Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
“ S o, that was why I decided to change from the Alfa Romeo to the Aston Martin,” Angus said.
Gemma glanced at her watch. How was it possible that time was moving so slowly? It felt like she was back at school, listening to her old physics teacher drone on about things she had zero interest in. It didn’t matter that, unlike the physics classes, she actually understood what Angus was on about. His tone was enough to send her to sleep. So much for thinking he had a sexy voice. Twenty minutes into this conversation, she was certain there was nothing less sexy than a man who only spoke about himself. She had been waiting for that single moment when he asked her one question about herself. One question. That was all she wanted. And yet, there was still no sign of it.
As for this wine, she really didn’t think she could stomach any more of it. She glanced at the bar, looking longingly at all the ciders on tap, when she saw someone sitting there turning a beer mat over his fingers.
“Will you excuse me for one second?” Gemma said, pushing her chair back and standing up.
“Oh yes, of course. Is everything okay?”
There it was, she thought. The first question he had asked her.
“Yes, fine. I’ll just need to speak to that gentleman. He’s a colleague of mine. I’m a bit concerned that there’s something wrong with work. He was just trying to get my attention.”
“Oh. Okay then.”
Gemma squeezed herself out of the gap between the table and the wall and sprinted across to the bar. Kent had now put the beer mat down and was sipping his drink.
“Kent, I need?—”
“Gemma? I’m sorry, I didn’t realise this was where you were coming for a drink with your friends. I promise I?—”
“Look worried,” Gemma said as she glared at him.
“What?” His eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Yes, that’s it. Just keep looking worried at me.”
“I’m sorry, any chance you can tell me what’s going on?”
Gemma didn’t want to glance back and see if Angus was looking at them. Part of her suspected he wasn’t. He was probably on his phone or simply staring into his glass of Bordeaux and working out all the stories he would tell her next. She couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter how much of a terrible person in made her. She couldn’t listen to another one of his ridiculously conceited, egocentric tales.
“I am on the most disastrous date possible,” she said, lowering her voice and moving in close to Kent to ensure she wasn’t overheard. “It was meant to be a double date, and my bloody friend went and left me, and he is horrific. Honestly, I can’t do it anymore.”
She glanced at the glass in Kent’s hand, only to note that it wasn’t a pale ale like he’d drunk before, but the light, golden hues of a cider. She picked it up, took two large gulps, then put it down in front of him.
“Okay,” Kent said slowly, looking at his substantially depleted glass. “What do you want me to do? Am I to step in, pretend I’m the ex that you’ve never got over?”
Gemma crinkled her face up.
“No, of course not. Why would you do that? I need you to tell me there’s been an emergency at work. That a fridge has stopped working or something.”
It was Kent’s turn to crinkle up his nose.
“Surely, I wouldn’t have come down and had a drink if there was a major incident. I would’ve rung you, wouldn’t I?”
Gemma chewed on her bottom lip. She got the impression that Angus wouldn’t question the details of any matter too greatly, but she still felt she owed him the dignity of a decent lie.
“Okay, well, we could say it’s something to do with the suppliers,” she said, verbalising her thoughts as they came. “Maybe there’s been an issue with something we ordered, and it can’t come in until tomorrow. I can’t come in tomorrow like normal, and we will have to work through the menu together. Yes, that would work, wouldn’t it? You came here because it was a nice environment to work in, considering the stress and the extra hours we will have to put in. I think that’ll sound believable, right?”
Kent looked at her with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.
“Why don’t you just wait here for one second,” he said. “It’s that guy over there, right?”
“Yes,” Gemma said as he nodded towards Angus.
“Okay, I will deal with him. And you might as well help yourself to some more of my cider while you’re here.”
Not needing to be asked twice, Gemma picked up his glass and took a big gulp.
She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but when Kent stood up and walked over to Angus, a sense of dread churned through her. Maybe she should have gone with him, she thought? At least that way, she would know what he was saying. As it was, she could only imagine. Still, she kept her eyes focused on the two men, and a moment later, Angus’s gaze met hers. With a strained smile on his lips, he offered a timid little wave, at which point Kent turned around and strode back to her.
“Come on,” he said, holding his arm out in a manner that implied he wanted her to take it. “It’s just until we are out of here.”
There was no way Gemma could refuse. Not when she didn’t know what was going on. Still, she was surprised at how easily her arm slipped into Kent’s and how much more secure she felt now she was holding him. It was unnervingly comfortable. So much so that the second she was out of the pub door, she let go and took several steps away from him.
“What did you say to him?” she said as she glanced through the window to check that Angus was still there, nursing his Bordeaux.
A perfect smile slanted upwards on Kent’s lips.
“Oh, I just told him you and I had been dating for a couple of months and that I wanted it to be exclusive. I also added that if he laid a hand on you, I’d break every bone in it.”