She startled, looking up. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess.” Or unlucky, as the case may be. Something hot and green spurted within.
Not that it was a guess. More an educated deduction. Harriet had emailed him about his and EJ’s time at the restaurant, then mentioned her excitement that Eric Churchill had been there. It hadn’t taken too much investigation to find that this Eric character was the sleazy dude who’d sent EJ champagne.
“Did he talk to you?” he pressed.
“Why?”
Put like that, what could he say that wouldn’t make him sound jealous? “Just curious.” He shrugged. “It seemed odd that the man sent you champagne, then he’s there at a function.”
Fear streaked through Jordan. Eric must like her. And Eric Churchill was the kind of man to have connections everywhere. And if he liked EJ, then there was no telling what the man would do to get her attention. On the other hand, if he disliked EJ—or Jordan—there was no telling what he might do to destroy them—and Dream Match.
“I think it’s more of this ‘in crowd’ mentality,” she mused. “There were a lot of people there who seem to know each other well. But get this. One of them, Neil Elton, is from Wooten Vale.”
“Really? I’ve never heard of any Eltons.” Then he realised she might be saying this to distract him. “So did this Eric dude talk to you?”
She sighed. “Why do you keep harping about this? We talked, but it was kind of weird, so I left.”
“What was weird?”
“Oh my gosh, Jordan. Now you’re being weird. If you don’t stop, I’m leaving.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you.”
“I’m not yours to worry about.”
“You’re my friend, and that means I’ll always care about you and want your best.”
Her head tipped. “And what if that best is Eric Churchill?”
Every cell within him roared: Nowaywas that dude best for EJ. He forced himself to calm. “Is he a Christian?”
“I just knew you’d say that,” she muttered.
“Look, if you like a guy, then you gotta make sure you hold the same values. And I’m gonna be honest here. His lifestyle isn’t exactly screaming that he follows Jesus.”
“Why? Because he’s a millionaire?”
“He’s had two broken engagements and a string of girlfriends—”
“That’s not a crime.”
“—and he doesn’t seem to have any real purpose.”
“How would you know?” she demanded. “Have you ever spoken to the man?”
“No.” Wow, defensive much?
“Then how can you sit there and judge? You don’t know him. You don’t know what he might’ve given to charities. But I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She sighed, glanced again at the menu on the outside of the café. “Now, did you want to run first or eat?”
“Let’s run.” He needed to work out some of the kinks in his body—and some of the kinks in his heart. Kinks with names like Gwen. And Eric.
They followed their usual route, her in front, him behind, just like they seemed to be in life too. EJ always liked to lead the way; he was happy to follow.
Their path took them on steps down near the harbour, then along near Luna Park. Lavender Bay was one of the many little bays and inlets of this northern stretch of Sydney Harbour, and the heritage-listed amusement park commanding some of Sydney’s best views had been a place he and EJ had visited many times. They ran all the way to Henry Lawson Reserve, then back along the foreshore and the parks.
The grey clouds overhead mightn’t be a tourist’s dream, but it made their run cooler. By the time they finished the circuit, finishing back at the café they’d set out from, he was really ready for that coffee. Fortunately there was a free table outside, so she nabbed that while he placed their order. “Usual?”
