Page 19 of The House on Sunset Lake

‘And so are you. You have a degree from Wellesley, you’re super-connected, and you’re one of the smartest people I know, not to mention having the best taste on the whole of the East Coast.’

‘I should hire you as my PR.’

‘No, I should hire you.’ He realised he was only half joking, and a knowing dart passed between them.

‘And how is Connor?’

He watched her flush. She had such pale skin, any colour in her cheeks was obvious.

‘He’s good.’

‘Still in finance?’

‘Property, funnily enough. Maybe you two should get together.’

Jim didn’t say anything. He’d always disliked Connor Gilbert, and not just because he had been Jennifer’s boyfriend. He was arrogant and cocky, seemed to imagine himself at the centre of the universe – that appeared to be the standard personality type in Georgian society circles back then – but there was something else about Connor he didn’t like, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

‘How long have you been married now?’

She pressed her hands together. ‘Eighteen years.’

‘In New York that’s sort of like a golden anniversary, isn’t it?’

‘You’re thinking of Hollywood.’

‘What about kids? I bet you’ve got a whole brood of them.’

Jennifer finished off her wine, which he noticed she’d drunk very quickly.

‘No. But I have a dog,’ she said more playfully.

Jim detected a hint of sadness in her casual remark and decided not to pursue it. He’d once sat next to a former girlfriend at a dinner party and over the cheese and quince course she had shared the horrors of her IVF experiences with him, presumably from the comfort of her position as a mother of three children, perhaps to make him feel a little bit guilty that she had wasted eighteen months of her early thirties trying to get him to commit before she had finally moved on and married an accountant called Colin.

‘I don’t even have dogs,’ he grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

She glanced down at his left hand. ‘So is there a Mrs Jim Johnson?’

‘Apparently I’m married to my job.’

‘Did you come over with anyone?’

‘An excellent relocation service.’

‘A girlfriend, partner?’ She was definitely fishing for personal information.

‘I’m single, actually. There was someone, recently. It didn’t work out. So if you know anyone . . .’ He laughed a little too enthusiastically.

‘Yes, I do know someone,’ she said quickly. ‘I should set you up . . .’

‘I was joking.’

She pulled her phone from her bag and studied the screen.

‘What?’

‘Nothing. But I should probably go.’

‘We’ve just sat down.’