Page 31 of The Moon Also Rises
“Jesus Christ it’s like a Tom Ford convention here. They either look like Tom Ford models or like Tom Ford him-fucking-self,” I mutter.
Rami’s laughter is hearty and loud. “You’re not wrong. Do you know anybody here?”
“Not a soul besides you and the happy couple,” I reply. “Lionel and I were closest when we worked in Crete together and his family never visited, sadly. He always spent winters with his parents in Devon, so I never met them.”
I don’t want to add how they probably wouldn’t have wanted to meet me considering how I treated their son, which is another reason why I’m avoiding anyone who looks vaguely like Lionel as well as the man himself.
“But they both live in London now, right? Luigi was saying how he would like us to all hang out,” Rami says.
“Ha! I am pretty sure by the time today is over they will likely want nothing of the sort. Even if we manage to pull off this pantomime of a relationship—” I am promptly cut off by a warm hand on my arm.
“Are you Jake?” I follow a manicured brown hand up a shapely arm and to the beautiful face of a woman who has Lionel’s big dark eyes and impossibly wide and warm smile. Shit. It’s almost certainly Lionel’s mother. And judging by her colourful outfit and make-up she is twice as vivacious and vibrant as her son told me she was. I know I’m going to like her instantly.
“Who wants to know? Are you the tax authorities?” I say, jumping straight into the role I can perform only too well.
“Haha! It is you!” she says with a loud, melodious laugh. “Lionel said you’d be the funniest man at the wedding.”
“Lionel is right about a lot of things,” I retort. “I’ve always said that.”
She laughs again before holding out her hand. “I’m Melanie, Lionel’s mother.”
After shaking her hand, I put my palm on my cocked hip. “Mother? I was certain I was talking to his sister!”
Melanie lightly pats my arm. “Lionel doesn’t have a sister, and you know it! But I’ll take that compliment and put it in my purse for later. And who is this young man with you?” She turns to Rami.
“Oh, this is Rami.” I watch them shake hands.
“I’m Jake’s boyfriend,” Rami adds, and I don’t know why I feel another shot of pride hearing those words again, or in the way Rami’s hand finds mine after he shakes Melanie’s extended palm. I decide to put it all down to necking my first glass of champagne in record time. “A pleasure to meet you, Melanie. Your son and Luigi look very happy.”
“Oh, they are. And we are all so happy for them. We adore Luigi. And Lionel deserves it, right, Jake? You probably know how lost he was when he came back from Crete after that last season. It was awful. Do you remember?”
“I… uh, yeah,” I sputter clumsily, praying the guilt I feel isn’t manifesting as a scarlet blush on my cheeks or neck despite how alarmingly hot I feel.
“I wanted to thank you, actually,” Melanie continues. “That’s why I hunted you down. You were such good friends for five years in that resort he loved, and he always said you were the best boss he’s ever had. Lionel had never worked abroad before so it was always a comfort to me knowing he had you there keeping an eye on him.”
By the time Melanie finishes talking, my guilt has turned into a dizzying shame-filled nausea. It’s only when Rami’s fingers squeeze mine that I find it possible to talk.
“I really didn’t do anything. It was a pleasure to work with him. Lionel was such a good team member,” I say.So good, I never should have taken advantage of him, I don’t add but I am thinking it, thinking it so hard a headache is now joining my nausea.
“I know, which is why it was so disappointing when he had that breakdown, but you were so good to let him go when he needed to. It took him months to get back on track, but he did it. And look at him now. He’s got a great job and a truly fantastic man. And this wedding… I mean, can you believe we’re even standing in a place like this. I keep thinking Colin Firth is going to walk up through the garden drenched from a dip in the lake!”
“That’s exactly what I said this place looked like! LikePride and Prejudice!” Rami says with an enthusiasm that shouldn’t annoy me, but it does.
“Oh, surely you’re too young to remember that series,” Melanie says. “Got yourself a toyboy, hey Jake?”
I have to take a moment before I can play along with this charade. Does she really think Rami is younger than me?
“Actually, Jake is younger than me.” Rami leans forward. “I’m forty-three and he turns forty later this year.”
“You are not!” Melanie exclaims and it’s Rami’s turn to get a pat, this time on his chest. “Oh, my, and you’re very toned under that suit, aren’t you? Do you work out?”
“Well, I don’t—” Rami begins but my frown is threatening to break through my plastered-on smile, so I interrupt.
“Melanie, it’s such a pleasure to meet you, really it is. But we were just going to get Rami a drink from the bar. Would you like us to get you something?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m fine with this bubbly stuff. But that’s ever so sweet of you.” She touches my arm again and I wish I couldn’t see Lionel’s smile on her face.
“Oh, I’m not sweet. It’s a free bar! Why else would there be so many people here?” My joke takes a second to land but thank God it does as her laughter fills my ears.
