Page 115 of Be More Octopus

'Was that for my benefit or Jack's?'

'Mine. You're a bag of nerves. Shut your eyes and breathe in for a count of five.'

Em's face started to turn red.

'You can breathe out again!' he laughed. 'Come on. It won't be that bad.'

Through the open door, Em could see Jack hugging Nancy, but he was looking at Em over Nancy's shoulder.

She held Jack's gaze as Ben led her inside. He still made her heart skip a beat. This was madness. Hold on to Ben. Ignore Jack.

'You must be Emily Gillespie.' A woman with a clipboard intercepted them as soon as they stepped over the threshold, blocking Em's view of Jack. 'I'm Elizabeth. I'm organising the event. Could you come this way, please?' She indicated a door off to the side. 'I'll take your coat.'

'Oh, but I ….'

'You can chat with your guests in a few minutes. If your partner wouldn't mind waiting here.' Elizabeth gave Ben an appreciative look up and down. 'We just need to brief the artists about the order of events,' she said to him with a smile.

Ben slipped his hand around Em's waist. 'See you in a minute, darling.' His voice was slightly louder than it needed to be, presumably so Jack could hear.

Em gulped. This felt uncomfortable. Jack valued honesty, yet here she was, conning him that Ben was her lover. She should be strong enough to hold her ground without using Ben as a human shield.

Her fellow artists were all in the side room already. They were a mixed bunch. The youngest woman looked like she was still at art college, but the remainder were older than Em. A man who was about Nancy's age was holding court, boasting about his previous competition wins. Em felt out of her depth.

Elizabeth interrupted him.

'I won't keep you long. Clara Benetti is here.' Elizabeth indicated the tall, blonde woman who had just walked into the room. Em froze. Jack's 'friend' from Italy. Of all the people.

'Clara will be presenting the prize this year. She's here with a camera crew. Clara, do you want to say anything?'

'Thank you. Congratulations to you all on being shortlisted. As you know, we're making a documentary about the prize, so I need to talk to each of you about your work. I believe you all signed and returned the consent form in your shortlisting letter. We've decided we'd also like to visit the winner at their studio next week to get some footage of them working. If you're the winner, Elizabeth will call you tomorrow to arrange it.'

The corner of Em's tiny living room wouldn't exactly wow the viewers. And the last person she wanted to be anywhere near was Clara. Em shook her head, trying to get rid of the image that had suddenly appeared in her head - Jack and Clara making out in Clara's swimming pool. Good job Em wasn't going to win.

Elizabeth was back in charge. 'We'll carry out the prize giving at 8 pm. Remember, the announcement won't be made public until Clara's programme is aired on December 28th, so I can't emphasise enough how important it is not to share the winner's name with anyone who's not here today. If you receive the prize, Clara will interview you and your sitter after the ceremony. You are all welcome to stay until we finish at 8.45 pm. Any questions?'

'But my sitter isn't here!' boasting man exclaimed.

'We'll worry about that later,' Elizabeth responded firmly. She didn't seem overly concerned. 'Anything else?'

Everyone shook their heads.

'Excellent. Please join your guests. There are drinks and canapés at the back of the gallery. Enjoy your evening, and good luck.'

Jack almost pounced on Em when she emerged from the briefing.

'Hello, you.'

His normal greeting. Anyone would think nothing bad had happened between them. Where the hell was Ben? She looked around the gallery quickly. How could a six-foot-four man disappear so easily?

'You look fabulous,' Jack said, giving her a hug. She breathed in his aftershave, the scent taking her back to that beautiful summer evening in his secret meadow.

She desperately wanted to tell him how much she'd missed him. Remember how horribly he spoke to you, how he thinks you lied to him? She managed to restrain herself with a polite 'Thank you. I like your new haircut. It suits you.'

He smiled awkwardly. 'I've missed you so much. I wanted to say sorry about Connor. I should've believed you.' It was like he was following her fantasy script. Pity he hadn't done that weeks ago.

'What changed your mind?' she asked.

Clara appeared before Jack had time to respond. 'Hello, Jack.'