One Little White Lie

by Loretta Hill

  ‘All right, all right. How on earth did you become so paranoid?’

  ‘Urgh!’ Kate put her head in her hands, not knowing whether to laugh at Lisa or shake her.

  It was Monday. Henry had endured a rather distracting weekend. His agent had called. Apparently his publisher was hoping to move up the release date of book two in his new trilogy by a whole month. This meant finishing the manuscript much sooner than he intended. No mean feat given he was already behind on his word count target and his concentration was shot to pieces.

  All he could think about was Friday night.

  A beautiful smile.

  A head of golden hair.

  A vulnerable soul he just wanted to protect.

  He was almost relieved when Tom called at 10 am, giving him a legitimate excuse to leave his computer.

  ‘What’s going on?’ his brother demanded. ‘Some guy called Mark Lowden just rang me – said you assaulted him or some rubbish.’

  Henry winced. ‘Oh that.’

  ‘What!’ Tom choked. ‘He’s not telling the truth, is he?’

  ‘Sort of.’

  ‘Great. So who the hell is Mark Lowden anyway?’

  ‘Kate’s ex-boyfriend.’

  ‘The girl from the Wet Elephant?’ Realisation seemed to dawn on his brother and from the sound of his tone it wasn’t welcome. ‘I knew that girl was nothing but trouble. I’d inquire after the engagement party but now I’m too afraid to ask.’

  Henry straightened his shoulders defensively. ‘It was great. She was great – beautiful, smart, sweet. It actually went really, really well.’

  Up until you made her cry and her ex showed up.

  ‘You sound like you need convincing.’

  He sighed. ‘She said she’s not dating anyone right now.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Henry hesitated. ‘I think she’s been hurt in the past and is still mending.’

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake.’ Tom’s tone was exasperated. ‘I feel like we’re back in high school. Do you know how to chase a woman?’

  ‘Very funny.’

  ‘Clearly there’s more to this story than you’re telling me.’

  Henry gripped the phone, the words pausing on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t want to tell Tom what Mark had said. It would send his brother straight back into lecture mode, on the evilness of women, the dangers of gold-diggers and the wisdom of getting out while you still could. Mark’s demeanour had screamed the jealous ex. Henry was 99 per cent sure the man had been telling tales out of spite. But why let Tom fill his head with doubt?

  ‘OK,’ Tom continued after his silence, ‘let’s assume that I’m in possession of all the facts. She’s a sweet girl who’s been unlucky in love and you’re a man who can’t trust women.’

  ‘That’s not entirely true –’

  ‘Work with me here,’ Tom scolded impatiently. ‘OK, I just have one query. Did you tell her who you are?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Well done, best move you’ve made so far.’

  Henry’s mouth twisted. ‘It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I just didn’t quite make it there before she … had to leave.’

  Is that the truth? His conscience pricked. Or were you just enjoying being anonymous too much?

  He banished the wayward thought.

  ‘Whatever the case,’ Tom clearly didn’t want his explanation anyway, ‘better for you to keep it under wraps till you know her better.’

  ‘How can I get to know her better if she doesn’t want to see me?’ Henry said.

  ‘Everybody knows that when a woman says no she really means yes.’ Tom’s reply caused Henry to roll his eyes. ‘Look,’ his brother continued, ‘you’ve still got one card in your hand – your anonymity. Use it.’

  ‘Use it how?’

  ‘Come on, Henry, you don’t need me to spell out everything for you, do you?’ Tom was losing patience. ‘The more important question is, what shall I do about this Mark Lowden character in the meantime?’

  ‘If you can’t scare him off, then pay him off,’ Henry responded, stepping out onto his balcony and allowing his eyes to stretch from Kirribilli to the Sydney Opera House, the giant white sails soothing his unsettled heart. ‘Just make him disappear.’

  ‘Not a problem.’

  They rang off and Henry leaned against his balcony railing, breathing in the fresh, morning air. A seagull squawked as it flew past, daring him to give his Kate campaign another shot.

  Tom was right. There was one way back into Kate’s life. But was he still willing to play the game?

  CHAPTER 6

  After Lisa left, Kate went back to her living room resolved to work on her thesis again. Throwing herself down on the couch, she felt something square and hard under her butt. Sighing, she leaned over and pulled out the offending object from under her.

  It was a larger-than-life fantasy novel by her favourite author. She’d already read it at least ten times. In fact, she often used this book as a pick-me-up whenever she was feeling down. Did the mixed feelings swirling around in her belly qualify as being down?

  She glanced at her winking computer screen.

  Oh to hell with it.

  What was half an hour in a parallel universe? She certainly needed a breather from this one. Who knew, it might get her creative juices flowing again? She leaned back against the cushions and, curling her feet under her, opened the book.

  Half an hour stretched to an hour and then to two hours. She forgot about Henry and the problems that had plagued her that morning as she became engrossed in the conspiracy theory proposed by the Sword Masters in the World of Carnegia.

  She forgot about lunch and the fact that she had planned to finish the first two chapters of her thesis that day. She forgot that her laptop was open on the coffee table because the heroine in the story was too close to being discovered as a spy. It was the death of her favourite male knights in the lair of the evil Wizard of Zadooth that jerked her back to reality. As she sat there wiping the tears that never failed to fall whenever she read this scene, she happened to glance up at the clock on the wall.

  ‘Oh crap!’ The book was flung aside as she jerked to her feet. It was a quarter to three!

  She had practically lost the whole day to H. L. Carter. The author who time and time again roped her in and did not let go, even when she’d read the story before! Sitting forward on the couch she put her hands to her keyboard.

  The book seemed to have refreshed her a little because she managed to write three pretty good pages for her thesis all before 6 pm The next two days were also highly productive. In fact, by the time Tuesday evening came around she was almost back to herself again. The nightmare on the weekend, a fading dream.

  Tuesday evening meant it was also time for her yoga class. She was grateful for the time out. A change of scenery and some fresh air was exactly what she was craving. The sessions were located in a community recreation centre just down the road from her apartment building. She made the two-minute trek there and arrived a little early.

  Sitting down cross-legged on a blue mat, she watched the instructor getting ready at the front of the class. Others were moving into the room and grabbing places on the floor around her.

  A shadow fell across her mat as someone walked up beside her. Starting at a pair of well-worn sneakers, her eyes travelled up blue track pants and then to a loose white tank top that flattered a beautiful set of shoulders. She paused, in trepidation, at his neck, somehow knowing she was going to regret lifting her lids any further. But like a fly caught in a web, resistance was futile. Her eyes flicked up that final inch.

  ‘Hi,’ Henry smiled mischeviously. ‘Is this spot taken?’

  Assessing correctly that she was currently incapable of speech, Henry answered for her. ‘I’ll take that as a no.’ He placed his mat on the floor and sat down, also crossing his legs.

  Kate finally managed to find her tongue though her voice still came out strangled. ‘What are you doing here?’ />
  ‘It’s Tuesday,’ he said as if that was explanation enough, but under her incredulous gaze added, ‘We do yoga classes on Tuesday, remember?’

  She choked at his shameless return to a pretence she had thought was well and truly put to bed.

  ‘Are you crazy?’ she hissed.

  ‘Just a little,’ he whispered back confidingly, causing her brain to short circuit. Those big brown eyes of his were lethal and they had the mysterious knack of being able to stare right through her – like he knew what she was thinking. But of course that had to be impossible.

  God, let it be impossible.

  With strong effort, she restrained her imagination and focused on his duplicity instead.

  ‘I do yoga classes,’ she hissed. ‘You … you …’

  But her harried accusation was cut off by the instructor, who was clapping her hands together loudly at the front of the class. ‘OK, people. Let’s get started. Everyone should be sitting cross-legged on their mats.’

  Kate glanced helplessly at Henry, who stared innocently back, making her stomach flip in panic. What was he doing here?

  Back in her life.

  Wreaking havoc like a fox loose in a chook pen.

  Was this Lisa’s doing? She’d thought after their last meeting that all the subterfuge was over. In fact, she was certain of it. So maybe this was just all Henry.

  The yoga instructor sat in front of a mirror that spanned the entire front wall of the room from floor to ceiling. Kate looked up and met Henry’s dancing eyes in this inconvenient looking-glass and swallowed sharply.

  Yep, it’s all him.

  ‘Inhale.’ The instructor raised her extended arms off the floor, palms up. ‘Exhale.’ She turned her palms down and moved her arms back towards the floor.

  Kate mimicked her actions, gulping in the breath, hoping it would relax her as it normally did. But the sight of Henry’s beautiful broad shoulders lifting and falling made that wish futile. She could hear his breath flowing in and out of his body. The steady rhythm as intimate as the sound of a sleeping lover, which didn’t help her cause at all.

  ‘So how was your day?’ The question was inane but his tone was tender, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

  ‘Fine,’ she said shortly, hoping the curt response would make him lose his appetite for small talk.

  It didn’t.

  ‘So did you work on your thesis?’

  She hesitated. ‘Yes.’ He knew too much about her. She didn’t like it.

  ‘When’s the deadline?’

  She ignored the question. ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ she said through her teeth. ‘How did you even get in? This class was full.’

  ‘I bribed someone to drop out.’

  Her face turned to his in astonishment. ‘You didn’t.’

  ‘OK, I didn’t. But I would have if the teacher hadn’t been nice enough to let me in … just this once.’

  ‘I’m beginning to regret that.’ They both looked up and caught the eye of the yoga instructor, who was now standing in front of their mats, hands on hips, and an irritated expression on her face. ‘You two are disrupting my class. Yoga is supposed to be a meditative exercise. I would prefer it if you spoke later or took it outside.’

  Kate reddened. ‘Of course, sorry.’

  Was there no end to her humiliation? With a will of iron she resolutely ignored Henry for the rest of the lesson. This was actually much harder to do than it should have been. There was something decidedly intimate about being with someone for a full hour and not talking to them at all. The synchronized movement, the gentle breathing, the rise and fall of every exercise. Trying to block Henry’s vibes, which she was sure he must be tossing at her on purpose, she threw herself a little too eagerly into the next exercise, The Downward Facing Dog.

  ‘Hips in the air, push the heels towards the floor. Inhale. Exhale,’ the instructor called encouragingly.

  She positioned herself in the tent-shaped exercise and made herself rationally consider the facts.

  Henry was an attractive man. Physically, he was just her type. It was only natural that she should feel a little flustered around him. However, looks were only skin deep. Mark had certainly proved that. She didn’t want to be hurt again. It had taken her long enough to recover the last time.

  As she came out of the stretch she looked across at him. He flushed red before glancing away. Had he been checking her out? The thought gave her a dangerous buzz. One thing was for sure, she couldn’t have this guy showing up in her life whenever he damn well felt like it. But how on earth was she supposed to stop him?

  As the class ended, he spoke before she did. ‘Are you free for a coffee after class?’

  She sighed. ‘Wasn’t I plain enough at Lisa and Andrew’s engagement party? I don’t want to date anyone at the moment.’

  ‘I know,’ he nodded. ‘But I have a proposition for you.’

  ‘A proposition?’ she repeated faintly.

  Here was the crux of the matter. How had she not seen this coming? After all, why does a random guy who doesn’t know her agree to pretend to be her boyfriend? There had to be something in it for him.

  Her mouth twisted. Of course there was something. And now he’d come to collect. She shuddered. Her best friend shouldn’t have naively believed that drawing a perfect stranger into her diabolical little plot would leave them both unburned.

  As everyone else picked up their mats and headed to the back of the room, Kate stood resolutely, eyes narrowed on her quarry. ‘OK, I think there’s something you should know.’

  Henry raised his eyebrows. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I don’t have any money.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Don’t play dumb!’ She tossed the words at him like discarded scraps. ‘I know it might be humiliating when everyone finds out I made up a fake boyfriend. But let me tell you, I’ve got a thick skin. Blackmail is not going to work on me.’

  ‘You think I’m after your money?’

  She bent and rolled up her mat with short brisk movements. ‘Believe me, if you are, you’re not going to get very far.’

  For some reason, Henry’s shoulders began to shake and his face contorted as if he was trying desperately not to laugh. ‘If my brother could hear you now …’

  Kate observed this reaction with growing indignation. ‘You think this is funny?’

  His voice came out surprisingly even. ‘Maybe.’

  Her lips thinned. ‘Well, then perhaps I need to make myself clearer. I don’t own a house or a car. I don’t even have a job. I’ve got like two hundred dollars in the bank.’

  ‘I don’t want your money.’

  She continued anyway. ‘I’m a student living off a scholarship – which, by the way, is not transferrable.’

  This time a chuckle did escape him. ‘I don’t want your scholarship either.’

  ‘I don’t have any jewellery, with the exception of my grandmother’s locket which she gave to me when I was thirteen. To me it’s priceless but it’s only nine carat and, to be honest, almost worthless to someone like you.’

  ‘Kate, you can keep your grandmother’s locket.’ The amusement in his voice was more annoying than if he had actually laughed.

  ‘Well, if you’re not blackmailing me, than what is your proposition?’

  His mouth bowed into a secret smile that was almost her undoing. ‘Come out for coffee with me and I’ll tell you.’

  What did she have to lose at this point? He was literally holding her life for ransom.

  ‘All right then, I’ll come with you.’

  His eyes dilated with pleasure. ‘Perfect.’ She didn’t know why his happy expression gave her such zing down the spine but she firmly repressed it as they walked to the back of the room to stow their mats.

  ‘So shall we just head to our usual?’ Henry asked casually when they were done.

  She glared at him. ‘We don’t have a usual.’

  ‘But we could.’ He winked at her.
She was about to protest further but the words dried on her tongue when he suddenly took her hand, tugging her playfully through the door as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

  They were out in the street before she recovered her senses enough to disengage herself and shove both hands into the large pockets of her hooded jumper.

  ‘Salvadors?’ he queried and she realised he was talking about a tiny Italian cafe a few feet from them. She often got takeaway coffees there but never sat in. It was a cute little joint though, and casual enough to visit in gym clothes and not feel embarrassed.

  She nodded.

  They entered the café that sported only five pine tables, and an inviting glass counter that showcased the cakes on offer beneath.

  ‘A flat white please,’ Kate said to the Italian woman smiling encouragingly at her.

  ‘Make that two.’ Henry held up a couple of fingers.

  As Kate reached for her purse, Henry shook his head. ‘I’ll get it.’ ‘No, no,’ she insisted. ‘I’ll pay for myself.’

  Anything to remind him this was not a date, he was not her boyfriend and, most importantly, she would owe him nothing. Not even a cup of coffee.

  In the end they took a seat in front of the window. As soon as they were settled, Kate got down to business.

  ‘OK, so what’s your proposition?’

  ‘Three proper dates.’

  Her brow wrinkled. ‘How is that a proposition?’

  ‘If you meet up with me three times and then still don’t want to see me after that, I solemnly promise to leave you alone.’

  She sighed. ‘This is silly. You shouldn’t need to go to these lengths to get a date. I mean, you seem like a nice guy. It’s not personal. I just want to be single for a while.’

  ‘Three dates are hardly going to take you from single to attached,’ he pointed out gently.

  She blushed. Maybe she was the psycho one not him. Since when had she become so uptight? Clasping her hands in her lap, she willed herself to relax.

  ‘Look,’ Henry’s soft tone recalled her attention, ‘I get that you’ve been hurt before and you’re just being cautious. I simply want a chance to prove that I’m not like the last guy in your life.’