I let out a laugh. ‘Evidently. You should have told me your family was down. We could have all got together.’
‘My family?’ He looked back at me bemused. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I assume that’s why you’re here.’ I gestured to our surroundings. ‘To show your mum and dad the sights. We both know Christmas markets aren’tyourthing, and I can’t think who else you’d be here with.’
Putting a hand up to loosen his scarf, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. ‘Well actually I’m…’ Spotting something over my shoulder, his words trailed off.
‘The queue was too long,’ a female voice said.
Instantly recognising it, my smile froze.
‘So I went to the stand further down.’
I slowly turned. ‘Julia,’ I said, almost singing. ‘How lovely.’
Carrying two mugs, her composure appeared to falter, but she just as quickly regained it. ‘Hattie.’ As her eyes darted from me to Gideon, I was clearly the last person she expected to see too.
While she looked me up and down, I returned the favour and took in her perfect make-up. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders from under a beanie and unlike me who carried a bag for life, she wore a cross-body satchel. For the first time I saw beyond Julia’s expensive clothes and designer handbags. Sometimes fancy wrapping paper was worth more than the gift.
I looked to Gideon. ‘The surprises just keep on coming tonight, don’t they?’ I said, making sure to keep my voice upbeat.
Panic written all over his face, Gideon stepped forward. ‘Hattie, this isn’t how it looks.’
As my gaze went from Julia to him, the guilty weight I’d been carrying suddenly vanished. Unlike Gideon, I’d resisted my attraction to Alex, even if it was only just. Neither were my actions premeditated, and I certainly hadn’t been sneaking around behind anyone’s back. ‘And how does this look, Gideon?’ Heat flushing through my body, I glared at him.
I recalled his unnecessary rudeness towards Alex and the remarks he’d made about who fancied the pants off who. Hypocrisy at its finest, Gideon had obviously been projecting his own behaviour in a classic case oftell me you’re having an affair, without telling me you’re having an affair.
‘Honestly, I can explain.’
Remembering what Joyce had said about Gloria Chalmers and her husband, I looked forward to hearing Gideon’s excuses.
‘Oh, I’m sure you can,’ I said. ‘And it better be good.’
CHAPTER22
‘So this is what you get up to when you’re supposed to be working, is it?’
Gideon frowned as he took my arm and pulled me away from Julia. ‘One, I never said I was working tonight. And two, I didn’t know you’d be here.’
Wriggling myself free of him, I watched Julia smooth down the back of her coat and settle herself onto a chair. She wrapped her brown suede gloved hands around one of the mugs of hot chocolate and took a sip. Looking my way, she gave me a sickly smile. I couldn’t tell if she was being superior or whether her drink was too sweet.
My glare went from her to my boyfriend. ‘Evidently.’
Cradling his elbow with one hand, Gideon used his other to rub his forehead. ‘I can see how untoward this must seem.’ He took a deep breath and calmed himself. ‘But whatever you think is going on here, it most certainly isn’t that.’
I couldn’t believe he expected me to dismiss my own eyes. ‘All the times I’ve sat around waiting for you. To be told you’re not coming and half the time, that’s at the last minute.’
The occasion that especially hurt was our supposed date night. I’d put so much effort into making delicious food, laying the most romantic dinner table and creating the perfect ambience in which to decorate the Christmas tree. I’d spent a fortune on fancy underwear that also ended up being a waste of time and money. Picturing myself sat there trying to coax him on the bedroom front, tears pricked my eyes. I’d never felt so cheap and unwanted.
‘You have no idea about the humiliation you’ve put me through. As for this place, you know how much it means to me and now you’ve tainted it.’ I waved a hand at him and Julia. ‘With whatever this is.’
Gideon’s fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach out to me, but I took a step back, ensuring he couldn’t. ‘And you had the nerve to suggest that me and Alex were up to no good.’ Catching Gideon and Julia together might not excuse the fact that Alex and I had almost kissed, but as my anger rose, it sure as hell eased my guilt. I couldn’t believe the emotional self-flagellation I’d put myself through, when all along Gideon had been having secret liaisons with a work colleague.
Gideon looked at me direct. ‘No, I didn’t.’
My nostrils flared. ‘Yes, you did.’
‘What Iactuallytalked about was the way Alex looked at you.’
