My jaw tightened as I tried not to show how his one-word answers and complete dismissal of my attempts to be friendly grated onme.
“So, is there a day that works for you? And you too, Jack, of course. You’re more than welcome to join our sessions.” Maybe Jack’s presence would put him at ease.
“Your schedule is pretty clear on Monday and Tuesday evening.” Jack scrolled through the calendar on his phone.
I racked my brain for a moment, sorting through my mental diary. I was looking after Taylor on Monday and then visiting mymother on Tuesday. Although it would land me in shit, I wouldn’t mind an excuse to blow off my mother.
“If those don’t work for you, we can do another day,” Luca cut in, leaving me stunned. It might have been the longest sentence he’d directed at me this whole week.
I was about to say that I could do either, but Jack added, “We’re free tomorrow morning, too.”
Would working over the weekend put them out? I studied their expressions, looking for any reluctance about giving up their Saturday to watch recordings. Finding nothing, I settled with, “I’m free tomorrow morning but could do Tuesday, too.”
At least if they wanted to do Tuesday, it would be delaying my visit to Mum rather than rescheduling Taylor.
“Tomorrow’s fine,” Luca answered.
“Are you sure? I know it’s a Saturday, and you’ve probably got better stuff to do than watch old recordings.”
“Have you met this guy?” Jack flicked his thumb in Luca’s direction. “Boring as fuck, does nothing over the weekend.”
A grin spread across my face, a chuckle bubbling out of my chest. Luca looked disinterested.
I motioned to the doors and continued as we walked together. “Shall we meet back here tomorrow? We can watch the recordings and plan in our dressing room.”
Luca nodded, and Jack replied, “That works. I’m guessing this place is open over the weekend, then?”
“I may or may not have bought the guards bribery doughnuts a dozen times, so they’ll let me in whenever.”
As we rounded the corner into the open reception area, I spotted Mark leaning casually against the front desk, aiming a smarmy smile at Monica, one of the receptionists. How had I not realized what a sleaze he was before we dated?
He did a double take when he caught sight of us, his gazebouncing between me and Luca. I offered a small, extremely forced smile as we passed and headed toward the exit, hoping that he’d let us justgo.
Please don’t be an arsehole.
I should have known better.
“Not going to stop and say hello?” he called after us, his voice ringing out. My eyes slipped shut in a grimace. When I opened them, Luca was already watching me, his gaze narrowed.
Fuck.
I plastered on a smile and glanced over my shoulder, offering a small wave. “Hey, I’m so sorry. I’ve got to go pick up Taylor from Lauren’s, so I’m in a bit of a rush.” It was a lie, but the mention of my sister was enough to snap his mouth shut.
Luca and Jack both remained silent as we continued out the doors and into the dimly lit parking lot. The last traces of daylight were fading, leaving a gentle breeze brushing against my skin. July was warm in southeast England, but as soon as the sun went down, it got a little chillier.
“What was that about?” Luca asked as we drew to a stop. There weren’t many cars left in the car park, but I took a guess that theirs was the fancy, obnoxious one parked on the opposite side from mine.
“What do you mean?” I feigned ignorance, hoping he’d dropit.
“That grimace you gave Mark.”
“Oh, that.” I racked my brain, scrambling for an excuse. I didn’t want to tell Luca about Mark—our breakup might have been Mark’s fault, but I didn’t want to risk giving Luca any other ammunition for his dislike of me. I settled on: “He has a habit of talking too much and, honestly, I’m tired. I just want to get home.”
A frown deepened on his forehead. He didnotlook happy with my response, but he remained silent. Jack studied his friend. Something in the way Luca seemed to notice everything unsettledme.
“Anywaaay.” I readjusted my bag. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning.”
Jack turned to face me and offered a bright smile. “See you tomorrow.”
