‘There,’ he said. He shrugged off the shoulder strap and planted his bag at the end of the couch, at the base of a small round table. ‘Sit,’ he ordered Tilly.
Tilly blinked in disbelief. She was fully intending to stay standing but her knees didn’t get the urgent memo and she found herself sinking – doing exactly what she’d been told to do.Not letting her back make contact with the couch cushion felt like an invisible and therefore pathetic attempt to retain dignity.
‘I’ll get you a drink,’ Angus said. ‘What would you like?’
‘Ah…’ Tilly was still trying to process the fact that she’d complied with a command to sit – like a small child, or a dog, who was known for misbehaving. ‘…coffee?’
He still hadn’t said hello, let alone smiled at her. Tilly couldn’t help sounding tentative but it didn’t justify the flash of something like impatience – or maybe it was just bad temper – that she felt radiating from him.
‘I’m driving,’ she added defensively.
‘Of course.’ But Angus had already turned away so she couldn’t see if there was any hint of apology on his face.
So much for Prince Charming, she thought.
She might have to revise her opinion of Mr Angus McLeod in short order.
She shouldn’t be surprised. It was beginning to feel like the story of her life, after all.
Maybe the intensity in his gaze in that photograph was more like interrogation than interest. And that attention to detail in organising anythingwasthe red flag of a controlling man that Sophie had picked up on so easily. Had Moira, perhaps, dodged a bullet and run for the hills?
She pulled out her phone and fired off a text message to Sophie.
O.M.G. You’ll never guess what’s just happened!!!
* * *
Angus came back with a number on a stick that he put on the table. He took off his blazer, folding it to drape over his bag andthen sat down opposite her, swiftly unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt to roll them halfway up his forearms. Then, as if finally ready to do business, he fixed his gaze on Tilly.
Withthatlook.
Oh là là… She’d dreamed of this man looking at herexactlylike this. To feel the way she imagined Moira would have felt under his gaze – as if she was the only person that mattered in the universe in that moment. She hadn’t expected it to feel threatening rather than inviting, though. The spear of sensation in her gut was nothing like sexual attraction. It was more like nervousness. Fear, even.
‘So…’ The word was like a tennis ball being thrown into the air by someone getting ready to serve. ‘As you’ve probably noticed, Moira has not travelled with me.’
A statement pointing out something blindingly obvious didn’t seem to need a response but Angus was still staring at her, clearly expecting one.
‘Will she be joining you later?’ She held his gaze for a heartbeat, which took a surprising amount of courage.
‘No.’
Only one syllable but the finality in its tone said everything that needed to be said. The relationship that was supposed to end in married bliss no longer existed. Tilly couldn’t help remembering the impression of Angus she had relayed to Sophie.
Failure is not an option…
Oops. No wonder he was looking rather less than happy with life right now.
‘I, on the other hand,’ Angus announced, ‘have decided to come anyway.’
‘I noticed that too,’ Tilly said, her tone level. She pressed her lips together so she didn’t smile as she delivered what shehoped was a subtle reprimand for not giving her intelligence or observational skills the benefit of any doubt.
It wasn’t missed. She could tell by the way his expression froze for an instant and then his eyes narrowed a fraction more. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the arrival of a waitress with a tray. She put a small cup of espresso in front of Tilly and a chunky glass that had amber liquid over ice cubes in front of Angus.
A Scotch on the rocks? A little clichéd but undeniably appropriate.
And…sexy…
Mince!Tilly disguised her mild, inward curse by dropping the sugar cube on her saucer into the black coffee and watching herself stir it. Slowly. She did not want to find anything about Angus McLeod sexy any longer and that included hearing the rattle of ice as he took a mouthful of his drink and the way he released his breath as he leaned back on the cushion of the couch that Tilly still hadn’t made contact with. As if he’d had a very long and difficult day.
