One Little White Lie

by Loretta Hill

  Lisa turned around and gasped excitedly when she saw her. ‘I thought you’d never get here. Where have you been?’

  Kate lifted her glass and clicked Lisa’s. ‘In hair and make-up, I wanted to look my best for the occasion.’ She planted a kiss on Lisa’s cheek.

  The bride-to-be stepped away from the group and slipped her arm through Kate’s, pulling her aside. ‘Have you run into Mark yet?’ she asked in a low voice.

  ‘Not yet,’ Kate pulled a face. ‘God willing he’ll get food poisoning or something and not show tonight.’

  ‘God willing,’ Lisa blew on her fringe. ‘Unfortunately, Andrew said that Sophia confirmed at work today that they would both definitely be here.’

  Kate sighed at the gentle reminder of why they had to put up with Mark. He was now married to Andrew’s boss. Andrew was an accountant. His boss was a partner in the firm he worked for and wanted to buy into some day. To build relations he’d started socializing with Sophia years ago – back when Kate and Mark had still been together. In fact, it had been Kate who had introduced Mark to Sophia when they’d all gone out for drinks one night. What a naive fool she’d been.

  She squeezed Lisa’s hand. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll just ignore him.’

  Lisa frowned, scanning her face. ‘I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have invited them.’

  Kate looked at her with real gratitude. Despite the fact that Lisa had perfected the art of being a pain in the arse, she also knew how to be a true friend.

  ‘And ruin Andrew’s career opportunities?’ Kate squared her shoulders. ‘It’s been two years, I can share a room with the bastard without choking up.’

  ‘Well,’ Lisa looked away as though scoping the room for a missing person, ‘I’m glad your boyfriend will be here tonight. He’ll keep you safely away from that piece of garbage.’

  Kate froze. ‘Lisa, about that –’

  To her chagrin, she was cut off mid-sentence by Lisa’s sister, Chloe, who unceremoniously joined their group, throwing her arms across Kate’s shoulders.

  ‘Hello, Kate. We need to talk … in private.’

  Before Kate could protest, Chloe had sent Lisa away. Her fellow bridesmaid wanted to discuss hen party venues. Apparently, if you wanted to get anywhere good you needed to book way in advance. It was clear Lisa’s sister was thinking of a full-day extravaganza. At any other time, Kate would have shared her views and dived enthusiastically into a discussion about hiring a pole-dancing instructor just for laughs. But tonight, she really just wanted to get the whole imaginary boyfriend and breakup off her chest before she lost her nerve.

  After agreeing with everything Chloe said, she left the balcony to try to find Lisa again. When she didn’t locate her immediately she stopped by the board of photos she had missed earlier.

  Chloe had indeed out-done herself. The collage was actually more of a timeline. It started off with two separate streams of baby photos, school photos, and university shots. The streams, one for Andrew and one for Lisa, then amalgamated into a single one after Andrew and Lisa met. This stream contained photos of them on holiday, at various functions, their home and Christmas photos with the family. It was a love story at a glance. Kate sighed sentimentally. This is what happened when things turned out right. She should be so lucky.

  ‘Hello, Kate.’

  A low and all too familiar baritone interrupted the happy moment. Kate turned around slowly.

  ‘Mark.’ Her voice came out painfully flat as though in a single second all the joy of the moments before had been sucked out of her.

  ‘You look great.’ He raised his glass to her in a silent toast.

  ‘Thanks.’

  She took in the familiar wavy blonde hair and steel blue eyes. Mark was a good-looking man. But he knew it. She certainly didn’t need to return the compliment. In fact, she owed him less than nothing.

  After wasting three years of her life on him she wasn’t about to give him another minute.

  ‘So how’s the PhD going? Have you finished it yet?’

  It was hard not to take this comment as a dig. When they’d been together he’d always made her feel like the little guy. The one who was reliant on him, the breadwinner, the earner. The one who supported her so that she could get through university. The first thing he’d thrown back at her when she’d rebuked him for his cheating ways was that she owed him!

  Owed him what?

  A blind eye?

  A tolerant attitude?

  Was the price of his support an open relationship? She thought he loved her … exclusively. When he argued that he did, she realised they were both delusional.

  Silly, silly Kate.

  She tossed her head and met his eyes squarely. ‘I’ll be finished in a few months.’

  ‘Didn’t you say that a few months ago?’

  But she wasn’t going to rise to the bait, particularly in front of his wife. ‘Hi, Sophia.’ She turned her head to focus on the woman on his arm. ‘How are you?’ Better to spend her time buttering up Andrew’s future business partner than fighting with her ex. To cut Sophia some slack, she hadn’t started dating Mark till he and Kate had broken up … Actually, Kate had no idea whether Mark had been seeing her while they were dating or not, and didn’t care to ask. In any event, they seemed to be well suited to one another. Sophia was a successful, independent businesswoman. Kate had a feeling that when it came to relationships, Sophia and Mark might be cut from the same cloth.

  ‘I’m very good, thank you,’ Sophia smiled at her. ‘How’s the wedding planning going? Have the bridesmaids got their dresses all picked out?’

  ‘Not yet,’ Kate replied, wracking her brain for an excuse to leave the circle. Then over Sophia’s shoulder she saw Lisa detach herself from a group of people and hurry over.

  Thank God!

  Her best friend was going to perform a rescue.

  ‘There you are!’ Lisa clasped Kate’s shoulder. ‘You do realise your boyfriend is looking everywhere for you.’

  Huh?

  If this was a rescue, it was a damned strange one. Whatever happened to the good old ‘I need you in the kitchen’ line?

  But Lisa was still beaming. ‘Maxine’s just gone to get him.’

  Kate’s brain spun like a twenty cent piece in a drinking game. Was her one little white lie back to bite her in the arse again? Right in front of Mark of all people.

  ‘Er …’

  As if to confirm her deduction, Mark drawled, ‘So who’s this guy you’ve been seeing?’

  ‘That would be me.’ A sexy male voice announced from behind and suddenly Kate felt a couple of big strong arms go around her. ‘Hey, babe. Surprise.’

  Shock roared through her head like a train passing from ear to ear.

  Babe?

  Surprise?

  She spun around as the arms about her loosened, and looked up into the impossibly gorgeous, curly-haired, brown-eyed, tanned face of … her boyfriend?

  The floor moved under her feet.

  ‘Hey!’ He tightened his arms around her again as she nearly fell over. ‘Really got you this time, didn’t I? Sorry, I know you hate surprises.’

  You do?

  ‘But you weren’t picking up your phone.’

  I wasn’t?

  Since when didn’t she answer when her fantasy called? Her tongue swelled up in her mouth, making it impossible to talk.

  His grin was lopsided. ‘I know I said I couldn’t make it tonight but I managed to shuffle a few things around.’

  Blood infused her face but her lips couldn’t seem to form a response. Was God punishing her for lying to her friends? Had he sent some sort of shape-shifting demon to torture her, to teach her the error of her ways – show her that lying was wrong? Well it worked! I’m sorry, God, I didn’t mean to be bad. I didn’t mean … But as she looked up into the concerned gaze of her fantasy man come to life; she couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t torture at all. Far from it! Her heart thudded loudly in her chest as he bent his hea
d closer to hers.

  ‘You OK? Do you want to sit down?’

  Mesmerised, she slowly shook her head. He had the longest lashes she had ever seen. Was it possible he was better looking in reality than he was in her dreams? If it weren’t for the fact that he was practically supporting her she was sure she would have melted into the floor by now. Her limbs were like jelly.

  ‘Good.’ He nodded and planted a quick kiss on her mouth. On her mouth! The touch burned even though it was fleeting. He moved then so that he had one arm around her waist and they were facing the others again. Her body fit snugly into his side like it was carved to be there.

  ‘What did you say your name was?’ Mark asked.

  ‘Henry.’ Her boyfriend held out his hand.

  Henry.

  What a great name. He sounded caring already. Her ricocheting thoughts were cut off as Mark continued to probe. ‘So how long have you two been going out?’

  ‘Only a couple weeks,’ Henry replied, stunning Kate with his accurate knowledge of when she’d told her friends of his existence. But he couldn’t know everything.

  ‘Where did you meet?’ Mark asked again.

  Kate tasted sawdust. She glanced at Lisa and Maxine, who had arrived with Henry. This was where it all came apart, this was where his stories wouldn’t match hers –

  ‘Yoga classes.’ Henry squeezed her shoulders. ‘We both do yoga on Tuesday evenings.’

  How does he know that?

  Henry’s arm firmed up around her waist as her knees threatened to give way.

  It had been such a dumb story, invented under pressure. Lisa had been looking at her so sceptically, she hadn’t known what else to say. After all, she never went out. Where could she possibly have met this supposedly gorgeous outgoing guy? She needed something believable. Thank goodness for her weekly dose of exercise. It had finally paid off.

  Or had it?

  ‘Yoga helps me relax,’ her fantasy was saying.

  Mark seemed to buy it. ‘What is it you do?’ Of course he would ask that. Her ex was so competitive.

  ‘I’m a writer.’

  Mark’s expression turned smug. It was clear he thought he’d won this round given he was the ‘well-to-do’ doctor. In his mind he must earn much more money than the struggling artist. With an inward sigh, Kate supposed he probably did.

  But who cares?

  She certainly didn’t. Money wasn’t everything. She was poor now. She’d probably be poor for a while yet as she sorted out what she wanted to do with her life.

  She wasn’t going to let Mark intimidate her like he used to – make her feel like her opinion mattered less. Her left brain gave her right one a kick around her cranium. Besides, she had much bigger problems than Mark.

  Like who was this imposter with his arm around her?

  As if to illustrate the point, Henry looked down at her fondly. ‘With Kate doing her own writing on her thesis right now it’s funny how much we have in common.’

  Uh-huh.

  He was so good he could almost be a professional.

  Crap! Was he?

  Her knees solidified. She took back her weight and squared her shoulders. This man, whoever he was, wasn’t sent by God but by a mere mortal … And it didn’t take much thought to figure out who that was. Her head turned slowly and her eyes narrowed on Lisa, who immediately reddened and looked away.

  The double-crossing little …

  ‘Lisa, can I talk to you for a minute?’ she said through her teeth. ‘In private.’ Kate moved out of Henry’s arms and went to stand right in front of her best friend so that it was literally impossible for Lisa to ignore her.

  ‘Now?’ Lisa licked her lips. ‘Maxine was just saying that the, er … DJ is about to start playing a few songs. Weren’t you?’ She grabbed Maxine’s arm and literally pulled her into the conversation.

  Maxine was happy to oblige, pointing across the room. ‘Yeah, we should go dance.’

  Kate glanced impatiently at a small dance floor that had been set up on the far side of the balcony, where a funky looking DJ was putting on some big red headphones.

  ‘I think we should talk first,’ she hissed urgently at Lisa. ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘Is everything OK, babe?’

  Kate jumped as she felt his breath on the back of her neck and spun around. ‘Would you stop calling me that,’ she muttered so that only he could hear.

  ‘I’m sorry … you just don’t seem yourself.’

  She choked at this outrageous remark. ‘I’m … I’m fine.’

  But talking to him made her feel vulnerable. He had all the cards and she had none. She steeled herself under his ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ look. He was the last person on earth she could trust.

  ‘Are you sure? Because you look a little pale.’ He touched her cheek. ‘Do you want me to get you some water?’

  ‘No thanks.’ She gritted her teeth. ‘I just need to speak with Lisa for a minute.’

  She was conscious of Maxine, Sophia and Mark’s eyes all on her. They probably thought she was acting funny, and she didn’t want to make a scene, but she needed to get some answers.

  Just then the DJ put on his first song. It was a slow one. A soft sexy beat that was well known to everyone.

  Lisa clapped her hands in delight. ‘Perfect. I’ve gotta find Andrew.’

  Kate was about to chase after her when a long-fingered hand touched her arm.

  ‘Do you want to dance?’ His low masculine tone made Kate’s breath catch in her throat. She glanced at the hand and then the face looking down at her. It was just such an impossible situation to be in. She had two options.

  A. Give her friends something to talk about by snubbing him. B. Follow him to the dance floor.

  The problem was she wanted to do neither. She didn’t want to create gossip or further this lie. Unfortunately, Lisa had already made her getaway. Disappearing into the crowd, probably hiding somewhere where Kate couldn’t get to her.

  Option B now seemed like the better choice. If she couldn’t interrogate Lisa then maybe this guy could shed some light on why he was pretending to be her boyfriend of all things.

  So, against her better judgement, she put her hand in his. ‘OK, let’s dance.’

  Better to get him alone for that conversation, away from the prying eyes of her friends and her ex. Her hand trembled ever so slightly in his as he led her away.

  Like a lamb to the slaughter.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he squeezed it affectionately. ‘I’ll try my hardest not to step on your toes.’

  But that wasn’t what she was worried about. Looking into those deep brown eyes was like drowning. How easy it would be to just give in to this moment. Just give in to this charade. After all, why not? It wasn’t every day your fantasy came to life.

  There were already other couples on the dance floor, swaying gently to the slow, sensual beat. Unhurriedly, Henry turned her into his arms in one fluid movement. Kate drew in a haggard breath, instantly forgetting about why she wanted him alone.

  ‘Are you cold?’

  She looked up into his eyes. ‘No.’

  ‘Cause you can have my jacket if you want.’

  The last thing she needed was for him to start removing his clothes. ‘That’s all right,’ she breathed. ‘That won’t be necessary.’

  They danced silently for a moment and Kate desperately tried to order her thoughts, but the brush of his legs against hers was a distraction she couldn’t shake.

  ‘You look absolutely stunning tonight,’ he whispered in her ear.

  It was the cliché line that brought reality back like a slap in the face. Enough was enough.

  Kate pulled herself together.

  ‘Yes,’ she agreed, raising her eyes once more to his. ‘But do I look stupid?’

  CHAPTER 4

  Henry looked down at the woman in his arms and a wave of guilt washed over him. Her delicate chin was set and her soft lips held not a hint of a smile. Despite her bravado, though, he knew
she was scared to death. He felt her body tremble and winced inwardly.

  Maybe this was a bad idea.

  When Lisa had first suggested the plan, he’d been against it. If Tom hadn’t been sitting right there next to him, taking in the diabolical scheme at the same time, he probably would have declined the offer. In fact, he was just about to do so when his brother had pulled him aside.

  ‘It’s the perfect scenario! Haven’t you always wanted to meet a woman incognito? Not as H. L. Carter but just as Henry – an ordinary guy who she just might want to get to know better?’

  It was depressing that he needed to resort to subterfuge to sort the gold-diggers from the genuine article, but his brother had been singularly unsympathetic.

  ‘No pain, no gain, mate.’

  So that’s how he’d landed in this particular boat. Not that he had many complaints about the ride for the most part. Kate was gorgeous … She was well liked and admired by her friends. The more time he spent in her company, the more he just wanted this charade to be real. By the look on her face, however, he had a feeling that achieving that was going to be an uphill battle.

  ‘Hey.’ Kate purposely stepped on his toes, shifting his focus back to the present. ‘I asked you a question.’

  He couldn’t help but smile. Her glittering eyes were not to be toyed with. When it was all said and done, it was refreshing to be on the receiving end of something other than flattery.

  ‘Kate. I would never think of you as stupid. I mean,’ he cocked his head to one side, ‘aren’t you writing a PhD or something?’

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘Well,’ he teased, ‘if I’m your boyfriend and we’ve been dating for a month it must have come up in conversation at least once or twice.’

  ‘You know very well – ‘She broke off as a couple swayed in beside them. She buttoned her lip, gazing at him with such helpless fury he had to stifle a laugh.

  He shouldn’t, but he was starting to enjoy himself.

  Kate fervently wished that she could read minds.

  What is he thinking?

  He looked at her like she was a giant chocolate cake that he felt guilty about but had every intention of consuming anyway. Not that she fancied being dished up to him without any say in the matter. A woman dancing with her partner beside them smiled at her and Kate’s face warmed. This was the worst practical joke she had ever experienced. She fixed her eyes on the top button of Henry’s shirt.