Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3) (7 page)

“I’m sure I was specifically objecting to Juliette.”

“Well, I asked Lexie over for a movie night. What have you got to say about that?”

“That it sounds like a milk and cookies date. Are you trying out a new angle I don’t know about?”

Jack frowned. “There’s something about her… a sort of lack of pretence. The same with me. You know when you date someone you’re always on your best behavior, like attending an interview. Well… I’ve been different with her. It’s as if I can be myself around her.”

“So you weren’t yourself with Juliette?”

“Juliette had expectations.” She’d always needed to be seen dining at the best restaurants, attending opening nights at the theatre, the opera, the ballet, not to mention endless charity functions. And every date had been meticulously choreographed to ensure the best possible outcome—being seen by the right people. He hadn’t known it at the time, but his life had been thoroughly scripted and accessorized to suit Juliette’s vision of the life she’d wanted to create. In the end, he’d only been a prop.

Mason laughed. “All women have expectations. They usually wait for the right moment to ambush you with them.”

“Are you saying Lexie’s playing her cards close to her chest?”

“I think I’ll reserve judgment on this one. Let me know how it plays out.”

By then it might be too late.

Too late for what?

“We’re just going to watch a movie, eat some pizza and if it doesn’t work out, then we don’t have to see each other again.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that because sometime between now and the next few weeks, he needed to find his plus one for his father’s wedding reception and he had a feeling Lexie would be his perfect partner. “A partner in crime,” he said under his breath.

Chapter Seven

“Maggie? What… When?” Lexie tried to smile, but her brain had short-circuited, killing off several much-needed IQ points—the usual reaction to the sight of her brainiac sister.

Her handbag slid away from her shoulder and dropped to the floor. Distracted, Lexie dropped her front door keys on the hallway table.

Her sister. Here. In her apartment.

A rush of panic stations adrenaline shot through her, but she knew nothing would compensate for her lack of…

What would Maggie call it?

Savvy… savoir something or other…

Lexie didn’t speak French, but she knew it had something to do with the ability to speak and act in any situation without falling apart at the seams.

She wasn’t faring well in either area. And flapping her arms wouldn’t help her cause.

Maggie waved her hand as if to dismiss the importance of details. “Catch up, remember. I sent you a text message. As for the when… today. About three hours ago, I decided to get on a flight to Melbourne. I’d already packed my bags, I just needed a destination, and here I am.”

So she hadn’t come to Melbourne on business. She hadn’t even been in Melbourne when she’d sent those text messages… But she was here now and…

Lexie took a step and then remembered she had to close the front door. “Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?” She closed the door and turned to stare at Maggie who hadn’t moved from the couch where she’d…

Slumped?

Her sister didn’t slump. Yet prim and proper, posture conscience Maggie looked as if she’d crash-landed on her living room couch.

She had a bad case of pillow hair. Lexie couldn’t see a lick of make-up on her face. As for what she wore…

A T-shirt with a coffee stain on it and yoga pants?

“Something’s happened to you.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about it. Not yet.”

Lexie’s lips parted. “Okay.” It wasn’t, but she forced herself to push the word out.

“Your cat looks hungry.”

“I don’t have a cat.” Ulysses strode out of her bedroom, his tail flicking in the air as he made a beeline toward her. “Oh, yeah… him. This is Ulysses. He sort of wanders around the place.”

“Is that why you have a dish in the corner with his name on it?”

“He’s a regular visitor.” She gave an uneasy shrug. “Um… how did you…”

“Your neighbor let me in. I think he was worried I might lurk in the corridor and scare people away. Is he your boyfriend?”

Once, Lexie had dreamed of having a normal relationship with Maggie, the type of sibling sharing and caring supportive relationship she’d read about in books or had enjoyed watching on films. It had been wishful thinking. There were only four years separating them. Yet they’d never shared intimate secrets or dreams, gone shopping together, or… well, they’d never even argued. Maggie didn’t have time for such trivialities.

Their parents had hit the jackpot with Maggie, her every step geared toward accumulating a lifetime’s worth of kudos in as short a time as possible. Lexie knew and understood that version of Maggie. But this person… slumped on her couch…? Asking about her neighbor?

“You’ve done something to your hair.”

Ava had pulled strings to get her in to see her hairdresser for an emergency tidy up, saying that even a fake date deserved some effort. The fact Maggie had noticed made her head spin.

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”

“Your neighbor has a key to your place.”

“We decided to swap keys the day after he locked himself out.”  She dug her fingers through her hair. “You live in Sydney. It wouldn’t make sense for you to have a key,” she added because she’d sensed something in Maggie’s tone, something that suggested she’d taken offence.

“I could live around the corner, and I still wouldn’t have a key to your place.”

Okay. She seemed to be going somewhere with her train of thought. In fact, it seemed to be running parallel with her own thinking. Which was in itself scary because they were practically strangers.

“We’re related, we’re sisters, but...” Maggie continued.

“Should I call someone? You’re acting funny.” In a disturbed sort of way.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Give me a minute. I’m… surprised by your visit.” Whatever had brought Maggie to her doorstep… It didn’t matter. She didn’t want to talk about it… because she wasn’t ready or because she didn’t know how to talk about it? Lexie shook her head. “I’ll put the kettle on.” She’d never before offered to do that, for anyone. Then again, this was the first time someone had landed on her doorstep looking like they’d been shoved through a wringer and pulled out the other end by a pair of pliers. Lexie couldn’t see any visible bruises—

“If you don’t mind, I’ll give the tea party a miss. But I wouldn’t say no to a shot glass of something.”

* * *

Jack looked at his watch and told himself to stop checking the time. Lexie would arrive when she arrived and not before, he thought as he pulled on a sweater.

When his cell rang, he frowned and dragged his fingers through his still damp hair. No, she wouldn’t cancel at the last minute. Why would she? And how could he be so sure she wouldn’t? He’d actually had to work hard to get her to agree to spend the evening with him.

He snatched the cell phone off the dresser. Not Lexie. “Aren’t you supposed to be partying?” he asked his brother.

“We’re in limbo, between the wedding ceremony and the reception,” his brother answered. “Anyway, I’ve kept myself busy. I’ve booked the venue for dad’s party and lucky you, Rachel has a friend. She’s fun. She’s flirty. She has a bigger than life personality with a no strings attached attitude. She’s everything you need right now.”

Lexie would be here any minute, and surprise, surprise, his brother was still harping on about their father’s wedding reception. He didn’t have time for this. “Who’s Rachel?”

“Remember, the girl I went to the wedding with this afternoon. The one you wanted to borrow for dad’s wedding reception.”

“That’s too many weddings in one breath, Mason. Cut to the chase.”

“We’re on our way to the reception and anything could happen there. Her friend might meet someone and you’ll miss your chance. If you don’t nail Lexie down, then Rachel’s friend can bail you out. I can put a word in for you, but I have to act fast.”

Nail Lexie? “Your lack of faith in me—”

“I’m being practical. It’s been a while since you asked anyone to go out with you. Who knows what this dry spell’s done to your confidence?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my confidence.”

“But you have plenty of other issues and they’re getting in the way.”

Jack brushed his hand across his face. If he had issues, he’d been too busy to dwell on them. And what issues was Mason referring to? True, he hadn’t been on a date in months but that had nothing to do with post relationship fallouts and general feelings of cynicism. Juliette hadn’t entirely warped his outlook on relationships. Or had she?

“You have a week—”

“Come again?”

“There was a last minute cancellation. We were lucky to get this booking at such short notice. We can’t delay it any longer. Otherwise it might turn into a divorce party. So I went ahead and locked it in. You have a week to get yourself into gear.”

Jack closed his eyes and threw his head back.

“Why don’t I go ahead and tell Rachel’s friend—”

“No, don’t do that. Lexie is on her way over to my place which means she’s happy to spend time with me.” Jack knew he’d made a huge assumption, but if it didn’t work out…

He’d figure something out.

“That doesn’t mean anything. You could still blow it. Besides, only a couple of days ago you were referring to her as trouble.”

“That was then, this is—”

“Rachel’s friend only wants to have fun. She’ll be a safe bet. Unlike Lexie. I get the feeling she’s wrapping you around her little finger.”

“Mason?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you feeling okay?” He sounded agitated, which was extremely out of character for Mason who took everything in his stride.

“Are you saying I don’t sound okay?”

“The answer is either yes or no, buddy.”

His brother sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Sounds like we need to get together with a couple of six packs.”

“Yeah, I’ll get back to you on that. Maybe tomorrow night. I probably need to decompress first.”

“Thanks for the offer to set me up but I’m sure Lexie will be happy to be my date for the night.” Jack hoped they wouldn’t be his famous last words.

* * *

Lexie pressed the door buzzer to Jack’s apartment and stood back, her lips moving slightly as she rehearsed what she’d say to Jack. She could start with a polite hello and then explain, in the simplest way possible, why she felt it was a bad idea to spend the evening together. After all, they’d met only a couple of days before. And as for how they’d met…

“Think awkward circumstances. Happenstance.” She tilted her head and wondered if she’d ever used or even heard anyone use that word.

Then there was Maggie. She’d insisted she’d be fine. In fact, she’d reasoned that after surprising Lexie with her sudden appearance, they needed to have some breathing space. Lexie had made a joke.

You’ve only been here for a couple of hours and you’re already asking for time out? How are you going to manage to spend the night here?

And then it happened.

They’d smiled. Something between them had clicked. A silent understanding. Well, she had news for Maggie. There’d be plenty of talking when she got back home. But first she needed to get out of tonight’s date with Jack. Even if Maggie wanted some time alone, Lexie still had doubts about tonight…

“Focus, Lexie.”              

Tilting her head back, she tried to remember why she’d accepted Jack’s invitation. Possibly because he’d made it sound like an effortless evening.

“Hello.”

She took a step back, putting herself out of range of the security camera. “Hi… Hello… Hi… It’s me.”

“I can’t see you.”

“Why do you want to see me?”

“Because that’s how it works. You press the door buzzer, I answer and check to see who it is.”

“But you know it’s me.” She heard Jack chuckle. “Look… I’ve got a thing about cameras. I’m not at all photogenic. What if you take one look at me and see me in an entirely new light, an unflattering one. The image could scorch your brain and you’ll run like a Banshee…screaming… a male one, if such a thing exists.”

“Lexie.”

“Yes?”

“Come on up. When you get in the elevator, just press the top floor.”

“Roger that.” So much for trying to get out of tonight…

Inside the elevator, Lexie looked down at her lace-up ankle boots. She’d matched them with black leggings, a mulberry colored skirt that sat above her knees, a black T-shirt and a green cardigan.

Jack had told her she didn’t need to make an effort and dress up for the evening. Whatever she wore at home would be fine. Had he said that to make it easier for her to accept his invitation or because he really didn’t care what she wore because… he wouldn’t notice?

She supposed she could live with him not being attracted to her but she couldn’t accept being made redundant, or heaven forbid, invisible.

Well, she had made an effort, and choices. Would he appreciate the work that went into matching mulberry with eucalyptus green? And would he realize she’d come to his place under false pretences? She pushed herself to exit the elevator. Her body’s response to Jack couldn’t be ignored…

The front door to his top floor apartment swung open startling Lexie and sending her stomach into a swift dip and rise.

Jack looked different. More relaxed and casual, in an up-market sort of way, dressed in jeans that had the wear and tear of a hefty price tag, and a sweater that showed off his broad shoulders and flat stomach, not that he needed clothes to show off his well-toned physique.

“Hi. Come in,” he invited and stepped aside.

Even though she’d agreed to give Maggie some space, Lexie tried to remember the excuses she’d been rehearsing to get out of tonight, but she came up with a lamb to the slaughter zilch. And just as well, she thought, because all the reasons she’d been tossing around in her head had sounded ridiculous.

This was Jack, the man who’d papered over her windows. He’d been practical, and quite decent by showing concern about her privacy. Why couldn’t she watch a movie with him? Because she couldn’t stop thinking about his broad shoulders and flat stomach, or the sinewy muscles on his forearms...

“Is there a problem, Lexie?” he asked when she didn’t move.

How convincing had she sounded when she’d told him she wasn’t interested in a relationship? What if she told him she’d given serious consideration to the matter and had changed her mind? Would he send her on her way?