Page 49 of Her Diamond Deal with the CEO

For a second, his eyes locked with hers, and then they narrowed past her shoulder only this time his face lit up and he started to smile. ‘Grandpa.’

‘Jack.’

Ondine turned, her heart thudding unevenly in her chest as John Walcott embraced his grandson, and then turned towards her, smiling. He held out both his hands. ‘Ondine. It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks.

If she’d wondered what Jack would look like in fifty years, now she knew. John Walcott had the same jawline and the same patrician nose. Only his eyes were different, and of course his hair was grey, but he was still a handsome man.

‘You look so like Jack,’ she said, without thinking.

He laughed. ‘Once upon a time, maybe. I’m so pleased you are here, my dear. Welcome to our family and—’ his brown eyes dropped to the slight swell of her stomach ‘—congratulations.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I couldn’t be more happy for you both.’

He turned towards his grandson. ‘Let’s walk back up to the box, and you can tell me everything you’ve been up to.’

John Walcott didn’t just look like Jack, he was every bit as charming, and it was clear that he doted on his grandson. And in his presence, Jack seemed to shed that strange tension of earlier.

‘Now tell me, Ondine, have you ever watched a polo match before?’ John Walcott said as they took their seats.

She shook her head. ‘No, but, from what Jack told me, it sounds a lot like croquet on horseback but with goals instead of wickets.’

He laughed again. ‘That’s not a bad analogy—’

‘Jack said you used to play.’ Glancing over to where the sleek, muscular players and their equally sleek, muscular ponies were warming up on the pitch, that fact seemed even more astonishing.

‘I did. And if it wasn’t for my grandson here, fussing over me, I would probably still be playing.’ Reaching out, he squeezed Jack’s shoulder. ‘But he’s right, I’m not as young as I was. Not as young as I’d like to be. Fortunately, I have Jack to look out for me.’

He smiled and Ondine smiled back, but it seemed odd that Jack should be that person. Didn’t his son look out for him?

Jack was shaking his head. ‘By looking out, he means I hid his mallets.’

‘And I appreciate it. That’s why I’d like you to present the cup for me this year.’

‘I’m not going to do that, Grandpa, it’s your tournament—’

‘No, it’s the Walcott Cup, and you are a Walcott, and it’s time I took a step back. And it could be your first public job as chair of the foundation.’

Something passed across Jack’s face. ‘You think I’m ready for that?’

His grandfather nodded. ‘I do. And other things too, perhaps.’

Watching the two Walcott men smile at one another, Ondine didn’t know how to feel. A part of her was happy. It was what Jack wanted. And she wanted it too, but if his grandfather reinstated him then where did that leave her? The answer to that question made her wish that she could just take a time-out like the players and ponies, go somewhere where she wasn’t on display. Where she didn’t have to smile on demand. Because she didn’t feel like smiling any more.

‘So when’s Dad getting here?’ Jack said, leaning forward, his eyes scanning the crowds of spectators who were making their way into the stands.

His grandfather’s smile was suddenly a little forced. ‘He won’t be joining us, I’m afraid. Something came up. I’m sure he’ll call you later and explain.’

There was not a flicker of reaction on Jack’s perfect face, or even in his golden eyes, but he went still. Even his smile seemed to freeze. ‘Why can’t he come?’

‘Apparently, Annie brought her boyfriend home for the weekend. She’s always been so secretive. I think they felt they needed to show support.’

‘Of course they did.’ His words were carefully neutral, but she felt the muscles of his arm tense against her, only then his grandfather was learning forward in his chair and she saw the umpire in his black-and-white-striped shirt toss the ball into the melee of ponies and players.

CHAPTER TEN

THEPOLOWASEXCITING. But Ondine found it difficult to concentrate. The whole time she was distracted by the change in Jack’s mood. Obviously he was disappointed his father had changed his plans, but was it that big a deal? Surely they could meet him on another day.

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