by Hazel Kelly
I looked around for Christophe as we went to the head of the long table and grabbed our plates. Unfortunately, not only did I not see him, but I didn’t see Ella’s annoying cousin either. I hoped it was just a coincidence.
“Oh my gosh,” Carrie said. “It looks even better than it smells.”
She’d changed that morning into some dark skinny jeans and a light pink sweater. It was the most casual outfit I’d ever seen her in. But not only did it suit her, it greatly improved my view as I followed her along the buffet.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the tray between the homemade sausage and the crispy hash browns.
“Rashers,” I said. “It’s just a different cut of bacon. It’s how they eat bacon in the U.K. and Ireland.”
“Fancy.”
I laughed. “Glad you think so. My dad prefers it to American bacon so that’s what everyone in the hotel gets.”
“Fair enough.”
I watched her scoop two pieces onto her plate to try… and then two of everything else.
“You think you can manage all that?” I asked as we weaved our way to our table, the yolks on our perfectly fried eggs shaking gently as we walked.
“Watch me,” she said, scooting into her seat.
I laughed and sat down beside her. “What’s your week look like?” I asked, cutting the end off a sausage.
“I’m glad you asked,” she said, buttering some toast. “I’m going to look at chandeliers for the club on Tuesday.”
“Sounds enlightening.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I hope it will be.”
“Do you need help?”
“No. I’m just letting you know because I should be ready to get your opinion on my top choices by the end of the week.”
“Great,” I said. “The floor should be in by then, too.”
She nodded. “We’re right on schedule.”
I watched her tuck into her heaping plate of food, relieved that she wasn’t one of those women that ate like a bird- though I knew relief was an odd feeling to have because it’s not like her curves were my problem.
And I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted them to be.
I just knew I didn’t want them to be anyone else’s… And that last night had been one of the most fun nights of my entire life.
Of course, it wasn’t the time or place to discuss if our chemistry was something we should keep exploring.
If anything, the best thing to do was just enjoy brunch and keep things light.
After all, if we had a future- more of a future than just working together on the club- there was plenty of time to discuss it. And despite the fact that I wanted her with every fiber of my being, I wanted to be sensitive to the fact that she’d just gotten out of something serious.
Not just because she deserved that much, but because we both had a lot going on with our new business ventures. Plus, if she wanted to be with me, I wanted to be sure it wasn’t merely a rebound thing, that she wasn’t just one of those women that couldn’t be alone.
“Not a bad first attempt at an Abbott Hotel brunch buffet,” I said, eyeing her almost empty plate.
She put her hands on her stomach. “I tried. I really tried.”
“If you squeeze that last bit in, you won’t have to worry about lunch or dinner.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Honestly. But I will say that I think your dad might be right about the rashers. They were amazing.”
“And you didn’t even have them with brown sauce.”
She scrunched her face. “Brown sauce?”
“I’ll introduce you to it another time. It’ll rock your world.”
“Okay.”
“As far as I’m concerned, though, that’s quite enough food- and excitement- for this morning.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m practically so stuffed I’m handicapped right now.”
“Me too. What do you say we congratulate the happy couple one more time and then get the heck out of here?”
“Sounds perfect.”
We made our way over to Will and Ella’s table. They looked so happy I couldn’t help but smile.
“So how was the first night as husband and wife?” I asked, putting a hand on my dad’s shoulder. “Hope you saved a little bit for the honeymoon.”
Ella rolled her eyes. “He saved it all for the honeymoon.” She smacked him in the arm. “He was passed out before I even made it to bed.”
Will hung his head and shook it. “And I’m never going to live it down.”
“If it weren’t for the ring on my finger,” Ella said. “I might think he married whiskey yesterday.”
Will looked up and took a deep breath. “Ahh. My eternal mistress.”
I smiled. “Just think of how he’ll have to make it up to you, though?”
Ella raised her eyebrows. “Trust me. I’ve got loads of ideas already.”
Will groaned.
I put a hand around Carrie’s waist. “Anyway, Carrie and I just wanted to offer our congrats again before we head off.”
Will pushed his chair back and stood up, leaning in to Carrie’s cheek. “It was a delight to finally meet you,” he said. “I hope to spend more time with you again soon, perhaps on a day when I’m feeling less shamelessly self-obsessed.”
I laughed and spoke to her out of the side of my mouth. “Don’t hold your breath about that last part.”
Ella came around my dad and gave Carrie a hug. “Thanks so much for everything. I’m so glad you could be part of our big day.”
Carrie smiled and patted her back. “Me too.”
Will crossed his arms. “Did you introduce Carrie to your mother yet?”
I glared at him.
“Please do that on your way out.” He lowered his head but kept his eyes on mine. “As a personal favor to me.”
I clenched my jaw. “Fine. Where is she?”
Will nodded across the room. “Table 18.”
I looked over my shoulder and then back at him. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”
“Thanks,” he said, sitting back down.
We turned away and Carrie leaned into me.
“I didn’t realize your mother was here,” she said.
“Yeah, well, she kept a low profile.”
“Do you not get along or-”
“We had a falling out recently, and I’m punishing her by sulking and pretending I’m never going to forgive her.”
“How’s that going for you?” she asked.
“It was going really well until about two seconds ago.”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway, we won’t hang around,” I said. “I’ll just introduce you and we’ll go.”
She was facing the other way as we walked up to table eighteen.
When she was right in front of me, I tapped her on the shoulder. “Hi, Mom.”
She turned around and looked up. “Ben.”
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
The man beside her looked over his shoulder at me.
I recognized his lame haircut and his geeky glasses instantly.
My stomach dropped as I took a step back and looked at Carrie.
Her mouth was open and the color had drained from her face.
But she wasn’t looking at her ex.
She was staring at my mom.
Thanks
Thank you for taking the time to read this story.
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To find out what’s next for Ben and Carrie, check out the next book in the Club Abbott Series.
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Happy Reading,
Xo Hazel
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