“Apologise and then fuck off.” Declan’s face darkened.
The drunk grinned as though this was a joke. “Hey, Declan, it was just a bit of fun.”
The last thing I needed was a scene of my own making. Well not really my own making. But I’d become the centre of attention.
“Fucking apologise, Derek,” Declan demanded, standing intimidatingly close to the creepy drunk.
A woman next to Derek, and the whole table, for that matter, stopped what they were doing and watched on as though riveted by a gripping drama. I just wished I wasn’t in the starring role.
I wanted to shrivel into a ball and become invisible.
“Look, it’s okay,” I whispered to Declan, barely able to breathe. My eyes welled up, and my throat constricted as I fought off a panic attack.
“No, it’s not okay,” he snapped, glaring at the staggering drunk.
Within a flash, Caroline Lovechilde joined the fray and tugged on her son’s bulging arm.
“He can’t go around touching up the maid and somehow it’s all fine.”
“Darling, come with me.” She looked up at her guests and raised her eyebrows with a forced smile as though to say “boys will be boys.”
She widened her eyes at Derek, who licking his wounds, wore a fabricated apologetic smile.
He turned to me. “Sorry, love, it was just a slip of the hand.”
Love? Really? Arsehole.
I couldn’t resist a sarcastic smirk before hurrying away with the trolley.
Tears burned at the back of my eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was his fondling, or Declan defending me, but I needed a good howl.
Janet approached me. “Are you okay?”
My mouth trembled. It took all my inner strength to avoid an emotional eruption. “I’m fine.”
Her eyes shone with sympathy as though she’d also experienced being touched up by a drunken guest or two in the past. “Take a few minutes off.”
“Thanks.” I hesitated. “Um… I hope I’m not going to lose my job over this.”
She wore a sad smile. “You’ll be all right, love. Just take a breather. It will all calm down. These dinners are famous for outbursts. I’ve seen punch-ups. Arguments. You name it.”
Now that took me by surprise. “Really? In this scene?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe the stuff that goes on in this family.”
As fascinating as that comment was, I was glad to find myself alone in the bathroom, where I plonked myself down on the toilet, buried my face in my hands and cried.
It was more than Derek’s groping. My tears came from all the attention. The fuss and plain old confusion. I also sometimes just cried. There was something releasing about those warm tears, although triggered by pain, I always felt calmer afterwards.
After fixing my face in the mirror, I went into the kitchen for a glass of Coke. I needed some pepping up and just as I emptied my glass, Declan entered.
His eyes landed on mine and held me captive again.