‘Has something changed since Toby spoke to me this afternoon?’ he prompted interestedly. ‘Have you and the ex-boyfriend managed to patch things up after all? Because if you have—’
‘No, we haven’t managed to “patch things up”,’ she cut in evenly, her frustration increasing by the minute as she felt this situation slipping more and more out of her grasp. ‘And we never will,’ she added firmly. ‘But that does not mean—’
‘You have to go to the dinner with me instead,’ Patrick McGrath finished slowly. ‘Do you have someone else in mind?’
‘No. But—’
‘Then where’s your problem? I was asked; I said yes—’
‘You’re starting to sound like Toby now,’ she interrupted weakly. ‘Mr—Patrick,’ she corrected as he raised his brows in silent rebuke, ‘you can’t seriously want to come to a boring company dinner as my escort!’
‘Why can’t I?’
‘Because it will be boring!’ she assured him heatedly. What was wrong with the man? Couldn’t he see she didn’t want him to go with her?
His mouth twisted into the semblance of a smile. ‘Ellie, I think you underestimate yourself,’ he drawled huskily.
‘I wasn’t—’ She broke off, her cheeks fiery red. ‘Look, Patrick, Toby shouldn’t have told you any of those things about my personal life. Because they are personal. And, quite frankly—’
‘A little embarassing?’ he finished calmly, obviously having taken note of her red cheeks.
A little? This had to be the worst thing Toby had ever done to her. Honest and trustworthy were fine, candid she really needed to discuss with him!
‘Yes, it’s embarrassing.’ Ellie sighed heavily. ‘And, apart from the fact that you value Toby as your employee, I have no idea why you should even have listened to his suggestion, let alone actually contemplated going through with it.’ She was totally exasperated with both men, and she didn’t mind Patrick McGrath knowing it.
His eyes met her gaze unwaveringly for long seconds. ‘Can’t you?’ he finally murmured softly.
Ellie frowned at him. Was that a smile she saw lurking on the edges of those sculptured lips? And was that a faint knowing gleam she detected in the depths of those grey eyes?
She had an instant flashback to that scene in the garden five months ago, of her panicked grab for her top when she realized she was no longer alone, her eyes wide with dismay as she stared across the garden at the stranger standing there watching her with amused grey eyes.
The same amused grey eyes that were looking across the sitting room at her right now!
‘Besides, Ellie,’ Patrick drawled huskily, ‘why should you be the one to feel embarrassed because some man was too much of an idiot to appreciate what he had?’
There was a compliment in there somewhere—if she could only find it.
‘That’s isn’t the reason I feel embarrassed,’ she assured him dismissively. ‘My broken relationship is—was private. I just can’t believe Toby has been so indiscreet as to ask you to be my dinner partner next week.’ She shook her head disgustedly.
‘You were going to ask me yourself?’
‘Of course not,’ she answered impatiently.
What was wrong with these two men? Couldn’t they see that it was humiliating that either of them had thought she was incapable of finding a dinner partner for herself?
‘Well, as I had no idea of the dinner until Toby told me about it, I could hardly have been the one to do the asking,’ Patrick reasoned lightly.
As if he would have asked her anyway; it was obvious he had only agreed to the suggestion now for Toby’s sake.
‘Look, Toby meant well,’ Patrick insisted when he could see she was about to protest once again. ‘He’s—just concerned for your happiness,’ he added evenly.
‘But he has no reason to be,’ she protested. ‘I’m twenty-seven, not twelve.’
His mouth quirked into a teasing smile. ‘I don’t think anyone is disputing your maturity, Ellie,’ he murmured tauntingly.
So he did remember that afternoon in the garden as well as she did!
‘If anything,’ he continued frowningly, ‘it’s the opposite, I think.’
Now it was Ellie’s turn to frown. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Nothing,’ he dismissed abruptly, standing up. ‘And if you’re absolutely sure about not needing an escort next Friday…?’
‘I’m sure,’ she said firmly.
Much as she would have enjoyed sweeping into the restaurant on the arm of this attractive and successful man, if only to see the stunned look on Gareth’s face, she knew that she really couldn’t do it under these circumstances.
‘It isn’t that I’m not grateful.’ She grimaced.
‘Just thanks but no thanks?’ Patrick mused.
‘Yes,’ she sighed.
He nodded. ‘Then I’m obviously wasting our time,’ he added briskly. ‘I trust you’ll explain the situation to Toby when he comes down? Tell him that at least I tried, hmm?’
‘The coffee…’ she reminded him lamely, belatedly realizing she had made no effort to offer to pour him a cup.
He smiled humourlessly. ‘We both know that was just a ploy to keep Toby busy while the two of us talked.’
‘Yes.’ Ellie sighed again, moving to accompany him from the room.
Patrick paused in the open doorway. ‘Don’t be too hard on Toby, hmm?’ he encouraged softly. ‘He feels a certain—responsibility where your happiness is concerned.’
‘I’ll try to bear that in mind,’ she assured him dryly.
‘Ellie…?’
She looked up, her breath catching in her throat as she found herself the focus of Patrick’s McGrath’s enigmatic grey gaze.
He really was the most gorgeous-looking man, she acknowledged weakly. All six foot two inches of him!
‘You know where I am if you should change your mind…’ he told her pointedly.
Yes, he was gorgeous, and there was no doubt that having him as her escort would have salvaged her damaged pride—just as there was no doubt she had no intention of taking him up on his offer!
‘I won’t,’ she assured him with finality.
How could Ellie have known, how could she possibly have guessed, that something disastrous
