After Felix - Lily Morton Page 0,28

is the mysterious best friend and one of the grooms. Unease stirs inside me.

The blond man—Ivo—says something to Max, and they turn to look at me. Max gestures towards me. “Come and meet Ivo,” he calls.

I get out of the car, adjusting my sunglasses. When I come within reach, Max grabs my shoulder. “Felix, meet Ivo, my best friend. Ivo, meet the sharpest tongue this side of the channel.”

I wince. Well, that sort of put me in my place, didn’t it? Not Max’s friend or his lover. Just a sharp tongue. I paste a smile on my face and hold out my hand to shake with Ivo. “Nice to meet you.”

He’s tanned, with high cheekbones and arched dark eyebrows over unusual golden-coloured eyes. His smile is utterly charming.

“So nice to meet you, Felix,” he says with a French accent that lends him an even more romantic air, if that’s possible. “Max has told me a lot about you.”

While he’s told me absolutely nothing about you, I think. And why is that? This is his best friend and Max has totally avoided talking about him. There’s something rather ominous in that omission, because he should have done. I hadn’t pushed him when he’d seemed reluctant to answer questions about Ivo and the wedding. And maybe I should have pushed. I hadn’t wanted to make things awkward between us by discussing something that obviously made him uncomfortable. But, in so doing, I now realise that I’ve made the coming weekend quite awkward –for myself. I have no idea what to expect from these people whom Max knows so well.

“Really?” I say, holding my smile. “Hope it’s nothing libellous.”

Max laughs, and I sneak a sidelong look at him. His laughter is just an inch over being too loud, as if his usual ebullience has been dialled up a few notches. “Felix, I could never share everything about you. Nations would tumble.”

“Well, I am very extra,” I say lightly. “Congratulations on your wedding,” I say, turning to Ivo, who is watching Max and me closely. “Thank you for having me here.”

“You’re very welcome.” He gifts me with another smile. The front door opens and another man steps out, and Ivo’s smile widens and becomes impossibly tender.

“Henry,” Ivo calls. “Come and say hello. This is Felix. Max’s date for the wedding.”

The redheaded man steps forward, smiling at me, and I warm to him instantly. He’s very pretty with the most beautiful hazel eyes, but his smile is also kind and wise.

“Hello,” he says, his voice rich and very posh. “So, you’re seeing Max? How long a stay will that grant you in an asylum?”

I laugh. “I should probably just buy the place. It’ll make the frequent visits a lot more comfortable.”

The three men laugh. They’re so bright, they’re like a mirage, and I feel a twinge of insecurity. I know Henry is a family lawyer because Zeb told me. And Ivo and Max are renowned war journalists. And meanwhile, here I am, a lowly assistant who lives on a boat. Then I remember my spine and stiffen it, giving them a smile that’s more assured than I feel.

I feel Max’s eyes on me. I glance at him and the pride in his face warms me. I sidle a little closer, and he throws his arm over my shoulders as we follow Henry and Ivo into the big house.

Once we’re inside, I look around while the three men talk idly about the wedding and people I don’t know. I catch the name Gabe and then Asa Jacobs.

“Asa Jacobs is coming to this wedding?” I gasp.

Henry turns to me, laughter in his eyes. “Want me to sneak you into his bedroom so you can sniff the sheets?”

“Henry.” Ivo sighs.

I laugh. “Just give me the sheets when he’s finished with them. I’ll make them into a set of curtains.”

Max shakes his head. “You do know that Ivo and I were respected war journalists, don’t you? It’s bemusing why you’re so excited about meeting an actor.”

“Not just any actor,” I say solemnly. “Asa Jacobs. With all that hair and that arse. And let's face it, you were just roaming the world indulging in your natural nosiness.”

Ivo breaks into loud laughter. “You know him well.”

“Definitely in the biblical sense,” I muse.

Max drops a kiss on my head. “I’m going to get the bags.”

Henry nods. “We’ll go and find what room you’ve been put in.”

I’m left standing in a pool of sunshine. I think this room would have been known as