Page 65 of Lie For Me

‘Oh,’ Jack said. ‘Shame. I’ll have to try harder, then. Just wait until they start playing Bon Jovi, and I share my air guitar with the world.’

‘When you did that at Aislinn’s birthday dinner, we got asked to leave that restaurant,’ Lucy muttered. ‘And told never to return.’

Jack held out the ends of his tie.

‘Um, any chance you can help me with this?’

He looked suddenly a little shy, a rare thing for Jack. He fiddled with the ends of the tie.

‘I’ve never really had to wear one. Being your own boss,’ he shrugged, ‘you set the dress code, and it has never included ties. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube but,’ he shrugged, ‘I can’t seem to…it just looks like I’ve tied it in a lumpy knot.’

Lucy stepped towards him and took the fabric in her fingers.

‘Don’t you need to watch a video?’ he asked.

‘Nope,’ she said, tugging the tie into the right position. ‘I had to wear a tie for school for years, so I can do this,’ she said, her fingers reaching around to smooth it down behind his collar.

She could feel Jack studying her face as she looped the tie and gently teased it into a knot. He had a tiny mole on his neck, just above his collar line; she had never been close enough to see it before. His breath fanned her cheeks, and she avoided his gaze and concentrated on smoothing the edges of the knot as she eased it into place and pressed his shirt collar down. She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

‘There,’ she said in a soft voice. ‘All done.’

‘Thank you,’ Jack said, his expression inscrutable as he ran his fingers over the tie.

Lucy’s phone pinged, and she was grateful for the distraction.

‘Oh god,’ she said, seeing the time, ‘hurry, or we’ll be late.’

She grabbed her bag, took one last look in the mirror, and smoothed an errant strand of hair back into place.

Jack was standing by the door, a gentle smile playing about his lips.

‘What is it?’ she said as she caught his eye.

‘I think,’ he said archly, as they stepped out into the corridor, and he jutted his chin in the air, ‘that we cut quite a dash as a couple.’

Lucy giggled. ‘I think you’re right,’ she replied, taking his arm.

‘Even if it’s not real,’ he whispered.

Lucy’s giggle faded away. Of course. It was all just for show.

21

‘This way,’ Lucy said as they trailed after a cluster of wedding guests making their way through the hotel grounds. The sun was high in the sky as guests followed small white signs staked in the ground, pointing the way to the church.

Women picked carefully over the grass to avoid getting heels stuck, and men slung jackets over their shoulders and rolled up their shirt sleeves. It was less than half a mile to walk directly through the hotel grounds to the old chapel, where the ceremony itself would take place. Lucy stopped and took off her shoes, looping the straps over her fingers and swinging them beside her, her feet revelling in the warm grass.

She wove in and out of the shade of the trees, taking relief from the sun where she could find it. Running her fingers across tall meadow grasses, she led the way along the grass path to the chapel.

They strolled in companionable silence, the industrious buzzing of bees and insects rising from the grasses and hedgerows. The sun-baked lawns gave off a sweet, earthy smell.

Jack was quiet as he wandered beside her, and Lucy thought back to what he’d shared with her at the lake the day before. She could sense his unease about attending the wedding.

‘Hey,’ she said, touching his arm as the chapel spire poked out from behind trees in the distance. ‘I don’t know if I’ve really said thank you for this, you know. I mean,’ she paused, ‘I know I’ve said I am glad you’re here and things but…I want you to know I am grateful. Thank you. It makes it so much easier, not being on my own. And I,’ she looked across at him, his eyes trained on the path at his feet, ‘I didn’t realise until yesterday that it was actually quite a big ask. So,’ she tried to end on a lighter note, ‘extra big thanks!’

Jack smiled and slipped his arm around her waist. ‘I’m happy to do it for you,’ he said, and kissed her temple.

Lucy’s heart rolled in her chest at his words and his touch. It was hot, but his hand felt like it was scorching through her dress.

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