Chapter Fourteen
Faith had known they’d sold a lot of tickets for the dance, but she hadn’t quite expected this amount of people to be packed into the marquee. By the time she’d arrived with Sophie and Dave, the party was in full swing. She couldn’t see Zane yet and she’d decided she wouldn’t go and find him – no matter how much she wanted to. He was going to be busy tonight, but later, she hoped, they’d get that dance he’d mentioned.
She’d bought a new dress for tonight, wanting to impress him. Midnight blue in colour, it fitted closely around her body down to below her hips where it then loosened into floaty folds around her legs.
Lost in watching the crowds of people trying to dance in the limited amount of space available, Faith gasped as she felt arms slide around her waist from behind, lips kissing her neck. Zane. He’d sought her out in the jam-packed marquee anyway.
“Hi, gorgeous.”
At the sound of the voice, she froze and pulled away. “Matt! What are you doing?”
“I’m just saying. You look gorgeous. Sorry, was it too much kissing you like that?”
“Yes, it’s too much and you know it,” she gasped.
He shrugged. “Sometimes I forget we’re not together anymore.”
She was about to reply that Matt should try harder to remember that fact when she spotted Zane. He was on their side of the dance floor, only about ten feet away. Arms folded across his chest. From the expression on his face she knew he’d seen the two of them. He’d seen Matt kissing her neck. Anger and hurt were obvious in his eyes. And there was something else, something she couldn’t quite place, in the look he was giving them both.
In that second she knew why Zane was holding back from taking their relationship from dating to something more serious. It was because of her past relationship with Matt.
Did he think there was still something between the two of them? After he’d witnessed this little scene, she supposed she couldn’t blame him if he did. Zane gave her a look of pure disgust and walked away, pushing his way through the crowd.
Faith made to follow him, but Matt grabbed her hand, pulling her back.
“Leave him.”
She looked at Matt questioningly. “What?”
“Trust me. It’s best to stay out of his way when he’s angry about something.”
“Did you know he was standing there when you kissed me?” She had to ask the question. Was Matt deliberately provoking Zane? If so, why?
Matt shrugged.
“You did know he was there,” she snapped. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
She shook her head, feeling her hands itching to slap him. “What do you think you’re playing at? Zane’s your friend, you’re in business together. You’re risking everything by playing a very dangerous game here, Matt.”
“You know me, ever the risk-taker.” He beamed his trademark sexy smile at her. “I miss you, Faith. We were good together. Maybe there’s a chance we could try again? I know I made a hash of things before, but we were both young and I was an idiot. It would be different this time though. I promise you. I’m all grown up now. How many times can I say I’m sorry for what I did?”
Faith shook her head, stepping away from him. “You don’t need to say you’re sorry because it doesn’t matter anymore. That’s all in the past. Forgotten.”
He brightened and reached for her hands. “So we can try again?”
“NO!!!” Faith cried out in frustration.
“So you haven’t forgiven me then?”
Faith reached up, placing her palms on either side of Matt’s face and forcing him to look her in the eye. “Listen to me. Listen properly. Yes, I have forgiven you. But no, I’m not interested in us in that way anymore. I just want to be friends. I’m with Zane. You, Zane and I all have to work together. This is a small community. I don’t want any awkwardness between us.”
“So you’re not interested in me?”
“As hard as it may be for your ego to understand, no, I’m not.” Despite her annoyance she found herself laughing. “Anyway, you could have your pick of any woman. And you know it. I’ve seen the way you flirt with everyone, you can’t help yourself. You don’t want me, Matt. It’s just the challenge you’re interested in.”
“You’re wrong.” He shook his head. “I still have feelings for you.”
“No you don’t.”
“When I see you and Zane together it drives me crazy. Yeah I admit he’s a genuinely good guy and all that, and at the risk of sounding all girlie I love him like a brother, but what really annoys me is that he’s got you.”
Faith held her hands up to silence him. “Stop it, Matt. It’s just the drink talking. And bruised male pride.”
“I swear I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol today. This whole festival, including this dance, is about all about promoting Carrdale. I may have my faults but I take my work seriously, and Zane and I have put everything we’ve got into this Centre. We’re both pretty determined characters and we will make a success of it.”
“I’m glad you’re both on the same side when it comes to the Centre, and I believe you when you say you’re committed to your work. But surely you can see that behaving the way you just did could ruin your and Zane’s chances with the Centre. If you cause trouble, you’re not going to be able to work together. Just back off, Matt. Back off and leave Zane and me alone.”
“We love the idea of getting married outdoors, don’t we?” the woman gushed at her fiancé as Faith took a business card from her bag and pressed it into the woman’s hands. What was it with couples wanting to get married at Carrdale? It was bad enough that she was surrounded by lovey-dovey couples smooching on the dance floor, but when she’d tried to escape from them and had been standing chatting at the bar with Dave and Sophie, this other couple had overheard that they were involved with the Centre and had started talking about their hopes to get married at Carrdale.
Was this the same couple Zane had been talking about earlier, she wondered, or another one? She gave them the business card and beat a hasty retreat. She’d slipped a handful of the cards into her bag at the last minute when she’d left the flat. Right now she might be annoyed with Zane for storming off like that, but she still wanted to help him make a success of the Centre.
She hadn’t spoken to Zane all evening. He’d kept himself busy chatting to people, sorting drinks for them and networking. Clearly he was avoiding her. She’d prepared herself for the time she would see him on the dance floor with another woman, but thankfully that moment never came. She felt pretty sure he would have had offers to dance, but if he had then he’d obviously declined them.
As a slow Norah Jones track filled the air, Faith spotted him standing near the entrance to the marquee. He was staring outside, his hands in his pockets. He was alone for the first time. Now was her opportunity. OK, she had to do this. Go over there and explain what he’d seen between her and Matt. She had to make it clear that she wasn’t interested in Matt.
“I’ve saved you that dance you asked for.” Faith slipped her arm into his and looked up at him questioningly.
Without saying a word he pulled his hand from his pocket and grabbed her own, but he didn’t lead her to the dance floor as she’d hoped. Instead, he led her outside into the dark night. A thin crescent moon was playing dodge with the clouds and she spotted a sprinkling of stars over the mountains. Where was he taking her? She couldn’t dance outside on the grass, she thought, as she stumbled along. Not in these heels.
At the back of the main marquee she spotted the smaller one they’d been using for some of the other talks and shows taking place during the festival weekend. Pushing the tent flap out of the way he led her inside.
“I’m sorry, Zane. But it wasn’t what you thought.”
She was eager to get the words out. She needed to make him understand and wanted him to stop looking at her with such anger in his eyes.
“I swear. Matt was just kidding around. You know what he’s like. There’s nothing going on between us. Please believe me.”
When he still didn’t say anything, Faith reached for his hand and tried to get him to look at her.
“Zane please. It’s the truth. That’s all ancient history. What you saw was Matt just being Matt. You know he’s a flirt, he can’t help himself. I’m not interested in him.”
Zane still said nothing.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, Faith exploded.
“Well say something then! Shout at me if you want to. I shouldn’t have let him kiss me, I know that, but when he came up behind me and grabbed me like that, I honestly thought it was you.”
“I don’t want to play games, Faith.”
“Neither do I. Look, I don’t do things like that, you know it’s not my style. Matt is just trying to stir things up. I’ve told him to back off. I know this is really difficult because of the Centre and you two working together and being friends, and that’s why I don’t want to make a big deal out of Matt and his stupid flirting, I’m just laughing it off. I don’t want an atmosphere between you two.”
“It’s too late for that.”
Faith sighed in frustration.
“What do you want me to do, Zane? Just tell me. How can I convince you there’s nothing between me and Matt? Why can’t you trust me?”
“It’s not as simple as that,” he muttered.
Her patience snapped. She stepped forward and put both hands on his chest, catching him off guard, she pushed him back to one of the tables, kissing him hard as she did so. At first he seemed surprised, then started kissing her back, as they both tumbled against the table he pulled her to him, the kisses changing in seconds from uncertain to hungry. The raw passion between them at that moment took Faith’s breath away.
“No. Faith we...”
Faith’s heart sank at his words. She looked up at him, half of his shirt undone, his tie loose, his hair dishevelled, what looked like genuine anguish in his eyes.
He shook his head. “I’m crazy about you, Faith. But, sorry, right now I just need some space.”
Faith swallowed, feeling nauseous, she looked away, tidying herself up as he started to do the same. She knew she shouldn’t have tried to push him. Obviously he had some issue with their relationship. And no matter what she did or said, he wasn’t going to change his mind. Not yet anyway. Maybe never.
“Are you OK?” he asked. His voice was so quiet that she struggled to hear him above the music drifting through the night from the other tent.
“Fine,” Faith lied, trying to retain a tiny shred of dignity.
“I’m sorry,” he said, tucking in his shirt. “I didn’t want it to be like this between us.
I think it’s best if I go, and get back to the marquee.”
Once he was through the door of the marquee Faith let the threatened tide of nausea sweep over her. Had Matt been telling the truth about Zane being the good guy? Because right now, she was beginning to wonder. Maybe Matt didn’t know Zane that well after all.
Maybe she didn’t know him that well either. Clearly he had issues when it came to relationships. Whether that was just with her, thanks to her history with Matt, or whether it went deeper than that, she didn’t know. She remembered their conversation weeks before when he’d said he’d seen too many people get badly hurt in relationships.
Had he been one of those people?
If so, who was the woman who had hurt him? And what had happened?
If he wouldn’t open up to her, trust her, then she might never get to find out the answers. Was it some deep hurt that made him do that, or had she got it all wrong?