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An absolute first for her.
‘No, thank you.’
‘Look... I am sorry I wasn’t there to greet you. I was held up, so I called Kristina and asked her to meet you.’
‘You also told her to take my bank details,’ Mary sneered.
It was something she never usually did, but Costa brought out something in her—something old, something new, something borrowed, maybe, but not something blue. Costa Leventis made her see red.
‘How tacky!’
Mary stopped talking as the waiter approached with her drink. Costa waited until they were alone before responding. He rarely explained himself, but in this case he felt he owed her at least part of an explanation.
‘I asked her to get your details in case I couldn’t be here,’ Costa said, meeting her gaze.
He’d wanted the money side of things sorted—wanted one less thing to worry about. Because where Mary was concerned he felt suddenly cheap, like some sleazy old man. ‘I didn’t want you to feel stranded or trapped.’
‘I have an emergency fund,’ Mary told him, ‘andan open return ticket,’ she added with a thinly veiled warning as to where this was leading. ‘But after insulting me, Kristina took me to a beauty salon, and then on to Leo.’
‘So I see.’
He still hadn’t commented on her clothes and hair; he knew he ought to because she looked stunning. But then he’d thought she was stunning on Saturday night too.
‘You look beautiful, by the way.’
‘By the way?’Mary let out a half-laugh at this rather underwhelming response to her head-to-toe makeover; the events of this morning still stung. ‘So I’m Costa Leventis–worthy now?’
‘Meaning...?’
‘I felt like some matted poodle being dropped off at the groomer.’
‘Mary,’ he said, and she met his silvery eyes. ‘I have said that you look beautiful on each occasion we’ve met.’
He had, she realised, but she looked quickly away, refusing to be mollified. It had been a long, lonely day but, worse than that, now he was here she was starting to remember why she’d said yes to this crazy charade...
In all her hurt and anger she had set aside his sheer assault to her senses and how divine he was. All the same, she would not be like Leo and the rest of Costa’s minions and simply forgive him.
‘Costa, what happened to your face?’
‘I ran into a door.’
‘Some door,’ Mary retorted. ‘Surely as your girlfriend I would know the truth?’
‘No.’
‘Your mother will want to know...’
‘Perhaps, but she knows full well she’ll get no answers.’
Costa let out a breath. He really did not want to tell Mary about being ambushed at Heathrow just after he’d left her, nor Eric Ridgemont’s vile words about her.
Ridgemont he had taken care of one-handed.
Unfortunately, in his anger, he’d forgotten about the army Ridgemont travelled with.
‘I had a slight accident after I left you. Afterwards I needed a new crown—preferably in time for the party—only your beloved NHS didn’t want me to be concerned about that. They said I needed stitches, and also a scan.’
Mary watched him silently and he tried to turn it into a joke.
