Page 22 of The Widower
“What exactly am I supposed to do here?”I asked as we walked.
“Nothing. Just stay by my side. The focus will be on me—don’t bother trying to please anyone.”
The focus will be on me.
He really doesn’t lack confidence, does he?
I stiffened for a moment. Why was I even acknowledging his good qualities when I’d been mentally cursing him the entire time?
In the end, Colin was right. The focus tonight was entirely on him.I was basically here to smile politely at whoever came over to talk to us.
Whenever people asked about our relationship, he’d answer without hesitation, “We’re friends.”
If only they knew that neither of us saw the other as a friend. Quite the opposite—we could barely stand each other.
Well, hate might be a strong word, at least for me. As for him, though… I can’t be sure. He seems to hate the whole world, really—especially the people in it.
Colin got bored of talking about work pretty quickly, and we ended up outside, sitting on one of the small sofas scatteredaround the terrace.Of course, he chose one that only fit two people. Typical.
“You talk when it’s convenient,” I said.
“Yep,” he replied curtly, not even looking at me.
“And you actually know how to hold a conversation when you feel like it,” I jabbed, but Colin didn’t take it well.
“You know,” he said dryly, “with this many people talking to me, I’m almost tempted to listen to you. Everyone here’s painfully dull.”
What an ass.
“Too bad I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Really? Coming from you, that’s a miracle. You never shut up.”
It’s unreal how much this man gets under my skin. Just hearing his voice is enough to drive me insane—and I haven’t even completed a full month working in his mansion yet. I had no idea this job would be so exhausting.
Still… ogre or not, he’s gorgeous. Tall, bearded, piercing eyes, perfectly shaped lips…
“Why are you staring at my face like that?”
“It’s just your imagination.” I quickly looked away, embarrassed to have been caught. What is it about this man that makes me lose all sense of subtlety when I look at him?
“Sure it is…”
Thankfully, an older man started walking toward us, and Colin immediately stood up—but not before leaning in to warn me, “Don’t say anything stupid. He owns this place—and he’s the reason I had to show up to this miserable thing he calls a party.”
I said nothing and stood up beside him.
“I see you’ve got good taste, Colin.”The man’s gaze landed on me. “You’re beautiful, young lady. Allow me to introduce myself—I’m James Sullivan, your host. And you are?”
“Isabelle Campbell.”
“We’re not together,” Colin said almost the instant our introductions overlapped.
“What a shame, son. She’s far too pretty for you anyway.”
Serves you right, Colin.
“Whatever,” he muttered. “Can we talk business now?”
