EJ nodded, distracted by her phone.
He ordered two flat whites, hers with skim milk, and two bacon-and-egg rolls. EJ’s one indulgence. He paid then headed back to their table.
EJ glanced up, then hastily shoved her phone away.
His heart tensed. Interesting. He nodded to her phone. “Your folks?”
“Huh? Oh. No, it was Gwen.”
Gwen. Again. “What did she want?”
She winced. Oh, so this probably wasn’t going to be news he wanted to hear. “Okay, now don’t get mad, but Gwen told me she gave my number to Eric.”
“Eric Churchill?” No.Please say no.
She nodded. “I feel a little helpless, but it’s not like I can do anything about it.”
“You could. You could tell her that’s not what friends do.”
“I know. It feels like an invasion of privacy.”
“Because it is. And if Gwen doesn’t know that, then—”
“But I can kind of understand why she did it. There’s something a little too persuasive about Eric. I can understand her having a hard time saying no.”
He reached across the table and grasped her hands. “Which is exactly why I’m concerned about you. If this Gwen woman can’t say no to him, how are you going to?”
She straightened, pulling her hands away. “I’m not completely clueless.”
Are you sure?he wanted to say but didn’t. He drew in a deep breath. “Look, you need to be careful. Send her another message and say you don’t want him to have your number, and ask him to delete it.”
She nodded, attention on her phone. “Okay.” She composed her message then paused as a notification came in. She lifted it, read the message, then bit her lip.
Her swift glance at Jordan told him everything he needed to know. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
She winced. “What do I say?”
“What has he said?”
She pushed the phone to him, and he read the message.
“Hope you don’t mind that Gwen gave me your number. I had fun talking last night. Let me know when you’re free for a drink.”
Jealousy reared up, thick and strong. He swallowed the taste of bile. “You should block him.”
“But—”
“But nothing. He’s a womaniser. You’re a woman.”
“Are you serious? He’s not interested in me.”
“Areyouserious? EJ, he’s asking when you’re free for a drink. That sounds to me like he wants a date.”
She made a scoffing noise. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like that.”
Why was she speaking like she wanted Eric to be interested in her “like that”? “So what is it like?” he challenged.
She shook her head. “I think he’s curious because I didn’t want him to have my number. He’s not used to people saying no.”
