Glass to his mouth, he paused for a second. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I get that seeing Alex in the flesh might stir up some insecurities.’
Gideon let out a laugh and putting his drink down altogether, he crossed his arms.
‘But honestly,’ I carried on. ‘You’re worrying about nothing.’
‘You think I’m jealous?’ He nodded to the bar. ‘Of him?’
‘What else am I supposed to think?’ I indicated Gideon’s defensive demeanour. ‘You have to admit, you’re being very extreme.’
I wondered if he expected me to be pleased by his response to Alex. Flattered even. However, aside from the fact that a man like Alex would never in a million years be interested in me, I felt confused by Gideon’s disrespect, and ashamed of it. ‘As for your thoughts on whether or not Alex moves in, I wasn’t asking for your opinion and nor do I need your permission.’
‘Well excuse me for looking out for my girlfriend.’
I scoffed. ‘Until now, you’d forgotten you had one.’
Clearly we were as stubborn as each other and our conversation reached a stalemate. Hardly able to look at him, I, too, folded my arms. I couldn’t believe Gideon had ruined yet another evening.
His shoulders slumped. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I’m probably just tired. It’s been a long day.’
I shook my head. An apology and an excuse. Talk about covering the bases.
He rose to his feet. ‘Let me go and sort things out. I’ll get us another drink and we can restart the evening from scratch.’
Watching Gideon go, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
Joyce’s words of warning swirled around my head. Just like Gloria Chalmers’s husband, Gideon wasn’t just lacking in his appearance, he seemed to be causing a problem where there wasn’t one. But it wasn’t just that. Recalling our bath versus shower conversation when I’d all but offered myself up on a plate, it seemed sexual intimacy was low down on Gideon’s priority list too.
I observed his interaction at the bar. As expected, Alex appeared stern. I wouldn’t have blamed him if Gideon’s words were too little too late.
Diverting my attention, my gaze fell on the belongings that lay in front of me. I supposed on the plus side,unlikeGloria’s husband, Gideon wasn’t keeping his mobile under lock and key. My eyes narrowed as I realised how quick and easy it would be to go through his messages. I knew the passcode; I’d seen Gideon enter it enough times.
The handset seemed to stare back at me, as if enticing me to snoop.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on the table. Breaking into his phone would certainly help clarify a few things. I looked over at the bar again and seeing him still stood with his back to me, I asked myself where was the harm? It wasn’t as if Gideon would ever know.
CHAPTER14
Ready to meet Erin and Joyce for our usual get-together, I approached The Royal Oak. The heat from the mass of bodies hit me as soon as I entered. It was surprisingly busy and the volume of raucous chatter was deafening, the party atmosphere palpable. Taking off my hat and coat, I couldn’t help but smile. ‘Merry Christmas, everyone.’
Squeezing through the revellers, I was hoping to have a word with Alex. I hadn’t spoken to him since Gideon’s unacceptable behaviour, and I wanted to apologise and let him know I’d been as infuriated as he must have been. Nearing the bar, a group of young women fawned over him as, to their squeals of delight, he threw a cocktail shaker up into the air and caught it one-handed. He was relishing the attention, so it clearly wasn’t the time for a heart-to-heart. Turning around, I went in search of Erin and Joyce.
Fighting my way through to one corner, I was forced to try another. ‘Where are you?’ I asked. Craning my neck in the hope of spotting them, my friends had to be in the mix somewhere.
‘It’s a works’ do,’ Joyce said, when at I last found them. ‘Staff from that big office block just outside town. There’s a buffet over there if you’re hungry.’ She picked up a mini quiche from the plate in front of her. ‘I can’t tell you how good everything is.’
I took in the mountain of food Joyce had availed herself of and decided not to ask if she’d got permission. Although, turning my attention back to the crowd, I doubted anyone would have noticed if she hadn’t. The drinks were flowing, and fun was being had by all. ‘There’s going to be a lot of people suffering hangovers tomorrow.’ I pictured the people around me at work the following day, gathered at the water cooler, downing painkillers and rubbing their temples. ‘I’m not sure the organiser thought this through.’
‘Hark at you, little Miss Prim,’ Erin said. ‘When I was their age, I was often out until the early hours and still at my desk on time.’ She glanced around. ‘A couple of paracetamols and a pint of fresh orange juice before bed, trust me, they’ll be good to go.’
‘It’s Alex that I feel sorry for,’ Joyce said. ‘Today was supposed to be his day off but he’s been roped in to help. Again.’ A naughty smile spread across her face as she looked my way. ‘Speaking of whom…’
‘Oh yes,’ Erin jiggled her shoulders in excitement. ‘What’s this I hear about you shutting up shop in the middle of the day and heading upstairs?’
I stared at Joyce. ‘Someone’s been talking.’
‘You’re not denying it though, are you?’ she replied, biting into a chicken leg.
