Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,144

“Are you warm?” Shrugging off her coat, her navy chiffon knee-length dress drew approving stares from guests and her boyfriend.

“Leia, I know I keep saying it, but you look so beautiful. I swear, I’m the luckiest bloke.” He kissed her on the lips and stood back, admiring her as he removed his coat. His gray bespoke suit sealed it: Tarquin and Leia were the most stylish couple on the islands.

He hung their coats up on the rack in the bar then Leia clasped his hand. “Let’s mingle,” she said, a glint in her eye.

Winding through the crowd, she clocked Rupert in his black suit bouncing Poppy in his arms as he chatted with two well-fed men in bulky Nordic sweaters and his father. Graying at the temples, Richard Balfour looked like an older, more weathered version of Tarquin. Fit and sharply dressed in a tie-less designer suit, he nudged his eyeglasses up his nose and gestured with his hands, hammering a point home. Like father, like son.

“Do you want to talk to your dad? You two barely spoke before the baptism.”

Tarquin nodded to a passing cluster of thirty-something guys supping pints and leaned into Leia. “That’s because Ava was with us,” he whispered. “Dad’s not usually that polite in my presence but get a few whiskies in him here and his filter evaporates completely. I’d rather you didn’t witness that.” He tugged his tartan tie. “It’s embarrassing.”

And hurtful. Leia gave him a sympathetic nod.

“And…so is my Mum.” Weaving through the party, Tarquin met Leia’s eyes. “I’m sorry Kiki blanked us at the service.” Unlike the loving adoration in Alex’s voice when she mentioned her grandmother by her first name, Tarquin’s intonation was bitter and cool. “I know she saw us.”

“Ah, it’s okay.” Leia lifted her chin, not bothered by the perceived snub. “She was busy with the kids.”

“The doting granny act?” He shook his head. “All for show. You know, today is only the second time she’s seen Poppy? The first time was over bloody Skype!”

Yikes. Clearly, Kiki isn’t a candidate for grandma of the year. “I noticed she ignored your dad at the cathedral.”

“They barely tolerate each other anymore. Too many affairs, too many public embarrassments.” Tarquin stopped beside the restaurant’s back wall decorated with unbound pages of The Orkney Norn, a book written in 1929 celebrating the islands’ long-lost dialect. Beneath the display, a blue banquette was filling up fast with guests enjoying the buffet lunch of smoked salmon finger sandwiches and mini pork pies. “Dad sees Mum looking down her nose at everyone here and it makes his blood boil. For once, I agree with him. You won’t find kinder, more hospitable people than Orcadians, and she treats them like something stuck to the red soles of her Louboutins.”

“That’s a shame. She’s missing out.” Kiki sounds like a passive-aggressive snob—not that I’m gonna tell Tarquin that!

But Leia didn’t have to.

“Mum’s a classic narcissist. Self-obsessed, entitled, demeaning, never apologizes.” He paused, his brow tensing. “Leia, you should know…she’s not very touchy-feely, and she’s never liked any of our girlfriends.”

None? The jitters in Leia’s stomach jumped and twisted, gaining flight. At least I know what’s coming. She caressed his cheek, hoping to soothe his unease and her own. “I don’t need your mom to like to me. I’m dating you, not her.”

“I know, but she can be manipulative. She has a way of getting in people’s heads. I don’t want her to come between us.”

Gazing into his eyes, Leia twirled a piece of Tarquin’s hair above his ear between her fingers. “She won’t.” Leia kissed him softly…once, twice, her lips lingering. She spotted Nick, suit jacket off, tie loosened, rounding a nearby table. “So, Nick’s marriage falling apart—did Kiki meddle?”

“Yep. Poor sods didn’t stand a chance.” Tarquin grinned as his brother approached. “Hey, Nico.”

“God, can we leave yet?” Nick playfully pouted, his hands full with the necks of two beer bottles and a tall glass of water. “Mum keeps harping on about the Mail story.”

“You mean the story that WILL NOT DIE?” Tarquin chuckled as Leia softly smacked his arm. “You and your willy keep popping up on the front page!”

Eyes wild, Nick combed the room like the walls had ears and leaned in. “The photos are dark, Tarq!” he whispered. “You can’t see my junk!” He handed Leia the glass of fizzy water.

She responded with a pained grin and “Thanks.” Tarquin means no harm, but I feel for Nick. Having your private life exposed is no laughing matter.