“That . . . doesn’t sound so terrible.”
“It’s not! But it’s necessary for me, or else I’m going to spaz about whether or not they read correctly, since this is my first cookbook.” She straightened and clapped her hands. “Oh my god, and you can also do some taste tests for me! There’s a few where I have duplicate recipes because I’m not sure which version I like better. You can, like, stand on a street corner and give people samples and tell me which one they like better! This is awesome!”
Taylor hesitated. “Gosh, I don’t know. I had Loch hire me, and you see how well that worked out.”
Gretchen reached out and smacked her hand. “Stop that. How much did he pay you? I’ll double it. It’s a temporary job anyhow, but it’ll give you time to pay your bills while you get your résumé out there.”
It would. She got weepy at the thought. “Thanks, Gretchen. You’re an amazing friend.”
“I know. But Hunter’s money helps.” She reached across the table and hugged Taylor. “And you deserve something good to happen. Life’s been crapping on you lately.”
Taylor sniffed hard and rested her head on Gretchen’s shoulder. She was lucky to have friends like Gretchen—irreverent, foul-mouthed, but always supportive.
Maybe after she was done working with Gretchen, the ache of Loch’s betrayal wouldn’t burn like a brand in her chest.
Maybe.
***
One Month Later
“You played like balls, mate. Forget all your moves while over in America?” Roderick jabbed Loch with a friendly elbow as they walked back to the locker room.
“Fuck off,” Loch said with a forced grin. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard something like that since he’d come home. And it was true. He’d played terribly at today’s rugby match. One could argue that he was out of practice but he knew it was more than that.
It was one person in particular that he couldn’t get out of his head.
“Maybe if you showed up again, things’d be all right, hey? Or you just not into playing anymore?” Roderick shot him a curious look. “Haven’t seen you much at all since you got back.”
That was certainly true. He’d returned home thinking he’d go back to his normal life of endless sports, drinking with mates, and enjoying himself. Instead, he’d been moping around his villa. Some days, it was rough just getting out of bed.
And it was all because she hated him. Because he’d been a prick to her and now she thought he’d used her. And maybe he had. He was the bad guy, and he hated it. He hated that he’d hurt her, and he’d lost her.
But all he said was, “Got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
Roderick tugged at the strap on his head guard. “Because of your cousin? Royal baby and all?”
“Mmm.” The royal baby-to-come had been making all the headlines. True to prediction, once the news of Alex and Luke’s upcoming child had made the rounds, all dissent had pretty much dissipated. Now, Alex and Luke were on the cover of every magazine and newspapers, and Royal Baby Watch had officially started, even though Alex was not even three months along. Loch had been home for a few weeks and it had been quiet. All of the attention had focused back on the crown princess and her family, and Loch had been assured that he did not need to marry at all. He could return to his life of leisure and irresponsibility.
Joy.
“So what did you do while you were in the States?” Roderick asked. “You play anything there?”
I met a woman, fell in love, and then broke her heart. “Went to a polo club or two but it wasn’t for me.”
Roderick exclaimed, surprised. “What did you do for the entire month?”
Loch shrugged. He’d been bored for a while, but then . . . he’d found Taylor. And then nothing was boring anymore. Funny how that had worked. Funny how, after coming back, even his old passions were now boring. Everything was boring. Life wasn’t the same without Taylor, and it bloody hurt. “Jogged. Watched movies. Oh, and I played this video game called Excelsior—”
Roderick’s derisive laughter stopped him short. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you? Video games? You? You’re not the type.”
“Oh? What’s the type?” Loch’s temper threatened, but he forced himself to relax. Roderick was just being . . . well, Roderick. A happy-go-lucky, spoiled son of a bitch, but typical Roderick.
“You know,” Roderick said as they walked into the locker room and the humidity of the showers hit like a wall. “Bunch of nerds with glasses and spots.”
Loch’s jaw clenched. That didn’t describe Taylor at all. Sure, she was a self-professed nerd, but he loved that she was so willing to be her own person, so utterly enthusiastic about the things she loved . . .
Including him.
And that made despair stab at him all over again. “Fuck off about all that, Rod.”
“Can’t believe you,” Roderick teased, unaware of Loch’s growing bad mood. “Went to the States for a month and all you did was play video games. You hear that, Toby?” He snapped a towel on another man’s back. “Loch did fuck-all in his trip to the States.”
“Yeah?” Toby turned, rubbing his wet hair with a towel as Loch headed toward his cubby and pulled his gear out. “You tap a lot of American ass? That’s what I’d have done the entire month.” He grinned. “Told ’em all I was a baron of Bellissime and watched their knickers fly right off.”