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Again, he nodded. A few moments passed before I finally stepped away.
“See you later, yeah?” I said just as Jonathan appeared in the doorway.
“Maggie, are you ready to head to lunch?” he asked, glancing from me to Shay.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, of course. This is my boyfriend, Shay,” I said, introducing them and realising it was the first time I’d referred to Shay as my boyfriend to another person. His look told me he approved of the new title as he stepped forward to shake Jonathan’s hand.
“Ah, great to meet you, Shay,” Jonathan said, and Shay nodded, though his expression was somewhat guarded. I sensed he hadn’t made his mind up about Jonathan yet, which was understandable because I hadn’t exactly made my mind up about him either.
A small moment of silence fell as Jonathan waited for Shay to respond, and my brain kicked into gear as I explained. “Um, Shay is mute. He uses sign language, mainly.”
“I see,” Jonathan replied while Shay continued eyeing him with mistrust. Jonathan glanced back to me. “I’ll meet you out front,” he said, dipping his head to Shay and then leaving.
“I don’t know about that bloke,” Shay typed. “Should I come with you?”
I placed a hand on his forearm. “I’ll be fine. We’re only going to a café nearby.”
Shay’s eyes went to my hand, before lifting to meet my gaze. He studied me a moment, then exhaled. “I’ll stop by and drive you to your cleaning shift later, okay?”
Again, I was touched by the offer. “Sure, see you then.”
Leaning forward, he whispered his lips over my cheek, causing my pulse to elevate, and then he left. I stood in the office for a few seconds to gather myself before grabbing my coat and going out to meet Jonathan. My half-brother eyed me speculatively as I approached.
“Your boyfriend isn’t a fan of mine,” he said when I reached him.
“He doesn’t know you, so he’s reasonably suspicious.”
Jonathan held the door open, and we walked across the street towards the fancy French café Therese booked us a table at. “He’s also heard you’re a ruthless employer,” I went on. “So, he’s reserving judgement right now.” I cast him a glance. “As am I.”
Jonathan’s lips twitched, almost like he was proud of the label. “And where exactly has he heard this?”
“We were both informed by a mutual acquaintance,” I replied, deciding it was best not to throw Rhys under the bus in case he and Jonathan happened to cross paths in the future.
“Well, I run a tight ship. I won’t apologise for that. If the thievery of my previous building manager taught me anything, it’s not to give second chances,” he said as we entered the café, and the waiter, seeming to recognise Jonathan, immediately led us to a spacious table with a view by the window.
“So, your boyfriend is mute. How does it work between the two of you? Do you know sign language?” Jonathan asked after we were seated.
I blew out a small breath. “I’m learning. It’s going to take time. Right now, we mostly use an app that translates his text into speech.”
“That’s convenient. There really is an app for everything these days.”
“Seems so, yes.”
“How long have you been together?”
I worried my lip, glancing out the window at the people passing by. “Not long. We’re very new, actually. And things haven’t been smooth so far.”
Jonathan’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?”
Frowning, I took a sip from the glass of water the waiter filled before answering, “Yesterday, his best friend got drunk and confessed to having slept with Shay’s ex-girlfriend while they were still together. It happened over a year ago, but because his friend was drunk, he didn’t relay the information very clearly, which resulted in Shay misinterpreting the whole thing and thinking I might be the one his best friend slept with.”
“Ah, so he wrongly accused you?”
“Correct,” I said, sighing, surprised by how much I’d revealed to Jonathan. There was a connection with him I hadn’t noticed before. A certain easiness. Maybe it was a familial thing, but for some reason, I felt comfortable telling him stuff. “Anyway, I can understand how he got it all mixed up, but I haven’t entirely forgiven him yet. That’s why he was at the office just now. He wanted to take me to an apology lunch, but I already had plans with you, so …” I trailed off, my attention wandering to the menu. The prices were steep, but since I was now earning a lot more money, I could afford to splash out.
“Don’t be too hard on him. Speaking as someone who has experience of being cheated on, it can create a certain … paranoia,” Jonathan said.
“Really? Someone cheated on you?” I asked, disbelieving. Not only was Jonathan an attractive guy, but he was also rich. It went to show that no matter how much of a catch you might be on paper, it still didn’t mean your relationships would be smooth sailing.
