“That’s the one thing Pilates can’t do for me.”
“But these can.” She grabbed them off the shelf and threw them at her. “Where are those Stella McCartney jeans with cute little pockets at the front?”
Angelica studied herself in the mirror. “God, I don’t recognize myself when I dress up. I still feel like I’m pretending to be someone else.”
“Honey, you look fabulous.”
“Only because of you, Candace.”
“I’ll happily take all the credit. I couldn’t let you slip into that old cliché of the scruffy writer. Writers don’t have to be badly dressed.”
“I’m loving myself!” Angelica threw her arms up and laughed.
“And of course, you don’t give a rat’s ass about Jack anymore.”
“I’m a little sad I’m already over him. What am I going to do now for entertainment?”
“Come shopping. It’s safer.”
“Now I know why you do it.”
“There’s method in my madness.”
She looked at Candace steadily. “Have you ever been tempted?”
“I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t tempted every now and then. But I love Harry, period. And you know what? If there’s something positive I inherited from my mother, it’s her backbone of steel. I’ve never found it hard to say no and walk away from trouble. You must learn to do the same.” She tossed her her jacket. “Today is your first lesson.”
Angelica parked her car in Draycott Place. It took a while to find a parking space, and when she did, she was so anxious she rolled into the Range Rover in front, knocking its bumper with hers. “Oh Lord!” she exclaimed, hastily reversing. She hurried out to assess the damage. To her relief, the Range Rover was unscratched. Her own car was already grazed from past blunders; if she had just acquired one more scratch, she couldn’t tell. She walked unsteadily up the road towards Daphne’s, breathing deeply to calm her nerves.
She looked at her watch, not wanting to arrive before Jack. She was fashionably five minutes late. Inhaling a large gulp of air, she pushed open the door and strode in, holding her head high to convey a confidence she didn’t feel. She lowered her voice at the desk and articulated his name with care as if it were a loaded gun. As she was led through the tables she glanced about her, relieved that she recognized no one.
Then she saw him sitting in the corner, reading the Evening Standard, and all her reservations evaporated at the sight of him, so broad he dwarfed the table. He sensed her approach, and his face opened into a wide smile. “The wise sage,” he said, standing up to greet her. He dwarfed her, too, even in heels. She kissed him, breathing in the lime scent of his cologne and relishing for a fleeting moment the rough sensation of his cheek against hers. It was almost too intimate to bear, and she drew away, her face flushing crimson.
She sat down and laughed nervously. “So, the dog’s been let off the porch.”
“You can’t expect a dog like me to stay at heel when there’s the most delicious-looking rabbit in the garden!” The warmth of his expression brought him back to her in a sudden rush of desire. What am I doing? she thought anxiously. When I’d lifted almost every paw out of the mud!
“Oh really! You are funny!” she exclaimed, trying to brush off his comment with nonchalance.
He swept his eyes over her face. “You look different.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. Your hair’s lighter. I like it. You look great, Angelica.”
“Now you’re embarrassing me.”
“Good.” He grinned and leaned towards her, peering at her over his glasses. “You look even prettier when you blush.”
In an attempt to keep the conversation under control, she said: “How long are you in the U.K.? I mean, are you here on business?”
“Kind of.”
“Does your wife ever come with you?”
“Sometimes, but right now she’s at home with the children. She doesn’t like to leave them.” He grinned at her mischievously. “Does Olivier know you’re having lunch with me?”
“No, I never got around to telling him.” He shot her a quizzical look, and she couldn’t help grinning back at him. “Okay, so I lie. I knew he’d say no, and I wanted to have lunch with you. I mean, why not? There’s nothing wrong with having lunch with a friend, is there?”
“Nothing wrong at all.”
“It was just easier not to mention it. He’s very jealous. But I won’t have my wings clipped.”
He gazed at her a moment longer than was comfortable, then laughed heartily. “Now you’re funny!”