Page 16 of Wife for a Week

‘I’m taking that as a yes,’ she said with a grin. ‘Leave him to me.’

‘Jasmine’s going to give me a cooking lesson,’ she told John cheerfully when they reached the house and he tried to usher them into the formal sitting room. ‘She’s going to show me how to cook stir-fry noodles. They’re one of Nick’s favourite dishes.’

Which was how they all came to be in the kitchen, every last one of them, with John fixing them drinks, Jasmine raiding the fridge for ingredients, and Kai setting a wok to heating and a huge pot of water to boiling on a gourmet gas stove.

‘What are you up to now?’ Nick asked her, pulling her aside when she would have headed over to help Jasmine.

‘John’s really embarrassed about the restaurant incident,’ she whispered. ‘I’m trying to avert disaster.’

‘By eating in the man’s kitchen? He’s old school, Hallie. He probably thinks this is a disaster.’

‘We’re going to have a simple meal in simple surroundings and we’re all going to enjoy it,’ said Hallie firmly. And when he still looked uncertain, ‘John Tey won’t relax until you do. Trust me, it’ll be fun.’

She was right decided Nick a few minutes later. The informality of the kitchen and the routine task of preparing food went a long way towards dispelling the sombre mood that had descended after they’d left the restaurant. It wasn’t quite the way he envisioned a ‘real’ corporate wife would have handled the situation, but there was no denying that it worked. He watched Hallie quiz Kai about the type of oil he used and the paste he added, watched Kai chop ginger into slivers, his blade little more than a blur of speed. Watched Jasmine show similar skill with the cutting of bamboo shoots, wincing when Hallie immediately wanted to know how to speed chop too. He watched, with fatalistic resignation, as Jasmine handed her the knife and Hallie took her turn at the cutting board, albeit under Kai’s careful tutelage.

‘So is this a traditional noodle recipe?’ she wanted to know.

‘Not quite,’ said Jasmine, covering her grin with a sip of white wine. ‘This is a whatever-we-can-find-in-the-fridge recipe. We make it a lot.’

Kai shot her an admonishing frown.

‘Well, we do,’ said Jasmine.

‘So will I,’ declared Hallie.

Kai just shook his head.

‘Your wife is a lovely woman,’ said John from beside him. He too was watching the byplay. ‘I’m glad she could accompany you this time.’

Nick nodded awkwardly. He didn’t like lying to the older man about his marital status. He had John Tey’s measure now; the older man would have understood the white lie he’d told to spare Jasmine’s feelings. And Jasmine, according to Hallie, wouldn’t have been heartbroken at all. All he would have had to do was come clean with both of them and the problem would have been solved. But it was too late to change the play now, not without losing John’s trust. He’d made the call with the information available to him at the time; he had to see it through.

‘My daughter is often reserved around new acquaintances, but not with Hallie,’ observed John. ‘Your wife has the knack of making others feel comfortable. She makes them smile from within. It is a rare gift.’

Yes, it was. He just wished he were immune to it, that was all. Because he wasn’t.

In what seemed like a remarkably short time, the vegetables were frying in the wok and noodles were bubbling away in a steaming pot of water. Hallie looked towards him, saw him watching her, and sent him a conspiratorial smile that warmed him through, before heading over to join them.

‘Jasmine tells me you’re fascinated by the Chinese Lion Dancing,’ said John.

‘Yes, we saw some boys practising their routines in the streets today.’ Hallie grinned. ‘I made Jasmine stay and watch until they’d finished. They were so young, the boys beneath the lion’s head. And so skilful!’

‘Lion dancing is often an honoured family tradition. The boys are taught by their father or their grandfather from a very young age,’ said John. ‘The current national champions are performing at the Four Winds New Year’s Eve Ball tomorrow evening. I’ve taken the liberty of acquiring tickets for us all if you’re interested in attending.’

‘I’m in,’ said Hallie immediately, and with a somewhat belated glance in Nick’s direction. ‘That is, if Nick wants to go too.’

Nick nodded. It would take a stronger man than him to disappoint her.

‘The ball is quite a spectacle,’ said Jasmine as she set a heaped bowl of stir-fry in front of him, another in front of her father. ‘There are fireworks at midnight and paper lanterns and decorations everywhere. Did you bring a gown?’ she asked Hallie.

Hallie nodded. ‘One. But it’s kind of plain. Nick chose it and his mother agreed with him.’ She sighed heavily. ‘I was outnumbered.’

Plain, my ass, thought Nick. There was nothing plain about the way the floor-length gold sheath had clung to every delectable curve. Nothing ordinary about the way it made her skin glow and her eyes turn to amber.

‘We could shop for another one tomorrow,’ suggested Jasmine.

‘No.’ Hallie waved the suggestion aside. ‘I was only teasing Nick. I love the gown. I’d have chosen it myself if I’d been given the chance. It may be plain, but the cut is superb.’

‘You could accessorize,’ he said, remembering the jewellery he’d borrowed from Stuart for just such an occasion. ‘You could wear your necklace.’

‘You mean the one I haven’t even seen yet?’ she replied archly. ‘The one you chose without me? Maybe I could.’ But her tone implied otherwise.

‘I think you’ll like it.’

Hallie sighed. ‘I daresay I will, but that’s not the point, is it? The point is I didn’t get to help you choose it.’

Oh, yeah. Modern woman. Freedom. Equality. Respect. ‘That was before I knew you liked to be in on the whole decision-making process,’ he said by way of defence. ‘I wanted to surprise you.’

‘I think surprise gifts are wonderful,’ said Jasmine. ‘They’re so romantic.’

‘I think I agree,’ said Hallie with a sigh. ‘I may not be such a modern woman after all.’

‘I don’t know how you keep up,’ murmured Kai as he set another three bowls of noodles on the table and took a seat beside him.

‘She sleeps a lot,’ Nick countered dryly. ‘That helps.’

Hallie was looking forward to getting some well-earned sleep. What she wasn’t looking forward to was that pesky little time before she went to sleep. That five-metre walk from bathroom to bed, with her in her sleepwear and Nick over by the window all brooding and sexy. She made it to the bed by refusing to let her memories of this morning’s lovemaking get the better of her. Did it by counting pillows. Denial was a hell of a lot easier when you didn’t know what you were missing, thought Hallie glumly.

‘I still have some work to do before tomorrow,’ said Nick. ‘It may be a while before I come to bed. I’ll try not to disturb you.’

She risked a glance and immediately wished she hadn’t as those knowing dark eyes met hers. ‘It’s okay,’ she said, wiping damp palms down the sides of her boxers for girls. ‘I have a plan.’

‘You do?’ His lips tilted. ‘I can’t wait to hear it.’

Actually it was more theory than plan. ‘I think I need to sleep on the other side of the bed tonight.’

‘You mean my side,’ said Nick. ‘And that would be because…?’

‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? Last night I was trying to get to that side of the bed in my sleep, so I figure if I start there tonight I’ll stay there.’

‘That’s it? That’s your plan?’

She nodded.

‘No pillows?’

She shook her head. Fat lot of good the pillows had done. ‘I’m keeping it simple.’

‘Let me get this straight. You want to sleep on my side of the bed tonight because that’s what’s going to stop you from wrapping yourself around me and—’

‘Yes,’ she interrupted hastily. ‘That ought to do it.’

‘What if it doesn’t?’ he asked silkily.

Good point. ‘Well, maybe one person could sleep on top of the sheets and the other between them.’ Yes, that could work. She hurried on. ‘I’ll sleep between the sheets and you can sleep on top of them. You slept without a sheet over you most of last night.’

‘That’s because I couldn’t find it, not because I didn’t want it.’

Oh. ‘A gentleman would offer the sheets to the lady,’ she said finally.

‘Whatever happened to equality?’ Nick’s smile was pure rogue.

Hallie sighed heavily. It wasn’t always easy, practising what you preached. ‘Or we could toss a coin.’

Nick dug in his wallet for a coin and sent it spinning towards her. ‘Tails and I get to sleep between the sheets,’ he said.

It was tails.

‘Fine.’ Hallie lifted her chin. ‘I’ll stay on top of the sheets.’

Nick’s smile deepened.

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