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I nod, then force a smile only for my stare to be caught on Andy. His expression is blank, not at all readable. Perhaps, my feelings about how we ended are different from his. He doesn’t appear bothered by seeing me with Benedict. Nothing at all like the Andy I remembered who would basically sabotage every date I went on, claiming the men weren’t good enough for me, so why bother.
But then I remember that two years have passed. A lot can happen in that time, I mean, look at me—I got married and had a baby.
“I was thinking,” Benedict says, moving his lips toward my ear. “How about a weekend away? Just you and me? Maybe in a few weeks once this deal I’m working on is complete. We can visit Spain and have dinner at that restaurant you love so much.”
As Benedict’s lips touch the base of my neck, my gaze flicks back to Andy, and everything I said earlier isn’t the face staring back at me. His jaw is sharp, as if he’s biting his tongue. Even from where I dance, his pupils appear wide with anger. I’ve seen this look several times before, and instinctively, I turn away.
“It sounds like a nice plan,” I respond.
“Oh, Jessa, I must speak to Mr. Featherington. His son has a prize horse mother has been dying to get her hands on.”
Benedict doesn’t even wait for my answer, abandoning me for some prized horse? I stand alone on the dance floor, ready for the wave of humiliation, when my eyes fall upon the shiny black shoes standing near mine.
“Mind if I have this dance?” My gaze drifts up until I’m locked into Andy’s deep stare. “I’m sure your husband wouldn’t mind, you know, for old times’ sake.”
“Um, sure,” I barely swallow.
Andy places his hand on my waist, and the second he touches me, this current runs through my entire body, leaving me breathless. I dare not look him in the face, scared he’ll know what just happened. He brings me in close to him, so we can easily talk.
And there are so many things to be said.
Yet only one comes to mind.
“Won’t your girlfriend get jealous you’re dancing with someone else?”
“For starters, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s a business associate,” he informs me. “But I guess the real question is won’t your husband?”
“Benedict isn’t like that.”
“Sounds like a true gentleman.”
“Just say what you need to say, Andy.”
He pulls back slightly to create distance between us. “I have nothing to say, Jessa. I said everything I had to say two years ago. As for you, perhaps you have something you need to say?”
There were so many things to be said, but what did it all matter anyway? We’re both where we need to be in life, and nothing will change that.
“To quote you, Andy, I chose my bed, and now I need to lay in it,” I answer back bitterly.
Silence falls between us until he softly whispers, “Jessa…”
But then, Benedict appears beside us. “My wife, can I have you back for another dance?”
I clear my throat, taking my hands off Andy with a smile.
“Of course.”
Andy shakes his head, then turns his back on me while Benedict grips onto my hand a little too tight.
“You’re hurting me,” I tell him.
“Well, I walk away for a few seconds, and you’re dancing with another man. How does that look to everyone in this room?”
I try to pull back, but his grip is tight. “I don’t care what other people think, Benedict. Andy is family. Someone I haven’t seen for a long time. All these stuck-up people can go find something better to worry about.”
“So, you don’t care about shaming our family?”
This time, I force myself out of his grip. His words are the fuse to spark the bomb which just went off inside my head.
