LITMIR.BIZ

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lovely afternoon. It was most … unexpected.’

      She smiled, her lips tight, her hands clasping and unclasping the steering wheel. He was so close she could sense the remnants of his aftershave. Sweet and dry at the same time. Delicious.

      He placed his hands on the bottom of the open window and leant in, his breath fanning her face as he spoke beyond her to Ben. ‘See you tomorrow, Benny boy.’

      Ben cocked his hand like a pistol. ‘Shall do, boss.’

      Jacob turned to Holly, his face still only inches from hers. It was all she could do not to close her eyes, drink in his delectable scent.

      ‘I’ll see you, Holly,’ he said, and by his tone she believed it. He leant in and brushed a fleeting kiss upon her cheek. His lips were warm, soft, and gone all too soon. ‘Promise me you will get Benny boy home to Beth in one piece.’

      ‘I promise. Goodbye, Jacob.’

      And as soon as his hands left the window she sped away. Allowing herself one brief glance in the rear-view mirror she saw Jacob standing in the road, his hands in his trouser pockets, watching her.

      She kept her focus on the road ahead though her mind was spinning in another direction. ‘Have you found anyone else to set me up with?’

      Ben paused, as he seemed to absorb this question. ‘I’m sure I could rustle up a couple of possibilities.’

      ‘Then do it. As soon as possible.’

      ‘If that’s what you still want.’

      ‘It is.’ He was watching her but she ignored him. She had said all she wanted to say on the matter. ‘Consider it done.’

      She nodded, then drove Ben home to his waiting wife.

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      THANK GOD it’s Friday, Holly thought as the drinks waiter handed over her champagne glass of lemon, lime, bitters, and a dash of honey. She savoured a long, thankful taste before looking over the room. All of the guests at the Arty Pants Modern Art Gallery Charity Evening were smiling, chatting, and paying a good deal of attention to the art. All was well.

      Until one man in the corner smiled her way. A man in an expensive suit, blond hair thinning and styled to within an inch of its life, strong tan, perfect teeth. Holly’s smile faded.

       Oh, boy, not another one. Do they pop out of an assembly line just to attend parties and openings and corroborate my theory?

      The man raised his glass in salute. Holly gave him a short polite nod and then moved away.

      Luckily Lydia had just arrived, back from a week assisting at a Star Trek conference in Sydney.

      ‘Hello, gorgeous!’ Lydia called out as though she were on the other side of the room, not leaning into Holly’s arms for a fond embrace. ‘Loving it all, Holl. Great food, fabulous music and a feast for the eyes. Speaking of which, that blond dish in the corner is eyeing you up.’

      Holly shot a quick glance at the man. He was still watching her over his tumbler.

      ‘Sorry, Lydia. Not interested.’

      Lydia raised a thin blonde eyebrow in disbelief. ‘Why? Do you have something better lined up for dinner already?’

      ‘Hardly. The truth is, while you were away Ben set me up on a spate of blind dates and the thought of telling my life story one more time makes me feel sick to the stomach.’

      ‘So the husband hunt is off to a flying start, hey?’

      Holly shrugged.

      ‘Of course, while you were off having wildly romantic nights with dozens of men, I was fending off pointy eared, eight-foot geeks in rubber masks. Though there was this one Klingon …’ She smiled slowly, before shaking her head clear. ‘Anyway, please renew my hope in mankind. Tell me they were all delicious.’

      Holly laughed. ‘Tiresome, more like.’

      ‘Hmm. Tiresome, were they?’ Lydia waved a hand, indicating her question related entirely to bedroom pursuits.

      Holly grabbed the offending hand. ‘Lydia!’

      ‘Come on, then. Gory details, please. I expect to be swooning at the end of this.’

      ‘No promises, but here goes. Wednesday’s guy took me to a restaurant where we had to sit on the floor, which was fine, until he removed his shoes. Foot odour competing with curry is not a scent I will soon forget.’

      ‘So buy him cotton socks. Ooh, and you could wash his feet every night. Terribly sexy. Next!’

      ‘Okay. Last night my blind date picked me up from work. Nice car. Nice conversation. Nice guy. Until he took me via home to meet his mother. And that was before dinner.’

      ‘You are too picky. Mummy’s boys can be wonderful. I’ll bet he even cooks and cleans.’

      ‘You think I’m too picky? Well, then, beat this, one gentleman offered to sire me a football team.’

      Lydia’s effusive laugh rang across the room so that several people turned their way. ‘Now that one is a definite keeper. If you don’t want him, give him my number.’

      Holly felt an unwelcome prickling in her stomach at the thought of giving Lydia’s phone number to that particular blind date.

      ‘I guess this means fending off next-morning phone calls from panting men is back on my job description.’

      Holly did not have the opportunity to refute Lydia’s claim as her acquaintance’s eyes were fixedly focussed on something, or someone, beyond her shoulder.

      ‘Now that tasty morsel was worth coming along for.’ The younger woman nodded coyly at the vision behind Holly.

      ‘Who?’ Holly spun around to catch a glimpse of the object of Lydia’s divided attention. She could not hide her gasp at the sight of Jacob Lincoln ridding himself of his coat by the front door.

      Lydia whirled straight back to Holly. ‘You know him, Itake it.’

      ‘Barely.’ Holly turned away from the door, her cheeks heating madly, her eyes scanning the room for safe ground.

      ‘Holl, you have a shockingly ineffective poker-face, you know. And if you are thinking you can avoid introducing us now, you are sorely mistaken.’

      Lydia grabbed Holly by the elbow and spun her around to face the door. Together they watched the man straighten his tie, smile at the hat-check girl as he took his ticket, and then look up, overtly searching the room.

      * * *

      It took only a moment for Jacob to catch sight of the two women near the bar. The younger woman with the mop of blonde curls and hot pink feather boa wrapped around her thin shoulders was practically beckoning him with her eyes, whereas the woman with the sleek chestnut hair and vibrant form-hugging dress in a mix of eye-popping blues and greens seemed to be finding her shoes extremely fascinating.

      Jacob took a deep breath, straightened his tense shoulders, pocketed his coat-check ticket, and made a beeline towards them.

      Jacob’s usually confident gaze was flicking from side to side, his hands were clenching and unclenching in his trouser pockets and Holly knew he was, for once, unsure of himself. Amongst the bohemian crowd in which Holly felt totally at ease, Jacob was visibly unnerved, just as she had been amongst the beer, boxing and betting.

      She smiled. Now they were even.

      Holly guessed he probably felt more than a little overdressed, but he was disarming in his black dinner suit, crisp white shirt and lavender tie. He oozed masculinity amongst the eclectic group of buyers, dealers, artists, and hangers-on, standing out like a prize bull in a field of mangy goats.

      He nodded his hello.

      Holly nodded back,

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