Chapter 20
Twenty
JESSE
I f I thought Samuel had been hostile to my presence this week, it was nothing compared to Drew.
However, unlike my first interaction with Samuel, I had neither Becky nor Clara on hand to defend the fact that I was there.
And Drew was fuming. I could see it in the flaring of his nostrils and the fact that he was standing ramrod straight. His fingers were clenching and unclenching at his side.
“Oh, Drew, you’re here.”
Okay, so I had Becky on hand.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Drew spat.
Becky appeared at my side. “He was invited. Why else would he be here?”
Drew tore his gaze away from me and directed it at Gavin. “You told me that he was off the list.”
“He was, and then he was put back on it. How was your flight?” Becky responded. Gavin shrugged his shoulders, and Drew’s nostrils flared again as he looked back at Becky. And me.
“And why was he put back on the invite list?”
“Because he’s my friend.”
Drew barked out a laugh. “You didn’t care about him enough to fight for his presence here the first time around. What exactly happened that justified him getting an all-expenses paid trip to France? It’s not like he’s family.”
“Nor are you, and yet here you are, on an all-expenses paid trip to France,” Becky said coolly. The anger in Drew visibly leached out as the impact of Becky’s words struck.
“I am one of Gavin’s best men,” Drew responded, all venom gone.
“Which is the only reason you are still here. Believe me, if you weren’t, I would have uninvited you completely,” Becky said before she walked back into the kitchen. I followed her. I did not want to be alone with Drew if I didn’t have to be.
“Where is she anyway?” Drew asked as he arrived in the kitchen, noticing immediately that Clara was not present.
“I’m not her keeper, so I don’t know where exactly she is,” Becky said dismissively. Sensing that talking to Becky was a lost cause, he directed his attention to Lucy, who was eating a stolen chocolate coin.
“Do you know where she is? Doesn’t seem like her to be squirrelled away on her own when you’re all down here.”
“Are we talking about the same Clara? Because the one I know is definitely the sort of person to tuck herself away in a corner, on her own, to read a book or just sit with her thoughts,” Lucy answered.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I pulled it out, and my heartbeat quickened when I saw Clara’s name on the screen.
Come to the outside dining table
Bring ice cream
It’s in the freezer
I walked over to the freezer, pocketing my phone. I could sense that I was being watched, and as I turned around with ice cream in hand, I saw Becky’s eyes switch from confusion to understanding. She opened the drawer closest to her and pulled out two spoons, wordlessly handing them to me with a smile on her face before I slipped out of the kitchen and headed outside.