‘Is eavesdropping a hobby of yours?’ he asked slowly.
‘I didn’t mean to,’ Lily replied primly. ‘I was upstairs because I saw—’
‘Kyle and the cheater?’
She nodded. ‘And when I walked past the room you were in I heard the whole marriage thing...’
So she had heard it, he thought, but soothed the faint trickle of panic by telling himself that she didn’t suspect he wanted her involved. She wouldn’t have agreed to his suggestion to continue the charade of their pretend relationship at the party if she did. And then Jacques would have lost the opportunity to ensure that all the wealthy people who formed part of his brother’s social circle—including Lily’s ex-fiancé—saw him and his ‘new girlfriend’.
The rest of his plan had originally involved them leaving together at the end of the night. It would have just been for coffee—though the party attendees wouldn’t have known that—and he would have suggested their pretend relationship continue for just a while longer. But this new information meant he needed to speed up that plan...
‘Why don’t we get out of here?’
Her eyebrows rose and her cheeks took on that shade of red he liked so much.
‘Together?’
‘Yeah. We can grab a cup of coffee.’
‘Why?’
‘I like you, Lily.’ Though he’d meant the words to convince her to have coffee with him, he found that he genuinely meant them. Something tightened in his stomach at the knowledge. ‘I also think there’s nothing more you’d like to do than to get out of here.’
Her face had changed when he’d said he liked her, and though he couldn’t quite read it he thought there was a trace of uncertainty there. As if she didn’t believe what he said. The tightening in his stomach pulsed, and for the first time he considered how manipulative his plan was. Sure, it wouldn’t hurt Lily—but it wouldn’t benefit her either. It was entirely for his benefit.
But you helped her, too, a voice in his head reminded him. That made him feel better, and because he couldn’t afford to dwell on why he should reconsider he chose to focus on that.
‘You’re right.’ Lily’s expression was unreadable. ‘And buying you a coffee is probably the least I can do to say thank you.’
She was setting boundaries, he realised. Letting him know that she was only accepting his offer because she wanted to say thanks. He wasn’t sure why that bothered him, but he didn’t have time to ponder it.
‘Are you sure you want to leave, though?’ she asked. She looked inside to where Nathan and Caitlyn were standing.
‘I don’t think Nathan expects me to stay longer than I already have,’ he said, ignoring the guilt.
‘Do you want to say goodbye?’ she asked softly, and he looked down to see a compassion he didn’t understand—and didn’t want—in her eyes.
‘I don’t want to interrupt them.’
She watched him for a moment longer, and then nodded.
He reached for her hand, thinking about how easily he could feign affection with Lily and yet struggle with women he was much more familiar with. His skin heated when her fingers closed around his, warning him that his plan might have complications he hadn’t considered.
But as he made his way through the crowd of people with Lily he knew that those complications would be worth it when the Shadows Rugby Club was his and he could help place them in the international league. If he could do that it would make up for the fact that he’d cost them their place in that league seven years ago.
When he felt like being kind to himself he told himself his actions that night of the championship game that should have determined that place had come from anger. From pain. That night had been the last time he’d seen either of his parents, too. Not a coincidence, considering that they’d been the reason he’d got into a fight with a player who hadn’t deserved Jacques’s attention. Who wouldn’t have got it if he hadn’t uttered those same words his father had before Jacques had arrived at the game...
‘You’re such a disappointment.’
The memory of that night still plagued him—still scarred him—but if he could pull off his PR company’s ridiculous plan maybe he would finally find some peace. Maybe he would finally be able to put it all behind him and move on.
‘Do you have somewhere specific you’d like to go?’ Lily asked once they were outside.
He watched her pull her coat tighter around her, saw her look out around the private estate his brother’s house was on, and realised she was nervous.
‘I’m not going to kidnap you, Lily.’
She looked at him. ‘I know. And I’m going in my own car.’
Smart girl, he thought, even though disappointment lapped at him for reasons he didn’t understand.
‘My office is pretty private.’ He saw something in her eyes, and said, ‘You’ll be safe, Lily. I promise to behave myself.’
My future depends on it.
She tilted her head, as though she was considering his words. ‘So let’s have coffee somewhere more neutral, then. I know a place...’
‘THIS IS NEUTRAL for you?’
Jacques joined Lily in front of her store, and looked pointedly at the sign that said ‘Lily’s’ above the glass entrance.
‘Relax,’ she replied, though the way her heart was beating told her she was probably saying it to herself.
‘We’re just stopping here for the coffee—then we can take a walk down the beach. It’s not too busy this time of night.’
‘I usually let a woman take me out for dinner before I do romantic walks on the beach, Lily.’
Her hand froze on the door at his words, and it took her a moment to hear the store’s alarm beeping. She hurriedly entered the code, trying desperately to come up with something to say. But her mind only formulated excuses—not the sassy comeback she’d hoped for.
You should have known it wouldn’t last, a voice mocked her.
And though she wanted to deny the words she couldn’t. She’d thought it was a good idea to bring him back to her store and then to walk on the beach. She’d feel better in a familiar place, she’d told herself.
But being in that familiar place had snatched her from the fantasy world she’d been in for the past few hours. The world where she’d flirted as though she were in a thinner body. As though she had all the confidence in the world. As though she wasn’t trying with all her might to value herself.
‘This
