Page 43 of I Knew You Were Trouble

So, how can I say no to dinner now?

‘Okay. So, where are we going?’ I ask.

‘You’ll see,’ he says with a grin.

‘You just offered to tell me maybetenseconds ago.’

‘And now I’ve decided it will be a surprise.’

‘Oh, great. Ilovesurprises. Like when a strange man shows up at my door to give me bad news.’

‘Strange?’ he asks, giving me a side eye.

‘Not like that – strange as in not known to me – astranger.’

‘Ahh.’

‘Although, from what I can tell so far, you’re also a little odd.’

His eyes widen and he starts laughing.

I make a show of sipping my drink and ignoring him as he chuckles beside me.

11

KATE

Dinner is at a restaurant called The Pantry, which is about as old-school Dutch as it can get, from the décor (I’ve never seen such an extensive collection of Delftware) to the menu to the waitstaff, who bustle about with warm smiles and funny quips like kindly aunties.

I ordered theboerenkoolstamppotwith a sausage and when it arrived, I did my best to smother a laugh – unsuccessfully, mind you. Because the enormous sausage looked exactly like a penis. That it was balanced between two large scoops of mashed potato and kale made it worse.

As it was placed before me, I sniggered, my hand hiding half my face. When I was brave enough to meet Willem’s eye, he was chuckling softly.

‘Welcome to the Netherlands,’ he said, ‘where our national dish is also an anatomy lesson.’

At that, I laughed loudly and Willem joined in, the shared joke doing the trick. Any lingering strain between us melted away and conversation turned to far less harrowing topics than a cheating fiancé.

‘So, how did nine-year-old Willem cope with becoming a big brother?’ I ask.

He smiles thoughtfully. ‘I was a boisterous boy – loud, active, sometimes destructive…’ We exchange smiles. ‘You’d think it would have been a huge shock to have this tiny baby girl come into my life, but…’ He smiles gently, his gaze unfocused. ‘I loved her the moment I saw her, and I knew that no matter what, it was my job to protect her.’

‘Wow,’ I utter breathlessly. This speaks volumes about why he’s reacted the way he has. He simply wants to protect Adriana. And seemingly, by association,me.

His gaze snaps back into focus as I contemplate whether Iwanthis protection.

‘And you?’ he asks, keeping the conversation going. ‘You haven’t mentioned siblings…’

I shelve my internal musings to probe another time and launch into an explanation of my relationship with Margot – how we grew up more like sisters than cousins.

‘She’s an interesting person,’ he says, clearly choosing his words carefully.

I laugh. ‘Margot is… Let’s just say there’s no one like her. For one, she’s older than me, yet most of the time she behaves like a naughty teenager. I’m constantly chastising her – in a playful, loving way, of course,’ I add.

‘Of course,’ he says with a knowing half-smile.

‘But she’s had a lot of hardship in her life, so it’s easy to forgive her behaviour. Plus, she’s good for me.’

‘In what way?’

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