For a split second, Carole felt her heartbeat race at the imminent encounter. Tom’s hand on her arm was the soothing touch she hadn’t realised she needed.
“I see him coming over here,” Tom said quietly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said and smiled.
And in that moment, she knew shewasfine, because as Steven drew closer, she realised something profound.
The Steven she’d imagined seeing again today wasn’t the same one who was now walking in her direction.
She’d thought only of the Steven she remembered from fifteen years ago, the handsome, rakish man with the killer smile and the devilish twinkle in his eye. Although she’d tried to picture what changes the passage of time might have caused, she’d assumed the years would have been more kind to him than they’d been to her.
Yet, she realised that might not be strictly true.
The brief view she’d allowed herself of Steven inside the church, along with the glimpse she’d caught while driving past his car, had given her an incomplete picture of the man she’d once been engaged to marry.
Yes, it was true he was still a handsome man, and yes it was true that the silvery threads running through his hair gave him a distinguished look, and yes it was true that his smile was still irresistible and his eyes still unmistakeably captivating.
But now that Carole was getting a better look at him, she saw that he’d filled out around the waist and hips, and the athletic form she remembered was now softer and less well-defined. While his hairline had stood the test of time, there were deep wrinkles around his eyes, and his complexion looked like that of a man who enjoyed indulging himself too much. The suit he wore looked expensive and undoubtedly well-cut, but the shiny fabric made her think of a dodgy car salesman cueing up hispatter in preparation for swindling some poor customer into a very bad deal.
Had Steven Weaver always looked so…slippery?Or did he just seem that way to her now because his treacherous betrayal fifteen years ago had forever jaded her impression of him?
Before she could think any more about these questions, Steven and his companion took the final few steps through the wedding crowd towards where Carole stood with Tom.
“Hello, Carole,” Steven said, his smile an odd mix of guarded and smug. “It’s good to see you.”
I wish I could say the same, but I’d be lying,Carole thought but didn’t say.
Instead, she offered a polite smile and straightened her shoulders, thankful for the added height her killer high heels gave her. The pain was worth it for the injection of confidence she now felt as she stood face-to-face with Steven, feeling tall and powerful and like a woman who wasn’t to be messed with.
“I suppose it must come as a bit of a shock, seeing me here,” Steven added, his expression now looking decidedly self-satisfied.
“Not really,” Carole said evenly. “I heard through my Aunt Joanna that you’d be here as a plus-one with another guest.”
Steven looked slightly deflated by this revelation, as if he’d hoped for a bit more drama.
“Steven, I’d like to introduce you to my date Tom Jarvis,” Carole said, turning to Tom. “Tom, this is Steven, an old acquaintance.”
Carole enjoyed the look of surprise that crossed Steven’s face as he digested her description of him.
“We were more than just old acquaintances, Carole,” he said with a laugh, before shaking Tom’s outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you, mate.”
“Good to see you,” Tom said, his tone as impeccably polite as his smile.
And yet Carole detected a hint of steel underpinning his polite words and felt a burst of gratitude for his loyalty.
“This is my girlfriend Jilly,” Steven said, gesturing to the woman at his side. “Jilly, this is Carole and Tom.”
More hellos were exchanged. Jilly was all smiles, her expression open and friendly.
“It was a beautiful wedding ceremony, don’t you think?” Jilly said. “Steven tells me you’re a cousin of the bride, Carole. She looked wonderful, and what a gorgeous wedding dress she chose! Such a pretty bride!”
Touched by the woman’s kind comments about her cousin, Carole felt herself warming to her.
“I’m sure she’ll look amazing in all the photographs they’re having taken,” Carole said, nodding towards the wall of windows where the photographer had now finished and the wedding party were moving towards the hotel.
Jilly looked ready to respond, but Steven jumped in first.
“So, how’s life been treating you, Carole?” he asked.
