Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,112
with fiery red hair in a gorgeous emerald dress. Then I blinked, and she was bloody well gone! I swore she was you.”
A soft smile pinched her cheeks as she twisted the tip of her ponytail.
“Xavi wandered over and confirmed my suspicion. My god, Leia, you looked otherworldly, like a beautiful absinthe fairy.” His appreciative gaze swept her from head to toe. “And your hair is glorious! I love the red.”
“It’s my natural color.”
Tarquin tilted his head. “Blimey! You’re really Ginger!” Leia’s nod unlocked the words he had wanted to spill for hours. “Well, it’s even more bewitching than the blonde.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath, her fingers fussing with her right sleeve. “You looked great last night, too.” A flicker of a grin warmed her face as she glanced up. “I’d recognize that suit anywhere. I hope the dry-cleaning bill wasn’t too high…”
Tarquin laughed. “Worth every penny! You know, I wore it just for you.”
Leia’s smile slipped away on the light breeze. “Tarquin, why would you say that?” Brows pulling in above her sunglasses, she shot him an incredulous open-mouthed glare. “You have a girlfriend, remember? The tall blonde? She was right there!”
“Cressida.” Tarquin shook his head. “No, she’s not my girlfriend. Not anymore.”
“Shit! You didn’t!” Leia halted on the spot, her hand flying to her mouth. “You saw me, then dumped her?!” She darted out of the flow of foot traffic and Tarquin rushed after her. “I can’t believe this!” she growled. “You asshol—”
“Leia, I’m not a dick.” He leaned in, shaking his head. “We split last weekend. Actually, it should’ve happened ages ago.” His hand flitted to his moustache then his temple, looking for a safe spot to land. “It would’ve saved a lot of tears, actually.”
“Oh, classy, Tarquin—really classy!”
“No, the tears weren’t hers—or mine.” Tarquin gave Leia a stern look. “They were Ava’s.”
“What?!”
He wrenched the collar of his linen shirt open farther, trying to get some relief from the blazing heat. “Three weeks ago, Cressida agreed to come to my cousin’s wedding in Kirkwall. We FaceTimed Ava, told her the news. She went bonkers! She was so excited, jumping around because the lady off telly who makes unicorn cupcakes was coming to meet her! Then, seven days ago, we’re waiting for our car to Heathrow, and Cressida threw a strop and bailed. Apparently, a boujee foodie festival in the Cotswolds was”—he made quotation marks with his fingers—“more her brand.”
“Jesus!” Leia removed her shades, her eyes narrow with fury.
I knew she’d be horrified. “Our split was mutual. Cress drove off to fuck knows where and I flew up to Orkney.” He plunged his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “God forbid she misses her umpteenth celebrity schmooze to make a little girl’s day.”
“Wow, that’s…”
“Selfish? Cruel, rude? All of the above?” Tarquin nodded. “Obviously, Cressida and I want vastly different things. She loves being paparazzi bait, adores being recognized out on dates. I despise all that bollocks. I’ve seen enough showbiz bullshit with Nick and Mum to last several lifetimes.” He pressed his lips together. “I didn’t invite her last night, Leia. She has a new cookbook coming out and was in town to meet her American publisher. She just showed up, hoping she’d get papped. I will never use that overpriced matchmaking agency again. Bleedin’ clueless.”
“You hired a matchmaker?” Leia squinted into the sun. “That’s how you met her?”
He swept his hair off his forehead and peered over her shoulder, his gaze unfocused on the incoming waves of people clogging the High Line’s path. “I’m not fucking around, Leia. I’m done with being single.” Reuniting with her eyes, he smiled. “I want what Harry has with Lucy, a serious loved-up relationship. I even want to get married one day, have a family.” Question is, does she?
A tiny breath slipped from her mouth. She blinked, taking him in.
“Cressida is a lovely catch—for someone else. And heaven help me, she puts chickpeas in bloody everything.”
Leia’s expression softened. Tarquin swore she was fighting back an amused grin. “Well, I’m no cook, so I can’t speak to that…but I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I’m not.” Tarquin’s glance fell to her lips. “The whole time I was with her…I wanted you.”
A small smile bloomed on Leia’s face but stayed only briefly, her focus shifting, landing on the shades in her hands.
What is she thinking? “So, are you sorry? About man bun?”
Leia chuckled under her breath. “You mean Xavi? What about him?”