The Trouble with Valentine's

‘How do you know all this?’

The question stung, mainly because of all the things he didn’t say. You’ve only ever been on one date, and that was arranged by your father and the boy in question never asked for another, he could have said. And you’ve certainly never been given a gift on Valentine’s Day. He could have said that too. Instead, he’d gone with ‘How do you know all this?’ and shamed her anyway.

‘I see what people do,’ she offered tightly. ‘I know what’s expected. Just because—

Just because she’d never had a proper boyfriend and barely knew kisses …

‘Just go,’ she said.

But Kai had never been one to take orders – at least, not from her. He stood there watching her; so many secrets behind those beautiful black eyes. Kai had been her bodyguard for eight years now, ever since she was eleven, and there’d never not been secrets in those eyes.

Nicholas Cooper’s laughing blue eyes had been refreshingly devoid of secrets.

Well … except for the fact that he had a wife.

‘It’s not a Valentine’s Day date,’ Kai offered finally. ‘I don’t have a Valentine. I’m not buying flowers. I’m going to watch a martial arts demonstration. Wing Chun style versus Aikido.’

‘Oh.’ The bean shoots were burning. Jasmine turned down the heat and gave the food another stir. ‘May I accompany you?’

‘It’ll be hot and crowded.’

This was Hong Kong. It often was. ‘I don’t mind. I wouldn’t treat it like a Valentine’s Day outing, or anything. I mean—that’s not how I think of you. At all.’

Much.

Kai just looked at her and then with a flicker of something in his beautiful black eyes, he looked away.

‘No, Jasmine,’ he told her quietly. ‘The answer’s no.’

Hallie’s bedside phone was ringing. She rolled across the bed, arm outstretched, groping wildly. Because no way on earth were her eyes going to open at this hour. She’d spent most of last night watching bad action adventure movies with Tris. She’d planned on a ten a.m. wake-up time, minimum. It wasn’t ten a.m. It was still dark, not even dawn. She found the phone, found her ear. ‘‘Lo,’ she mumbled.

‘Can you get some time off work this afternoon?’

‘Nick?’

‘Yes. Nick.’ He sounded impatient.

‘Couldn’t this have waited till morning?’ she mumbled.

‘It is morning. Were you still in bed?’

Hallie slitted her eyes open to glance at the glowing red numbers of her bedside clock. Five-fifty! A.m! Ugh, he was a morning person. The notion was going to take some time to digest. She held the receiver to her breast and took several deep breaths before putting it back to her ear. ‘Nick, it’s the weekend. I have one day off a week and this is it and there’d better be a good reason for this call. What do you want?’

‘To let you know we have an appointment at Tiffany’s at two this afternoon to get your rings.’

‘Rings?’ Hallie’s eyes snapped open. ‘Tiffany’s? As in Tiffany and Co. the jewellers?’ She was wide awake.

‘Wedding ring, engagement ring. It’ll be expected. The manager of the store on Old Bond Street’s a friend of mine; he’s going to let me borrow some pieces,’ said Nick. ‘After that we’ll go shopping. You’ll need suitable clothes as well.’

Shopping for clothes? This coming from the lips of a man? ‘You’re gay, aren’t you?’

‘No,’ he said, with a smile in his voice that curled her toes.

‘Cross dresser?’

‘Nope.’

‘Have you been drinking?’

‘Nor am I drunk.’ Exasperation in his voice this time, giving her toes a chance to relax. ‘The way we present ourselves in Hong Kong is going to be important and I’m guessing there’s nothing in your wardrobe that’s suitable.’

‘Suitable how?’ she snapped as visions of tailored suits and pillbox hats floated through her mind. ‘You’re going to dress me up like Jackie Kennedy, aren’t you? You’re having make-over fantasies!’

‘I wasn’t until now.’ The smile was back in his voice; yep, there went her toes. ‘And I’m not thinking First Lady exactly but we can’t have you looking like Marilyn Monroe either.’

She should have been insulted. Would have been except that this was a sex goddess he was comparing her to. ‘Who’s paying for these clothes?’

‘I am. Consider it a perk.’

‘I love this job,’ said Hallie. ‘I’m in. Two o’clock sharp at the jewellers. Oh, and Nick?’

‘What?’

He sounded complacent. Indulgent. As if she’d reacted exactly as any good little plaything would. ‘Bring your mother.’

‘How’d the big date go last night?’ asked Tris when finally she made it to the kitchen for breakfast. He was standing by the counter waiting for toast to pop. Hallie was all about getting to the coffee pot. ‘I didn’t hear you come in.’

‘That’s because you were totally out of it. I checked on you when I came in.’

Tris poured her a coffee without further comment. Hallie added milk, blew gently on it for good measure and finally took a sip.

‘He’s a nice guy,’ she said. ‘Funny. Good company …’

‘Name?’

Hallie reached for the Hong Kong travel guide sitting on the counter, flipped to the back of the book and retrieved Nicholas Cooper’s business card. She held it up, rolling her eyes as Tris not-so-deftly plucked it from her outstretched fingers. ‘How’s the shoulder?’

‘Bruised.’ Tristan studied the card. ‘Seriously?’ His tawny, golden gaze pinned her once more, bright with amusement. ‘You’re dating a computer geek?’

‘Well, it beats dating a cop. Imagine if I brought home someone like you?’

‘No cops,’ growled Tris.

‘Amen.’

‘Brat.’

‘Boor.’ She took in the scrape high on his face and the discoloured skin that ran from shoulder to neckline. ‘You still look like hell.’

‘Perks of the job. Speaking of, I’m going to be in Prague most of next week. Maybe longer.’

As far as Tris destinations went, Prague was a new one. ‘What’s in Prague?’

‘Vice.’

‘Tris, this job you do—’

I wish you’d walk away from it, she wanted to say. I don’t like the distance you put between yourself and other people these days and I can’t bear to see the bleakness in your eyes when you think no one else is looking.

But the Bennett family never said things like that and Hallie was nothing if not one of them.

‘Be careful, won’t you?’ she said, and took comfort from his smile.

Hallie arrived at the jewellers at exactly two o clock, only to find Nick and Clea waiting for her outside, Clea looking thoughtful, Nick looking just plain smug.

‘We got here a little early so we’ve already been in,’ said Nick. ‘Henry’s given me some pieces on loan. I’m sure you’ll like them.’

‘What do you mean you’re sure I’ll like them? You mean I don’t even get to go into the shop and ogle the pieces for myself?’ Hallie stared at him, aghast. Surely he was kidding. ‘Don’t you need to measure my ring size or something? I mean, what if they don’t fit?’

‘Here, dear, try this on.’ Clea handed her one of her own rings, a wide band of square- cut diamonds set in platinum. ‘We used this one for size. I usually have a good eye for these things.’

Hallie slipped the band on her wedding ring finger and stared at it in dismay. It was a perfect fit.

‘Does it fit?’ asked Nick, all solicitousness. ‘It looks like it fits.’

‘It does. But we’re still going inside. I for one will be far more amenable once I get to see all the pretties, even if I don’t get to choose anything.’ Hallie placed a dramatic hand over her heart. ‘Nick, I’m your future pretend wife. You need to humour me.’

‘This really isn’t going to plan,’ said Nick as Hallie handed Clea’s ring back to her and headed towards the plate glass doors of one of London’s landmark jewellery stores. ‘Why isn’t this going to plan?’

‘I have no idea,’ offered Clea dulcetly as she too headed back inside. ‘Coming?’

Henry, Nick’s Friday night poker buddy and current sales director of the jeweller’s UK branches, smirked when Nick stepped back inside. He’d said nothing when Nick had chosen the pieces earlier with Clea’s help, but he’d smirked when Nick had said that Hallie was meeting them here. Henry caught Nick’s gaze, highly amused about something, and then Henry adjusted his tie, turned and bestowed a charming smile on Hallie and on Clea. ‘Let me guess,’ he said smoothly. ‘You’d like to see the pieces again?’

‘Just the rings,’ said Nick quickly, otherwise they’d never get out of here.

‘And maybe a tiara,’ said Hallie.

‘And the animal brooches,’ added Clea.

‘Good call,’ said Hallie.

‘Certainly, ladies. This way, please.’ Henry’s amusement was definitely not part of the regular Tiffany’s jewellery buying experience. Henry needed a refresher course. ‘Nicholas, my friend. Is there anything else I may show you?’

‘The door in half an hour would be excellent.’

‘I live to serve,’ said Henry. ‘And I do love a challenge. Shall we take it over to the chairs?’

‘No need—’

‘Henry, you angel,’ said Hallie. ‘I need a seat, a tiara and possibly a beverage. Give me the whole Tiffany’s excellent service experience. I’m currently in retail. I’m taking notes.’

‘I’m up to the part where I’m making you feel special,’ said Henry as he gestured towards a cluster of seats and a table set in a perfectly lit alcove. ‘Are you feeling the opulence all around you yet?’

‘And beneath my feet,’ said Hallie as she sashayed forward. ‘I’m loving the lighting.’

‘So am I,’ said Clea. ‘My wrinkles are gone.’

Clea and Hallie moved forward. Henry held Nick back.

‘I thought you said you didn’t need a distraction in Hong Kong,’ Henry murmured. ‘I thought you wanted to focus on the deal.’

‘All true,’ said Nick. ‘Hallie can entertain Jasmine. John and I can get on with business. Why are you looking at me like that?’

‘Oh, my friend. I knew fantasy was your speciality. I didn’t realise you’d added delusion to your play deck. Nick, look at her. That is not a woman you are going to be able to ignore. She is exactly your type. She’s going to wrap you around her little finger. You, my friend, are going to come back from Hong Kong completely smitten, and then you’re going to come in and buy every last piece you’ve just borrowed and I am going to dine out on your commission for months.’

‘Want to bet?’

‘Don’t bet,’ cautioned Henry. ‘You need to save your money to pay for the tiara.’

‘I’m pretty sure the tiara request is a joke. Hallie doesn’t want a tiara.’

Henry’s smile was full of pity. ‘Yet.’

Henry went into organising mode after that, calling two more staff members over and sending them off to fetch the requested jewels.

Ten minutes later the tiaras had been perused and discarded, a dazzling sapphire peacock brooch was still on the table, and the brilliant-cut solitaire diamond engagement ring Nick had picked out earlier was shining away on Hallie’s wedding-ring finger as she tilted it this way and that.

‘I mean it’s beautiful,’ said Hallie. ‘And it’s huge. But I’m not sure it’s me.’

‘Think of it as a prop,’ he offered. ‘A reminder that you’re pretending to be someone else.’

‘Look at this one,’ said Clea, holding up a Celtic-inspired swirl of platinum, studded with rubies.

‘Nick, look!’ said Hallie, her eyes bright with laughter. ‘It looks like something Xia from New Mars would wear. Surely the wife of a world-class computer game designer could have this engagement ring instead of the boring one?’

‘The boring one signals your status more clearly,’ he countered. ‘That one could be a dress ring.’

‘Or a belated Valentine’s gift,’ offered Henry.

‘Not helping, Henry,’ muttered Nick.

Hallie slipped Xia’s ring on her finger and Nick watched her fall in love.

‘Tell her it’s not as expensive,’ said Henry.

‘It’s not as expensive.’

‘Who cares?’ said Hallie, holding her hands up and looking from one ring to the other. ‘You’re not buying. I’m not keeping. Clea, which do you prefer?’

‘The diamond solitaire is the more traditional option.’

‘Is John Tey an observer of tradition?’ asked Hallie and Nick nodded.

‘Damn.’ Hallie sighed and slipped Xia’s ring from her finger and set it back on the table. ‘Goodbye, baby. It was fun while it lasted.’

‘That’s the spirit,’ said Nick. ‘Keep practising those words.’

Clea’s laughter bubbled through the air. Hallie smiled guilelessly and Nick wondered – not for the first time – about the sanity of continuing on this particular path with the not-so-angelic Hallie Bennett in tow.

It still wasn’t too late to back out.

Henry glanced at Nick and narrowly avoided snorting.

‘Your sales manner is atrocious,’ Nick told his old schoolfriend.

‘Fortunately, my bullshit detector is as well honed as ever,’ said Henry. ‘I can set the Valentine ring aside for you for a couple of weeks. You can think about it.’

‘I don’t need the “let me set it aside for you” offer,’ said Nick. ‘I feel special enough.’

‘Old friend,’ drawled Henry. ‘Let me do it for you anyway.’

‘Did you get the week off work?’ Nick asked her as they exited Tiffany’s a short time later.

‘Yes. The owner’s niece is going to fill in for me,’ said Hallie, recalling the conversation she’d had with her employer earlier that morning. No need to tell Nick that if the niece liked the job, Hallie was out of one. If everything went to plan she wouldn’t need the job anyway.

‘What about your brother? The one you’re staying with. Does he know you’re going to Hong Kong?’

‘Not yet. It turns out he’s also going to be away next week.’ And wasn’t that a fine piece of timing. ‘I’ll leave him a note.’

‘That’ll go down well,’ muttered Nick.

‘Trust me. It’s as good a plan as any.’ Hallie smiled brightly. She really didn’t want to dwell on what Tris would have to say about this. ‘So where to now?’

Ten minutes later they were standing outside one of the most exclusive clothing boutiques in Knightsbridge. ‘Are we sure about this?’ asked Hallie hesitantly. Buying an outfit or two from a mid-range clothing store was one thing, dropping a bundle on a week’s worth of designer clothes was quite another. ‘I’m all for being well dressed but do we really need to shop somewhere quite this exclusive?’

‘Don’t worry, dear,’ said Clea. ‘I get a very good discount here.’

‘You want to hope so,’ Hallie muttered to Nick as she stared at the sophisticated power suit in the display window. ‘I think it only fair to warn you that I still have nightmares about the first time my oldest brother took me shopping for clothes. Pinafore dresses that came to my ankles. Sweaters up to my chin. Wide brimmed straw hats …’

‘And very sensible too dear, those hats, what with the harsh Australian sun and your skin type,’ said Clea.

Hallie groaned. And here she’d been hoping that Clea would be an ally when it came to clothes. ‘My point is I battled for years for the right to choose my own clothes and I’m not about to relinquish it now.’ She pointed a stern finger at Nick. ‘You can tell me what kind of look you’re after but I won’t have you choosing clothes for me. Are we clear on that?’

‘Well, I—’

‘Having said that, I will of course ask your opinion on the things I’ve chosen. I’m not an unreasonable woman. You can tell me if you like something.’

‘And if I don’t?’

Hallie considered the question. She could be a bit contrary at times. ‘Probably best not to say anything,’ she said and, squaring her shoulders, sailed on into the shop.

The boutique was streamlined and classy, the coiffed and polished saleswoman just that little bit daunting, never mind that she greeted Clea with friendly familiarity.

‘Size eight, I think,’ said the saleswoman after turning an assessing eye on Hallie.

‘Ten,’ said Hallie.

‘In this shop, darling, you’re an eight.’

Hallie liked the woman better already.

‘Do you have any colour preferences?’ the woman asked.

‘I like them all.’

The saleswoman barely suppressed a shudder. ‘Yes, dear. But do they all like you? Let’s start with grey.’

Hallie opened her mouth to protest but the woman was having none of it. She pulled a matching skirt and jacket from the rack and held them out commandingly. ‘Of course, it relies on the wearer for colour and life but I think you’ve got that covered.’

‘Umm …’ Hallie took the suit from the woman and held it up for Nick’s inspection. ‘What do you think?’

‘I’m confused,’ he said. ‘If I tell you I like it you may or may not decide to buy it, depending on whether you like it. However, if I say I don’t like it you’ll feel compelled to buy it whether you like it or not. Am I right?’

‘Yes.’ Hallie felt a smile coming on. ‘So what do you think?’

‘Try it on.’

And then when she did and his eyes narrowed and his face grew carefully impassive. ‘No?’ she asked. ‘It’s probably not the look you were after.’

‘Yes,’ he said firmly. ‘It is.’

Still she hesitated. ‘It’s very—’

‘Elegant,’ he said. ‘Understated. Just what we’re looking for.’

Elegant, eh? Not a term she’d normally use to describe herself. She’d won the right to choose her own clothes in her late teens and in typical teenager fashion she’d headed straight for the shortest skirts and the brightest, tightest tops. Okay, so she’d matured a little since then—she did have some loose-fitting clothes somewhere in her wardrobe but truth was they didn’t often see daylight. She had never, ever, worn anything as classy as this. The suit clung to her every curve, the material was soft and luxurious beneath her hands, like cashmere only not. Even the colour wasn’t so bad once you got used to it. And yet …

‘It’s not really me though, is it?’ she said.

‘Think of it as a costume,’ said Nick. ‘Think corporate wife.’

‘I don’t know any corporate wives.’ Hallie turned to Clea, who was busily browsing a rack of clothes. ‘Unless you’re one?’

‘No!’ said Nick hastily. ‘She’s not!’

‘It’s very grey, isn’t it, dear,’ said Clea, who glittered like a Vegas slot machine in her gold trousers and blood-red chiffon shirt with its strategically placed psychedelic gold swirls.

‘Greyer than a Chinese funeral vase,’ agreed Hallie glumly. ‘Do you have anything a bit more cheerful?’ she asked the saleswoman.

‘What about this?’ said Clea, holding up a boldly flowered silk sundress in fuchsia, lime and ivory. ‘This is pretty.’

‘Why my mother?’ muttered Nick. ‘Why couldn’t we have brought along your mother?’

‘She died when I was six,’ said Hallie, and waited for the silence that always came. She didn’t mind talking about it, honest. She barely remembered her mother but the memories she did have were good ones.

‘Sorry,’ said Nick quietly. ‘You said you’d been raised by your father and brothers but I didn’t make the connection. Try it on.’

And when she did …

‘She’ll take it,’ he told the saleswoman, and Clea nodded her agreement. ‘That’s non- negotiable,’ he said to Hallie.

So much for the rules of shopping. The dashing Nicholas Cooper had a bossy streak she was more than familiar with. ‘Lucky for you I happen to agree.’

‘His father had excellent taste in clothes as well,’ said Clea. ‘Bless his soul.’

But Hallie wasn’t listening. She was looking at herself in the mirror and her reflection was frowning right back at her as she turned and twirled, first one way and then the other. Finally, hands on hips, she turned to Nick.

‘Does this dress make me look fat?’

Two hours later, Hallie and Clea had purchased enough clothes for a six-month stint on the QEII and as far as Nick was concerned he was neither the boring geek Hallie had accused him of being when he made her get the dove-grey suit, nor the skinflint his mother claimed. No, for a man to endure so much and complain so little, he was quite simply a saint.

‘So where to now? Are we done?’ said Hallie after they’d seen Clea to her Mercedes and watched her drive away. ‘Is there anything you need?’

‘A bar,’ he muttered with heartfelt sincerity.

‘Good call,’ said Hallie. ‘I’ll come too. I never realised boutique shopping was such thirsty work. Mind you, I’ve never bought more than a couple of items of clothes at any one time before either. Who knew?’

‘You’re not going to rehash every dress decision you just made, are you?’

‘Who, me?’ She was grinning from ear to ear. ‘Only if you insist.’

Nick shuddered, spotted a sports bar a few doors up and practically bolted for the door. He needed a drink, somewhere to sit. Somewhere with dark wood, dark carpet, dim lighting, good Scotch and no mirrors. He needed it bad.

‘Ah,’ said Hallie as she slid into the booth beside him. ‘Very nice.’

‘You don’t find it a little too … masculine?’

‘Nope. Feels pretty homely to me. I have four brothers, remember?’

‘Trust me, I hadn’t forgotten. Where do they live?’

‘Wherever their work takes them. Luke’s a Navy diver midway through a three-year stint in Guam, Pete’s flying charter planes in Greece, Jake runs a Martial Arts Dojo in Singapore, and Tristan lives here in London. He’s the one I’m staying with while I do my course.’

‘Tristan?’ After Pete, Luke and Jake, a brother named Tristan sounded somewhat incongruous. ‘What does Tristan do?’

‘He works for Interpol.’

‘Paper pusher?’

‘Black ops,’ she corrected. ‘Somewhere along the line Tris was seconded by some special law enforcement group. I forget the name.’ Not quite the truth. Truth was, Hallie had never been told who Tristan worked for these days. She tried not to let that bother her. ‘But he’s a pussycat really.’

Sure he was. All black ops specialists were pussycats. It was such a caring, non-confrontational profession. ‘You know, maybe I need a different type of wife for Hong Kong,’ he said. ‘Maybe I need a brunette.’

‘I was a brunette once,’ said Hallie. ‘The hairdresser was a young guy, just starting out and we decided to experiment. He left the salon not long after that.’ She sighed heavily. ‘I’m sure Tris wouldn’t really have castrated him.’

Maybe he was doomed. ‘Or a blonde,’ he muttered. ‘I could always replace you with a blonde.’

‘Ha. You can’t fool me. You’re not going to replace me now; you’d have to go clothes shopping again.’

Nick shuddered. She was right. Replacing her was out of the question.

‘Besides,’ she continued blithely, ‘It’s not as if I’m going to be telling any of my brothers the finer details of our little arrangement. They wouldn’t understand.’

On this they were in total accord.

‘So tell me about your family,’ she said, deftly changing the focus back to him and his. ‘When did your father die?’

‘Two years ago. He was a property developer.’

‘And Clea? You said she wasn’t a corporate wife. What does she do?’

‘Many people find it hard to believe but she’s an architect. A very good one.’

‘Is that how they met? Through their work?’

‘No, they met at a birthday party. Clea was in the cake. I try not to think about it.’

‘What about brothers and sisters?’

‘There’s just me.’

‘Didn’t you ever get lonely?’ she asked.

‘Nope.’ She looked like she was struggling with the only child concept. ‘I had plenty of friends, plenty of company. And whenever I had any spare time there was always a computer handy and a dozen imaginary worlds to get lost in.’

‘And now you create fantasy worlds for a living. I guess that means you always knew what you wanted to do, even as a kid.’

‘I always did it. Is that the same thing?’

‘Probably.’ Hallie’s smile was wry. ‘With me it was different … every week a new idea … astronaut, race car driver, professional stuntwoman … My family’s still not convinced I won’t change my mind about wanting to work in the art business.’