Page 28

“BT?” I ask, and Jack laughs, nudging Bryce’s rigid arm.

“Bryce Terrence. What a name.”

I have to grin at that. Terrence isn’t a name Bryce usually lets people in on, so these two must be close.

“Will you stop it with the damn BT, Jack,” Bryce says, and does his trademark eye roll.

“Ah come on. Don’t be a stroppy sod, you like it really,” Jack replies. “Lighten up. I know work meetings can get intense, but Jesus Christ. This is champagne time, not number crunching. Leave the broom up your ass for the office, because this definitely isn’t the office. Nobody is going to beckon you over and grill you for financial advice in this place.”

Bryce’s eyes flit around the bar again. “You don’t know that. The network is quite large.”

“This is a bar, not a business convention. You really think people are on the lookout for their random associates here? Nah. They’re here to chill and drink.” He looks from Bryce to me. “And to have fun.”

“Sure, yes,” Bryce says, in his sarcastic tone. “People in the financial scene never happen to share upmarket bars in London. Of course not. How ridiculous of me.”

“Someone’s getting lippy. Better fill your sarky mouth up a bit.”

Jack tips the stem of Bryce’s champagne up as he takes a sip, and my God, how Bryce splutters as the bubbles hit his throat. It’s classic. I can’t help it with the giggles, because Jack got him good. His timing was spot on.

“You’re a jackass. A stupid bloody jackass!” Bryce says once he’s finished coughing, but his words are empty. Finally, his smile has loosened up, and I see more. The spark in Bryce’s eyes sets off butterflies in my stomach, looking at the way Bryce looks at the man between us. The way Bryce looks at Jack Reid.

Jack has the same spark as he stares back at him.

“I’m a jackass, am I? Yeah, alright. I’d say that’s fair, actually. BT and Jackass, what a dynamic duo.”

I can’t help but wonder what kind of duo these two are. Years ago, when we were close, Bryce told me he’d been with men as well as women.

And I liked the thought of it.

Jack’s laugh brings me back to the present.

“So, which of you is going to spill the details?” he asks, looking between us. “I haven’t heard the history yet. Been friends a long time? I know you work with Alice’s dad, Bryce, but how about the pair of you? What’s your backstory?”

“I don’t just work with Alice’s father. He’s my boss,” Bryce says, his words laced with the undertone of leave it alone.

I could take the same route as Bryce, and let Jack’s questions slide into nothing, and I probably should. I should let it go. Only this could be my one shot, my only real chance at closeness revived, so screw therapy and letting the past slip behind me. I have to take it. Foolish or not, I have to go out on a limb.

“We’ve been friends since we were teenagers,” I tell Jack. “We were really close. But life is life, and the years roll by, and people can grow a bit… distant.”

“Good job I rocked on up then, isn’t it?” Jack puts down his drink and wraps his arms around both of our shoulders. “Nice to get you guys talking again.”

If only he knew just how nice it really is. For me, at least.

Jack isn’t the usual type I’d socialise with. He looks like a dream in a tux, and well suited to the high life, but the joker side of him isn’t anything I’m used to. I like it. I like him. A lot.

He’s the one of the pair I keep my attention on, my heart racing. It’s my turn to ask questions.

“And how about you two, BT and Jackass? I haven’t heard your history yet either. What’s your backstory?”

Jack looks at Bryce. “Do you want to answer that one, or shall I?”

Bryce looks as though he could jab Jack in the ribs when they lock eyes, but Jack doesn’t break the stare. I look on, intrigued by the face off. Jack gives a little shrug, and Bryce raises his eyebrows as though it’s absurd, but Jack keeps the eye contact at full volume. His stare is insanely suave, his smile unwavering until Bryce lets out a massive sigh.

Bryce holds his hands up and looks me full on in the eyes for the first time of the evening.

“We’ve been intimate,” he tells me. “Jack and I are intimate friends, okay. There, Jack, are you satisfied? Is that enough of a reveal for you?”

Jack claps his hands in fake applause.