A couple exited the restaurant, the man holding the door for her. She couldn’t procrastinate a moment longer.
“Thanks,” she murmured, walking inside.
A wave of chatter and the clink of cutlery hit her along with the aroma of food and spices. Her stomach let out a rumble of protest. Maggie slammed the flat of her hand against her belly, heat rising in her cheeks. The last thing she needed was a rumbling stomach. Way to create an impression.
She stopped at the hostess desk, stated her name and said she was here to meet David.
Her stomach roiled when the hostess smiled and told her to follow. He was here.
Maggie spotted the girls sitting at a table toward the back of the restaurant, in the direction the hostess was leading her.
“Good luck, Maggie,” Julia whispered when she passed. “We’ll be here if you need us.”
Maggie nodded, unable to muster a smile this time.
The hammer of her heart echoed in her ears. Her fists clenched and unclenched.
“Here you go,” the hostess said, indicating a private booth. She could see the back of a man’s head. He had short, dark hair and broad shoulders.Turn around.Turn around so I can see you.
The man noticed the hostess and stood. Maggie held her breath, nibbled her bottom lip.
“Connor?” she squeaked. Her legs trembled, and she grabbed the top of the table to stabilize her balance.
They’d tricked her. Tears filled her eyes as she blindly turned away. God, she just didn’t learn.
“No, wait.” Connor caught her shoulder and pulled her to a stop.
“Is everything all right?” the hostess asked.
“It’s fine,” Connor said. “Please, Maggie. I want to talk to you. If you want to leave after I’ve talked, that’s fine. I’ll let you go.”
Maggie shook her head and swiped a tear from her eyes with the back of her hand. She saw Julia stand, blinked as her traitorous friend walked over to her.
“Please, stay and talk to Connor. He cares about you. It’s difficult to find love.” Her face clouded and she swallowed. “When you find it you should fight for it, not walk away without a second thought. Just give Connor a chance to explain. Please.”
“Please,” Connor added his plea.
Finally, aware they were the center of attention, Maggie allowed Connor to lead her back to the table. She sat, glad to take the weight off her unsteady limbs.
“I’m meeting someone,” Maggie said.
“I’m Kinky Lover,” Connor said, watching her closely.
“You?”
“Yeah.” He stopped and dragged a hand through his hair, making her realize he wasn’t as confident as he appeared. “I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I should have been honest from the start.”
“About the blonde. Yeah, you should have,” Maggie spat.
Connor frowned. “You mean Sylvie.”
“I saw you with the blonde. She had her hands all over you. You kissed her. And there was the one in the pub too.”
“Sylvie is my cousin. You know Frank is my stepfather. Sylvie is my cousin via his side of the family. She thought we’d be good together and took some persuading otherwise. Jenny was the woman in the pub. It’s true I used to date her, but she was there celebrating her engagement. Jenny and her friends suggested I do something special for you, something memorable, and that’s when I came up with the idea for the corset. Our meeting was innocent.”
“I rang your flat to talk to you, and this Sylvie answered. She said she wasn’t your cousin,” Maggie accused.
“You rang me?” The realization brought both relief, and anger at Sylvie. “She misled you on purpose. I’d be happy to give you my mother’s phone number right now. You can ring and ask both my mother and Frank about Sylvie. Do you want me to ring them? Sylvie is dating one of my flatmates now. I could ring her so she can apologize to you. If I have my way she will say sorry whether she likes it or not.” Connor grimaced. “Part of this is my fault. I should have told you straight off that I was interested in you and no one else. I love you. I’ve thought about you as more than a friend for ages. You seemed so cautious and wary I decided to try thefriends with benefitsthing. I couldn’t think of any other way to romance you.”
