Fool Me Once by Karly Lane

Author:Karly Lane
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2020-03-21T00:00:00+00:00

Michael watched Georgie leave the table and fought the urge to go after her. He knew her well enough to know she’d resent his presence if he followed her to the room right now. As usual when her father or Tamban were mentioned, the defences came up. Some things clearly hadn’t changed.

He ordered a drink at the bar and stared down into its amber depths, lost in thought.

‘She’s not always like this,’ Shannon said from beside him.

‘Who?’ Michael asked, unsure where this conversation might be leading.

‘Georgie,’ she said, pausing to give the bartender her order before turning back to look at him. ‘You know, I can’t work out what’s going on with you two.’

It took all his concentration not to react to the unexpected remark. ‘There’s nothing going on,’ he told her dryly and could at least say that without lying.

Shannon tilted her head slightly, as though studying him, and he tried not to squirm. ‘She’s different around you. I noticed it last time too. She says there’s nothing going on either, but she forgets how well I know her.’

Michael sent his soon-to-be sister-in-law a slanted grin and shook his head. ‘Don’t you have enough on your plate to worry about at the moment without trying to play Cupid?’

‘Cupid?’ she snorted, and his smile slipped a little. ‘You think I’d match you and Georgie up?’

Well, that was not what he’d been expecting. He hitched an eyebrow curiously.

‘Oh, come on, Michael, you seriously think Georgie is anything like the women you take to all those fancy events? She’s not into all that. I can barely get her to come and visit for a weekend. You’d never drag her away from that farm of hers. Nope, I’m afraid the only way you’d get Georgie’s attention is if you suddenly grew four legs, a pair of horns and started mooing.’

He was glad he didn’t take offence easily or his ego would be stinging right about now.

‘But I have to say, I get a very strange vibe around the pair of you when you’re together, so I know something happened,’ she said, narrowing her eyes at him. ‘Stay away from her, Michael. She’s not one of your casual playthings,’ Shannon said, using air quotations.

‘Playthings?’

‘Celeste? Your PA? You’ve taken her to the last three fundraising events your mother’s hosted and I know her type.’

‘Shannon, I don’t think—’

‘Look, who you mess around with is your business, but you are not going to mess around with my best friend. She’s not into quick flings and she’s had too much heartbreak in her life to need any more. Besides, you aren’t even her type,’ she added.

‘No, really Shannon, please don’t soften it, tell it to me like it is,’ he drawled, not even trying to pretend he wasn’t hurt by her comments.

‘Okay, I may have had a little too much to drink and we both know I have no filter,’ she admitted with a dramatic sigh.

He knew she was talking about the first time she’d met his mother and stepfather for dinner and had had a bit too much Dutch courage beforehand.

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