Page 56 of The Surrender

“Good.” I take some wine, seeing Jude appearing. “He’s coming now. Shit, where’s Lloyd?”

Charley immediately stands and stops Jude before he can take his chair and asks him to go to the patio garden with her. I note Jude’s eyes have paled slightly. Not completely, but a little, just enough to tell me Charley’s safe from his wrath.

Jude motions the way as he takes his glass, frowning at his plate in front of me. “Still hungry?”

I grin like an idiot and shovel another forkful of rice into my mouth, feeling like I could burst I’ve eaten so much. Abbie snorts over her laughter. Jude frowns at her too. “Where’s Lloyd?” he asks.

“He needed to take a call,” Abbie blurts, smiling. “Won’t be long.”

Another frown from Jude as he leads Charley out the back to the patio. “God, this really is the worst dinner ever,” I say, the fork clanging against the plate when I drop it.

“Oh, I don’t know. I just got free spa days for life.” Abbie toasts the air. “Winning over here.”

Lloyd gets back to the table and shakes his head in despair as he starts cleaning the kids up. “Amelia, seriously, that man is in pieces.”

“Make me feel like total crap, why don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him you’re now with a billionaire hotelier.”

“Lloyd?” Abbie says, winning his attention. “Shut up.”

I get up and help him with the kids to kill the time, wondering what’s being said between Jude and Charley.

“I think he’ll live,” Lloyd says, seeing my concern.

“It’s not Jude I’m worried about,” I murmur quietly, knowing one wrong word from Charley could tip him over the edge.

“It’ll be fine.” Lloyd winks in the kind of way a big brother would. “She just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t want to get hurt either, but you don’t see me being a mega bitch.” I lower to my chair when I see them come back into the restaurant, Jude holding the door open for Charley. She smiles her thanks. Short and sweet. It’s probably best.

“Okay?” I ask Jude, trying not to sound too curious. I’m a joke.

“Okay.” He takes the bill from the waiter and insists on paying. “This isn’t me trying to buy your approval, to be clear.”

Abbie laughs. “I have no objection to you buying me anything, whether approval or not.”

“Abbie,” I breathe.

“What?”

“We look forward to coming over to Arlington Hall,” Lloyd says.

“Just let me know when.”

Lloyd gives Charley excited eyes. “Maybe my mum and dad can sleep the kids. We can have a romantic weekend. When you’re in a better mood, obviously.”

“Fuck off, Lloyd Duke Chaytor.” Charley covers Elijah’s ears again as Jude covers Ena’s. She stares up at him, like,Who’s this strange man?

“Disgusting,” Jude quips, taking my hand. “It was a pleasure.”

“A true pleasure,” I mimic, smiling sarcastically at Charley. “I’ll call you.”

Jude leads me out of the restaurant. “Well, that was a date I won’t forget in a hurry.”

“What did Charley say?”

“Sorry.”