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Marco laughed at the suggestion. ‘Your concern is appreciated but what do you suggest, Father, I get a headache...?’ Marco excused himself and walked across to where an animated Freya was chattering to her grandmother.
‘Having fun?’
‘Yes, Papa, I think that lady over there is waving to you.’
Marco turned his head to follow her finger and identified the tall blonde who was waving to catch his attention. It took him a moment longer to recall her name.
Kate’s polite smile was wearing thin. Her dance partner had stepped on her toes again.
‘Did I mention my wife couldn’t come tonight? Her sister is ill. I’m fending for myself.’
No, she thought, you were too busy telling me what an important person you are.
‘Oh, what a shame,’ she said, matching his sincerity while watching as a tall blonde on the other side of the room, in a dress that she just had to have been sewn into, placed a proprietorial hand on Marco’s arm as he leaned in to hear what she was saying.
Kate knew who she was because she had looked her up in relation to the gossip. Out of curiosity, she had told herself, as she was telling herself now that the shaft of pain that felt like a knife sliding between her ribs was because she’d skipped lunch.
The leaning in, the dark head next to the blonde head—the imaginary knife twisted. Kate stumbled and saw her partner wince.
‘You trod on my foot!’ he exclaimed, sounding outraged.
After the trampling her poor toes had suffered she thought this hardly redressed the balance, but she settled for a meek and diplomatic apology. ‘So...sorry.’
‘My wife is a very good dancer.’
There was a plus side. His clammy hand no longer strayed down to her bottom. Things got even better when he developed a limp and excused himself.
‘Jackie, you’re looking good.’
‘Don’t worry, darling, I’m not stalking you. I’m here as a plus one.’
The guest list was not something that Marco took a personal interest in. Any specific requests would have come from his office.
Too tired to respond to her flirtatious laughter, Marco found himself wondering how he had ever thought the fake sounded amusing.
‘I can see you’re sceptical.’
He wasn’t interested enough in the conversation to be sceptical, but he could definitely feel boredom setting in.
‘But seriously,’ he heard her say. ‘Lawrence... I’m his plus one...was hoping you could take a meeting...? There are rumours of an airport expansion and you know he is—’
‘I know who Lawrence Milton is, but the answer is no because there will be no airport expansion, so I can save you the softening-up process.’
The model’s smile was tight. ‘Oh, I told him you don’t “soften up”andmy influence was only everlimited.’
Non-existent would have been more accurate but Marco let it pass.
‘But I thought I’d give it a try...?’
‘No expansion.’ Aside from the green issues, bringing in more tourists would despoil the very things that attracted visitors.
It was all about balance.
‘Oh, well, thank you for the heads-up...’ A half wistful expression crossed the model’s beautifully made-up face. ‘We had fun didn’t we...?’
Marco raised a brow. ‘Sentimental? That’s not like you.’
She shrugged. ‘We all change. You have.’
