Page 41 of Lie For Me

Lucy sprawled back in her kayak and lifted her face to the sun.

‘It’s so nice and peaceful out here,’ she said as she peered at him through squinty eyes.

‘Mmmm.’

Jack grinned and yawned in the sun. He stretched his arms up, his safety vest riding up to expose the line of dark hairs on his abdomen that disappeared into the waistband of his swim shorts. Lucy flicked her eyes away and concentrated on a bird diving in the water.

They bobbed on the water for a few moments in silence. Lucy enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face. In spite of the sun cream, she could practically feel new freckles sprouting across her cheeks. The gentle movement of the boat and the lapping sounds of the water soothed her. Occasionally, faint laughter and shouts from people on the side shore reached them.

‘How do you think it’s going?’ Jack asked, breaking her reverie. ‘Me as your fake boyfriend?’

She tipped her head back, and with eyes pinched closed against the sun, considered. ‘Well, I think you get a ten out of ten from Ollie and Sophie—but they love everyone, so don’t get too excited. My dad seemed to like you, so that’s about a seven out of ten. My mother seems to think we’re getting married, so she’s on board. She’s definitely lowered her standards in terms of who she considers a suitable partner for me.’

Jack snorted, but Lucy continued.

‘But Heather…’ She sucked air in through her teeth. ‘She’s a tough cookie and you’ve not met her yet. And she’s suspicious—of everyone. All the time. That’s partly her nature—she assumes everyone is in competition with her for something—and partly that she’s a lawyer. She looks for nefarious motives everywhere. Actually, her natural tendency to suspicion and competition is, of course, what helps make her a brilliant lawyer. It’ll take about three years for her to warm up to you and bother to learn your last name. She didn’t show any interest in Sophie until she was engaged to Ollie and was going to be part of the family. I’d say,’ she shaded her eyes with her hands, ‘I think you’re on about a six-point-five overall from the judges. Not too shabby, but room for improvement.’

‘Well.’ Jack paddled closer to Lucy. ‘We’ll have to give them the full Jack and Lucy Show tonight, then. Put on a real charm offensive and ensure our love utterly bowls them over.’

Lucy, unsure what the full Jack and Lucy Show might involve, cackled and said, ‘Sure, so long as we survive our kayaking.’

‘It’s too hot now,’ Jack said, levering himself out of the kayak and into the water.

He gritted his teeth as the cold water slipped over his shoulders.

‘Sheesh! It looks refreshing, but it’s actually just freezing.’

‘Hope there aren’t any sharks in there,’ Lucy said, arching an eyebrow. ‘I’d hate to see you meet a bloody end.’

Jack splashed idly in the water, tipping his head back to wet his hair.

‘Lucy,’ he sighed, shaking his head. ‘Your knowledge of nature never ceases to amaze me. There are no freshwater sharks in the UK. Where do you get your knowledge of nature from?’

Lucy shrugged. ‘Facebook. TikTok. Cassie. The gardeners at Dulcetcoombe.’

‘There are no sharks in here,’ Jack said, as he floated on his back. ‘Maybe some pike or carp. Perhaps the odd eel, which could be a few feet long, but I think we’re okay.’

Lucy pulled a face and peered into the water on the lookout for eels. She watched as Jack bobbed in the water. ‘Dunn dunn….dun dunn….’ she sang.

Jack laughed and swam a little further into the lake.

Lucy continued. ‘Duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun,’

Jack had rolled onto his back and was gently kicking backwards when he suddenly jerked in the water.

‘Whoa! What was that?’

‘What was what?!’ Lucy squealed, sitting bolt upright in the kayak and peering nervously over the edge.

Jack looked at her as he trod water a few metres away, eyes wide.

‘Something rough just brushed my leg.’

His voice was quiet and serious, and he started swimming back to the kayaks. He reached Lucy’s kayak and started to pull himself out of the water.

‘I think I need to get out of—’

He abruptly slipped off the kayak and into the water.

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