I didn’t know Cameronthatwell. He’d been two years below me at school, in Mal’s class. Mal had never particularly liked him. Now, I was pretty sure I hated him.
“You’re a strange person,” I finally said.
She didn’t disagree, just stared at the semi-detached cottages. “What did you want to talk about? Jess is watching Teddy for me, and I don’t want to keep her waiting much longer.”
I took a breath, deciding to just go for it. “I think we should start dating. It wouldn’t be real, obviously,” I said quickly, wanting to get it all out there before she answered. “Rather, a mutually beneficial arrangement for the two of us over the summer.”
It was like watching a street mime as her expression moved from shock to horror, then back again. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Doctor humour?”
“It wouldn’t make for a very amusing joke.”
“It would actually.” She shifted away, as if hoping I wouldn’t notice if she silently backed out of the vehicle. “Why? I’m pretty sure we’d both rather take the centre spot in a human centipede than spend an extended period of time together.”
I barked out a reluctant laugh.Fuck, did shehaveto be funny?“Trust me, you wouldn’t be my pick either. It’s not like we’re attracted to each other.” I must have grown used to lying, because it rolled off my tongue far too easily.
“Let’s hear it then.” She folded her arms, tilting her pointed little chin up as she stared at me. I stared right back, not following her line of thought.
“Your pitch. I assume that’s why you gave me a lift.”
Straight to business. I could work with that. “It turns out I’m not very likeable.”
“No!” she gasped.
It shouldn’t have been cute when the joke was at my expense. Was that why I was drawn to her? Because she and her kid distracted me from whatever hateful thought was bashing around my head at that moment?
“What do your social deficiencies have to do with me?”
I glanced back at the house, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. My turn to be honest. “We’ve had some pretty shitty patient feedback at the surgery, and I need to get the scores up. That means I need the people of Kinleith to like me, and they clearly likeyou, even if it’s in a sadLittle Orphan Anniekind of way.”
She laughed, placing her hands to her chest in faux flattery. “Woah! Cool it with the compliments, Alistair, or I might be in real danger of falling in love with you.” I shouldn’t have looked. It absolutely wasn’t an invitation to look. But the action, accompanied by her statement, stole my control. My gaze dropped over the curved lines of her vest top, that cardigan slipping down her shoulder, before I could wrestle it back.
“There’s a greater chance of gravity failing.” It was supposed to be sarcastic, but my tone was far too gravelled for it to land. My eyes flicked back to hers, and we stared at each other until my lungs felt like I was freediving. I forced myself to speak again. “You need this just as much as I do.”
“How d’you figure?”
“Your ex broke up with you in a pretty brutal way—”
Her head jerked. “Oh, did he really? I’d forgotten.”
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the most tactful thing I’d ever said. “All I mean is, people look at you like you’re a glass vase ready to shatter. Don’t you want Cameron to know you aren’t at home crying into your pillow every night? To wipe that self-satisfied look off Annabelle’s face?”
“I’m not crying into my pillow every night.” True, I’d probably have heard it through my wall if she was.
“Doesn’t matter. He thinks you are.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because Cameron has always been an arrogant wee shit, even in high school. I doubt he’s changed much over the past nineteen years.”
The silence was palpable. I knew I had her; I just needed one final push. “If you agreed, we could enter the Cairn & Crust as a team. The prize money would be all yours.”
I heard her inhale. “You wouldn’t want your cut?”
“As you pointed out, I inherited Daddy’s business. I don’tneed the money.” The unspokenAnd you dohung between us.
