The Trouble with Valentine’s Read Free

guide and smoothed it open, first one page, and then another.
    Hong Kong; gateway to the Orient. Money and superstition. Heat and a million camera shops. A squillion neon signs.
    ‘An enchanting blend of East meets West,’ readthe travel guide. Half a world away from this shoe shop, whispered her brain. Ten thousand pounds.
    So there were a few drawbacks.
    Lies. Deception. Nick Cooper’s kisses. Hallie tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and closed the book with a snap.
    Big drawbacks.
    And yet …
    Twenty minutes later, Hallie let herself in through the front door of her brother’s Chelsea flat and dumped her handbag on the sideboard. Why Tris had bought the little two-bedroom apartment when he never stayed more than a year in any one place was a mystery, but she certainly appreciated the use of it. No telling what Tris would make of Nicholas Cooper’s offer.
    Probably best not to tell him.
    Ten thousand pounds
, whispered her brain as she slipped off her shoes and padded down the hallway.
    No.
    Dinner at Marco’s, then. It’s only dinner
.
    No it’s not. If you go to dinner you’ll ask him why he needs a wife for a week and then where will you be? Next thing you know, you’ll be agreeing to go to Hong Kong with him.
    So?
    Travel was her middle name.
    Oh, boy. Hallie stumbled over the hallway runner and wondered just what it was about Nicholas Cooper that made her lose her mind.
    He had a wicked smile. No doubt about it.
    And his offer was definitely intriguing.
    A rueful smile tugged at her lips. Best not to even think about his kisses.
    Come ten to seven, Hallie had finished her argument and was in the bathroom, hurriedly applying makeup, when she heard the front door open and close, followed by the sound of a man’s long, loping strides down the hall. Moments later Tris appeared in the doorway, little more than a vague shadow at the edge of her vision. ‘You’re back,’ she said, busy with the mascara. ‘I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.’
    ‘Plans change,’ he said. ‘Going somewhere?’
    ‘Dinner at Marco’s on Kings Road.’
    ‘Classy.’ Was it just her imagination or was Tris a whole lot more preoccupied than usual? ‘Who with?’
    Ah. That was more like it. ‘Nick.’
    ‘Nick?’
    ‘We met today. At the shop.’
    ‘He wears ladies’ shoes? Is this supposed to be reassuring?’
    ‘He came in with his mother. He
bought
her some shoes.’
    ‘Run,’ said Tris. ‘Run the other way.’
    ‘Nope. I’ve made up my mind. It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m embracing the unexpected. I’m having dinner with him.’ She finished with the mascara, reached for a smoky grey eyeliner.
    ‘So …’ said Tris. ‘Does
Nick
have a last name?’
    ‘Of course he does but if I tell it to you you’ll run a check on him at work and come home and tell me what kind of toothpaste he uses. Where’s the fun in that? Besides, it’s not even a date, exactly. More of a business opportunity.’
    ‘What kind of business opportunity?’
    ‘I’m not sure yet.’ No need to bore him with details. ‘Something involving travel.’
    Tris sighed, heavily. ‘And you believed him.’
    Time to change the subject. ‘There’s leftover lasagne in the fridge,’ she said as she dropped her lipstick into her evening bag and turned to leave the bathroom, halting abruptly as she took her first good look at her brother. ‘Whoa.’ His dark, shaggy hair was filthy, his left hand was carelessly bandaged and his clothes looked like they’d been dragged through a sewer with him still wearingthem but it was his eyes that bothered her most. Because they were full of frustration and pain. ‘You look terrible.’
    ‘I’m fine.’
    ‘Liar.’ He was holding himself so stiffly. Ribs, maybe. He sagged against the doorframe, his shoulder hunched and Hallie revised her opinion. ‘Shoulder?’
    Tris nodded. Every so often he dislocated his left shoulder. The first time he’d done it he’d been six and their