Page 42 of Just a Little White Lie

Belief.

Purpose.

Something that will motivate them to get off their butts and dance a step or two.

“Purpose.” I mutter the word a few times, willing my brain to concoct the perfect answer. “Proof. Proof that they’re just as good as everybody else. Because they are.” I nod as if it’s a sudden revelation. “They’re just as good as those rich kids. If anything, they’re better because they’ve had to deal with a lot more crap!”

“Who are you talking to?” Jack’s voice makes me jump so hard I nearly topple off the bed.

I save my butt from the floor by grabbing the edge of my desk and hauling myself back up.

He chuckles like I’m funny and cute or something.

I frown at him, and he mirrors my expression until I have to fight a grin.

Idiot.

He crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe and looking all kinds of delicious.

“Don’t you have a job or something?” I try to busy myself with getting out my laptop so I don’t have to look at him.

Why is he always lingering around the house looking all tempting? He needs to go away and let me think!

“I work at the gym. My hours are all over the place.”

“Huh. It just feels like you’realwayshere.”

“Well, I do live here, Short Stack, so…”

I make a face, wrinkling my nose at his sexy little wink. And there’s that smile again.

My stomach trills, but I ignore the sensation, trying to convince myself that I have more important things to do than relive my childhood crush on Jack.

He’s annoying. You don’t like him, remember? Don’t be fooled by that delectable smile of his.

Clearing my throat, I open my laptop and silently tell him I’m busy, but he just stays put.

“So, did you have a better day?”

I shrug.

“They still giving you a hard time, huh?”

“I just need to figure out a way to reach them.”

Why are you engaging? Tell him to go away!

“Had any good ideas?” He scratches his whiskers, and I’m back to wondering what they’d feel like trailing over my skin.

I blink and turn back to my computer.

“Not yet. I just…” I sigh, ignoring my inner warnings and turning to him. “They’ve come from nothing. They’ve each lived through different types of hell, and now they’re in this boarding school surrounded by elitists who don’t even want them there. And to them, I’m no different to anybody else. My problems are first-world and all my own doing. These guys were born into poverty, and…” I shake my head. “We have no idea.”

“I get it.” Jack walks into my room and takes a seat on the end of my bed. “I grew up in south Auckland for a while. My parents worked their asses off to get us out of there, and we ended up near you guys. I felt so out of place at first. Like an alien. And it made me… frustrated and embarrassed. And now, as an adult looking back, I know none of them were better than me. Just because they had money, that didn’t make them better. But at the time, it felt like it really mattered. I had to prove myself. For my own pride.” He shakes his head. “I just… had to make them see I was good enough.”

He goes quiet, and my heart is doing little flips in my chest. I’m not used to serious, heartfelt Jack; it’s sexy in a whole different way.

“You never let any of that show,” I tell him. “I had no idea.”

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