to him once they had been seated next to the window that looked out over the London skyline. Jack had introduced her to the other man as his ‘friend, Mattie Crawford’. With friends like Jack, she didn’t need any enemies!
Jack shrugged unconcernedly. ‘We all had lunch together today at my parents’ house. And I simply told them that I would be bringing a Miss Mattie Crawford with me this weekend. What’s Mattie short for, by the way?’ he asked interestedly. ‘Just in case anyone asks,’ he added dryly.
Mattie wished he wouldn’t turn his full attention on her in this way! Looking the way that he did, sophisticatedly handsome in a smart black suit, snowy white shirt and muted tie, it was rather unnerving to suddenly become the central focus of his attention.
At the same time, she also found his obvious closeness to his family extremely endearing. She couldn’t think of too many single men in their early thirties who would want to bother. Given her own bond with her mother, at least this was one thing the two of them had in common.
‘Matilda-May,’ she muttered. ‘How did someone with the name Jonathan end up being called Jack?’ she added as a hasty diversion; she really hated having to own up to her full name. It was so old-fashioned for one thing, made her sound like someone’s maiden aunt.
Well, the maiden part was right on the button, sheacknowledged sadly. After the disastrous mistake she had made with Richard, she had been extremely reluctant to accept so much as a date with another man during the last six months. Most men weren’t too keen on being asked a lot of personal questions before you would even agree to go out with them! In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time—apart from that drink with Jack yesterday evening—that she had been out at all.
She had brought out her trusty little-black-dress-to suit-any-occasion for this evening. But as she looked around the room at the beautifully dressed women seated at the other tables in this exclusive restaurant, she knew she would have to take a serious look at her wardrobe before they left for Paris on Friday. The last thing she wanted was to look dowdy when she met Jack’s family—
What did it matter what she looked like to Jack’s family? It was very unlikely she would ever see any of them again after this weekend, anyway!
It mattered to her, came the instant response. She had no doubts that Jack’s family were as wealthy as he was, that his sister and his mother would be wearing designer-label dresses to the engagement dinner on Saturday evening. Even if it took
all
of her savings to do it, Mattie was determined to buy herself a new dress for that.
‘I was given the name Jonathan to distinguish me from my maternal grandfather, who had been christened John but was always called Jack,’ Jack answered her question helpfully. ‘And was promptly called Jack, anyway.’
It figured, Mattie thought. Families had a way of doing things like that. And talking of families …
‘How many people will there be at this dinner partyon Saturday?’ she asked, smiling shyly at the waiter as he delivered their first course of scallops with bacon and garlic. Mattie had ordered exactly the same meal as Jack, deciding to be guided by his choice; after all, he obviously ate in restaurants like this one all the time. This starter certainly smelt delicious.
‘Including the two of us? Fifteen,’ Jack replied casually.
Fifteen …!
Mattie’s mouth dropped open in horror. She was expected to cope with fifteen—no, thirteen—complete strangers.
Ordinarily she had no problem meeting new people. After all, she did it on a day-to-day basis, and had done since she was extremely young. But these thirteen people were all Jack’s family. Which was something else entirely.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Jack reached over and briefly squeezed her hand. ‘After all, I’ll be with you.’ He grinned knowingly.
Because he knew damn well that didn’t
Jack shrugged unconcernedly. ‘We all had lunch together today at my parents’ house. And I simply told them that I would be bringing a Miss Mattie Crawford with me this weekend. What’s Mattie short for, by the way?’ he asked interestedly. ‘Just in case anyone asks,’ he added dryly.
Mattie wished he wouldn’t turn his full attention on her in this way! Looking the way that he did, sophisticatedly handsome in a smart black suit, snowy white shirt and muted tie, it was rather unnerving to suddenly become the central focus of his attention.
At the same time, she also found his obvious closeness to his family extremely endearing. She couldn’t think of too many single men in their early thirties who would want to bother. Given her own bond with her mother, at least this was one thing the two of them had in common.
‘Matilda-May,’ she muttered. ‘How did someone with the name Jonathan end up being called Jack?’ she added as a hasty diversion; she really hated having to own up to her full name. It was so old-fashioned for one thing, made her sound like someone’s maiden aunt.
Well, the maiden part was right on the button, sheacknowledged sadly. After the disastrous mistake she had made with Richard, she had been extremely reluctant to accept so much as a date with another man during the last six months. Most men weren’t too keen on being asked a lot of personal questions before you would even agree to go out with them! In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time—apart from that drink with Jack yesterday evening—that she had been out at all.
She had brought out her trusty little-black-dress-to suit-any-occasion for this evening. But as she looked around the room at the beautifully dressed women seated at the other tables in this exclusive restaurant, she knew she would have to take a serious look at her wardrobe before they left for Paris on Friday. The last thing she wanted was to look dowdy when she met Jack’s family—
What did it matter what she looked like to Jack’s family? It was very unlikely she would ever see any of them again after this weekend, anyway!
It mattered to her, came the instant response. She had no doubts that Jack’s family were as wealthy as he was, that his sister and his mother would be wearing designer-label dresses to the engagement dinner on Saturday evening. Even if it took
all
of her savings to do it, Mattie was determined to buy herself a new dress for that.
‘I was given the name Jonathan to distinguish me from my maternal grandfather, who had been christened John but was always called Jack,’ Jack answered her question helpfully. ‘And was promptly called Jack, anyway.’
It figured, Mattie thought. Families had a way of doing things like that. And talking of families …
‘How many people will there be at this dinner partyon Saturday?’ she asked, smiling shyly at the waiter as he delivered their first course of scallops with bacon and garlic. Mattie had ordered exactly the same meal as Jack, deciding to be guided by his choice; after all, he obviously ate in restaurants like this one all the time. This starter certainly smelt delicious.
‘Including the two of us? Fifteen,’ Jack replied casually.
Fifteen …!
Mattie’s mouth dropped open in horror. She was expected to cope with fifteen—no, thirteen—complete strangers.
Ordinarily she had no problem meeting new people. After all, she did it on a day-to-day basis, and had done since she was extremely young. But these thirteen people were all Jack’s family. Which was something else entirely.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Jack reached over and briefly squeezed her hand. ‘After all, I’ll be with you.’ He grinned knowingly.
Because he knew damn well that didn’t
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