going to start philosophising and I’ll get lost. Can you just tell me straight? Is Damien avoiding me?’
He sighed and dropped his gaze to stare hard at his coffee. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘You must have a fair idea.’
At that he looked up and the glimmer of a smile sparked in his eyes. ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a prosecuting attorney, Miss McKinnon?’
‘Why?’
‘You have a disturbingly direct manner. I defy anyone to lie to you.’
‘Good,’ she said quickly. Their gazes met across the table and for a moment she almost lost her train of thought. Drawing a quick breath, she said, ‘Does that mean you’re going to drop the Miss McKinnon and call me Annie and tell me the truth? Damien’s a jerk, isn’t he?’
‘If you’ve already made up your mind, I don’t need to answer that.’ Theo paused, then added softly, ‘Annie.’
When he pronounced her name in his lovely deep, educated voice the strangest shiver ran through her. She felt as if she’d been tapped on the shoulder, as if an unheard voice had whispered something important in her ear.
The feeling was so distinct that for a moment she had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, Theo Grainger was watching her and she saw a puzzling tension in his expression.
‘Please,’ she said softly, feeling strangely shaken. ‘Don’t play mind games with me. Just tell me, so I can put this whole mess behind me.’
He sighed and pushed his half-empty coffee cup to one side so that he could rest his clasped hands on the table in front of him. ‘I honestly don’t know Damien’s exact reasons for getting out of the city this week, but I’m afraid he was anxious to avoid your date. I’m sorry. My nephew doesn’t have a very good track record. He’s prone to pranks and he’s managed to upset quite a few people one way or another.’
‘I see.’ She drank some more of her coffee.
‘I hope you’re not too heartbroken.’
Strange, but she wasn’t nearly as upset as she thought she’d be. The news that she was the victim of some kind of prank no longer surprised her. It was more like receiving confirmation of something she’d suspected in theory, but hadn’t tested in practice. Yes, Annie, fire will burn you.
Damien’s uncle was expecting a response from her. She looked at him. ‘I can assure you, Dr Grainger, it will take something much worse than being stood up on a blind date before I allow my heart to be broken.’
For a moment he looked startled. ‘That’s a relief,’ he said.
But he didn’t look particularly relieved and they both turned quickly to stare over to the distant Brisbane River. Annie watched the slow drift of the water as she finished her coffee.
‘Actually, there is something I’m very upset about,’ she said.
‘What’s that?’
‘I won’t get to meet Basil.’
‘Basil?’
She turned back to him. ‘Damien’s dog. His Dalmatian.’
‘Is that what he told you? That he has a Dalmatian called Basil?’
‘Yes.’ She leaned towards him, eager to make her point. ‘It was part of the reason we clicked. I’m mad about dogs. Damien and I used to joke about how fabulous it would be if my Border collie, Lavender, fell in love with his Basil. I know it sounds childish, but it was fun. We used to say that if Basil and Lavender mated we would have a pot-pourri of puppies.’
Theo smiled briefly, then frowned and shook his head.
Annie slumped in her chair. ‘Don’t tell me that’s a lie, too. I couldn’t bear it if Basil doesn’t exist.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, Basil most certainly exists,’ he said quietly. ‘But he’s my dog.’
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