Kiss Don’t Tell

Sarah shook her head. ‘Not a chance. He hates this place.’

‘Then maybe we can go and call on him.’

‘No!’ Sarah and Lane burst out together.

Erica sighed. ‘I’ll meet him one day, might as well get it over with.’

‘Why is there any need for you to meet him?’ Lane said.

Erica blinked at her. ‘Um … because he’s going to be an important fixture in your life for three full months.’

‘So was Chao, and for way longer than three months.’

‘And who the hell is Chao that I should want to meet him? Or is Chao a her?’

‘He’s a him. My Mandarin teacher. Who you never insisted on meeting.’

Erica opened her mouth … then closed it. She looked at Sarah. ‘I’m not sure what to say to that,’ she said.

‘I’m not sure what to say to anything at this point,’ Sarah said, and slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder, picked up her two drinks and made her way to their chosen table.

Lane and Sarah took the two stools that were already there while Erica snagged a third from a group of guys nearby with a swing of her hair and a come-hither smile that managed to charm them out of the stool without being quite come-hither enough to make them actually come hither.

‘Now you see, I need to be able to replicate that,’ Lane said, and flung her head in a circle in a poor facsimile of Eric’s stylish swish.

‘To start with, you’ll have to get rid of that elastic band,’ Erica told her.

Lane reached a defensive hand up to her ponytail, and Erica laughed, then sighed. ‘If you won’t even take out the band, I’m not sure what the point of the pink silk is,’ she said. ‘But let’s get back to the undone buttons anyway.’

‘Do we have to?’ Sarah asked.

‘You started all this,’ Erica pointed out.

Lane took a sip of her margarita. ‘I’m afraid the undone buttons were done straight up again, so it’s not a very exciting finale.’

‘By him?’ Erica asked.

‘By him. And the lesson was over.’

‘What were you wearing?’

‘My navy blue suit.’

‘And the other time?’

‘My navy blue suit.’

Erica pantomimed banging her head on the table. ‘So. Much. Becomes. Clear.’

‘Clothing is incidental in our case,’ Lane said, in her own defence. ‘I’m paying him, remember?’

‘If you really believe clothing is incidental,’ Erica said, ‘I want to know why we’ve spent the past three hours looking for something for you to wear tonight. At your instigation I might add.’

‘It’s … complicated.’

‘You’re a smart girl, Lane. I’m sure you can find the words.’

Lane took another sip of margarita. ‘Because the button-unbutton episode got me thinking, which is what a lesson is supposed to do.’

‘Thinking about …?’ Erica asked.

‘David Bennett.’

‘Did you know we all have a tell when we lie? Sarah’s is easy—she blushes. Yours is more subtle. Your eyes flick to the left.’

‘My eyes aren’t flicking,’ Lane said.

‘No?’

‘No!’ Lane insisted, and tried hard to keep them still.

‘Okaaay, keep going and I will ignore that little twitch of your right eyelid as it struggles under the pressure of not flicking.’

Lane took a deep breath. ‘The point is, clothing won’t be incidental when it comes to David, but with Adam … Well, with Adam practice will make perfect, so I might as well practise.’

‘Practise,’ Erica said, and licked a patch of salt off the rim of her glass. ‘So we went shopping for three hours because in three months’ time, when we will be in an entirely different season, you want to look good for David Bennett. It has nothing to do with seeing Adam Quinn tonight.’ She smiled. ‘Well, good to know the legendary David Bennett is still in the picture, anyway. I was starting to wonder. You know, since the only guy’s name I’ve heard since I got back is Adam Quinn.’

Lane frowned. ‘Of course David’s still in the picture. It’s just …’

Erica cocked an eyebrow. ‘Just …?’

‘Well you only got back last night. And ever since I told you about Adam, all your questions have been about him, so of course it’s his name you’re hearing. That’s all.’ She forced out a laugh. ‘There’s no mystery.’

‘No mystery. Got it. Just a job. Got it. Nothing more than a practice run. Got it. And you may or may not decide to wear your blue suit tonight and maybe just show Adam the dress because it doesn’t matter if he likes it or not and it’s no big deal if he doesn’t undo your buttons.’

‘Zipper.’

‘Zipper?’

‘The dress has a zipper, not buttons.’

‘Ah, I see. You’ve thought it all out.’

‘No. I mean yes. I mean … no? I mean of course I’ll care

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