“Oh?”
“It just seems like the perfect place to bring a date.”
“I don’t really date.”
She frowned.
“I genuinely wanted you to taste the food, and thought the kitchen was a little…practical. I thought you might be offended.”
Her heart twisted. “Besides, you wanted us to be seen, as opposed to when you’re on your own.”
He hesitated a moment before nodding. “Yes, right.”
“Why don’t you date?” She pushed, because he seemed willing to be open with her and she wasn’t about to squander that opening.
He expelled a rough sight. “What’s the point?”
She tilted her head to the side. “To get to know someone?”
“To what end? I don’t plan on getting married, I don’t want kids. Why waste anyone’s time, given those considerations?”
Something in the region of her heart gave way, so for a moment Skye found it hard to breathe. She lifted her wine glass and took several deep sips before responding. “Because of Clare?”
He met her gaze directly. “That’s part of it, sure.”
But he was evading her again. Skye sighed. “We really don’t have to talk about it.”
Silence fell, punctuated by the swirling of conversations from faraway tables, the din of cutlery on plates, and wine bottles against glasses.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said, eventually. “You’re actually the first person I’ve really felt like I wanted to speak to about it. It’s just hard to know where to start.”
She nodded patiently, because it was clear he was searching for the right words. “You didn’t cheat on her,” Skye prompted gently.
“No.” The response was razor sharp.
“But everyone thinks you did.”
“Yes.”
“So what actually happened?”
“She cheated on me.”
Skye froze, her eyes scanning his face, reading every single detail in his expression. “Are you sure?”
His laugh was just a short bark. “Yes.”
“But—why?”
His smile lacked any humour. “Lots of reasons. I was focused on the company, she felt neglected. We’d known each other a long time, she was bored. She was freaked out about the wedding and all the media attention.”
“Was it a one-time thing?”
“No.”
“So it was an affair?”
“Yes.”