it? No matter the circumstances.’
Jake nodded assent. ‘Mine dragged on too long.’
‘I know. I was waiting, remember.’
‘It got so delayed at the end because her new guy inserted himself into the picture. He introduced an element of ugliness and greed.’
Ugliness. Eliza didn’t want to admit to Jake how scary her marriage had become. There hadn’t been physical abuse, but she had endured some serious mental abuse. When she’d found herself getting used to it, even making excuses for Craig because she’d hated to admit she’d made a mistake in marrying him, she’d known it was time to get out. The experience had wounded her and toughened her. She’d vowed never again to risk getting tied up in something as difficult to extricate herself from as marriage.
‘It took me a while to date again,’ she said. ‘I’d lost faith in my judgement of men. Man, did I date a few duds. And I turned off a few guys who were probably quite decent because of my interrogation technique. I found myself trying to discover anything potentially wrong about them before I even agreed to go out for a drink.’
Jake used her hair to tug her gently towards him for a quick kiss on her nose before he released her. ‘You didn’t interrogate me,’ he said.
‘I didn’t need to. You weren’t a potential date. When we first met at Andie and Dominic’s wedding you were married. I could chat to you without expectation or agenda. You were an attractive, interesting man but off-limits.’
He picked up her hand, began idly stroking first her palm and then her fingers. Tingles of pleasure shot through her body right down to her toes. Nothing was off-limits now.
‘You were so lovely, so smart—and so accepting of me,’ he said. ‘It was a revelation. You actually seemed interested in what I had to say.’
As his ex hadn’t been? Eliza began to see how unhappy Jake had been. Trapped in a past-its-use-by-date marriage. Bound by what seemed to have been misplaced duty and honour.
‘Are you kidding me?’ she said. ‘You’re such a success story and only a few years older than me. I found you fascinating. And a surprise. All three Party Queens had been expecting a stereotype geek—not a guy who looked like an athlete. You weren’t arrogant either, which was another surprise.’
‘That was a social situation. I can be arrogant when it comes to my work and impatient with people who don’t get it.’
His expression hardened and she saw again that underlying toughness. She imagined he would be a demanding boss.
‘I guess you have to be tough to have got where you are—a self-made man. Your fortune wasn’t handed to you.’
‘I see you’ve done your research?’
‘Of course.’ She’d spent hours on the internet, looking him up—not that’d she’d admit to the extent of her ‘research’. ‘There’s a lot to be found on Jake Marlowe. The media loves a rags-to-riches story.’
‘There were never rags. Clothes from charity shops, yes, but not rags.’ The tense lines of his mouth belied his attempt at a joke. ‘My mother did her best to make life as good for me as she could. But it wasn’t easy. Struggle Street is not where I ever wanted to stay. Or go back to. My ex never really got that.’
‘You married young. Why?’ There hadn’t been a lot in the online information about his early years.
He replied without hesitation. ‘Fern was pregnant. It was the right thing to do.’
‘I thought you didn’t have kids?’
‘I don’t. She lost the baby quite early.’
‘That’s sad...’ Her voice trailed away. Very sad. She would not—could not—reveal how very sad the thought made her. How her heart shrank a little every time she thought about having kids.
‘The pregnancy was an accident.’
‘Not a ploy to force your hand in marriage?’ She had always found the ‘oldest trick in the book’ to be despicable.
‘No. We’d been together off and on since my last year of high school. Marriage was
Jake nodded assent. ‘Mine dragged on too long.’
‘I know. I was waiting, remember.’
‘It got so delayed at the end because her new guy inserted himself into the picture. He introduced an element of ugliness and greed.’
Ugliness. Eliza didn’t want to admit to Jake how scary her marriage had become. There hadn’t been physical abuse, but she had endured some serious mental abuse. When she’d found herself getting used to it, even making excuses for Craig because she’d hated to admit she’d made a mistake in marrying him, she’d known it was time to get out. The experience had wounded her and toughened her. She’d vowed never again to risk getting tied up in something as difficult to extricate herself from as marriage.
‘It took me a while to date again,’ she said. ‘I’d lost faith in my judgement of men. Man, did I date a few duds. And I turned off a few guys who were probably quite decent because of my interrogation technique. I found myself trying to discover anything potentially wrong about them before I even agreed to go out for a drink.’
Jake used her hair to tug her gently towards him for a quick kiss on her nose before he released her. ‘You didn’t interrogate me,’ he said.
‘I didn’t need to. You weren’t a potential date. When we first met at Andie and Dominic’s wedding you were married. I could chat to you without expectation or agenda. You were an attractive, interesting man but off-limits.’
He picked up her hand, began idly stroking first her palm and then her fingers. Tingles of pleasure shot through her body right down to her toes. Nothing was off-limits now.
‘You were so lovely, so smart—and so accepting of me,’ he said. ‘It was a revelation. You actually seemed interested in what I had to say.’
As his ex hadn’t been? Eliza began to see how unhappy Jake had been. Trapped in a past-its-use-by-date marriage. Bound by what seemed to have been misplaced duty and honour.
‘Are you kidding me?’ she said. ‘You’re such a success story and only a few years older than me. I found you fascinating. And a surprise. All three Party Queens had been expecting a stereotype geek—not a guy who looked like an athlete. You weren’t arrogant either, which was another surprise.’
‘That was a social situation. I can be arrogant when it comes to my work and impatient with people who don’t get it.’
His expression hardened and she saw again that underlying toughness. She imagined he would be a demanding boss.
‘I guess you have to be tough to have got where you are—a self-made man. Your fortune wasn’t handed to you.’
‘I see you’ve done your research?’
‘Of course.’ She’d spent hours on the internet, looking him up—not that’d she’d admit to the extent of her ‘research’. ‘There’s a lot to be found on Jake Marlowe. The media loves a rags-to-riches story.’
‘There were never rags. Clothes from charity shops, yes, but not rags.’ The tense lines of his mouth belied his attempt at a joke. ‘My mother did her best to make life as good for me as she could. But it wasn’t easy. Struggle Street is not where I ever wanted to stay. Or go back to. My ex never really got that.’
‘You married young. Why?’ There hadn’t been a lot in the online information about his early years.
He replied without hesitation. ‘Fern was pregnant. It was the right thing to do.’
‘I thought you didn’t have kids?’
‘I don’t. She lost the baby quite early.’
‘That’s sad...’ Her voice trailed away. Very sad. She would not—could not—reveal how very sad the thought made her. How her heart shrank a little every time she thought about having kids.
‘The pregnancy was an accident.’
‘Not a ploy to force your hand in marriage?’ She had always found the ‘oldest trick in the book’ to be despicable.
‘No. We’d been together off and on since my last year of high school. Marriage was
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