Eve giggles, and Fin flashes her that pretty grin of his, so I pull out Eve’s chair as an alternative to punching him.
“You’ll find I’m the pleasant, respectable friend. The one who is—”
“Prone to exaggeration,” I mutter as Eve takes her seat between Fin and myself. I obviously didn’t think this through. Maybe she should’ve brought those rocks.
“You guys are too funny,” Eve says happily. “Oliver didn’t tell me that.”
“I’m surprised he told you anything.”
“He’s told me so much about you.”
The men exchange a glance as Eve bursts out laughing. If sunshine had a voice, it would sound like her laughter, I decide.
“Not a thing!” she admits.
“Well, that is a relief.” Fin smiles widely. “Or we might be forced to spill a few beans of our own. Like how he hasn’t mentioned your name to us once.”
“I was keeping her all to myself,” I murmur, angling my gaze her way. Though her lashes veil her thoughts, I get a visceral kick from her pink cheeks.
“Is that a New England accent I detect?” Fin asks, leaning back in his chair.
“Connecticut,” she agrees with a small nod. “Fairfield County.”
“Westport?”
She flicks a shoulder. Not quite a yes.
“Swanky,” Fin replies anyway.
“Says the man who owns half of a resort in Thailand,” Matt mutters in the vein ofJust get a holiday home like regular people.
“Westport is old money.” Fin sends me a querulous glance. “And now Oliver is, I’m sure, about to remind me that a hundred years is a long time to a dumb ’Murican.”
“And a hundred miles is a long distance to a Londoner,” Matt finishes.
“Hilarious,” I drawl as Eve watches the pair happily.I am going to need alcohol.“And I didn’t say Americans were stupid. I believe I said that, for all your Ivy League education,youcan be reckless.”
“You’re confusing me with Mr. Extreme Sports over there.” He hooks a thumb Matt’s way.
“Fine, he’s reckless, and you’re stupid. Happy now?”
Fin turns to Eve. “If I’m stupid, and he’s reckless, then Oliver is ...”
“Oh.” She scrunches her nose delightfully. “Short tempered? Arrogant? Self-important?”
Fin gives a satisfied twist of his lip. “Just checking you knew what you were getting into.”
“You of all people know I never pretend to be what I’m not,” I retort.
“And what he is,” Fin says, folding his arms against the tabletop to lean in, “is the devil. Isn’t that right?” he adds, his gaze meeting mine.
“By name and by nature,” I drawl, unimpressed.
“What am I missing?” Amusement lightens Eve’s voice, though she refuses to look my way. She’s not missing anything, given she’s called me that herself.
“Deubel.It means ‘devil,’ right, Oliver?”
“‘Devil of a man,’ if I’m being pedantic. Swiss German in origin.” I swirl the whisky around my glass before lifting my eyes to Eve. “Do you want to add that one to the list?”
