One Little White Lie

by Loretta Hill

‘She’s with another girl,’ Tom grinned. ‘That’s good. One for me.’

  ‘No way. You’re not saying anything,’ Henry protested. ‘If you open your mouth, it’ll just convince them we’re both sleaze-bags.’

  Tom spread his hands. ‘Honesty’s the best policy.’

  ‘Oh be quiet,’ Henry threw over his shoulder as he spun back to see his vision in red and black leaving first the table and then the alfresco area. She was walking down the brick paved path to the exit, her sexy hips swaying invitingly at him like a beacon bobbing in the waves.

  ‘She’s leaving.’ Henry punched Tom’s arm. ‘Quick.’

  They started down the path just as Henry’s dream girl left the club. He quickened his pace. Of all the dumb things to do, he berated himself. Why hadn’t he acted sooner? He had wasted precious time telling Tom off. As they passed through the gate and into the street, Henry glanced from left to right trying to locate the girl. To his dismay, he saw her hop straight into a taxi and shut the door. He broke into a run just as the cab took off.

  ‘Damn!’ he panted when he reached the kerb where the taxi had been parked just seconds earlier.

  ‘Not to worry,’ Tom came up behind him. ‘Plenty of fish in the sea. Shall we go back for the other?’

  Henry shook his head. ‘You don’t understand. That was my fish.’

  ‘You don’t even know her.’

  ‘I don’t care. Don’t ask me how I know, but I do. She is my fish and she’s not going to be the one that got away.’

  Tom slapped his hand to his head. ‘You’re not going to go all philosophical on me again.’

  ‘No,’ Henry assured him. ‘We don’t have time.’ He turned back towards the club.

  ‘What do you intend to do now?’ Tom followed him warily.

  ‘I’m going to speak to her friend and find out who she is.’

  ‘She’s going to think you’re a psycho.’

  ‘It’s a chance I’m willing to take.’

  ‘Writers. Not everything has to be this dramatic, you know.’

  ‘Are you with me or not?’ Henry stopped and glanced sharply at Tom.

  ‘Fine.’ Tom held up his hands defensively. ‘I’m with you.’ Satisfied, Henry turned and started walking back to the alfresco bar.

  The truth was, Henry didn’t care whether Tom was on board or not. In that sweet, dazzling face, he’d seen his redemption. He was a man with a goal. At this point, no one was going to hold him back.

  Luckily, the girlfriend was still seated at the table outside. She had her phone out and it looked like she was messaging someone.

  Henry approached the table. He’d never been one for subtleties. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, ‘could I talk to you for a second?’

  The girl lifted her eyes from her phone. They flickered over him in surprise mixed with admiration. He held out his hand. ‘I’m Henry and this is Tom.’

  With resignation that was barely concealed, Tom reached out to shake the girl’s hand.

  ‘My name is Lisa. But, er …’ She cocked her head to one side and winced apologetically at Henry. ‘I have a boyfriend, fiancé actually, and he’s –’

  ‘Oh,’ Henry made haste to reassure her, ‘we’re not trying to pick you up.’

  ‘You’re not?’ There was a note of pique in her voice. Her eyes darted from one to the other before she put her phone down on the table. ‘So what do you want then?’

  Tom waved his hand at Henry in a gesture to follow through. ‘Go ahead, we both know you’re going to.’

  ‘Going to what?’ Lisa asked.

  ‘Make a fool of himself.’ Tom smiled slightly at her.

  ‘The thing is,’ Henry resolutely ignored him, ‘I saw your friend earlier, you know, the woman who just left?’

  ‘Kate?’ Lisa queried.

  ‘Kate.’ Henry repeated the name, savouring the taste of it on his lips. It was a lovely name. And it suited his blonde beauty just wonderfully. It was like the sign that confirmed it all.

  He felt the sharp point of Tom’s elbow in his ribs and was immediately jolted back to reality. He coughed. ‘So I was saying … er … can we sit?’ He pointed to the vacant chairs at Lisa’s table. After a moment’s hesitation she nodded.

  Henry and his brother folded themselves into the chairs. Henry was relieved when Tom said nothing but simply waited for him to speak. He clasped his hands on the table and chose his words carefully. He didn’t want this woman to think he was crazy, or worse, a bit of a stalker.

  ‘Do you think you might be able to introduce me to Kate?’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I think I’d like to ask her out.’

  Lisa seemed to look excited and disappointed at the same time. ‘I just promised Kate I wasn’t going to set her up with anyone ever again.’

  Henry felt his stubbornness kicking in. ‘But I’m not just anyone. I’m …’

  He stopped. What was he going to do? Give her a catalogue of his attributes, including his famous name, large bank balance and achievements to date. Hadn’t he just decided he wanted to be liked for himself and not for his money? That was not the foot he wanted to put forward with this girl. Before he could think of something else to say that didn’t sound completely arrogant – like, ‘I could be the one’ – he noticed that Lisa was cupping her chin and looking at him strangely.

  ‘Now that you’ve mentioned it,’ she drawled. ‘You really aren’t just anyone, are you? You’re fate.’

  ‘I’m what?’

  ‘He’s what?’ Tom seemed to surface from a reverie.

  Lisa lifted her hand to point as she spoke. ‘That hair, those eyes, that puppy-dog smile. You’re perfect.’

  ‘I am?’

  ‘He is?’ Tom seemed astonished. ‘On what basis?’

  ‘Does it matter?’ Henry nudged him in the ribs. ‘If Lisa here will give me an introduction, who are we to argue?’

  ‘Oh, I’ll give you an introduction,’ Lisa confirmed, a mischievous smile curving her mouth. ‘If you’re willing to do things my way.’

  CHAPTER 3

  Two weeks later

  Kate paused on the threshold of the stylish function room.

  This is why you never lie.

  She chewed pensively on her lower lip as she surveyed the guests at Lisa and Andrew’s engagement party. They milled about on the plush carpet, sipping champagne from long flutes, laughing and joking with one another as though they couldn’t feel the raging turmoil radiating from her person.

  And so they shouldn’t. Kate lifted her chin cynically. After all, she had gone to so much trouble to create the façade of a beautiful, confident woman who had everything going for her – even to the extent of creating a fabulous, tender-hearted boyfriend whose only fault was that he was perpetually unavailable.

  The fact was, she should be pleased that her friends suspected nothing.

  Flattered that they were all so happy for her.

  Satisfied that Lisa hadn’t tried to set her up with anyone for two weeks …

  Yet, Kate cringed, ever since she had updated her Facebook status from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’ life had become ever so exhausting.

  A lie was never just a lie. And this one had taken on a life of its own. She felt like she was constantly looking over her shoulder, constantly fielding questions. Apart from the fact that all this lying made her feel like such a terrible person.

  Who does this?

  She had been hoping that after their conversation at the club, Lisa would just accept the story and stop talking about it. But no, every time they caught up it was: ‘How’s your boyfriend? You still haven’t told me his name. When are you going to introduce us? Are you seeing him this weekend?’

  Her best friend’s enthusiasm was relentless and, what was worse, she’d spread it around to everyone in their circle. This led to more lies. Kate had a story for almost everything.

  Except his name.

  She had managed to avoid conjuring that at least. Making one up s
eemed more deceitful than all the rest – like breathing real life into her imaginary boyfriend and giving him an identity that was no longer vague. She couldn’t do it.

  So she countered this question by simply saying she didn’t want to say who he was until she was sure he’d be sticking around for a while.

  ‘Why, is it someone we know?’ Lisa had pounced back.

  Kate immediately denied it but soon everybody in their circle was speculating. She figured that’s how the news got back to her mother.

  Why oh why had she ever opened her big mouth? Now she had her mother in her ear as well.

  ‘When can I meet him, darling?’

  ‘You should bring him round for dinner.’

  ‘I’m so glad you’ve finally come out of your shell again.’

  Oh, for goodness sake, did anyone keep a still tongue in their head these days?

  She wasn’t cut out for all this ducking and weaving, apart from the fact that she was turning into a colossal fraud, which was far worse than avoiding a few blind dates.

  That was why, after much consideration, she had come to a decision.

  Tonight she was telling everyone that she wasn’t seeing him anymore. Hell, she would say she got dumped if she needed to. Better to face Lisa going back to the match-making than to turn into this deceitful person who had to lie to all her friends all the time.

  Kate smoothed her dress over her hips and gave her hair one last self-conscious pat. She had piled her blonde curls loosely on the top of her head. The cocktail dress she wore with the elegant hairstyle was a rich blue. It suited her skin and her eyes, but the main reason she had bought it was to give herself some confidence. Something she desperately needed to pull this night off.

  A couple of days ago, Lisa had made her promise to bring ‘her boyfriend’ to the engagement party. Now she was not only going to have to make his excuses but say they’d broken it off into the bargain. It was just one last fib to get her through the night and then she was free of this ridiculous charade.

  ‘Kate! You’re here!’

  Let the games begin.

  She turned to see who was approaching her. Casey detached herself from the crowd and moved across the room.

  ‘You look like you need a glass of wine,’ her friend grinned.

  More like a shot of whisky.

  Kate allowed a sanguine smile to curl her lips. ‘Hi, Case, how are you going?’ She was pleased to hear that her voice held no hint of her agitation.

  ‘Great.’ The brunette gushed, grabbing a glass of wine from a passing tray and shoving it into Kate’s hands. ‘Such a good party. They really chose this venue well, didn’t they?’

  ‘Yeah, they did.’

  ‘You should see them,’ Casey laughed. ‘Andrew can’t stop blushing. They’re so cute together. Such a perfect couple.’

  ‘They sure are.’ Kate sipped her wine, hoping it would calm her nerves.

  Casey lowered her chin in a confiding manner. ‘Speaking of couples, a little birdy told me you were finally introducing us all to your boyfriend tonight.’

  Somebody needs to clip that birdy’s wings.

  ‘So,’ Casey looked inquiringly at the empty space behind her as though expecting something to appear there any second, ‘where is he?’

  ‘He, er … isn’t coming after all.’ Kate took another gulp of wine just for courage.

  ‘Really?’ Casey wrinkled her nose. ‘Lisa said he’d be here for sure. Everyone’s so excited to meet him.’

  Kate couldn’t help but be a little impatient. Was it really that important?

  Honestly.

  All they wanted was a good gossip.

  Look at Kate, she’s finally got over her fear of dating. Let’s all check out this new guy she’s with. Is he for real or just a fling?

  And Mark, ha!

  No doubt they all wanted to watch his reaction too.

  Yes, that’s right, your ex has finally moved on. How does that make you feel?

  Between the two of them they were an episode of Big Brother.

  She had been hoping that Mark wouldn’t be able to make it to this engagement party but it was doubtful that he would do anything that convenient for her. No, he would be here at the party to witness her humiliation along with everyone else.

  Yay me!

  ‘Dying to meet who?’ Another girl joined them, breaking Kate’s thoughts. She was a curly haired, petite woman called Maxine. Maxine and Lisa had been in the same class at university and over the years Kate had got to know her as well.

  ‘Kate’s new guy.’ Casey pouted. ‘Apparently, he’s not coming after all.’

  Maxine shook her head with a grin. ‘That can’t be right considering I just met him.’ She winked at Kate. ‘Well done, girl, he’s hot!’

  Kate choked on her wine, spluttering so hard that one of her friends grabbed a napkin from a passing tray and handed it to her.

  ‘You OK?’

  ‘Fine.’ She dabbed nervously at her mouth as her heart did little somersaults. ‘I’m sorry,’ she turned back to Maxine, ‘did you say, you just met him?’

  Maxine nodded. ‘He’s got a real sincere quality about him. You did good, sweetie. If I had to lay bets, I’d say he’s a keeper.’

  Casey clapped her hands at the good news. ‘Oh, excellent. So I suppose that means I’ll get to meet him later.’

  Have I just stepped into the Twilight Zone?

  ‘Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?’ Kate’s gaze remained fixed on Maxine. ‘He said he wasn’t coming.’

  ‘Maybe he wanted to surprise you.’ Maxine swatted her playfully.

  She bit her lip, trying to rein in her reeling mind. ‘Whereabouts did you see my, er … boyfriend?’

  ‘At the bar,’ Maxine informed her airily.

  Kate’s gaze flew directly there. There were a lot of people crowded around the long black counter. The bar staff were clearly run off their feet, whizzing up and down, laying glasses on coasters. She recognised none of the guests ordering cocktails and sipping their drinks. Not that she was expecting to recognise anyone or anything.

  OK, just stay calm. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

  ‘See him?’ Maxine said in her ear.

  Kate cleared her throat. ‘Actually I’m a bit confused because it’s literally impossible for him to be here.’

  Before Maxine could respond, their little circle was hailed by another woman who was gesturing at a pin-up board someone had erected across the room. It was obvious she wanted them all to come and check out the collage of photos Lisa’s sister had put together of the happy couple.

  ‘Shall we head over?’ Casey asked.

  ‘You guys go.’ Kate shook her head and drained her wine glass. ‘I’m going to get myself another drink.’

  ‘At the bar, no doubt,’ Maxine said archly. ‘Of course, girl, you go find your man.’

  Kate sighed with relief as her two friends moved away in the direction of the board. What kind of rumours was Lisa circulating? They must be really something if they were actually making people see things.

  Even as the thought entered her head, a face in the crowd caught her attention – a handsome, charismatic face with curly brown hair and big brown eyes, gazing at her so intently it raised goosebumps on her skin. Her own gaze, which had been passing casually across the other guests, stopped and darted back.

  But her reflexes were a second too late.

  The crowd had closed over the man, who had been staring at her like he knew her.

  Like he could read her mind.

  Stop being ridiculous!

  Once again, she scanned the crowd by the bar looking for a face that couldn’t possibly be there – a face that didn’t really exist. She had made that description up that night at the club when Lisa had asked her for details.

  It had been easier to come up with than she’d expected.

  Maybe because every girl has a fantasy man lurking somewhere in the depths of her subconsciou
s that she brings out whenever the occasion demands it. She could still hear the dreaminess of her voice when she’d described him to Lisa – her perfect man.

  ‘He’s tall, muscled but not bulky, and tanned, yes, fairly tanned. He’s got a gorgeous smile and curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. Eyes that are so easy to get lost in.’

  Now Kate veiled her own eyes in mortification. How could she have been so brazen? For one small moment she had lived her own fantasy.

  Normally day dreaming wasn’t a problem. But then usually she didn’t do it out loud. It was unfortunate that what should have stayed in her head had spilled out of her mouth.

  She took a breath for courage and opened her eyes. A large group of guys had just arrived at the bar and were now ordering a round of drinks. She clenched her fists.

  OK, get it together.

  This was Andrew and Lisa’s engagement party and she was head bridesmaid. She should be doing a lot of chatting and smiling, not cowering in a corner. Instinctively her spine lengthened. She was going to enjoy this party, support Lisa and Andrew and somehow slip into the conversation at the earliest opportunity that her imaginary boyfriend was no longer in the picture.

  What about the fact that Maxine thinks she’s spoken to him?

  She banished the ridiculous question.

  It was obviously a mistake, so nothing for her to worry about. Kicking off her cares, she went in search of Lisa.

  Her friend wasn’t in the main room or by the bar so she decided to go out onto the large balcony to see if Lisa and Andrew were talking to guests out there. There were three glass double doors leading onto this open area. She stepped through the middle one, breathing in the balmy harbour air with gratitude. It was lovely outside, calming in fact. Kate felt herself relax, taking in the panoramic views of Sydney’s Circular Quay.

  She spotted Lisa huddled in a group of chatting guests. The bride was wearing a gorgeous pale pink strapless dress. Lisa had her back to her and was talking animatedly. Kate felt her spirits rise. This was a happy occasion. She should stop being so paranoid and just enjoy it. With a lighter step she moved across the balcony to the tightly knit circle of people.

  ‘Hey, it’s your favourite bridesmaid.’ She touched her best friend’s shoulder.