"With any luck they'll send up a few people from downstairs to give us a hand, otherwise we'll be rushed off our feet until Christmas,"

Angela tuned back in just in time to catch Will's last comment. She smiled.

"With any luck,"

In her head Angela was screaming. She glanced across at the table again to be sure it hadn't been a trick of her mind but there was no mistaking the profile of his face. Angela could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her eyes were clouded over. Just when she thought she would have to explain away the tears that were about to fall on her cheeks the room was called to silence and Christopher Adams stood up to make his speech to his employees.

She couldn't help but look. While Adams held the attention of every other guest, Angela couldn't help but study every detail of the waiter pouring glasses of champagne at a serving table near the doors. Of course he wasn't a teenager anymore, his face had lost some of its softness but even from this distance she could tell he was still very beautiful. He looked odd in his white suit, with his hair pulled back tight into a short pigtail, like he held a grudge against the whole thing. Angela hadn't noticed she was smiling. And when she did she immediately felt guilty. Nothing she had said or done to those boys in university whom she had discarded without reason could compare to her behaviour toward Jordan Catalano. She forced herself to look up at Adams and tried to focus on his speech but she couldn't stop her mind dwelling on other things.

The applause that signalled the end of the speech lasted a little too long to be sincere. Sharon noticed that Angela was not joining in but staring into the centre of the table.

"Angela what's the matter?"

Angela turned to Sharon, who thought she recognised something about the look in her eyes.

"Can we get some air?"

"Sure,"

Angela placed her hand on Will's arm to get his attention. "We're going to get some air,"

Will smiled and nodded as Sharon and Angela made their way toward one of the exits.

They emerged into a corridor and Angela immediately felt calmer knowing there was a solid wall between herself and Jordan. She leant against it as Sharon observed her with concern.

"Did Will say something to you? Did he upset you?"

Angela shook her head slowly.

"Then what?"

"Jordan's in there,"

Sharon looked puzzled for a few moments before Angela's words sunk in.

"Jordan Catalano works for Adams and Vaught?"

"No, for the hotel. He saw me, I think,"

There was silence for at least a minute as Sharon struggled to decide what she should say next and Angela lost herself in her own thoughts. It hadn't ended well with Jordan. Angela forgave him for sleeping with Rayanne and there was an unspoken understanding about the true author of the letter. For about a year their relationship was as near to perfect as Angela could have imagined. The night he took her virginity Jordan was gentle and affectionate, and endearingly nervous to the point where it was actually left to Angela to lead the way to his bedroom. Afterwards they lay together in his bed, their faces close together. He ran his fingers up and down her back and she stroked his face.

"Do you want to leave?" Sharon finally broke the silence.

"I might take a walk outside for a while,"

"Okay,"

"Alone,"

"Oh, sure," Sharon tried to smile but she was worried for her friend. She backed toward the door and disappeared into the function room.

Angela waited until the door had fully closed again. She could feel a slight breeze and guessed a door was open further down the corridor. It was a fire door that opened on to a delivery yard for the hotel. Angela stepped out and breathed in the cool air. She heard muffled voices and noticed a group of the waiters and waitresses from the function room gathered on boxes near another set of doors. Angela stepped back against the wall to conceal herself in the shadow. The group must have been on a break. They had a bottle of champagne that they were passing between themselves and a cheer went up as another white suited employee emerged through the doors brandishing a tray of food.

One of the men stood up and stepped away from the rest. He lit a cigarette and leant against the wall. Angela knew immediately that it was Jordan. The doors opened again and this time a young woman stepped out. She leant over the shoulder of one of her colleagues and snatched the champagne bottle from him, taking a drink before handing it back and laughing. She slapped the man on the back and moved away toward Jordan. Angela held her breath. She could tell by the way the woman walked toward him, combing her hair back with her fingers, that she was about to claim Jordan Catalano as her own. Angela closed her eyes as the woman leant in and kissed him. When she opened her eyes Jordan was holding the woman against him with one hand placed at the base of her back. She took his cigarette and drew deeply on it. As the woman leant in to kiss Jordan again Angela decided she couldn't witness any more and returned inside.

She pulled the door to and leant against the wall of the corridor, closing her eyes and fighting back tears she had no right to shed.

"Angela,"

It was several moments until she dared to open them. When she did her eyes met his.

"You've been gone forever?" Will hadn't been satisfied by Sharon's explanation for her absence and had decided to find Angela himself. "Was the speech that bad? I thought it was quite entertaining,"

"Yeah," Angela smiled but she was embarrassed by how fake it seemed in her minds eye, "I needed some time to recover from his sickening self depreciation,"

Will laughed. "As long as you're okay,"

"I am," she nodded.

"Sure I'm not going to find you slumped in the bar in the early hours?"

"No!" Angela slapped his shoulder. Will grinned and returned to the dinner. Angela watched him go. She went to lean back against the wall as Jordan appeared in the doorway.

"Oh," he hesitated and Angela could tell he was considering just turning around and walking away from her, "what are you doing here?" It probably came out sounding more aggressive than he had intended, though Angela couldn't be sure.

"I'm here for the dinner,"

"Right, I thought I saw in there. I thought it might have been a trick of my mind or something,"

"So you work here?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Nothing,"

Jordan frowned and looked down at the floor. "I gotta take these up there. I mean I can't like stand here talking,"

"Well you should go,"

Jordan hesitated, he kept his eyes lowered as he passed her with a stack of silver trays and disappeared through a service door off the corridor.