the words past the hot lump in her throat and walked out.
* * *
Gavin took a seat at the bar. There was no point in hogging a table alone.
“Hey, where’s Amandine?” Mark said from the other side of the counter. He was wearing a well-fitted white button down shirt and black slacks and for all the world looked like one of the bartenders.
“Left.”
Mark came out and took the stool next to Gavin. “What happened?”
“She walked out on me. Can you believe that? A day after our anniversary.”
Mark winced. “Ouch.” He signaled a real bartender. Two cold bottles of beer appeared.
Gavin glared at the beads of sweat forming on the dark green glass. “I know I screwed up, but it’s maddening she won’t give me a chance to make things right.” He took a long swig. He preferred bourbon, but beer would do.
“Give her some time to cool off.”
“She wants me to talk to her lawyer.”
“Jesus. As in divorce?”
Gavin ground his teeth. “She’s furious. She even blames me for helping Catherine, but what was I supposed to do when she’d totally flipped out?”
“Oh.” Mark’s eyes widened with understanding. “You spent yesterday with Catherine and you told Amandine that?”
“Well…she asked,” he said defensively. He hadn’t wanted to discuss it with Amandine, but he wasn’t going to lie to her about it either. That wasn’t the kind of marriage he wanted.
“Catherine’s your ex.”
“She’s my sister-in-law.”
“You almost married her.”
Gavin winced. Mark knew about his pathetic proposal. “That was years ago, and she chose Jacob. Besides, Amandine’s her cousin and was maid of honor at the wedding.”
“Really? How would you feel if Amandine had spent your anniversary with an ex she almost married?”
The muscles in Gavin’s cheek flexed, and his grip around the bottle tightened.
“You just proved my point,” Mark said and drank his beer.
Silence stretched between them.
“Shit,” Gavin bit out finally.
“Want some advice? Forget Catherine and the family scandal. Focus on Amandine for a while, unless you really don’t care what happens to your marriage.”
“I care.”
“Then spend some time with Amandine and give her something you haven’t given her yet,” Mark said. “Like, personal attention. Time alone. That kind of thing.”
“What’s the point?” Given how angry she was, she was likely to push him over the rail of the yacht he was planning to get her.
“Gavin, she’ll probably forgive you if you grovel a bit. She’s too soft and gentle to hold a grudge.”
“She’s the one who brought up lawyers.”
“If she really wanted to divorce you, she wouldn’t have come for lunch or asked you about what you were up to yesterday. Okay? And you really don’t want to lose her. She’s good for you. You actually look relaxed around her. You weren’t like that with Catherine…or anyone else you dated, for that matter.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Success and wealth drew women like roses did honey bees. Gavin had learned the lesson the hard way over and over again, starting when he had been just thirteen. Jacob had swooped in and taken a girl Gavin had harbored a major crush on for months. Older and more sophisticated, Jacob had faced no trouble getting the girl. When Gavin had confronted his older brother, Jacob had laughed.
“What? I didn’t see your name tattooed on her anywhere.”
Gavin had bristled. “You knew.”
“And I promised to teach you an important lesson.” Jacob had smiled. “She turned you down because you didn’t have anything to offer that I couldn’t top. I have more experience, more money, more confidence and more success. Plus I’m taller.”
“She said she liked me!”
“So? Unless she’s spreading her legs for you while she’s saying it, it’s all negotiable. Women’ll latch onto somebody else who is ‘more’ than you just like they’ll toss a sweater back in the bargain bin
* * *
Gavin took a seat at the bar. There was no point in hogging a table alone.
“Hey, where’s Amandine?” Mark said from the other side of the counter. He was wearing a well-fitted white button down shirt and black slacks and for all the world looked like one of the bartenders.
“Left.”
Mark came out and took the stool next to Gavin. “What happened?”
“She walked out on me. Can you believe that? A day after our anniversary.”
Mark winced. “Ouch.” He signaled a real bartender. Two cold bottles of beer appeared.
Gavin glared at the beads of sweat forming on the dark green glass. “I know I screwed up, but it’s maddening she won’t give me a chance to make things right.” He took a long swig. He preferred bourbon, but beer would do.
“Give her some time to cool off.”
“She wants me to talk to her lawyer.”
“Jesus. As in divorce?”
Gavin ground his teeth. “She’s furious. She even blames me for helping Catherine, but what was I supposed to do when she’d totally flipped out?”
“Oh.” Mark’s eyes widened with understanding. “You spent yesterday with Catherine and you told Amandine that?”
“Well…she asked,” he said defensively. He hadn’t wanted to discuss it with Amandine, but he wasn’t going to lie to her about it either. That wasn’t the kind of marriage he wanted.
“Catherine’s your ex.”
“She’s my sister-in-law.”
“You almost married her.”
Gavin winced. Mark knew about his pathetic proposal. “That was years ago, and she chose Jacob. Besides, Amandine’s her cousin and was maid of honor at the wedding.”
“Really? How would you feel if Amandine had spent your anniversary with an ex she almost married?”
The muscles in Gavin’s cheek flexed, and his grip around the bottle tightened.
“You just proved my point,” Mark said and drank his beer.
Silence stretched between them.
“Shit,” Gavin bit out finally.
“Want some advice? Forget Catherine and the family scandal. Focus on Amandine for a while, unless you really don’t care what happens to your marriage.”
“I care.”
“Then spend some time with Amandine and give her something you haven’t given her yet,” Mark said. “Like, personal attention. Time alone. That kind of thing.”
“What’s the point?” Given how angry she was, she was likely to push him over the rail of the yacht he was planning to get her.
“Gavin, she’ll probably forgive you if you grovel a bit. She’s too soft and gentle to hold a grudge.”
“She’s the one who brought up lawyers.”
“If she really wanted to divorce you, she wouldn’t have come for lunch or asked you about what you were up to yesterday. Okay? And you really don’t want to lose her. She’s good for you. You actually look relaxed around her. You weren’t like that with Catherine…or anyone else you dated, for that matter.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Success and wealth drew women like roses did honey bees. Gavin had learned the lesson the hard way over and over again, starting when he had been just thirteen. Jacob had swooped in and taken a girl Gavin had harbored a major crush on for months. Older and more sophisticated, Jacob had faced no trouble getting the girl. When Gavin had confronted his older brother, Jacob had laughed.
“What? I didn’t see your name tattooed on her anywhere.”
Gavin had bristled. “You knew.”
“And I promised to teach you an important lesson.” Jacob had smiled. “She turned you down because you didn’t have anything to offer that I couldn’t top. I have more experience, more money, more confidence and more success. Plus I’m taller.”
“She said she liked me!”
“So? Unless she’s spreading her legs for you while she’s saying it, it’s all negotiable. Women’ll latch onto somebody else who is ‘more’ than you just like they’ll toss a sweater back in the bargain bin
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