The tables had been rearranged for the late-night crowd; no elegant white table cloths or glittering candles at this hour.
A flash of copper and a sudden burst of bell-like laughter drew her gaze to where Katie was sitting with Lucas. They were snuggled close together, whispering and laughing. Allie hadn’t talked to Katie once since she and Sylvain had broken up.
She decided it was time.
‘Hey,’ she said, setting her tray down on their table.
‘Oh.’ Katie looked at her with the distant hauteur of a Persian cat. ‘It’s you.’
Lucas grinned in his usual amiable way. ‘Hey. How’s it going? Ace news about St John’s Fields.’ He cracked his knuckles. ‘Looks like we’re going out.’
‘Don’t do that.’ Katie cast a pointed glance at his hands.
‘Sorry, babe.’ He dropped his hands.
Rolling her eyes, Allie took a bite of her toasted cheese sandwich and tuned them both out. It was the first hot food she’d eaten all day. It melted in her mouth.
With a glance at his watch, Lucas stood and stretched. ‘I want to track down Zelazny. Find out how this is all going down.’
To Allie’s surprise, Katie responded seriously. ‘Go,’ she said. ‘Do what you need to do.’
He brushed his lips against her cheek and then hurried away.
Allie watched as he walked across the room. His long, loping stride reminded her achingly of Carter.
She dropped her gaze to her plate.
‘I heard about the break-up.’
Katie’s words caught Allie off guard. Her mouth went suddenly dry and the sandwich turned to paste in her mouth.
She swallowed painfully.
‘Where did you hear it from? I haven’t told anyone.’
Katie gave her a pitying look. ‘From Sylvain, of course.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ Allie mumbled. ‘Of course.’
‘I want you to know I never told Sylvain anything.’ The redhead took a prim sip of water. ‘He guessed.’
‘How?’ Her appetite now gone, Allie pushed her plate to one side. ‘How did he guess?’
On some level, she thought she already knew. She could imagine every excruciating second of his thought process. But she was tired and feeling guilty.
She wanted Katie to salt her wounds.
‘The way you were acting he knew something was wrong. You were short-tempered. Distant. Changed.’ She toyed with the label on her water bottle. ‘I didn’t tell him, Allie.’
Allie thought of the look on Sylvain’s face, the knowing, hurt look.
She exhaled. ‘I’m glad he figured it out.’
‘What?’ Katie stared.
‘I wanted to break up with him but I kept bottling it,’ Allie admitted. ‘I don’t know how it would have gone if he hadn’t finally broken up with me. I really care about him, Katie. Despite everything. So I’m glad he knows and he can just, like… move on.’ She held her gaze. ‘Look out for him, OK? I know he won’t want to talk to me but… make sure he takes care of himself. That he doesn’t do anything crazy.’
‘Sylvain would never do anything stupid.’ Katie’s tone was prim, although her expression was surprisingly sympathetic. ‘But don’t worry. I’ll make sure he eats something now and then.’
‘Is he…’ Allie cleared her throat. ‘Is he… OK?’
Katie leaned back in her chair with a sigh. ‘Of course not. He’s devastated. He loved you. But he’ll be fine, Allie. You did the right thing.’
Those were five words Allie never expected to hear Katie Gilmore say. The two of them exchanged a look of quiet understanding.
‘Allie! There you are.’ Rachel ran into the room with Nicole at her side. ‘Isabelle banned us from working. I thought you might be banned, too.’
Rachel’s wavy hair had been clipped back loosely, but curls escaped to frame her heart-shaped face. She looked happy.
The two slid into seats next to Allie.
‘I never thought I’d say this… But I’m tired of those computers.’ Rachel glanced at Nicole who took a bite from a perfectly round apple. ‘I need a break.’
‘Personally, I cannot wait for Raj to come back and tell us we can go get Carter.’ Nicole’s French accent was like a silky blanket over every word. ‘I’m ready to go in today.’ She leaned back, her long hair draped over the back of her chair. ‘I hate waiting.’
With her dark hair, rosy cheeks and creamy pale skin, Nicole had never looked more like Snow White. Her beauty appeared so unconscious – she never seemed to really think about it. But she looked amazing – perfect figure, perfect oval face.
Why did she and Sylvain never get together? Allie found herself wondering, as she had many times before. Why me instead of her?
Nicole swallowed a bite of apple and met Allie’s gaze. ‘I hear you met with Isabelle earlier – does she think we’ll really be able to do it? Will we get Carter back?’
Allie didn’t hesitate. ‘We’re getting him back.’