Chapter Eleven #2
I stopped laughing as I lifted my head to find Benedict’s friend Simon at the end of the table.
I would have been perfectly happy to have never seen him again.
I flicked a glance over at Benedict. Did he know he was coming here?
Had he arranged to meet him? His face gave nothing away.
He had to have had some idea what had transpired between me and his friend.
There was absolutely no way that Georgia hadn’t bothered to say anything.
He greeted his friend cheerily. I chided myself for being so suspicious.
It was probably just a coincidence. We’d had one disastrous date.
It didn’t mean Simon was stalking me or had even the slightest interest in me.
Sure, he’d been overly keen to get it on in the bathroom.
But, for all I knew, he was like that on every date.
As Simon’s gaze swiveled to me, I forced a polite smile and a nod of recognition.
His regard lingered just that little bit too long before moving on to Justin.
It was Georgia who finally answered his question.
“We’re double-dating again. I’d ask you to join us, but you know…might be a bit awkward, given what happened before.”
Simon’s gaze slid back to me, an amused smile playing on his lips and a glint in his eye I didn’t particularly like the look of.
I was proved right when the next words came out of his mouth.
“Seriously, Dean? You turn me down to go out with”—he gestured toward Justin and paused for dramatic effect—“Freddie Krueger.”
Georgia’s gasp of shock was audible. She immediately turned toward her boyfriend. “Are you going to let him speak to him like that?”
Ben looked slightly uneasy. He shrugged. “It’s just a joke. Typical Simon comment. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
I just sat immobile, I didn’t know whether the right thing to do was to leap to Justin’s defense or just ignore it.
Simon was clearly looking for a reaction.
Did I want to be the one to give it? But then, I couldn’t just sit there and say nothing and have him think I didn’t care.
“Hardly a joke is it, when it’s not funny. ”
I looked over to find Justin’s gaze on me. He gave the tiniest of head shakes, while reaching for my hand. “Don’t! Just leave it. I’ve heard worse, believe me. Let’s not get upset over a joke.” His emphasis on the last word made it abundantly clear, he knew it had been meant as anything but.
Nodding, I relaxed back in my seat and set about deliberately ignoring Simon. It was easier said than done with Georgia right next to me, positively vibrating with indignation on Justin’s behalf.
An awkward silence followed before Ben finally piped up. “You better go, mate. We were having a nice evening. I’ll call you later.”
I risked a glance at Simon. He looked fairly miffed.
Obviously, the reaction he’d gotten wasn’t the one he’d been after.
Maybe he’d been hoping for a fight. Whether that was with me, or with Justin, I couldn’t be sure.
Maybe he didn’t care who, as long as it was one of us.
His face tightened for a moment before he nodded curtly and turned his back to leave.
“Dick!” It wouldn’t have been so bad if Georgia had muttered the word, but it was said so loudly, someone on the next table turned around to find out who it had been aimed at.
I groaned inwardly as Simon immediately spun back around. “What did you say?”
Georgia glared at him, not looking even slightly remorseful. “You heard.”
Ben leaned toward her. “Georgia, that’s out of order. You need to apologize.”
I cringed, knowing what was coming next.
She stood, an incredulous look directed at her boyfriend.
“I need to apologize? What about him? He can come over—uninvited, and call people names, and you just pass it off as a joke. But, I’m not allowed to.
Well, maybe I was joking.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, a look of challenge in her eyes.
It was quickly turning into an absolute train wreck. In an effort to placate her and get her to sit down, I reached up, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.
Justin coughed. “Listen, why don’t we—”
Ben cut across him, his gaze still fixed on Georgia. “You called him a dick. Just apologize to my friend and then we can get on with having a nice evening.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Justin’s my friend. Simon needs to apologize to him first. Then, I’ll think about it.”
Tempting as it was to point out she hadn’t even met Justin before tonight, I knew it would do absolutely nothing to neutralize the argument, so I kept quiet.
Simon had been taking all of this in, a slight smirk on his face.
“Maybe it’s time to get rid of this one, Ben.
” All heads swiveled to him as he spoke.
The smirk changed to something much more calculating.
“After all, you’ve already got your reserve lined up, and she’s much more attractive.
Not to mention, much lower maintenance.” Satisfied he’d dropped enough of a bombshell, he winked and walked away.
His insinuation was clear. It couldn’t have been any clearer if he’d spray-painted it across a nearby wall. I just prayed there was no truth in it. With Simon’s departure, Georgia finally sank back into her seat.
I clapped my hands together, steadfastly ignoring everyone’s glasses being almost full. “Shall I get more drinks? Anyone want anything to eat? Peanuts? Crisps? Anything at all?”
Justin took three long swallows of his beer, probably in an effort to make it appear like there was much less of it left than there actually was. I really appreciated his attempt to back me up. “That would be good. I—”
“What did he mean?” Georgia’s voice could cut glass, but that was nothing compared to the look on her face.
If I was Ben, I’d have been running for cover.
He looked completely unconcerned. I relaxed slightly.
Hopefully, that meant that what Simon had said was absolute and complete bullshit, designed simply to cause trouble.
Justin caught my eye, mouthing a question about whether we should give them some privacy.
I shook my head. I knew Georgia better than that.
I couldn’t take ten years of being reminded about leaving her in her hour of need.
She still hadn’t forgiven me for the time I’d laughed when she fell in a pond when we were both twelve years old.
Even the fact I’d been the one to pull her out of there hadn’t done anything to make her forgive and forget.
Ben scratched his chin. A more suspicious person might have thought he was playing for time. “No idea.”
Georgia obviously had no intention of letting the subject drop. “I can tell when you’re lying.”
I studied the surface of the table carefully, dutifully pretending I wasn’t listening while I waited for Ben’s reply. Some date this was turning out to be. I’d be lucky if Justin didn’t run a mile. I should have listened to my subconscious and steered clear.
“What do you want me to say, Georgia?”
I turned toward her just in time to catch sight of her lip tremble. “You’re seeing someone else? I thought we were…” Her voice cracked. I reached over, grabbing her hand. She clung on tightly. “I thought we were serious. How long has it been going on?”
Ben sighed, as if the conversation was rapidly becoming tiresome.
I was beginning to see why he and Simon got along so well.
I risked a glance at Justin. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact his attention was fixed on Ben.
He looked less than impressed at what he was hearing, particularly when Ben dropped the next bombshell.
“I never said we were exclusive. If you thought that, then…I’m sorry.
I like you, Georgia. You know, you’re fun.
But, Ellen, well…she’s pretty sweet. And she’s a friend of the family, so… ”
Tears spilled over onto Georgia’s cheeks. “How long, Ben?”
He finally had the good sense to look guilty. “Not long. A few months. But—”
Georgia stood, tugging on my hand, so that I’d stand as well.
Despite the tears now running unbidden down her cheeks, I could tell she was trying to scrape as much of her dignity as she could back together.
She squared her shoulders. “Well, I hope you’re going to be very happy together.
And you can tell your slimy, octopus-handed friend who needs to try and trap men to get anywhere with them, that he did me a favor, because I’m really glad that I found this out now. ”
She turned to me, a plaintive look on her face. “Can you take me home, please?”
“Of course.” I pulled her after me, turning to check Justin was following.
As we passed the bar, it was hard to miss the self-satisfied smirk of the man who’d caused all the trouble leaning against it.
He lifted a beer bottle in a mocking salute.
Despite the fact I was concentrating on getting Georgia out of the bar, I didn’t miss Justin taking a slight detour toward Simon.
He stepped close to him, leaning in and whispering something in his ear.
The smirk disappeared immediately, replaced by a sudden look of apprehension.
Justin patted him on the chest in a patronizing fashion, before walking over to follow us out of the bar