I shake my head. It’s exactly why I don’t let him anywhere near my staff.
He heads for the door, already over whatever fascination he had with Wynter. “Call me if there’s any change with Anika,” he says on the way out.
Then he’s gone.
I swirl the ice around in my glass. “How are you finding London?” I ask.
“Lonely,” she says quietly. The look on her face says she regrets being so open instantly. She glances down into her drink. “It’s . . . different. I had my bag snatched the second I stepped out of the tube station. I probably should’ve taken that as a signand gone straight home. Since then, I’ve had nothing but bad luck.”
“It’s a big city,” I say. “Plenty of bad people in it.” I take a sip of my whisky, then look at her. “And Dale can be . . . persistent. You’d be wise not to encourage him.”
Her mouth tightens. “At least he’s nice to me.”
I look at her sharply. “He’s nice because he wants to get into your knickers,” I say flatly.
Colour rushes to her cheeks.
She takes another sip of her drink and pulls a face like she doesn’t like the taste. “What about you?” she asks. “Any girlfriends?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You asked first.”
I exhale through my nose. “I don’t do girlfriends,” I say. “I have a hard time trusting people.”
She arches a brow. “No shit.”
“Language.”
“Sebastian isn’t even here.”
I almost smile at her tone. Silence settles between us again, awkward but not entirely uncomfortable.
Then she asks, “Does Seb like his dad?”
“It’s Sebastian,” I correct automatically. “And why wouldn’t he?”
She sets her drink down and starts to rise, clearly having had enough of my poor conversation and reluctance to tell her anything. Something in my chest tightens. I’m not ready for this to end.
“He’s a dick,” I say before she can leave. “I don’t like the way he treats Anika.”
She slowly sits back down.
I stare into my glass. “We used to do business together. That’s how she met him. I wish I’d never introduced them.”
Wynter’s expression softens. “Everything happens for a reason,” she says gently. “Anika wouldn’t have Sebastian if she hadn’t met him.”
I let out a humourless laugh. “A lot of things wouldn’t have happened if Luke Malone had never walked into our lives.”
“Sebastian’s a lovely kid,” she says. “Very bright.”
Pride stirs in my chest before I can stop it. “Anika’s a great mum.”
“And Luke? Is he good with him?”
I shake my head. “No. He doesn’t spend time with him. He’s got two older kids from before. He thought he was done with parenting by the time Sebastian came along.”
Her brow furrows. “So, why does he want to see him?”