Читать книгу The Night Before Christmas - Kelly Hunter - Страница 9

Lena West sauntered along the hallway toward her father’s study, her bare feet making no sound on the polished oak floorboards. Trust Cassandra to ruin a perfectly good Christmas Eve party with an ill-timed phone call. Lena could hear it now, the sly maneuverings and the outright dishonesty. Making people think that down was up and up was down. Making Trig doubt himself, and that was unforgiveable in Lena’s eyes. Trig didn’t need Cassandra in his life. Even if she did have big brown eyes, a killer figure and a honeyed voice that put nightingales to shame.

Lena slowed as she reached the study. The door stood open and she could hear Trig’s low murmur coming from within. She didn’t want to interrupt the goodbye speech if indeed a goodbye speech was underway. The goodbye speech was long overdue.

‘Cassandra, we wouldn’t be having this talk now if you’d bothered to answer any of my phone calls or texts this past fortnight.’

Lena assumed from the silence that followed that Cassandra was talking. And talking.

‘Of course I’ve seen Lena and Jared,’ Trig finally replied tightly. ‘They came home for Christmas, too, and they live two doors away.’ He didn’t mention where he was now, Lena noted, leaning back against the wall and absently studying her boyishly short nails. She wasn’t eavesdropping. Now just didn’t seem like a good time to interrupt.

‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Cassie,’ Trig said next, in a voice that was three parts ice and one part pure heat. ‘But there will always be room for Jared and Lena in my life.’

More simmering seething silence followed that statement.

‘I am not gay for Jared. I don’t care what you think. I know what my sexual orientation is.’

Gay for Jared? Whoa. Nice try but no deal. Lena’s dislike for Cassie ratcheted up another notch.

‘Nor do I have an unhealthy fixation with his sister. We work together. We grew up together. Jared and Lena will always be my friends. Are you done? Because I really do think we’re done here.’

Several more long moments went by and then something clattered onto her father’s desk, possibly Trig’s phone. He was hell on phones. Lena leaned forward and risked a glance through the doorway. Trig was sitting in her father’s chair, elbows on the desk, staring straight at her.

‘For someone who professes to want to eavesdrop for a living, you’re really bad at it,’ he said.

‘How did you know I was here?’

‘The after sun lotion you’re wearing smells like tea trees, and underneath that I can smell you.’

Eew. Lena attempted a not-so-subtle sniff test of her armpit and ignored Trig’s fleeting smile at her response. Nothing too disastrous happening there. She’d showered after the afternoon’s kite surfing. She’d even put on a dress. Granted, it wasn’t as classy as Jess’s, but it was still a dress. ‘You lie,’ she told him bluntly. ‘I smell fine. And I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just didn’t want to interrupt.’

‘Yet here you are. What do you want, Lena?’

‘I came to tell you that Jessica Turner’s here. She’s in need of a little reassurance that someone actually wants her here.’

‘Couldn’t you have handled that?’

‘Tried and failed, my friend. What can I say? I’m a rotten liar.’

‘Once again, I’d like to point out that you are probably in the wrong profession.’

‘I like working for the Australian secret intelligence service,’ she murmured dulcetly. ‘I get to play with all the cool toys and I also get to annoy you and Jared. It’s all win.’

Well…maybe not all win. Lena struggled with the blind obedience at times. It came of never knowing the big picture and therefore never being able to make up her mind about whether what they were doing was right. ‘Hey.’ She waited until she had Trig’s undivided attention. ‘If it’s any consolation, you’re better off without Cassandra. I didn’t like her.’

‘You never like any of my girlfriends.’

‘True, but not the point I’m trying to make here. Cassie had a habit of blaming you for her mistakes. I watched her do it over and over again. Not classy.’

Trig sighed.

‘You want me to cheer you up? Because I can. Guess who’s developing a prototype fly board?’ She didn’t wait for his reply. ‘Boyd and Dell Webber. I hereby pronounce prototype fly boards my new favorite thing.’

‘Have you wrangled an invitation to trial it yet?’

‘Boxing Day afternoon. You and your boyfriend are invited, too.’

‘So you heard that.’

‘Cassie’s a fool. She doesn’t understand that family isn’t always about blood.’

Trig opened his mouth as if to say something and then seemed to think the better of it. He ran a big hand over his face and slumped back in her father’s chair instead.

‘Hey,’ she said lightly. ‘Party in progress here and the Pacific on your doorstep. No moping allowed. Did I mention Boyd’s fly boards? Directed water jets for hands and feet? He’s promising thirty feet of air.’

‘Boyd has a habit of making promises he can’t keep.’ Trig stood up and Lena skipped neatly out of his way. Trig took up a lot of space these days and he was still growing.

‘So,’ Trig said on a sigh. ‘Jess did show. I wasn’t sure she would.’

‘Apparently you invited her.’

Trig nodded.

‘Well, she’s here and she looks a million dollars. Great legs, dangerous curves, fantastic dress sense and I have a horrible feeling she’s nice.’

‘She is nice. Boyd seen her yet?’

‘He hadn’t when I left. I left her with Jared.’

Trig picked up his phone only to open the topmost desk drawer, drop the phone in and shut the drawer. Cassandra wasn’t getting to him again tonight and Lena felt a jolt of savage satisfaction at the thought.

‘C’mon.’ Trig headed for the door, one long arm snaking out to drape over her shoulder and drag her closer so that he could plant a swift kiss to the top of her head. ‘Stay away from Boyd tonight. He’s going to be in a mood. And keep an eye on Jess.’

‘Isn’t that your job?’

‘You’re my backup.’

‘Jared’s your backup.’