No. Nothing was what she’d hoped he meant. “I don’t care anymore. Now let go or I’m going to scream, ‘Why are you hurting me?’” She looked around. La Mer was full of businessmen and socialites. “I swear I will.”
He narrowed his eyes, but released her wrist. The muscles in his jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth.
“Good-bye, Gavin.” She forced the words past the hot lump in her throat and walked out.
* * *
Gavin took a seat at the bar. There was no point in hogging a table alone.
“Hey, where’s Amandine?” Mark said from the other side of the counter. He was wearing a well-fitted white button down shirt and black slacks and for all the world looked like one of the bartenders.
“Left.”
Mark came out and took the stool next to Gavin. “What happened?”
“She walked out on me. Can you believe that? A day after our anniversary.”
Mark winced. “Ouch.” He signaled a real bartender. Two cold bottles of beer appeared.
Gavin glared at the beads of sweat forming on the dark green glass. “I know I screwed up, but it’s maddening she won’t give me a chance to make things right.” He took a long swig. He preferred bourbon, but beer would do.
“Give her some time to cool off.”
“She wants me to talk to her lawyer.”
“Jesus. As in divorce?”
Gavin ground his teeth. “She’s furious. She even blames me for helping Catherine, but what was I supposed to do when she’d totally flipped out?”
“Oh.” Mark’s eyes widened with understanding. “You spent yesterday with Catherine and you told Amandine that?”
“Well…she asked,” he said defensively. He hadn’t wanted to discuss it with Amandine, but he wasn’t going to lie to her about it either. That wasn’t the kind of marriage he wanted.
“Catherine’s your ex.”
“She’s my sister-in-law.”
“You almost married her.”
Gavin winced. Mark knew about his pathetic proposal. “That was years ago, and she chose Jacob. Besides, Amandine’s her cousin and was maid of honor at the wedding.”
“Really? How would you feel if Amandine had spent your anniversary with an ex she almost married?”
The muscles in Gavin’s cheek flexed, and his grip around the bottle tightened.
“You just proved my point,” Mark said and drank his beer.
Silence stretched between them.
“Shit,” Gavin bit out finally.
“Want some advice? Forget Catherine and the family scandal. Focus on Amandine for a while, unless you really don’t care what happens to your marriage.”
“I care.”
“Then spend some time with Amandine and give her something you haven’t given her yet,?
? Mark said. “Like, personal attention. Time alone. That kind of thing.”