Chapter 49
CHAPTER 49
S he and Kent had decided to drive to Burnham separately. It was only twenty-five minutes away, and Gemma usually hated driving. But the last thing she wanted was to find herself stuck in a situation she couldn’t get out of. Still, as she turned out of Maldon and began down the first of the narrow country lanes, she was already regretting her choice. Perhaps going with Kent would have been preferable. Or even taking a taxi. Gripping the wheel tightly, she focused on the road ahead, carefully trying to avoid the potholes, hedgerows, and large lorries coming down the other side as if it were a motorway, which it most certainly was not. As a passenger, it would have been lovely to stare out the window at the wonderful views over the River Crouch, which glimmered as the evening light reflected off the water. But as a nervous driver, it was far from an ideal situation.
It had taken Gemma far more time to pick an outfit for the night than she would have liked. The problem was the setting. It was a fancy place, which meant she probably needed to wear a dress, but she didn’t really feel comfortable in dresses. Had it been a plain old work meeting or just a restaurant in Maldon, she would have opted for jeans, a nice top, and heels, but that didn’t feel appropriate, so she settled on a jumpsuit she’d bought for a book club Christmas party a few years back, with long sleeves and a plunging neckline. Hopefully, she wasn’t too overdressed.
When she stepped out of the car at the yacht club, she found Kent already there, standing by the doors, waiting for her.
“You look beautiful,” he said, kissing her on the cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said as the compliment caused her stomach to flutter. “And you… wow, you scrub up well.”
She had known how objectively good-looking Kent was from the first time she had seen him. His square jawline and deep eyes had been one of the first things to catch her attention. But that was before she had taken to hating him. It didn’t matter what his face looked like when she’d considered him the most despicable human to have walked the earth.
Now, though, she was reminded of the man she had seen all those weeks ago—the one she’d immediately noticed. Although, there was something different about him. A slight bashfulness, perhaps. That definitely hadn’t been there before.
“Well, shall we go in?” he said, offering her his arm. She hesitated for a moment before taking it. It was clearly the type of thing you did in a place like this.
Feeling more than just a light fluttering of nerves, they walked together up the stairs, past a bar with a view out over the water.
“Wow, this is stunning,” she said.
“I know, gorgeous, isn’t it? Now, my friend Magdalen got us the table, but she had to squeeze us in, so it’ll just be the two of us, out here by the piano. You don’t mind that, do you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Oh look, speak of the devil. There she is.” Dropping her arm, Kent walked over to an elegant woman dressed in black trousers and a matching top. The way she was adorned, she was the epitome of elegance; several diamond necklaces glinted around her neck, along with a tennis bracelet that hung effortlessly on her wrist.
“Thank you so much,” Kent said, as he greeted Magdalen almost identically to the way he had greeted Gemma, with two lingering kisses on the cheek.
“Don’t be silly. You know I would do anything for you.”
As they grinned at each other broadly, Gemma felt an unexpected jarring of jealousy. Immediately, she admonished herself forthe sensation. She just didn’t want to be left on her own. That was it. It wasn’t unusual. It was annoyance, that was all. But before it could settle, Kent was speaking again.
“Gemma, this is Magdalen. She and I go a long way back. She’s the one who got us a table.”
“Thank you so much. The space is absolutely beautiful,” Gemma said.
“You’re most welcome. Tell me, what can I get you guys to drink? Are you going to do the tasting menu for the evening, or do you want a bottle of something else?”
“Oh, I’m driving,” Gemma said. “So, just soft drinks for me.”
“Me too,” Kent added.
Magdalen pouted. “Don’t be silly. You need to try the wines with the dishes. Otherwise, you only get half the experience. You know that, Kent.”
The way she spoke made it sound like they’d really be missing out if at least one of them didn’t try the full menu, and as Kent was the food expert, Gemma reasoned it should be him.
“You do the wine tasting, and I can drive you home afterwards,” she suggested, trying to forget how much she’d hated the drive there and how much worse it would probably be with a passenger.
“No, that’s not fair at all,” Kent replied.
“You know, the yacht club has rooms here?” Magdalen interrupted. “I’m sure I can clear that. Then you can both get the full experience.”
Kent looked at Gemma, clearly leaving the decision to her. She’d driven so she could escape early if needed, but now that she was there, she couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to sip on a cold glass of something.
“I don’t mind, as long as you’re sure about the rooms?” she said to Magdalen.
“Oh, absolutely, yes! So the full wine-tasting menu, then?”
Gemma thought about the question for a moment, looking at Kent.
“Actually,” she said, “I’m not a great fan of reds. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. I want you to have an evening you’ll enjoy. That won’t be a problem, will it Magdalen?”
“Of course not. I shall see to it and the room now. And how about I get you both a glass of bubbly to start?” she suggested. “On the house, of course.”