Page 102 of Hot and Bothered

She waited for her body to react with pleasure to that, but nothing happened. At long last, immunity had kicked in.

“Thanks.” She took a seat, drying her humid hands and smoothing her floral print dress as she went.

“Can I get you a drink?”

She glanced at the wine by the glass menu, making her connections. “A glass of Chablis,” she told the bartender.

Is it Chardonnay?

No,Tad had lied with that killer smile. She missed him so much.

“Looks like things have changed since I saw you last.” Simon gave her one of his thoughtful looks. Once she had caught him practicing it in the mirror, and now she wondered how she had ever let her guard down for this.

“Yep, lots of changes. I’m a real, live girl.”

“That quick lip of yours hasn’t changed, though.” He grimaced, cranking up regretful. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you came. I can only assume that because you’re heresansyour attack dogs, that we might be able to come to an arrangement.”

“Evan has to live with me and I’m not moving back to London.”

He didn’t argue. “I understand that. I just want to be part of his life, Jules. You don’t know what it’s like to be cut out.”

She did, but she wasn’t going to lay out her tale of woe. Today, she’d let Simon have his day basking in the sun of self-pity. The bartender set her Chablis down before her, beads of condensation already forming on the glass’s surface like fat tears ready to fall. The tasting ritual gave her the time she needed.Swirl, sniff, savor.Ditzy Bella was right. Fresh was a good word for it.

“So what happened with your wife?”

“It’s always been…” He waved a hand, filling in some blank in his mind. “She has a lot of passion. Hungarians are known for it.”

She couldn’t help her smirk. “So she clocked you good, then?”

Those arctic blue eyes narrowed. “I’m not blameless. I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t tell me about Evan. I realize now that you wanted to but circumstances overtook us.”

She stared at him long and hard until he dropped his gaze in embarrassment. “All right, you wanted to tell me but I didn’t let you.”

While the honesty was flowing, it was time to do her part and pull on her big girl panties. “If I’d had any guts, I would have insisted you know but I wasn’t as strong then as I am now. It was easier to run.”

“It always is.” A glimmer of recognition passed between them. She tried to resent it but couldn’t summon the energy. Anyway, she had come here to make peace.

“I’m sorry for keeping him from you. I was filled with so much pain when you threw me away. Hurting you—even though you might never know how much—was the only weapon I had.”

Powerless people grasp at any chance to feel in control. Powerless people are often the most dangerous people of all.

“Thanks, Jules. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Emotion pulled at his mouth and he rubbed it away with a shaky hand. There had been too much wrong already.

Today it ended.

She took out her phone and dialed up one of the photo albums of her little ball of sun.

The center of her world.

“Prepare to be bored out of your mind.”

* * *

The blaring music from Sarriette’s kitchen clued her in that now might actually be a good time to talk to Jack. Usually, her brother played dictator deejay in his kitchen, but The Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks” meant Shane was likely in charge of the music—and Jack was in a pliable enough mood to allow it.

Every little bit would help.

“Hiya,” she said loudly so she could be heard above the din of Fergal Sharkey and the clanging of a busy kitchen. The crew was getting ready for family meal, the sit-down dinner that brought the cooks and servers together before service. Jack looked up from a stockpot of something fragrant and grinned broadly.

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