He frowns as he takes a gulp of his drink.
My stomach twists—a strange mix of irritation that he’s being dismissive of Liam and unwelcome pleasure that his reactioncouldbe read as a touch of jealousy. I quickly tell myself not to be so ridiculous.
“You didn’t want to bring a date?” I ask, swirling my glass.
He shakes his head. “It’s bad enough I have to suffer such an event for work, let alone drag some innocent bystander along.”
“So, no one special on the scene at the moment.”
He raises his eyebrows at me, looking intrigued. “Are you prying into my private life?”
“I was simply making polite conversation with a colleague,” I say irritably, rolling my eyes. “But if it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to change the subject.”
A small, triumphant smile creeps across his lips that immediately makes me incensed.
“I’m not seeing anyone right now,” he informs me breezily. “I haven’t really been looking for anything serious since I broke up with my ex-girlfriend. We were together almost four years.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I say, keeping my tone neutral and professional. “When did you break up?”
He pauses at that question, lines forming on his forehead.
“Just over a year ago,” he states, keeping his eyes looking straight ahead.
“Around the time you started working atThe Correspondence?”
He takes another swig of his drink, polishing off his glass before he answers. “Exactly.”
I realize that this line of questioning is making him uncomfortable, which is fair enough—it’s not like chatting about ex-partners is a typically fun conversation at any occasion—so I’m about to change the subject when I spot Shamari coming over to me with her arms outstretched.
“Harper, hi!”
We greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, and then she turns to Ryan.
“Shamari, this is Ryan, he’s our new features editor,” I introduce. “Ryan, Shamari is a brilliant talent agent—she was the one who set up the interview with Audrey Abbot.”
“That was an amazing feature. Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking her hand.
“It was all Harper, really. She stalked me until I gave in,” she says with a sly smile.
“Stalked is a strong word,” I retort.
“You usually get your morning coffee next to my office in Vauxhall, then?” she asks.
“It’s the best in the city.”
She laughs, giving a wave of her hand. “All’s well that ends well. Audrey loved you, no surprises there. The interview wasa hit and the theater company adore me even more thanks to the ticket sales that went through the roof. Not to mention my other client in the same play has now got a fantastic start to his career—he really is the next big thing, Harper.”
“Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about him. The good-looking one. Julian Frog?”
“Julian Newt.”
“That’s the one. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Won’t we all.” She grins. “Talking of good looking, I had a chat with your boyfriend earlier. Liam.”
“Oh, you’ve seen him!”
“Yes, he’s charming. He told me about the feature you’re doing on hot talent agencies. I know we’re established, but any chance of a mention would be welcomed. We’ve got lots of exciting things coming up and—”
