‘It’s not your fault.’ She shrugged, not quite comprehending why she was annoyed with Robin. Then to her astonishment, heard herself say, ‘But I think you’ve got lousy taste in women.’ Had she really just said that? She blinked.
Robin just stared at her, bewildered.
‘P–pardon?’
Oh my God, Jasmine cursed herself, she’d just blown her cover. Now she would have to admit to seeing him kiss Ellie.
She cleared her throat. ‘I saw you kissing her…’
‘You didn’t,’ he quickly replied.
‘Yes, Robin, I did.’ Jasmine moved to sit on the edge of the desk and folded her arms defiantly.
Robin stalled, still a touch perplexed. Was she accusing him? Did she expect an explanation? He exhaled.
‘No, what you saw was my devious ex-girlfriend force herself upon me, when I was totally inebriated,’ he replied matter of factly, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy in front of the headmistress. Then he frowned. ‘You must have been in the pub then?’
Now it was Jasmine’s turn to feel uncomfortable. She looked away, refusing him eye contact.
‘Jasmine?’ he gently probed.
‘Yes, I was. Then when I saw how… busy you were, I left.’
Silence fell as each absorbed the information.
‘You shouldn’t have left,’ Robin spoke first. ‘Believe me, I would much rather have seen you there than Ellie,’ he added, hoping she would at least look at him.
Jasmine’s mind was in a whirl, trying hard to digest Robin’s account, as well as process her own emotions. Her heart was thumping and instinctively she reached for the heart pendant round her neck, which then triggered even more commotion within. Her eyes began to fill.
‘Sorry, Robin… I… You don’t have to justify yourself to me,’ she choked.
‘Hey, listen, I don’t wantanyoneto think I still have feelings for Ellie,’ he half laughed, trying to diffuse the tension. ‘Just putting it out there, she’s history.’
Jasmine gave a shaky smile, not trusting herself to speak and feeling a tad foolish now.
‘And for your information,’ Robin continued in the most jovial tone he could muster, ‘my taste in women has somewhat improved.’ With that, he looked intensely into those beautiful brown eyes of hers. She gazed back. The charge between them was palpable.
‘Jasmine…’ he croaked.
The sound of his mobile’s ringtone ruined the moment. She wished it would stop, but the ringing persisted.
‘You better answer that,’ Jasmine said with a grin.
Reluctantly Robin grabbed his phone. Whoever it was, this had better be good.
‘Darling, I’m in a bit of a pickle!’ exclaimed an alarmed Bunty.
‘Why, what’s the matter?’ asked Robin, then mouthed who it was to Jasmine.
‘It’s the boiler. It’s rattled and creaked for years, now it looks like it’s finally given up the ghost.’
Robin wasn’t surprised. He and Jack had looked at it in the past and managed to patch it up but, being so old, it wasn’t going to last forever. He winced at what a new boiler would cost her for a place that size.
‘OK, Bunty, I’m on my way.’
‘Oh thank you, Robin!’ she gushed.
Jasmine had overheard the conversation on the phone.
