was filled with dark timber and silver metalwork
It was very different from the small Italian restaurant Jake had chosen for their lunch date. She was sure no one else in Sydney knew about that place but everyone knew Café Balthazar.
She scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face, then smiled as she spotted Samantha. Sam waved, then turned as someone put a hand on her shoulder. It was Jake, leaning across to greet her with a peck on the cheek.
Her colleague then whispered in Jake’s ear and nodded in Rachel’s direction. His eyes locked with hers. It was too late to pretend she hadn’t seen him. No going back.
The sight of him sent a tingle up her spine as she made her way through the crowd toward them.
Jake looked equally comfortable in the black fine wool suit he was wearing as he did in a pair of well worn jeans. The jacket outlined his broad shoulders and followed the contours of his body down to his slender waist and hips. Even the well cut trousers did nothing to hide the masculinity of his muscular thighs.
“Good evening, Rachel.” Jake’s voice resonated above the rumble of the crowd.
Sidling deliciously close, he slipped a hand onto her waist and dipped his head towards her for a sedate kiss on the cheek. He made her feel small and delicate. She tilted her head up to return his greeting and stepped back.
Looking into the depths of his dark eyes, Rachel knew she’d have to be very careful tonight.
A tall grey haired gentleman reached across to shake Jake’s hand, his eyes lighting up as he recognised Samantha and the three of them were suddenly rapt in conversation.
Seconds later Rachel saw a flash of red hair and a stunning emerald green blouse as Emma Jones, Jake’s assistant, slipped in and grabbed her arm affectionately.
“Rachel, you look sensational tonight,” Emma gushed. “It’s been a lot of work organising this at such short notice but it’s been worth it.”
“So you did all this?” Rachel asked.
Emma tossed back a quick sip of champagne. “Quite a bit. But you’d be surprised how much Jake does himself. He doesn’t really need a PA. He got the ball rolling with this and told me exactly what he wanted. I was freaking out about getting everything done in only a few days but he was cool about the whole thing.”
Rachel nodded, uncertain whether she wanted to talk about Jake. Uncertain she’d like what she heard.
Emma continued. “He’s a fantastic boss. He’s really taken care of me. Nurtured me.”
“Nurtured you?” Rachel raised her eyebrows. “He’s so focussed and directed with the campaign. Sorry but I didn’t think he was the nurturing type.”
“Actually, he is. He helped me out with a loan once but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I don’t even know if he told anyone. It’s funny. For someone in advertising, he’s not big on self promotion.”
Rachel wasn’t sure she was ready to hear more and have her world shaken again, but at the same time she was desperate to find out more about Jake’s private life. Talk about conflicting emotions.
“Jake’s always talking about his son,” she said.
Emma smiled. “Connor’s such a lovely kid. For years, Jake’s been keeping the family together for Connor’s sake but his ex is so difficult to deal with.”
Rachel couldn’t help herself. “His ex?”
“Yeah, you know he’s separated? But they’ve got this weird arrangement where they live in the same house, only separately. So Connor can have both parents living with him.” Emma rolled her eyes.
Jake’s explanation about his home life was so convoluted she hadn’t immediately believed him but this young woman who worked for him had no reason to lie. She’d seen enough of Emma to know she was hard working and honest.
“What’s she like, this ex?” Rachel asked.
“I never liked her. I’m not surprised they’re separated. He hasn’t even invited her tonight.”
Separated. Emma used that word again. There was nothing remarkable in her tone of voice as she simply mentioned it in passing. The young woman hadn’t been primed to have this conversation with her.
Across the room, Jake was speaking to a couple of young, well dressed men. Had her opinion of Jake been a series of misjudgements? She’d thought him arrogant and she was probably right on that account, but he wasn’t as dictatorial as she’d first thought.
She’d found it easier to believe he was the kind of man who’d be unfaithful rather than accept he was separated from his