Page 23 of The Surrender (Arlington Hall #2)

I shrug. “I was. Wouldn’t want you to feel left out when the girls are together.”

“I’m happy to be left out, for the record.”

Jude chuckles. “Do you play any sport?” he asks, going in safe.

“Well.” Lloyd comes closer, leaning across the table. “I should have gone pro at rugby, but my ACL let me down.”

“Oh, Jude’s brother plays rugby,” I declare, sounding almost proud. I’m not, I’m excited. Jude and Lloyd may share some common ground, and I would love that. Lloyd never jelled with Nick—they just tolerated each other for the sake of me and Charley.

“He does?”

“He does,” Jude says, seeming to shy away. “For an Irish team.”

“And England,” I add, knocking Jude’s knee. “Why are you being modest?”

“No shit.” Lloyd’s suddenly more interested. “Wait. Harrison? Don’t fucking tell me your brother is Rhys Harrison.”

“Lloyd, for Christ’s sake,” Charley hisses, covering Elijah’s ears again.

“My brother is Rhys Harrison,” Jude confirms. “You like watching?”

“When I’m allowed.”

Charley scowls, outraged, and I smile.

“I’ll get you tickets for the next international.” Jude accepts my hand under the table when I put it in his lap.

“I’d love that.” Lloyd nods, reaching over and hitting the side of his glass with Jude’s.

I don’t appreciate Charley’s eye roll. Why the hell did she even come if she’s not going to give Jude a chance?

The conversation flows easily for a while, the girls not saying much, the kids being loud, the boys talking rugby, and when our order arrives, I busy myself eating, so thankful Lloyd and the kids are here; otherwise there would be silence at the table.

As I lower my fork, I check Jude’s plate, seeing he’s not eaten much. “You okay?” I ask.

“Sure.” He offers a small smile. “I had a big lunch with Casey and Rhys.”

“Both of them?”

“Yeah, it was nice. Unusual, but nice. We’re rarely in the same place at the same time.”

“So, you have two brothers?” Abbie pipes in.

“Yes,” Jude says. “Both younger.”

“So you’re the older, reliable one, are you?” Charley asks, still feeding Ena while Elijah smears mashed potato around his plate.

I eye Charley as Jude huffs on a little burst of amusement. “Apparently.”

“Or apparently not.” Charley stares at Jude across the table, not backing down, and Jude flicks his eyes to everyone else, like, Is anyone else sensing the over-the-top animosity?

I mentally yell at Lloyd to wind her in. She’s going too far.

“Charley,” he warns, catching my look.

“What? I’m trying to get to know him.”

“What do you want to know, Charley?” Jude breathes, as exasperated as I am. “Ask me, and I’ll happily tell you.”

“And now he gets cocky?”

“He’s not being cocky, Charley,” I snap, forcing her hands to lay over Ena’s ears. Jude places his hands on Elijah’s, who wipes some of his mashed potato on Jude’s suit jacket for his trouble.

“I’ve never had to do this before.” Jude ignores the mess Elijah’s made of his sleeve, setting his fork down.

“What, explain yourself?” Charley laughs. It’s so over the top, I could quite easily reach across the table and slap her. “I find that hard to believe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask through a tight jaw, feeling Jude’s hand on my leg again, silently telling me not to get worked up. Too late.

“It means I find it hard to believe it’s the first time Jude Fuckboy Harrison has hurt a woman,” she says, matter of fact.

Abbie slides farther down her chair, as does Lloyd.

“Oh, let’s not forget the ex-fiancée,” Charley goes on, not done.

I close my eyes and take a few deep, calming breaths.

“I’m assuming she was hurt when you dumped her.

But then I suppose you kept her happy by fucking her when you felt like it after you decided not to marry her.

Until you met Amelia, of course. Or maybe you’re still fucking her. ”

“Okay, that’s enough, Charley,” Lloyd snaps, showing rare anger. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

I look at Jude, seriously not liking the shade of his eyes right now.

I think it’s time for us to leave, but just as I’m about to declare our departure and get Jude away from the verbal abuse coming at him, he stands abruptly.

“Excuse me.” He strides towards the back of the restaurant and disappears through the doors that lead to the men’s, and I exhale, going heavy in my chair.

“You’ve gone too far.” I look at Charley and see an expression I know well. Regret. Although it’s a bit late now. Her lip is quivering a little, her eyes blinking more than normal to keep the tears building at bay. I’ve no idea why she’s getting upset. It’s me who should be.

“Yes, Charley, I’ve got to say, that was way too harsh.” Abbie gives me sorry eyes, and I shake my head, wondering whether I should go after Jude. He was livid.

“Bad Mummy,” Elijah sings, smacking his T. rex on the table.

“I’m sorry,” Charley cries. “I don’t know what’s got into me today.”

“She’s been stabby all day,” Lloyd mumbles, as if backing up his wife. “Jude’s not the only one who’s copped it.”

“I’m sorry for throwing the washing basket at you,” she whimpers, bursting into tears as she turns to Lloyd. “I’m really sorry.”

“I’m over it,” he says, pulling her into his side. “But you’ve got some making up to do with Jude.”

I stand. “I’m going to check up on him.” But I sit straight back down when I spot someone. “Oh fuck.”

“What?” everyone says in unison.

“Nick’s over there.”

“Oh fuck,” Abbie parrots, searching around for him. “Oh, fuck, fuck fuck.”

“Just say hi, smile, and let him be on his way,” Lloyd says.

“He doesn’t know about Jude,” Charley hisses.

“Oh shit.” Lloyd once again shrinks in his chair, but now for an entirely different reason.

“He knew I was seeing someone. Then my dad kindly told him I wasn’t.”

“And he’s not been updated on your relationship status?” Lloyd looks past me, worried.

“No. And I seriously don’t want to deliver that blow right now in front of everyone.” I know I’ve got to tell him eventually, but not now. It would be cruel.

“And Jude’s mega passive-aggressive possessive,” Abbie says, adding to my stress. It will not go well if Jude and Nick meet.

“Anyone would think he’s got a bloody tracker on me,” I mutter, ducking.

“Oh fuck,” Lloyd breathes, the words stretched out and guilty, prompting Charley to look his way.

“What did you do?” she asks.

“I didn’t know he didn’t know!” Lloyd exclaims.

I recoil. “Wait, you told him about Jude?”

“No, I told him Charley and I were meeting you here for dinner tonight.”

“What?” I blurt, my eyes split between Nick and Lloyd, who’s getting smaller and smaller on his chair. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Yeah, why the hell would you do that, Lloyd?”

“I was on the spot.” He’s suddenly scowling. “I ran into him outside the Tube station, and it was strained. I’ve got nothing to say to the guy, but he just hung around like a bad fucking smell, asked how you were, and because I had fuck all to say to him, I told him we were seeing you tonight.”

“You prat.” Charley smacks his bicep.

“Idiot.” Abbie throws an olive at Lloyd’s forehead, and it hits accurately, bouncing off.

“You told him even though you knew you were meeting me and Jude?” I ask in disbelief.

“Like I said, I was talking for the sake of it.”

“He’s seen you,” Charley says. “He’s coming over.”

I send a mental prayer to the gods to keep Jude in the men’s for a while longer, hope and pray it takes him time to cool his temper before he walks out and finds something else to explode over.

“If Jude comes out before I can get rid of Nick, you can deal with the hurricane.” I quickly pull Jude’s untouched dinner my way and push my empty plate back.

“I can’t believe he’s shown up like this,” Lloyd mutters. “Just tell him you’re seeing someone.”

“Yes, just shatter his heart.” Charley rolls her eyes at Lloyd.

“Hi,” Nick says.

I take a forkful of rice off Jude’s plate and eat it as I look up at him. “Nick, what a surprise.”

Lloyd chokes on nothing, coughs, then loses himself in his beer as everyone scowls at him.

Nick laughs, uneasy. Guilty. “How are you, Amelia?”

“I’m fine.” My eyes constantly dart to the men’s, praying.

“The kids are getting big,” he says, and Lloyd and Charley murmur their agreement.

“Good to see you, Nick.” Lloyd smiles. It’s more of a grimace, actually, and I notice his gaze keeps moving to the men’s too. “Again.”

Nick ignores the sarcasm, his eyes flicking to my friends. “Charley, Abbie.”

“Nick,” they murmur together over their mouthfuls.

Jesus, I thought the atmosphere was horrific before. Add an ex-boyfriend to the mix, and you get a whole new level of uncomfortable.

Please go!

“Amelia, can you give me a couple of minutes?”

Oh God. I slow my chewing, hating this, wishing he would just stop loving me. “Not now, Nick.”

“Then when?”

Everyone visibly withers at the table, and I die a hundred times over, caught between that wretched guilt and absolute dread that Jude is going to leave the bathroom any moment and find Nick at the table trying to win me back. “I’ll call you,” I say, desperate. Anything to get him away.

“You will?”

“Yeah, I’ll call you.” I drop my fork, unable to eat another thing, and stand. “Excuse me, I need the ladies’.” I give Lloyd a look, one he can’t possibly mistake. Get him out of here.

He reads it well and springs to life. “Come on, Nick, I’ll walk you out.”

I leave the table and peek back, seeing Lloyd guiding Nick to the door. “Fucking hell,” I whisper, reaching the men’s. I knock on the door. “Jude?”

“Go back to the table, Amelia,” he says shortly, making me recoil.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Go back to the table.”

I think better than to question him, backing up, certain I wouldn’t want to be within exploding distance of him right now. He needs to calm down, and I don’t know what to say to help him. God damn you, Charley. I sheepishly return to the table. Could this be the worst dinner ever?

“Well, that was tense,” Abbie says.