment to compose himself, and I’m pretty sure he’s trying not to laugh.

‘Emma, what you’ve said doesn’t make me want to run. I actually respect and admire your honesty.’

‘You do?’

‘Yes. So, thank you for laying everything out like that. Now that I’ve heard your “terms” – which I wholly accept – can I share mine?’

‘Go on.’ I bite my lip coyly, basking in the magic of what he’s said – that he still wants to be with me, despite me dumping my weighty baggage on the table with an almighty thud.

‘All right, here goes… If I care about someone, I’m fiercely loyal. I’ll do everything I can to protect them, support them, make them happy and help them succeed at whatever’s important to them. It doesn’t matter whether they’re family, friend or partner, that’s what you get from James.’

I giggle at his reference to himself in the third person and he gives a wry smile.

‘What that means is that I’ll be all of those things with you and for you, but it also means I’ll sometimes miss the mark and get things wrong. All I ask is that you keep that in mind and give me the benefit of the doubt. How does that sound?’

I break into a grin. ‘It sounds amazing.’

James gets out of his seat and comes round to sit beside me, gently taking my hands in his. ‘Good. Because Iwas notlooking forward to bumping into you on the street one day with some beefy bloke on your arm that should have been me.’

My hand flies to my mouth in astonishment. ‘That’s exactly what I was thinking. But you with a stunning woman, obviously.’

‘Really? Must be a sign.’

We both lean in and enjoy our most delicious kiss yet – symbolically sealing the terms of our agreement.

By early evening, I’ve reported the good news to Cat and Amber via our WhatsApp group. They’re obviously delighted and Amber wastes no time in upgrading our dinner reservation to a table of six. I’ve also showered and changed, ready for my first fully relaxed evening out since Sébastien Dumont – the man who puts the ‘hot’ in hotelier – first appeared in my life. Though when I say ‘fully relaxed’, it comes with the caveat that I haven’t yet heard the outcome from my interview, which I’m not taking as a good sign.

I’m giving myself a final once over in the mirror before heading out to meet everyone, when the phone on the bedside table rings.Fuck.This is it. Dashing across to answer it, I put on my best phone voice.

‘Hello?’

‘Ms Blake, this is Gizelle from reception. Monsieur Dumont sends his apologies for keeping you waiting. He would like to meet you in the atrium in ten minutes if this would be suitable for you?’

‘Yes, absolutely. I’ll make my way along there now.’

Replacing the handset, I quickly send a message to Cat and Amber to let them know it’s crunch time (and that I’ll be late for dinner), then I pull on my wedged sandals, grab my clutch, and hurry along to reception, overflowing with a fresh set of nerves.

Sébastien is already waiting when I arrive.

‘Emma…bonsoir.’ He greets me in the usual way. ‘I am sorry to interfere with your evening. I will not keep you for long.’

‘It’s no problem,’ I say. ‘I told the others I’d be a bit late.’

‘Shall we find a quiet place?’

‘Sure.’

Sébastien leads me across the largely empty atrium to a seating area out of earshot from reception and any passing guests. He gestures for me to sit down before parking himself next to me.

‘Alors… Emma, thank you once again for all your commitment to this process. The fact that you sacrificed your holiday in this way is a real measure of your dedication and potential – not because you will prioritise work over rest, I must add. You know I view rest time as extremely important. However, when grand opportunities show themselves, it is those with the most potential that grasp at them…’

Gosh, that’s high praise. Maybe it’s not bad news after all. Encouraged, I sit forward, ready for what’s coming next.

‘You are an impressive young woman and you have a bright future ahead of you. Which is why it pains me to tell you that you have not been successful in securing the role.’

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