them, and Flynn was bound to appear next— Flynn, the dazzling dynamo of the money markets, whip-lean in his city elegance, sharp, witty, one of the few men Hannah had ever known to carry off chestnut-red hair with distinction, with an arrogance that somehow made it highly individual to him, setting off his high forehead, but not hiding his ears, Hannah reminded herself. Though that detraction didn’t help to lower the rush of inner agitation. She wished there was a hole in the ground for her to drop into.
“Not a word of you from anyone for the past two years,” Jodie complained, as though Hannah had committed a crime against her.
“Tea or coffee?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Hannah?” It was an exasperated appeal for some personal acknowledgment to be made.
“Fruit juice... soft drink?” The words tripped out in stubborn denial that Jodie Lovett had any claim on her apart from the service she was paying for.
“Oh, coffee then,” she gave in petulantly. “Make it two cappuccinos. Flynn will be here in a minute. He just stopped to chat to the dive team.”
Hannah concentrated on using the coffee machine, fiercely cursing the fact she was a captive audience here in the open galley, but be damned if she’d give Jodie or Flynn any response that wasn’t related to her job. She didn’t care if it appeared rude. They’d lost any right to demand anything more personal from her two years ago.
“Hannah, for God’s sake! We were best friends...”
It hadn’t stopped her from having sex with Flynn behind Hannah’s back.
The coffee whooshed into the cups.
“We didn’t plan to hurt you,” Jodie hissed.
“Help yourself to sugar.” Hannah nodded to the sugar bowl as she placed the order on the counter in front of Jodie, determinedly keeping her hands steady. She was shaking inside, hating being cornered like this, hating Jodie for confronting her so publicly, hating herself for not being able to deal with it better.
It was like ghosts walking over her grave—the grave of the life she’d had before it had been killed by Jodie and Flynn. She didn’t want to remember it. It was gone. Long gone. They had no right to come back and haunt her with it. She’d moved on.
“Damn it! I’m not going to let you block me out!”
Selfish. Totally selfish. What Jodie wants, Jodie gets. Except she’d coated her selfishness with lots of sugar in the old days, so sweetly cajoling Hannah had been fooled into closing her eyes to that truth. Much easier to go along with Jodie’s plans, to fit in. But not today. Not anymore. Ever.
“Flynn and I are only human, Hannah,” came the slimy defence. “If you hadn’t been up on your highflying pedestal, not making time for us...”
“Please excuse me. There are other people to serve.”
“The other girl can serve them,’’ was snapped back at her.
Hannah ignored that argument, skirting Megan to move to the other end of the L-shaped bar where there were people waiting, wonderful strangers who had no axe to grind. She bestowed her best smile on them.
“Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, please.”
Thank heaven she didn’t have to move back to the coffee machine. The urn for tea was at this end. “Is this your first visit to The Great Barrier Reef?” she asked brightly, picking up the woman’s very English accent.
“Yes. Though we have dived in the Caribbean,” her husband remarked.
Hannah grinned. “Ah...but what we have here is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.”
They laughed and took their tea. “I’ll report back to you,” the man tossed at her as they left the bar.
“You do that,” Hannah cheerfully invited, wishing they’d stayed to chat longer. It was easy to give out to strangers. She had a desperate need to surround herself with them. Then she could keep operating on a surface level that didn’t hurt. But Megan was serving the only other person waiting.
“Flynn,
“Not a word of you from anyone for the past two years,” Jodie complained, as though Hannah had committed a crime against her.
“Tea or coffee?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Hannah?” It was an exasperated appeal for some personal acknowledgment to be made.
“Fruit juice... soft drink?” The words tripped out in stubborn denial that Jodie Lovett had any claim on her apart from the service she was paying for.
“Oh, coffee then,” she gave in petulantly. “Make it two cappuccinos. Flynn will be here in a minute. He just stopped to chat to the dive team.”
Hannah concentrated on using the coffee machine, fiercely cursing the fact she was a captive audience here in the open galley, but be damned if she’d give Jodie or Flynn any response that wasn’t related to her job. She didn’t care if it appeared rude. They’d lost any right to demand anything more personal from her two years ago.
“Hannah, for God’s sake! We were best friends...”
It hadn’t stopped her from having sex with Flynn behind Hannah’s back.
The coffee whooshed into the cups.
“We didn’t plan to hurt you,” Jodie hissed.
“Help yourself to sugar.” Hannah nodded to the sugar bowl as she placed the order on the counter in front of Jodie, determinedly keeping her hands steady. She was shaking inside, hating being cornered like this, hating Jodie for confronting her so publicly, hating herself for not being able to deal with it better.
It was like ghosts walking over her grave—the grave of the life she’d had before it had been killed by Jodie and Flynn. She didn’t want to remember it. It was gone. Long gone. They had no right to come back and haunt her with it. She’d moved on.
“Damn it! I’m not going to let you block me out!”
Selfish. Totally selfish. What Jodie wants, Jodie gets. Except she’d coated her selfishness with lots of sugar in the old days, so sweetly cajoling Hannah had been fooled into closing her eyes to that truth. Much easier to go along with Jodie’s plans, to fit in. But not today. Not anymore. Ever.
“Flynn and I are only human, Hannah,” came the slimy defence. “If you hadn’t been up on your highflying pedestal, not making time for us...”
“Please excuse me. There are other people to serve.”
“The other girl can serve them,’’ was snapped back at her.
Hannah ignored that argument, skirting Megan to move to the other end of the L-shaped bar where there were people waiting, wonderful strangers who had no axe to grind. She bestowed her best smile on them.
“Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, please.”
Thank heaven she didn’t have to move back to the coffee machine. The urn for tea was at this end. “Is this your first visit to The Great Barrier Reef?” she asked brightly, picking up the woman’s very English accent.
“Yes. Though we have dived in the Caribbean,” her husband remarked.
Hannah grinned. “Ah...but what we have here is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.”
They laughed and took their tea. “I’ll report back to you,” the man tossed at her as they left the bar.
“You do that,” Hannah cheerfully invited, wishing they’d stayed to chat longer. It was easy to give out to strangers. She had a desperate need to surround herself with them. Then she could keep operating on a surface level that didn’t hurt. But Megan was serving the only other person waiting.
“Flynn,
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