Chapter 59
Becka
True to Jack's word, we were back within a minute. At the table, I gave Blain yet another apologetic smile. "Should I say it again?"
"Say what again?" he asked.
"I'mreallysorry – for the delay, I mean." I looked to Jack and said, "Anyway, this is Blain, and I'll leave you to it."
And with that, I hustled back to the front of the line, where a couple of teenage girls were clutching paperbacks and grinning at Jack with starstruck eyes.
I could totally see why. Every once in a while, I almost forgot how famous he was. He didn't act famous when we were together. He acted like, well, my dream guy, that's what.
As for his ex-girlfriend, I'd completely lost sight of her. Nervously I glanced around but saw no sign that she'd ever been here at all.
Had she simply left?It seemed unlikely, but hey, anything was possible, right?
Wrong.
Just when I'd decided that I'd dodged a huge bullet, I caught sight of Imogen moving through the crowd, heading straight for Jack.
Her smile was smug, and her hips were swinging. She looked like she was strutting along a fashion catwalk rather than through a crowded book store.
Unsure what to do, I whirled around to catch Jack's reaction.
There was none.
As I watched, he finished signing Blain's book and handed it back like everything was fine.
I whirled back toward Imogen and stifled a curse. Already, she was just a few paces away from where I stood.
Without pausing to think, I lunged toward her and stopped directly in her path, causing her to halt in mid-stride. I planted my feet wide apart and gave her a no-nonsense look. "Excuse me, but where do you think you're going?"
In that English accent of hers, she replied, "Where do you think?"
"Sorry, but he's working."
Her lips pursed. "So am I."
Oh, please."Doing what?"
"Publicity, not that it's any ofyourconcern." And with that, she made a move to sidestep around me.
Nice try, Psycho.I sidestepped to block her path. "I told you, he's busy."
She smirked. "We'll see about that."
I glared up at her. "Yes. We will."
Before she had time to answer, I heard Jack's voice, cool and steady, directly behind me, saying, "You need to leave."
Imogen frowned. "You don't meanme, do you?"
"Sure I do," he said. "So beat it."
At this, I couldn't help but cringe. Although I appreciated the fact that he wasn't slobbering all over her, I hated the idea of this scene playing out in public – with me in the middle, no less.
Plus, I'd meant what I'd told Jack in the storage room. This wasmyresponsibility, not his. I turned to him and insisted, "It's okay. I can handle this, really."
