Page 37 of Lie For Me

‘So, your mother thinks we should be together,’ he said casually. He leaned in and whispered in Lucy’s ear. ‘In real life.’

Lucy brushed his hand off her shoulder and frowned at him.

‘Oh god, don’t you start!’

‘Hey,’ he batted his eyelashes. ‘I’m a good-looking boy. You’d better hold on to me.’

Lucy giggled and reached for her mimosa. ‘We’re going to need a jug of this….’

‘Hello stranger!’ a male voice said, and arms came from behind and wrapped Lucy in a hug. Jack pulled back and turned to see who was holding Lucy so tight.

‘Mark!’ she exclaimed and turned and jumped up to hug him properly.

Jack had never met Mark, but knew this must be the husband of Lucy’s sister, Heather.

Lucy was grinning ear to ear.

‘It’s so good to see you,’ she said as she hugged him again.

Jack stood and waited beside her.

‘Mark,’ Lucy said. ‘I want you to meet someone.’

She slid her arm through Jack’s and smiled.

‘This is Jack, my...um…my boyfriend.’

She cleared her throat as she stumbled on the lie, and Jack slipped his arm from hers and slid it around her shoulders, pulling her close. There was a pause, and for a beat she stood stock still, a practised smile on her face. Then she softened and wound her arm around his waist and Jack felt her relax into him, a little of the tension in her falling away. He felt protective over her, wanting to plant himself between Lucy and anything and anyone that would cause her pain. He instinctively tightened his arm about her shoulders.

‘Well, very good to meet you, Jack.’ Mark grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. ‘Very good. Lucy, very pleased for you.’

Jack glanced down at her as Lucy blushed. ‘Thanks.’

‘So,’ Mark rubbed his hands together. ‘Tell me, how did you two meet?’

Jack opened his mouth to give the agreed, we’ve been friends for years and then one evening we had a few drinks, answer, when there was a crash from across the room followed by a cry that built to a wail.

Mark glanced in the direction of the noise and pulled a face. ‘Sorry, better go and see if that’s one of ours.’

A tall, harassed-looking woman wearing perfect make-up and a brittle expression hurried up, hands flapping, looking furious.

‘Mark, Peter just pulled over the seating chart, and I can’t see Thomas. You were supposed to be watching the boys. I wanted one morning to myself––’

The woman, belatedly spotting Lucy and Jack, gave a faint smile and said, ‘Oh. Hello there, Lucy. Good to see you,’ before she spun on her heel, with Mark in hot pursuit to find out what damage their kids had caused and if anyone needed to go to hospital.

As they hurried away, Jack could hear the woman saying, ‘They are getting on my last nerve. I am trying my best to make this wedding….’

As they disappeared, Lucy murmured, ‘So…that’s Mark and, as you can probably guess…that was my sister, Heather.’

Jack could feel the tension creeping back into her shoulders.

She slipped her arm away from him, stepped back and smiled at him gratefully. He missed the feeling of her pressed against him, and his arm felt suddenly useless. He smiled back into her wide eyes and found his hand reaching up to smooth a strand of hair from her face. His fingers slid behind her ear to tuck the hair away. Lucy stood frozen and gazed at him. Jack, suddenly embarrassed, dropped his hand back and took a gulp of mimosa.

Brunch rolled on into lunchtime, and mimosas flowed freely. The guests seemed in no hurry to move, lazing languidly in place in the heat. At some point, the mimosas disappeared and were replaced with just prosecco. Lucy’s nanna dozed off at the table, and James tried to coax her awake while Valerie looked on and huffed, and a toddler was dragged off, kicking and screaming, for an afternoon nap.

The late summer afternoon was the kind that felt strangely still. A haze had fallen over the day, softening the edges of everything and slowing down time, stretching the lazy day out to its very edges. Somewhere before two o’clock, as guests fought the combined soporific effects of daytime drinking and heat, it was time to go boating. Hotel staff shuffled from table to table and advised guests that those who had signed up to go kayaking on the lake should head off now. Everyone else was welcome to go into the garden.

Their mouths said, ‘You’re welcome to go into the gardens or enjoy the library.’ But their eyes said, please leave now so we can set up for the next stage of this event.

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