‘Great.’
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.
‘I’m a friend of Helena’s.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘No, well, we worked together on a film recently and got on.’
‘Oh, really,’ asked Zoe. ‘Which one?’
She named a film that had been a box office number one hit and Zoe wished she hadn’t asked.
‘You’ve done well,’ said Dan with a smile that didn’t wholly reach his eyes.
‘I’ve been lucky. I hear you’ve done well too.’
‘I’ve worked hard.’
And then they lapsed into a tense little silence that even with all her years of people watching and body language learning Zoe didn’t have a clue how to fill. Nor, it seemed did anyone else.
‘Well, this is awkward,’ said Natalie, her laugh now a bit shaky. ‘Look, I’m sorry, I should never have come over. I just wanted to see how you were, Dan. You know, after everything.’
Dan arched an eyebrow. ‘Nat, it’s been eight years.’
‘I know, but I have thought about you. About...well, you know...what happened...’
He shrugged. ‘Forget it.’
‘I’m sorry I...ah...went about things the way I did...’
‘Don’t worry about it. It’s all water under the bridge.’
‘Really?’
‘Really.’
‘Good.’ Natalie let out a sigh of what sounded like relief and smiled. ‘Well, it’s lovely to have met you,’ she said to Zoe. ‘I guess I’d better get back to my friends.’
And then she swept off.
* * *
Well, that blast from the past hadn’t actually been as unpleasant as he’d envisaged, thought Dan, watching Natalie rejoin the group she’d left to come and say hello and feeling faintly bemused by his surprisingly indifferent reaction to her.
Seeing her after all this time had initially been something of a shock, but actually once she’d come over and they’d started talking all he’d really been able to focus on was Zoe. Standing beside him. Pressing against him. Bristling on his behalf.
And it was kind of reassuring, heart-warming, nice. More than nice actually...
‘So that was the woman who broke your heart,’ Zoe murmured, pressing closer and bristling marginally less than she had been five minutes ago.
‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say that,’ he said evenly, suddenly realising it was true. ‘With hindsight I don’t think my heart was ever actually involved.’
‘She’s beautiful, and you know, even though it pains me to admit it, she actually seemed quite nice.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘Hmm.’
‘And it looks like she regrets what she did to you.’