reminded him of a film star—then we’d actually have something in common. I was hoping for Anne Hathaway or Julia Roberts, and not the obvious Vivien Leigh. Even Angelina Jolie would have done, though I’d never quite forgiven her for stealing Brad’s heart. Talking of Brad, was Sean starting to resemble him too? No, he could never be a Brad—a Matthew McConaughey maybe at a push, but never a Brad Pitt.
“Who knows?” Sean continued, still thinking, but his eyes twinkled mischievously. “It could be someone I hate.”
“Thanks a lot.” I took a sip of my own wine. “Talking of people you hate—I’ve been meaning to ask why you and Oscar seem to dislike each other so much.”
“Hmm…Oscar…now there’s a tricky one.”
“Why? He seems OK to me.”
“He is, I guess. He’s been a friend of Ursula’s for years, but we’ve never really seen eye to eye.”
“Why not?”
Sean twiddled the stem of his wine glass around in his fingers. “Like I said—it’s tricky.”
“Come on, Sean, we’ve got all night. And judging by our past conversations, I really don’t think we’re going to have that many subjects in common to last the whole evening.”
Sean grinned. “Now that is very true. OK, I used to go out with Oscar’s sister.”
“Oh, I get it.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“I can guess. You broke her heart, right, and now Oscar can’t forgive you for doing it?”
“No, the other way around actually, she broke mine.”
“Oh.” I felt guilty for judging him. “Oh right. I’m sorry.”
“No need, it’s not your fault she fell for some Yankee bastard.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I sat quietly in the hope Sean would continue.
He didn’t. Instead, he picked up his wine again, and this time drank the glass dry. “More?” he offered, as he held up the bottle from the table and hovered its neck above my glass.
“Just a little,” I said, not wanting him to suffer further rejection.
For the next few minutes we sat in silence. I politely sipped at my wine while glancing surreptitiously at the other diners. Sean’s interest was held solely by the contents of his glass.
“Look, just tell me to bugger off if you want, Sean—and I know you would,” I said, hoping to lighten the moment. I smiled across the table at him, hoping he would see the funny side and smile back. But he didn’t; he just stared down at the tablecloth. So I carried on anyway. It couldn’t get any worse. “But why would Oscar hate you because of that? It wasn’t your fault.”
Sean sighed and placed his glass purposefully back down on the table in front of him.
He was quiet again for what seemed like ages while I watched his face gradually darken until it was so black that I half expected he was going to throw his wine over me and storm out of the restaurant.
“I introduced them,” he said finally, looking up at me, his eyes full of anger. “I bloody well introduced her to him! ”
I didn’t dare say anything, so Sean continued. “Rob was a work colleague of mine. They both did the dirty on me for a couple of months before deciding the only decent thing to do was to continue doing the dirty—but to do it as far away as they possibly could and move to the States. He already had a job to return to, and she had some family over there, so they just upped and left one day. So that’s why Oscar and I don’t see eye to eye. His sister screwed me over, and as far as Oscar’s concerned, I was the cause of her going to live as far away from him as she possibly could.” He paused to reflect on this. “So, Scarlett,” he said, leaning forward and looking me right in the eyes, “now do you see why we’re not best buddies?”
I nodded, this time choosing to return his intense glare.
The waiter appeared at the table and began to serve our meals. While he was doing this, Sean silently downed yet another glass of wine.
“Look, Sean,” I said bravely, when
“Who knows?” Sean continued, still thinking, but his eyes twinkled mischievously. “It could be someone I hate.”
“Thanks a lot.” I took a sip of my own wine. “Talking of people you hate—I’ve been meaning to ask why you and Oscar seem to dislike each other so much.”
“Hmm…Oscar…now there’s a tricky one.”
“Why? He seems OK to me.”
“He is, I guess. He’s been a friend of Ursula’s for years, but we’ve never really seen eye to eye.”
“Why not?”
Sean twiddled the stem of his wine glass around in his fingers. “Like I said—it’s tricky.”
“Come on, Sean, we’ve got all night. And judging by our past conversations, I really don’t think we’re going to have that many subjects in common to last the whole evening.”
Sean grinned. “Now that is very true. OK, I used to go out with Oscar’s sister.”
“Oh, I get it.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“I can guess. You broke her heart, right, and now Oscar can’t forgive you for doing it?”
“No, the other way around actually, she broke mine.”
“Oh.” I felt guilty for judging him. “Oh right. I’m sorry.”
“No need, it’s not your fault she fell for some Yankee bastard.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I sat quietly in the hope Sean would continue.
He didn’t. Instead, he picked up his wine again, and this time drank the glass dry. “More?” he offered, as he held up the bottle from the table and hovered its neck above my glass.
“Just a little,” I said, not wanting him to suffer further rejection.
For the next few minutes we sat in silence. I politely sipped at my wine while glancing surreptitiously at the other diners. Sean’s interest was held solely by the contents of his glass.
“Look, just tell me to bugger off if you want, Sean—and I know you would,” I said, hoping to lighten the moment. I smiled across the table at him, hoping he would see the funny side and smile back. But he didn’t; he just stared down at the tablecloth. So I carried on anyway. It couldn’t get any worse. “But why would Oscar hate you because of that? It wasn’t your fault.”
Sean sighed and placed his glass purposefully back down on the table in front of him.
He was quiet again for what seemed like ages while I watched his face gradually darken until it was so black that I half expected he was going to throw his wine over me and storm out of the restaurant.
“I introduced them,” he said finally, looking up at me, his eyes full of anger. “I bloody well introduced her to him! ”
I didn’t dare say anything, so Sean continued. “Rob was a work colleague of mine. They both did the dirty on me for a couple of months before deciding the only decent thing to do was to continue doing the dirty—but to do it as far away as they possibly could and move to the States. He already had a job to return to, and she had some family over there, so they just upped and left one day. So that’s why Oscar and I don’t see eye to eye. His sister screwed me over, and as far as Oscar’s concerned, I was the cause of her going to live as far away from him as she possibly could.” He paused to reflect on this. “So, Scarlett,” he said, leaning forward and looking me right in the eyes, “now do you see why we’re not best buddies?”
I nodded, this time choosing to return his intense glare.
The waiter appeared at the table and began to serve our meals. While he was doing this, Sean silently downed yet another glass of wine.
“Look, Sean,” I said bravely, when
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