“You know it wasn’t nothing,” she whispered. “It was a whole lot of something. But it was wrong time, wrong place. I can’t change my mind now. No matter how much I might want to.” Her shoulders slumped, defeated. “You’ve no idea. My life is not as easy as you think. I haven’t slept all week, my job is getting bigger, and I haven’t been able to think about much else but you.”

Jordan scoffed. “Save it, Abby. You could change it if you wanted to. But you don’t want to.” Jordan squared up to her, unsure what she’d prefer to do. Shake Abby, or kiss her. Neither would do any good, though. Abby might harbour dreams of them being together, but if she was going to do anything about it, she’d have done it by now, wouldn’t she?

“I do want to, it’s just not that easy.” Now it was Abby’s turn to sweep her arm. “You might think this is something to fall back on. But it can also be a prison, too. One that stops me from doing what I want.”

“But you’re not from this rich and rarified world! What would your mum say?”

Abby dipped her head, obviously not wanting to answer that.

Jordan threw her hands in the air and began to pace. “I’m not sure I can take much more of this. I thought I could style it out, but the lying keeps sticking in my throat.”

“It’s not me, either!” Abby told her. “This, my job, none of it is.”

Jordan sighed. “It looks like it is, from where I’m standing.” She paused. “But I’ll finish the job as promised. Just don’t expect me to stick around on the day, toasting the happy couple.”

Abby nodded, her shoulders rising and falling. “Of course. Just know, I wish things could have been different. That we’d met under different circumstances.” She touched Jordan’s arm with her fingertips.

Even that light brush caused a frisson of desire to course through Jordan. She flicked her eyes to Abby.

“I never meant to hurt you, please know that. That I did absolutely crushes me.”

Jordan gulped, emotion rising in her. She couldn’t go back in now. She couldn’t shake Marjorie’s hand, pretend to Marcus that everything was fine.

She had to go.

She shook her bag from her shoulder and fished inside, locating her car keys. She bit her lip, fighting back tears. She wasn’t going to let Abby see them. She swallowed hard, breathing in the evening air. She had to stay strong.

“I can’t stay now,” Jordan began, waving her keys in the air. “Will you tell them I had an emergency I had to deal with?”

Abby’s gaze was kind. Too much so. It nearly sent Jordan over the edge.

“Of course.” Abby’s nose twitched.