Page 13 of Wife for a Week

He steered them towards an empty table in a corner and sat them down unceremoniously, his gaze not on Jasmine but on two dark-suited Asian gentlemen standing by a nondescript staircase some twenty metres away. ‘Stay here,’ he told Jasmine.

‘Go,’ Jasmine waved him away. ‘We shall make our food selections while we wait for you.’

Hallie watched as Kai strode towards the staircase, according the staircase sentries the barest of nods before taking the stairs. ‘So what’s with the sentries?’ she asked. ‘Where’s Kai going?’

‘To pay our respects,’ said Jasmine. ‘One does not enter another’s territory without observing the formalities.’

‘What territory? You mean Triad territory?’

‘Oh, no,’ said Jasmine hastily. ‘Kai would never allow us to go there. Lucky Plaza is owned by another of Hong Kong’s criminal organisations. They are…less than Triad but still worthy of respect. You can see why I had to ask my father if it was appropriate to bring you here.’

Yes, well, she did now. So much for thinking Kai’s objection to the lunch venue was a simple power play. ‘How long has Kai been with you?’ she asked.

‘Almost ten years. Ever since my mother was killed during an attempted robbery at a fuel station. I don’t think my father ever forgave himself for not taking better care of her.’ Jasmine sighed. ‘He’s determined to take better care of me.’

‘I know the feeling,’ said Hallie. ‘My mother died of cancer when I was six. My father grieved and retreated into his work so my older brothers took on the task of raising me. I have four of them.’

‘Four older brothers,’ said Jasmine in fascinated horror. ‘Were they protective of you?’

Hallie nodded. ‘They still are. It drives me insane.’

‘But surely now you’re married they would expect Nick to assume the role of protector,’ said Jasmine.

Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten about Nick, her husband.

‘Well, yes,’ she said awkwardly. Lord only knew if her brothers would change their ways if she really were married. No potential suitor, upon meeting all four of them, had ever been brave enough to stick around.

‘He looks to be a wonderful husband,’ said Jasmine with a wistful sigh.

Who? Nick? Hallie suppressed a nervous giggle. Who knew? ‘Nick’s deceptive,’ she said finally. ‘He gives me the freedom to make my own mistakes.’ Like making love to him that morning. ‘But when you get down to it, he’s a lot like my brothers. He likes his own way.’ The ‘shopping’ money in her handbag was a perfect example.

Jasmine frowned.

‘Of course, he’s still a big improvement on my brothers,’ Hallie added hastily. Mustn’t forget she was supposed to be his wife. ‘I don’t feel nearly as trapped.’ This was true. Probably because she knew she’d only agreed to the dutiful wife charade for a week.

‘I feel trapped,’ said Jasmine pensively. ‘Sometimes all I can think about is finding a way out. When Nick first came to visit I saw him as an opportunity for escape. Of course, he’s handsome and kind as well; a woman could do worse than be married to such a man…And you must understand, I didn’t know he was already married.’ Jasmine looked away, her face reddening. ‘I tried to seduce him,’ she said in a small voice. ‘You should have seen his face. He was horrified.’

‘Oh, Jasmine…’ Hallie didn’t know whether to applaud the younger girl’s initiative or berate her for trying to sell her future so cheaply. ‘There has to be another way.’

‘There is,’ said the younger girl. ‘At least I think there is. Kai wishes to visit his family on the Mainland after the New Year. He’s thinking of returning there permanently. If he goes I will try to persuade my father not to replace him.’

‘That could work.’

Jasmine nodded. ‘Hopefully it will make everyone happier, including Kai. He’s been so irritable lately. And moody. And critical! He’s driving me crazy.’

‘Sounds like he’s got woman trouble,’ said Hallie. She had four big brothers; she knew the symptoms well.

‘No,’ said Jasmine with a firm shake of her head. ‘I would know if there was a woman. He hasn’t had a woman in his life for years.’

‘No women at all? He’s not…?’

‘No!’ said Jasmine indignantly. ‘Definitely not! He’s just…discerning.’

‘I guess he can afford to be,’ said Hallie, watching the younger girl closely. ‘He’s very handsome, don’t you think? Almost as handsome as Nick.’

Jasmine’s lips tightened. ‘I guess,’ she said, offhand.

‘And he does the strong, silent thing very well.’

‘If you like that kind of thing.’

‘Many women do,’ she assured the younger girl and smiled outright when Jasmine’s eyes narrowed. Jasmine seemed to be harbouring a few protective instincts of her own when it came to Kai. ‘How long did you say he’s been moody for?’

‘More than a year now,’ said Jasmine glumly.

‘And how old are you?’

‘I was nineteen three weeks ago.’

Ah. ‘Now I’m really inclined to think he’s having woman problems. Maybe he’s pining for an unavailable woman.’

‘There is no woman!’ said Jasmine hotly.

‘There’s you,’ said Hallie quietly. ‘Maybe Kai has feelings for you and doesn’t know what to do with them. Maybe that’s why he’s so moody and irritable and wants to return to the Mainland.’

Jasmine blinked. Then she went white.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Hallie hurriedly, cursing her wayward mouth. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you. It was just a thought. I’ve only been here two days, what do I know?’

‘It would explain many things,’ said Jasmine with a tiny shake of her head. ‘Oh, Hallie, I’ve been so mean to him lately.’

‘I think Kai can handle a little mean, don’t you?’ said Hallie, her gaze meeting Kai’s as he reappeared at the bottom of the stairs and started towards them with that silent, ground-eating stride. He was a warrior this one, a warrior steeped in the old ways; she knew the breed. Honour-bound to protect his charge; he would be equally determined to resist his feelings for her.

Not that he had the slightest chance of doing that indefinitely, thought Hallie as Kai’s hooded gaze connected with Jasmine’s newly aware one. Particularly if Jasmine decided she had feelings for him.

Water always prevailed in the end, no matter how hard the rock. Everyone knew that.

Lunch was a feast of flavours and hugely entertaining. The food hall was large, the crowd was raucous and Hallie loved it. Almost as much as she enjoyed the silent byplay between Kai and Jasmine. Kai seemed to sense Jasmine’s disquiet and watched her closely. Jasmine watched him when he wasn’t watching her.

When Hallie could eat no more, when she was full to bursting and couldn’t contemplate another mouthful, they cleared their table and headed up the escalator to browse the shops on the next level. Collector’s shops, Jasmine told her distractedly before excusing herself and hurrying down a side corridor towards the bathrooms.

Kai watched her go, his gaze not leaving her retreating form. Moments later he was striding after her, catching her by the arm and swinging her round to face him just as she reached the bathroom door in an unmistakable display of baffled masculinity.

Hallie grinned and left them to it, wandering over towards an odd little corner shop while she waited. It was hard to tell what it sold; the red velvet drapes in the display windows weren’t giving away any clues. And then she saw it. A solitary Chinese funeral vase sitting on a pedestal. It was old, so very old, and almost luminous in its fragile beauty. It was absolutely breathtaking.

The stark black signwork on the entry door was in Chinese. Hallie had no idea what it said. But a glance through the door showed more funeral vases inside, some on pedestals, some behind glass, and she simply couldn’t resist a closer look.

The mood inside the shop was a sombre reflection of the stock, the salesman young and immaculately presented in a tailored grey suit. He looked up, surprise and wariness crossing his face as she came further into the shop. Maybe he didn’t speak English and was worried about how to approach her, thought Hallie. Or maybe he’d forgotten how to speak at all; that was a possibility too given the number of customers he probably saw in a day. She sent him a reassuring smile and turned to the vases on display. Many of them were old. They were all beautiful. But none was lovelier than the one in the window.

‘Excuse me,’ she said to the young salesman, who still hadn’t spoken but was watching her closely nonetheless, ‘but do you speak English?’

‘Some,’ he said with a slight smile.

Some was good. Some was definitely better than none, which was the exact extent of her Cantonese. ‘May I have a closer look at the vase in the window?’

‘Madam probably wishes to buy a different kind of vase,’ said the young man with surprising firmness. ‘There are many other vases for sale on the next shopping level.’

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