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“Jesus Christ!” Louise hisses.
“I know, I know,” Susan laughs, fanning herself. “Give me a second to cool down.” She takes a huge gulp of Pimm’s. “Have you ever seen anyone with that kind of …” She falters, shakes her head. “I don’t quite know how to describe it. I sort of want to pounce on him.”
“I feel exactly the same,” Louise agrees. “But what is it about him? Jeez, I think I need another drink.”
The two of them titter before Susan resumes: “His face isn’t the greatest. In fact, he’s really rather ugly, but my God, what I would give to get under that.”
“That makes two of us!” Louise sniggers.
Susan continues fanning herself. “I’m so glad my husband isn’t here to spoil the fun. It means we can drool from a distance without feeling like wanton slappers.”
They both snort with laughter.
Hot rage boils inside me.How dare they call Nick ugly?I’ve a good mind to confront them, but I check myself. Do I really want to cause a scene and ruin James’s big day? Plus, some of what they said could be taken as a backhanded compliment. Even so, they’ve got a bloody cheek passing judgment on my boyfriend. Just who the hell do they think they are?
Slowly counting to ten, I focus on my breathing and try to push my anger back down inside. Then, working my face into a smile, I race across the room to hug Nick. All eyes are on us as we embrace, and I’m swamped by a sea of emotions. Holding Nick in my arms again feels like a dream, and I can’t get enough of his warmth, his touch, his smell. Five days apart has only intensified my hunger for him and if I had my way, we’d ditch this place immediately.
“I’m so glad to see you,” I whisper.
He gazes deep into my eyes. “Are you okay? You seem a bit agitated. Has something happened?”
“No, no, everything’s fine. I just couldn’t wait to see you, that’s all.” I struggle to control my excitement.
Beaming, he kisses me on the nose and wraps his arm protectively around my waist. We turn to face the crowd of onlookers. “Do you want to introduce me to your friends?” he purrs.
Before I can respond, Jill lunges forward with an outstretched hand. “Hi there! I’m Jill. You must be Nick. Lovely to meet you. Carly’s told me so much about you.”
“Ditto.” They exchange a genial handshake.
“You’re a very lucky man,” she continues. “Carly’s a perfect angel. Heart of gold. Everyone at work adores her; she’s like a ray of sunshine.”
“Oh, believe me; I’m fully aware of how lucky I am.”
“Make sure you take good care of her.”
“I will.”
Blushing profusely, I steer Nick away and introduce him to James. “Darling, this is Jill’s brother.”
“So, you’re the artist?” Nick gestures to the canvasses on the walls.
“Well, I’m trying to be,” James replies modestly. “This is my first exhibition. It’s not exactly the Tate, but we’ve all got to start somewhere.”
“I’m sure it won’t be your last. From what I can see, you have a very unique talent.”
“Cheers.”
I smother a giggle. Nick’s laying on the charm again, just like he did with Dad, and he’s already got James eating out the palm of his hand.
“Would you like a drink?” Jill asks Nick. “There’s champagne or Pimm’s.”
“Champagne would be fantastic.”
“Come on, Carly; let’s go and get your boyfriend a drink.”
Throwing me a look, she drags me away and ushers me toward the snack table, where Louise and Susan give us a wide berth. Obviously, they realise I heard every single word they said about Nick, and the embarrassment on their faces is priceless.Good.Serves them right.
“Where on Earth did you find him?” Jill hisses as soon as we’re alone. “Good gracious, the man’s astonishing.”
