Chapter 18

18

J ayda strutted into the trendy South Wharf bar and immediately spotted her dinner date.

Not that this was a date, per se, but when Ky Gaskin contacted her late last night, she’d immediately agreed to meet him. The fact Brock had spent an hour scouring the software for her business then bid her a brief, impersonal goodbye had absolutely nothing to do with it.

But it did have something to do with her wearing a fitted sheath in the deepest purple with a V neckline and capped sleeves that made her look and feel sensational. She’d blowdried her hair to sleek perfection and applied smoky eye makeup, with a lipstick to match her dress. She looked bold, confident, and at complete odds with how uncertain Brock made her feel.

She hated that he had the power to play into her softer side, the side she strove to hide under a confident veneer the last few years. Having him open up to her and reveal vulnerabilities about his upbringing made her want to cuddle him and not let go. He must’ve seen some of that urge to protect on her face because he’d pulled away so fast her head spun.

She’d called him out on the way he kept withdrawing from her every time she got a glimpse into what made him tick, in the vain hope he might open up further. As if. It had been incredibly infuriating, and rather than push him for answers, she’d walked away before she said something she’d regret. Like, ‘Shove your fling up your ass.’

She didn’t back down from confrontations, not anymore, but the intensity of her anger had surprised her. She’d wanted to throttle him for trusting her enough to open up one minute, then retreating into callous indifference the next.

So when Ky had texted her ten minutes after Brock left, saying he was in town for a few days and would like to catch up, she’d jumped at the chance. Not that his invitation was in the least romantic: he’d been dating the same woman in Sydney for the last three years. But she remembered Ky fondly as being one of the few kids of her parents’ friends that she actually liked.

In their teens, they’d do bombs in the pool together, sneak vodka from their parents’ extensive bars, and play nerdy boardgames. In a way, she’d been closer to Ky than any of her girlfriends at school because guys were less complicated than girls and didn’t bitch about who had the best horse, the most expensive designer jeans, or the biggest tennis court.

Or in her case, who had a skinnier ass than her.

Besides, she had an ulterior motive in agreeing to Ky’s dinner invitation. He had a sizeable fortune, and she’d need a few good donations to kickstart her charity. He’d always been generous to her parents’ foundation in the past and the way they’d stooged him along with many others stuck in her craw.

But she wouldn’t think about her parents now. She’d enjoy her evening and try to forget how damn used Brock had made her feel last night.

Though he was probably thinking the same about her. He’d barely walked in the door when she’d jumped him, desperate to obliterate how shitty her mother had made her feel.

Later, when she’d thought they were finally connecting after he’d revealed his family background before he’d shut her out, made her feel worthless, a horrible vulnerability she’d conquered but that still reared its ugly head on occasion.

Ky caught sight of her and waved, standing as she neared the table.

‘Hey, gorgeous. You look amazing.’ He enveloped her in a squishy hug that lasted a tad longer than usual. ‘Thanks for meeting me for dinner.’

‘Any time.’

He pulled out her chair and she sat, his manners as impeccable as always. Ky channelled the movie stars of old with his three-piece charcoal-grey suit, slicked-back hair, and dazzling smile. Classically handsome, he always appeared well put together and reeking of old money. He would’ve been the perfect partner if she’d been attracted to him, but, despite her folks’ best efforts to push them together, they’d never had anything beyond a playful flirtation.

Besides, guys as perfect as Ky only served to accentuate her old insecurities: would she be good enough for someone like him? The question didn’t come from a place of self-loathing—she knew she had her good points—but more an ability to see the kind of life she wanted and being some rich guy’s arm candy wasn’t it.

He sat opposite. ‘Hope you don’t mind, I’ve ordered the degustation menu with accompanying wines?’

‘That sounds lovely,’ she said, forcing a smile, hoping he couldn’t see that one of her pet hates was other people assuming they knew what was best for her. If she’d had her way, she would’ve chosen a small piece of grilled salmon and a salad, not an interminable six courses of artfully arranged exotic fare. ‘What brings you to Melbourne?’

‘The usual. Business.’ He gave a self-deprecating shrug. ‘And to see my favourite girl, of course.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t let Anya hear you say that.’

His expression blanked and his gaze darted away. ‘We broke up.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ She reached out to place a hand over his, where it rested on the table. ‘You two were a power couple.’

He turned his hand over and gripped hers. ‘We drifted apart. Happens to the best of us.’

When he didn’t let go, a sliver of unease wormed its way through her sympathy, and she tugged her hand free. ‘You won’t be single for long.’

He fixed her with an intense stare. ‘What about you, Jay-Jay? Seeing anyone?’

Only two people had ever called her that, Sasha and Ky, and hearing the childhood pet name affected her more than she cared to admit. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away, but not before she saw his stricken expression.

‘Shit, I didn’t mean to make you upset—’

‘You didn’t. It’s nothing.’

She breathed a sigh of relief as a waiter approached to fill their first wine glass, a relief short-lived when her phone buzzed with an incoming message and she saw Brock’s name pop up.

‘Sorry, I need to answer this. Do you mind?’

‘Go ahead.’

She swiped her home screen open and read Brock’s entire message.

I need to see you. It’s urgent. Possible glitch with your software.

Jayda’s heart sank. The last thing she needed when starting her charity were problems, but after last night she’d wanted to put some distance between her and Brock.

But this was important… Not wanting to give in, but needing to hear what he had to say, she fired off a response.

I’m out. Can meet in a few hours. I’ll drop you a pin where I am.

Dinner with Ky would be over by then and meeting Brock here would remove the temptation of getting physical without addressing the problems between them. Namely, that this fling was in danger of becoming more complicated than either of them imagined.

‘Problem?’

‘Nothing I can’t handle.’ She picked up her wine glass and raised it in his direction. ‘Here’s to old friendships.’

‘To us,’ Ky said, clinking her glass softly, his intent eye contact making her a tad uncomfortable.

If he was looking for a one-night stand to ease the pain of losing Anya he had the wrong girl.

But over the next few hours, Ky was nothing but a gentleman. They reminisced and laughed, and Jayda let her guard down over six exquisite courses of crab arancini, grilled octopus with fennel and saffron, five-spiced lamb fillet, sticky duck with sambal, fondant au chocolat, and imported cheeses.

When she took a sip of her dessert wine, savouring the pleasant buzz, she grinned at Ky. ‘That meal was incredible. Thank you.’

‘My pleasure.’

She couldn’t read the glint in his steady stare. ‘Fancy a nightcap in my hotel room?’

Crap. She’d let the wine and food and trip down memory lane dull her senses. Her first instinct had been right. Ky wanted to screw.

Struggling to hide her disappointment, she shook her head. ‘Sorry, I’m meeting someone here shortly.’

She shouldn’t apologise. She wasn’t sorry at all. Having one of her oldest friends trying to put the moves on her after lulling her into a false of security really irked.

‘I don’t appreciate you double dating.’ His eyebrows rose, making him look like a supercilious jerk.

‘And I don’t appreciate an old friend wanting a sympathy fuck because his relationship imploded,’ she snapped, regretting her outburst when he reeled back as if she’d slapped him. ‘Look, I’m getting a charity business off the ground and my IT specialist sent me that message earlier saying there could be a glitch so I asked him to meet me here.’

‘I understand.’ He stood and held out his hand, his hangdog expression soothing her anger. ‘For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve always made me feel good about myself. You’re fun and sweet and talking to you tonight…’ He shrugged. ‘I guess I wanted to see if we had something more between us.’

‘We don’t,’ she said, her emphatic shake of the head making him laugh.

‘In that case, is it too much to ask an old friend for a goodbye hug?’

Appeased by his genuine apology, she placed her hand in his. He tugged her to her feet and enveloped her in his arms, his expensive aftershave tickling her nose, and she stifled a sneeze.

When he showed no signs of letting her go, she gently disengaged. ‘Take care, Ky, and thanks for dinner.’

‘You’re welcome, Jay-Jay, and if you need a donation for your charity, you know who to contact.’

Pleased their awkward interaction hadn’t effected their friendship, and that he’d opened the door to her approaching him for a donation when she had everything up and running, she smiled. ‘Thanks, I’ll hold you to that.’

He cupped her cheek for a moment and brushed his thumb across her chin. ‘You’re one in a million. I hope you know that.’

Exactly what she needed to hear, from the wrong guy. Stupid, to want more from Brock than he was willing to give, knowing he persisted in holding her at arm’s length. Last night had been the worst, his cool dismissal after finally opening up still stinging despite Ky’s attention over the last few hours going some way to soothe her bruised ego.

He planted a kiss shy of her mouth, before walking away.

Relieved, she turned to watch him go.

Only to find Brock standing three feet away, glaring at her as if she’d made a monumental mistake.