Free Catch Me a Catch by Sally Clements Page B

forked a mouthful of risotto into her mouth and
chewed.
    “Yeah, it’s
different all right. A lot quieter.” Her small pink tongue darted out to swipe
a morsel of rice from her top lip. His core blazed with awareness at the tiny
movement.
    He covered her
hand with his, and her pupils expanded at the touch of his flesh on hers. She
stilled, staring at him. A passing girl who’d had too much to drink, bumped
against the table, jolting it. The interruption broke the mood stretched tight
like the fairy lights above.
    “I have an
apartment in Manhattan, and an office downtown.” Cold, empty and sterile. He
walked past thousands of people everyday. Thousands of strangers.
    Not so here.
Passing people smiled. Some said hello, some didn’t. The vast majority
acknowledged Annie in some way. It was a potent reminder of the connection he
was missing. The one he’d come half way across the world to discover.
    “I’d love to
see New York.” There was a wistful note in her voice. “I haven’t traveled at
all, apart from a brief holiday in France with a couple of friends. Steve and I
were going to go to Australia on our honeymoon.” She eased her hand away, and
picked up her glass. “He took Elaine instead. I think that’s the bit that hurt
most!”
    Her smile hid
the truth he glimpsed in eyes suddenly lowered. It wasn’t just the stolen
honeymoon, but the stolen husband that hurt.
    A rush of
jealous anger flooded him. He didn’t want to think of Annie with another man,
or mooning over one, either. “Do you still think of him?” The words ground out
of him before he realized it. She raised her eyes to his and her mouth gaped a
little.
    He knew it
wasn’t any of his business. He didn’t have any right to question her about her
ex. She swallowed.
    “I thought you
were in advertising, not therapy.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
    “You said you
hadn’t dated since him.”
    “I’ve been out
with a couple of men in Dublin, but nothing serious.” She was silent for a
moment, and then pulled in a breath. “I don’t think of Steve anymore. For a
long time I wondered what I did wrong. I agonized over why he chose Elaine
instead of me. After a while, I decided we just wanted different things. I’m
better off without him. I just wish I didn’t have to deal with the fallout.”
    “How long ago
was the disaster ?”
    She bit her
bottom lip.
    “Two years.
You’d think our neighbors would have moved on, but it’s still talked about. Mum
got asked how I was coping just last week.” A bitter smile twisted her mouth.
“I guess they don’t know because I don’t live here anymore. I only come home
for Christmases, really.”
    It was
inconceivable she’d let one bad experience drive her away from home and loving
family. Could she really not see what she had?
    “What about
your family?”
    She shrugged.
“I’m only a couple of hours away. If there’s a problem I can get here quickly.”
She changed the subject. “What about you, Jack? Is there anyone special waiting
for you back in New York?” Cool, calm, collected. Her fingers worried her
napkin. She carefully tore the flimsy paper into strips. Despite her cool
words, she cared what his answer would be.
    “No. I’m
unattached. I wouldn’t have kissed you in the pub if I was seeing someone.”
    She leant back
on the cane chair. “Was there anyone?” she whispered.
    “There was. A
long time ago.” He’d probed her secrets, and owed her the truth. “We weren’t
engaged, but I’d been thinking about it. It didn’t work out.” He’d never told
anyone the full details of Sharon’s betrayal, but Annie had been so honest he
had to reciprocate. “I came home unexpectedly one day and found her in my bed
with someone else. That was the end of that.”
    “I’m sorry.”
Her expressive eyes confirmed it.
    “It was a long
time ago. I’m over it.”
    Love brought
nothing but heartache. It was a hard lesson he’d learnt with his parents’
death.