The Blind-Date Proposal by Jessica Hart

Author:Jessica Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

SHE should have been expecting it, but somehow she wasn’t. Kate wrenched her eyes away from Finn’s and looked down at her plate, appalled at the sudden realisation of how much she wished that he had meant what he said to his sister, that he loved her and wanted to marry her.

She felt very strange. It was as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air, leaving her light-headed and faintly dizzy, so that it took her a little while to realise what Finn was saying.

‘I wanted to ask you if you would pretend that it was true.’

Pretend. Kate made herself focus on the one word that made all the difference. This wasn’t her wishes coming miraculously true at all, it was Finn making it clear that he wasn’t talking about anything real.

‘I know it’s not fair on you, and that it’s a lot to ask, but it would mean a lot to Alex. And to me,’ he added after a moment. ‘Of course, it would just be a pretence,’ he hastened to explain when Kate said nothing but just sat staring dumbly at him. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to…to think of it as anything other than a job.’

‘A job?’ Kate latched onto the word as if it was the only one she had understood. Her heart was thudding so loudly that it was hard to hear, and she was afraid she might miss something important.

‘I wouldn’t ask you to do something like that for free,’ said Finn. ‘I’d make it worth your while financially. We could agree your salary as housekeeper with a bonus on top of that at the end for…everything else.’

He spoke very formally, making it clear that as far as he was concerned it would be a purely business transaction, and somehow Kate managed to pull herself together.

‘What exactly would you want me to do?’ she asked, amazed at the calmness of her voice.

‘To be around when Stella is with us. To make her believe that you and I…’

‘Are in love?’ Kate finished for him bravely when he hesitated.

Finn let out a breath. ‘Yes.’

‘I used to be good at drama,’ she said after a moment. ‘I always wanted a starring role but only ever got bit parts, so perhaps I could look on this as my chance to get back into acting.’

‘You mean you will consider it?’ he said as if he could hardly believe that she was serious.

‘Why not?’ Kate had herself under control now.

The one thing she mustn’t do was let Finn guess that she had fallen in love with him. He would be appalled if he knew, and he certainly wouldn’t ask her to pretend to be his fiancée. Convincing him that she was treating the whole thing lightly would at least let her be near him, Kate told herself. It might not be for long, but it could be her only chance.

‘It will be much more fun than temping, anyway,’ she told him brightly. ‘It sounds like easy money to me!’

‘You might not think so when you meet my sister,’ said Finn with a wry look.

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