tipped his bald head and his bright blue eyes were shrewd. ‘You don’t look like your father.’
Here it comes, Luke thought. Another worshipper at the altar of Jed Savage.
Be polite, Luke reminded himself.
‘It’s said that I look more like my mother.’
‘You do. Your mother was a beautiful woman,’ Piers replied and Luke felt his heart clench.
It took a lot to keep his face impassive. ‘You knew my mother?’
‘I did. I have two of her paintings,’ Piers said. ‘Such an amazing artist—and a lovely person. Threw herself away when she married your father.’
Luke’s eyebrows rose at Piers’s frank statement. He felt Jess’s hand on his arm and was grateful for the contact. ‘Uh—’
What was he supposed to say to that?
‘Sorry, but unlike a lot of people in the industry I didn’t like your father.’ Piers shrugged thin shoulders in a dark grey suit.
Well, this was interesting. ‘Why not?’
Piers looked around to check who was listening before continuing. ‘I thought he was arrogant, condescending and generally a conceited ass.’ He looked up at Luke and pulled a face. ‘Sorry. I knew him for a long time.’
Luke’s mouth kicked up. Finally, here was a man who saw Jed clearly. He wouldn’t verbally agree with him—that would be disloyal—but inside he was cheering him on.
Piers sighed and shook his head. ‘My late wife would be jamming her elbow into my side now, telling me to keep my mouth shut. God, I miss her.’
‘How long were you married?’ Jess asked, changing the subject.
‘Forty-five years. Five kids.’
Wow. The mind boggled. That was what he’d wanted...one woman, one life, one marriage. Lots of kids. Now he knew that some dreams weren’t supposed to come true. He didn’t know how to do marriage and family—after all, he hadn’t any experience of one and his father had been an anti role model.
Piers looked over Jess’s shoulder and smiled. ‘And here comes one of my favourite shopkeepers, purveyor of some very fine wines.’
And Luke’s some-time, part-time lover.
Oh, crap on a cracker. Since Jess’s arrival he hadn’t given Kelly much thought—okay, any thought—and the notion that she might be at this wine-tasting hadn’t even crossed his mind. They’d had an easygoing, no-hassle...thing...going for many months; Kelly was his go-to person when he needed a date, or sex—or even on occasion an ear. He’d meant to contact her and explain things, but with one thing and another—mainly Jess—he’d forgotten. And the thought of introducing a woman he’d recently slept with to a woman he wanted to sleep with made his skin prickle.
It was so Jed.
Luke, thinking that this day couldn’t get any worse, quickly excused himself and stepped up to Kelly. Gripping her elbow, he steered her away from Jess.
‘Kel, I—’
Kelly laid a hand on his arm and sent him a warm smile. ‘Luke, sweetie, take a breath. It’s all good.’
‘You don’t understand. I need to—’
‘Call it quits?’ Kelly’s warm blue eyes crinkled up at him. ‘Luke, when I heard via the grapevine that you had a blonde staying with you I kind of caught a clue. Honey, I’m ten years older than you. I’ve been expecting this for a long time. Besides, didn’t we agree that we’re just friends who occasionally sleep together?’
Luke shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. ‘Uh...okay, then. Well...’
Kelly laughed. ‘You are looking very flustered. Tough day or tough girl?’
‘Both. She drives me nuts.’
Kelly stepped forward and dropped a kiss on his jaw, holding her cheek against his to talk into his ear. ‘Good. You deserve a girl who will drive you nuts. It makes for very interesting sex.’
If we ever get anywhere near the bedroom, Luke thought darkly as Kelly drifted back to Piers and Jess.
Piers took Kelly’s hand and pulled it into the crook of his arm. ‘It’s so nice to see you, Kelly, and if these two lovely people don’t mind, I’m going to steal you away to taste a rather nice Cab from Chile. Not as good as yours, dear boy, but palatable.’
When they’d left, Jess tipped her chin up to look at him and Luke felt like a bug under a microscope. She sipped her wine and just went on looking at him, her brown eyes wary.
‘So, that was interesting.’
Jess’s voice was so bland and so even that Luke knew she was seriously ticked. Joys of joys. Would this day never end?
He resisted the urge to tug at his collar. ‘Uh...’
‘How long have you been sleeping with her?’
Luke took a deep breath as he prepared to explain that he