‘Eve, cara, come out and say hi to Josie.’
Short of hiding behind the curtains, which did not seem such a terrible option to her at that moment, Eve didn’t have much choice. She glanced at her flushed face in the mirror.
‘She knows Josie?’
Besides Draco’s daughter there were two women in the room. The older one had jaw-length dark hair streaked with silver, and as she glanced her way Eve received the impression of energy and simple elegance. She realised she was looking at Josie in forty years’ time—lucky girl.
The other was a stunning blue-eyed blonde whose impressive curves were displayed in a tight bandage-style red dress that nipped in her minuscule waist and displayed a cleavage that would have made her a perfect model for Eve’s Temptation.
Yes, stunning about described her, Eve decided. Her face, figure, her long river-straight blonde hair, everything more than deserved that accolade—stunning.
‘Eve!’ With the energy of youth but none of the awkwardness, Josie was across the room in moments, her admiring stare on Eve’s hair, which fell in a rippling curtain of pre-Raphaelite waves down her narrow back. ‘Wow, I just love your hair that way.’
Eve lifted a self-conscious hand to her hair. ‘It has a life of its own.’
‘Mother, this is Eve Curtis.’ Draco took her by the arm and drew her forward. ‘Eve, my mother, Veronica Morelli.’
‘Mrs Morelli…’
‘And this is Clare.’ Eve felt his arm go around her shoulder and stiffened.
‘I’m his ex-wife,’ the blonde said, gliding forward on her five-inch heels and displaying a wide friendly smile. ‘It’s really nice to meet you, Eve. So where have you been hiding her, Draco? And how long have you two been together?’
‘We met yesterday morning,’ Draco said evasively.
‘All right, I know it’s none of my business,’ Clare replied.
‘I need to get back to the office,’ Eve said abruptly.
‘Office?’ Veronica enquired.
‘Eve runs her own company, Mother.’
‘Really?’ We must have coffee sometime and you can tell me all about your business.’ It was obvious from her sudden change of attitude that his mother was now viewing her as potential bride material.
She was embarrassed but Draco had to be hating it. He could have simply outed her there and then as a casual fling but he hadn’t, and she even felt a little guilty as she would not have expected this sort of consideration for her feelings from him.
‘I guess if you’re your own boss you can spend the afternoon…?’
At another warning look from her ex-husband, the blonde subsided.
‘Sorry, but I must go—’ Eve started.
‘And Josie needs to get back to school.’
Josie pouted at her grandmother’s pronouncement. ‘But Clare said that I could have the day off—we were going shopping and getting our nails done.’
‘I’m sure your mother realises that your schooling comes first—and you call your mother Clare now?’ This disapproving addition from Veronica drew a wry look from her son.