Second Hand Jane by Michelle Vernal Page B

her face.
    “So tell me
about you, Jessica.” Nick leaned forward, toying with his empty
wine glass as they waited for Miguel to come back with the bottle
of red they’d all agreed on. “Although, I have to say that having
laughed out loud at your column many times, I can’t help but feel
like I already know you.”
    Jess preened
ever so slightly; he had just scored some major brownie points
because she loved it when a man took the time to ask about her
instead of banging on about his achievements all night. “Ah, well,
don’t believe all that you read.”
    “ I’ll vouch for that.” Ewan joined in the
conversation. “My agent showed me an article in some woman’s
magazine the other week that strongly implied I might be the one to
heal Demi’s broken heart. All I bloody did was shake her hand when
I was introduced to her at Cannes. The woman terrifies me. I was
still in short pants when she did Ghost , for Chrissakes!”
    They all
laughed and after Ewan had sampled and approved the wine, much to
Miguel’s obvious relief, an animated conversation about the media
ensued.
    Jess had just
finished relaying her tale of how her column came to fruition
thanks to Shane Moriarty from Bad Boyz milking his new-found fame
when Miguel magically popped up again. This time, he had his pad
and paper in hand, ready to take their order. Nora opened the menu
and Jess leaned in to read it as Nick announced that the paella was
absolutely fantastic. The menu was snapped shut and it was agreed
that they would all share in a plate of Spain’s national dish.
    “Teez a good
choice, Meester Reid,” Miguel gushed before giving a little bow and
scurrying off toward the kitchen to click his fingers and tell the
chef to snap to it.
    That was
another thing Jessica was noticing about the power of celebrity: it
was as though Ewan were the only person seated at the table the way
Miguel addressed everything to him. The rest of their little group
was all but invisible.
    As Nora and
Ewan embarked on a conversation about paragliding, Nick refilled
Jess’s wine glass. “So what made you leave New Zealand? It’s a
stunning country.”
    “ Have you been?” She was surprised; most
Irish only got as far as Australia, arriving at Sydney Airport with
their passports and dream that life from hereon in was going to be
like one big scene from Home and Away . Not many jumped the ditch to New Zealand. Mind you, Nick
didn’t look like the kind of man who’d watch Home and Away or Neighbours .
    “To Auckland on
business, yes, but I managed to get up to the Bay of Islands for a
few days R&R before I had to fly home. The fishing was
fantastic and I’d liked to have stayed longer and seen more—you
know, catch the big one that got away.” He grinned and shrugged.
“I’ll definitely get back there in the near future, though.”
    Jess had no
doubt that when he said something, he meant it but his words had
seemed to hold an unspoken invitation and she felt herself grow
hot. Knocking back her wine to cool down, she told herself off for
always reading something into what was probably nothing. She’d only
known him for an hour, for goodness’ sake! Placing her glass back
down on the table, she hoped he didn’t think her a lush and then
realising he was waiting for some sort of reply, the best she could
come up with at short notice was, “Yes, it is beautiful.” Risking a
glance over at him, their eyes locked and the jolt of excitement
that ricocheted through her literally made her catch her breath. It
was either that or the wine had gone down the wrong way. Either
way, the moment was ruined as she began coughing and spluttering,
sending a spray of red wine across the table. Nora, thinking she
was choking, leaped out of her seat and began walloping her on the
back, which only made her cough harder.
    It was then
that Miguel appeared and excitedly told Nora to stand aside as he
announced loudly and proudly, “I will perform ze Hymen
Manoeuvre.”
    Thanks