Page 65 of Betrayal

“Not true.”He shook his head.“What about the next free Sunday we have, we meet up here or at your place and each cook one dish?”

“Just to prove we can.”

“I thought a creative thinker would be a good cook.”He headed straight for the kitchen, dropping his keys in a gorgeous ceramic bowl.“That if I flung open any door in my pantry you’d be able to create a masterpiece.You know, like MasterChef—the box challenge, or the fridge challenge or the leftovers challenge?”

“I used my creative thinking skills to avoid cooking until I was living alone.I can cook, but it’s not rave-worthy.We could eat at that place we didn’t go to the other night?”

“Good idea.”He glanced over his shoulder.“I’ll make a booking.”

“About an hour,” she said.“And not for the reason you’re thinking.”

“You’re a mind reader now?”He grinned.“Water or wine?”

“Water.I’ll have some wine with dinner.”Anna held up her computer bag.“Wanna see my designs for Niall’s exhibition?”

He closed the fridge door, bottle in hand.“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of your designs.”

He grabbed two crystal flutes and followed her into the living room.

“These aren’t finished.I’d like your thoughts.”

She dropped her coat and bags on one sofa before extracting her laptop.When he claimed the other sofa, she kicked off her boots and curled close beside him.

“Here we go.”Setting the laptop on the table in front of them, she pressed start.“These are shots of some of his pieces.”

He watched in silence for a few minutes, then pressed pause.“He’s very good.”

“I told you that.”She restarted the slideshow.”

“Bowls, frames, furniture, and—what’s he doing with—what do you call that piece of furniture?”

“A washing table, nineteenth, maybe late eighteenth century, but I’m guessing.Niall’s repaired damage to the legs.See that marble leaning against it.I’d say he’s using a piece as close to the original in origin and design as he can find.A wash jug and basin sit on it.”

“It’s like something Casildo’s grandmother might have had.”

“He’s planning it as a gift to Lucy, I think.There’s a jug and basin belonging to Lucy’s grandmother in his storage unit, and the marble comes from her grandfather’s stock.Niall’s stitching it all together.But he hasn’t admitted that, and she hasn’t seen it.”

“Are you running a slideshow on his website?”

“We’ll do a slideshow, but we also want to choose a venue to suit what’s he got.That’s why I’m showing it to you.”

“Makes sense.”He nodded.“Gives me a better sense of the right space.Actually, the last bloke I spoke to tonight has a warehouse.White walls, high windows, polished cement floor, but with an interesting annex-come-foyer a creative thinker could use as a wow-you-can’t-afford-to-miss-this-show moment.”

“Sounds fabulous.When can I see it?”

“My friend’s shifting the contents out next week.A day or two for cleaning, and then you and Niall can do your worst.”

“Can’t we have a peek in the meantime?”

“Doubt it, but I’ll send the location, dimensions, costs, etc, and some indoor shots, and you can see if Niall’s happy.”His watch pinged, a reminder of their dinner booking.“We’d better start moving.It’s about a ten-minute walk.”

They’d had their first fight and come through it.She and Hunter were building durable.That had to be good.Right?

* * *

Two weeks later, Hunterstood in the large space where Niall Quinn was staging his exhibition, absorbing the ambience.The carpenter’s work was cleverly showcased—Anna was a creative thinker after all—but the William Barton didgeridoo music, the flowers, the soft-voiced conversation added up to a successful night.Listening for the underscore, he noted the looks exchanged between Anna and her sister, with Liam, even occasionally with him—the conspiracy of support.Love flowed easily through this room, and the rich generosity made him want some for himself.

The invited art critic had just trapped Anna in conversation.She glanced in Hunter’s direction and winked.She’d pushed him for emotional intimacy, and in return he was surrounded by new people, good people, who accepted him because Anna had.

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