The Eleventh-Hour Groom

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‘Never mind. I’m over all that now.’ Elizabeth smiled and linked her arm through her friend’s. ‘In fact I’m so over it that I’m going to buy all the drinks tonight by way of a celebration. What are we doing here, by the way?’

‘Someone told me about a new bistro, so I thought we’d try it.’ Lucy explained airily as she led the way down a corridor.

Elizabeth frowned; she hadn’t heard about a new bistro here.

‘You’re not setting me up on a blind date, are you?’ she asked, suddenly very suspicious as they stopped outside one of the function suites.

‘Would I do that to you?’ Lucy teased, opening the door and stepping back for her to enter the room first.

‘Yes—’ Elizabeth walked into a darkened room with a frown.

‘Surprise!’

Lights flooded over her and a chorus of voices sang ‘Happy Birthday’. She looked around the room in a daze as her friends and work colleagues came across to slap her on the back.

Someone took her jacket; someone else pressed a drink into her hand.

‘Many happy returns,’ John, her boss, said with a grin. ‘Sorry I worked you so hard today.’

‘That’s okay.’ Elizabeth wasn’t sure if she was pleased or horrified by all this fuss. She cringed as she saw the banner saying ‘HAPPY 30’ hanging over the table of food. She had been hoping to keep her birthday quiet.

‘I’ll kill you, Lucy,’ she murmured to her friend, and then had to smile. ‘But, thanks, anyway.’

Then she saw Jay standing at the far side of the room and her heart seemed to do a forward roll. He was standing slightly apart from the crowd. Two secretaries from her office were engaging him in conversation. He raised his glass to Elizabeth as their eyes met across the room.

‘What’s he doing here?’ she asked, horrified.

‘Who?’ Lucy followed her gaze across the room.

‘Jay,’ Elizabeth enlightened her, then fixed her with a level stare.

‘Oh, Beth!’ Lucy looked truly horrified. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she hissed. ‘I didn’t think he’d come, not really—’

‘He’s coming over.’ Beth downed the drink someone had given her in one gulp. It wasn’t wine, it was some sort of punch and it tasted awful.

She noted the purposeful expression on Jay’s face as he headed towards her. He wasn’t going to ask her for those divorce papers, was he? she wondered in panic. Surely even Jay had more sensitivity than to do that at her birthday party.

‘Happy birthday, Elizabeth.’ He stopped next to her.

‘Thanks.’ She tried not to let her gaze wander over the expensive cut of his dark suit, the colourful tie. He looked good, she had to admit, somewhat grudgingly. But, then, he always looked good. ‘At the risk of sounding rude, Jay, why on earth are you here?’

‘Lucy invited me.’ He slid a sideways glance at Lucy. Elizabeth was amazed to notice how her friend blushed as their eyes met. Another conquest, she thought dazedly. How and when had that happened?

‘I presume you are Lucy?’ he asked, dispelling the notion in Elizabeth’s mind that they had already met.

‘Yes, that’s me.’ Lucy gave an apologetic smile over at Elizabeth. ‘I spoke to him by mistake on your mobile phone this morning.’

‘Yes, we had quite a chat, didn’t we?’ Jay said with a grin.

‘Would you like a glass of wine, Elizabeth?’ Lucy asked, changing the subject and obviously desperate to get away.

As she disappeared amidst the crowd, Elizabeth trained her attention back on Jay. ‘You’ve embarrassed her,’ she accused coolly.

‘Oh, come on, Beth. It’s a sad situation if I can’t come and wish you a happy birthday…don’t you think?’ he murmured. ‘Anyway I didn’t like the way we left things last night.’

‘What way was that?’ she asked innocently.

He smiled and his eyes moved over her slender figure. ‘You might find this hard to believe, Beth, but I don’t like being at loggerheads with you.’

‘Don’t you?’ She shrugged. ‘Well it doesn’t much matter any more.’

‘It matters to me,’ he answered softly.

She felt a tremor of awareness race through her body. When he spoke like that, when he looked at her like that, she felt so confused. She battled against the feeling of weakness inside her, the voices that were reminding her how wonderful it had once been to be held in his arms, cradled close, kissed passionately.

‘I’ve brought you a gift.’ He handed her a small black jewellery case wrapped with a gold bow. ‘Happy birthday.’

She stared at it suspiciously before looking up at him with narrowed blue eyes.

‘Well, go on, open it.’ He grinned. ‘It’s not a time bomb.’

She took it and, with hands that were none too steady, flicked back the gold bow and opened the case.

A topaz pendant on a fine gold chain stared up at her from the velvet box. It was a stunning piece of jewellery. One, judging from the name on the box, that he had obviously purchased in the Caribbean.

‘It’s beautiful.’ She frowned, trying to make sense of this. ‘But there was no need for it…’ She snapped the lid shut on the gift. ‘I’ve told you I’ll sign the papers. So you can cut the phoney caring stuff.’

Before Jay could reply they were interrupted by Robert. He pushed a glass of champagne into Elizabeth’s hand and reached to kiss her on the cheek. ‘Happy birthday.’

‘Thank you.’ She smiled at the other man. She was aware that he was looking at Jay now, waiting for an introduction. Before Elizabeth could say anything, Jay stretched out his hand. ‘Hi, I’m Elizabeth’s husband,’ he said easily.

‘Oh!’ Robert stared at him for a moment, surprise clearly evident in his expression.

Elizabeth was taken aback as well. Uncertainty rushed through her. Why had Jay introduced himself like that? He might be her husband by law, but he certainly had no right to stake such a claim in public.

He smiled at her. It was the kind of smile that made butterflies dance in her stomach.

‘You didn’t tell me you were married, Beth.’ Robert’s voice broke the spell holding her, bringing her sharply back to reality.

‘Didn’t I?’ She wrenched her eyes away from Jay, noticing the dismayed expression on Rob’s face. Taking pity on him, she explained, ‘Jay is soon to be my ex-husband.’

‘Oh! I see.’ Robert’s face cleared. ‘Well, it’s good you can remain friends. Always the best solution, I think.’

‘Do you?’ Jay murmured, a hard edge to his tone. ‘I suppose you are right.’

Elizabeth glanced back at him. The dark eyes looked cold now as they met hers. He looked angry, she thought and then wondered if she had imagined it as he smiled lightly.

Music started to boom from the speakers beside them as the DJ started the evening’s entertainment.

The lights dimmed and coloured strobe lights swept around the room, giving the illusion of a dark, smoky nightclub.

‘Come on, Elizabeth, come and dance,’ someone urged.

She looked around and saw Lucy beckoning to her by the edge of the dance floor. Glad of the reprieve, she handed Jay his gift back and with a polite smile headed towards her friend.

‘I’m really sorry, Beth.’ Lucy had to shout over the music. ‘But I honestly didn’t think he’d come.’

‘Doesn’t matter, forget about it,’ Elizabeth shouted back as she put her champagne down and followed her friend onto the dance floor.

Jay pocketed the gift again and watched Elizabeth from the shadows.

She’d lost weight since leaving him, he observed, his eyes moving over the long length of her legs in the black trousers to the silver of her top…a top that left little of her sensual curves to the imagination.

He felt desire stir within him, just as he had the moment he had seen her again at her office. She had always been an attractive woman, but now…now she took his breath away.

‘So, who’s the guy?’ Ruth, one of the secretaries, who had been speaking to Jay earlier, caught up with Elizabeth on the dance floor. ‘He’s gorgeous.’

‘Do you think so?’ Elizabeth didn’t need to ask who she was talking about.

‘I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,’ Ruth drooled. ‘Listen, do you mind if I ask him out, or are you and he…?’

‘No. Go ahead,’ Beth told her airily, and watched as Ruth lost no time heading off in Jay’s direction with a look of determination on her face.

The music changed and Lucy put her hand on Beth’s arm. ‘Shall we have another drink?’

‘Why not?’ Elizabeth shrugged, ignoring the warning bells inside her body. She still hadn’t eaten so the few drinks were having more effect than normal. She could feel them working their way through her system, making everything distant and a little unreal.

She watched across the room as Ruth caught hold of Jay’s arm and led him towards the dance floor.

‘Does it bother you?’ Lucy asked, following her gaze.

‘No, of course not,’ Elizabeth said brightly, too brightly, she feared, by the look of sympathy in her friend’s eye.

‘Why do you think he came here tonight?’

‘Because you asked him?’ Elizabeth ventured with a grin.

‘Yes, but only because I thought you were back together…it was a misunderstanding. I didn’t think in a million years he’d turn up tonight. I mean, it’s not customary, is it, for an estranged husband to want to be at his ex’s party?’

‘Jay’s never been one for observing social niceties,’ Beth murmured. ‘He probably thinks it’s quite logical to come to my birthday party, and assumes that if he can keep things friendly I won’t make the divorce difficult for him.’

‘What happened between you two anyway?’ Lucy asked curiously. ‘You’ve never really talked about why the marriage broke up.’

Elizabeth hesitated.

‘If you’d rather not tell me, I’ll understand,’ Lucy said quickly.

‘No…it’s all right.’ Elizabeth shook her head. ‘I’m over all that anyway.’ Despite the words, her voice wasn’t entirely steady. ‘I caught him with his secretary. Apparently they had been having an affair for some time.’

‘Ouch!’ Lucy grimaced. ‘I’m sorry, Beth. I shouldn’t have asked.’

Elizabeth shrugged as if she couldn’t care less. But, in truth, the memory of Lisa Cunningham entwined in Jay’s arms, her lips pressed against his, still had the power to make her feel sick inside. ‘Well…ours was never really a love-match in the first place.’ She tried to lighten her tone. ‘And at least I escaped with my pride intact. I was the one to finish with Jay. To this day he doesn’t realise that I know about the affair, or that I saw them together.’

‘So you managed to make a dent in his ego on your exit?’ Lucy smiled. ‘Good for you.’

‘I don’t think anybody could dent Jay’s ego,’ Elizabeth murmured.

‘Hey, Beth would you like to dance?’ Robert asked, sauntering over.

She was about to say no, until she noticed the way Jay was dancing with Ruth. Her arms were around his shoulders and he was holding her close. He’d got some nerve, she thought furiously, watching as he smiled down at the pretty blonde. Jay had always had a thing for blondes. Lisa was blonde.

‘Elizabeth?’

She looked back at Robert and found herself smiling. ‘Yes, why not?’ she said blithely.

The evening seemed to pass in a blur of people wishing her well, asking her to dance. Even chauvinistic Colin asked her for a dance, and some guy she’d never met before who said he worked in Accounts. Then Robert again.

‘I almost let the secret out today in the office,’ he said smiling down at her. ‘You looked sad and I wanted to say, Cheer up, nobody has forgotten your birthday—’

‘Thanks, Rob.’ She couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying because suddenly over his shoulder she had noticed Jay talking to Colin and her boss at the bar.

‘How about having dinner with me next week?’ Robert asked suddenly.

‘Yes, that would be nice,’ Elizabeth murmured. She frowned as there was a guffaw of laughter from the bar. What were they talking about?

‘Robert, would you mind if I sat down?’ she asked suddenly, deciding to go over there and find out.

‘No…of course not.’

‘Thanks. See you later.’ She pulled away from him and headed towards the bar.

Colin pulled a stool out next to him as he saw her approach. ‘Really good party, Beth,’ he said amiably. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’