Page 65 of The Law of Attraction

‘Becky came here with someone else, Sarah,’ I bite out. ‘I’m sure there’s somewhere she should be.’ I say the words without looking away from Becky. She’s clearly taken aback. Maybe it was harsh but it’s true. She came here with another guy. Good luck to her.

When she eventually speaks, it is just to me, and I can barely hear her above the music. ‘I came here alone. I bumped into him on the way in. He’s just a friend.’

‘You seem to have a lot of friends, until you…’ As irate as I am, I check myself before finishing that sentence withfuck them.

She shakes her head, everything about her expression screaming her incredulity. ‘I can’t believe you’re mad at me.’

She swallows hard, and her eyes glaze. I want to go to her and wrap her in my arms. But I don’t. I stay right where I am and stare back at her, as defiant as I wish I felt. She looks at Sarah, then Edmond.

‘Thank you for inviting me, guys. You were right; this place is great.’

‘Becky, please, sit with us,’ Sarah says.

‘No, really, I was just dropping in to say hi and take a look at the view.’ Her eyes clear and she rolls them, flippantly gesturing toward the rooftop. ‘I have a touristy thing for views.’

I watch her walk out to the rooftop, with the growing knowledge that I’m a dick. When I see her rub the back of her hand under her nose, I have 110 per cent confirmation.

The table is silent, waiting for my reaction.

Sarah is first to speak. ‘Drew, you can’t just—’

I drag a hand through my hair. ‘I know. All right. I know.’

Edmond stands to let me out as I push up from the booth.

I find her outside, her elbows resting on the balcony edge as she takes in the view. She has a drink in her hands but the Irish guy is nowhere to be seen. She’s like a perfect portrait. I wish I could capture her in this moment and keep her.

‘I’m sorry I upset you.’ She doesn’t turn but the shift in her shoulders tells me she heard me. ‘I was out of order in there. But it doesn’t change the fact that I am pissed at you.’

She pushes off the railing so hard to face me that her drink sloshes out of her glass. I brace myself for a tongue-lashing, but when her eyes meet mine, she looks down at her feet, and the inferno seems to go out.

‘Don’t do that, Becky. Don’t look down. If you have something to say to me, you say it.’

When she doesn’t respond, I reach out and lift her chin. Whether it’s my words or my touch, her temper comes back full throttle.

‘I’ve told you not to do that. Don’t try to control me, Drew.’ She slaps away my hand, making me step back, holding up both arms. ‘And yes, I’m bloody angry with you. You haven’t even spoken to me since we slept together.’

‘Ha. You’re the one who left, without giving any indication of how you felt. You’re the one who didn’t even put a freakin’ alarm on and almost cost me a client.’

‘Are you joking? You’re mad at me because you’re not grown up enough to put your own alarm on?’

‘Yes!’ I shout the word and appreciate how ridiculous I sound. ‘It’s not just that. It’s you. You mess with my head. I’ve never screwed up so many times in a year as I have since I met you. You’re a distraction, and I don’t have time for it.’

She snorts. ‘You’re a real piece of work. I was just your friend, Drew. You kept showing up places and doing nice things. I enjoy being around you. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re the first…’

‘The first what?’

‘You’re the first time I’ve felt happy in this city. You’re the first time it’s felt like more than just a place I work. The first time it’s felt like somewhere I want to call home.’

I step closer to her and this time, she doesn’t cast her eyes down, she looks up at me. ‘Becky, you’re the one who doesn’t want a relationship. You said so.’

‘So did you.’

‘I know that. And I meant it then.’ I raise my hand to her hair without conscious thought and tuck it behind her ear. ‘I wouldn’t know the first thing about being in a relationship, Becky. And now really isn’t a good time for me to start finding out.’

I fill my lungs, trying to establish in a nanosecond whether my next words are the right thing to say.

‘But I realized this week that I miss you when you aren’t around. And I can’t stand the thought of you being with someone like that Irish goof ball.’

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