Harlequin Romance: June 2022 Box Set by Rebecca Winters

Author:Rebecca Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

ELLA SLUMPED AT the bar and glared into her diet cola, wishing it were something much stronger. She barely glanced at Harry when he slid onto the stool beside her. ‘They’re gone?’

‘Every last one of them,’ he said with a cheerfulness that set her teeth on edge.

Don’t begrudge him his good mood. You should be sharing it, you ungrateful wretch.

She made herself straighten and send him a smile. ‘Quiet at last.’ She closed her eyes and pretended to relish it. Not that much pretence was necessary. ‘How’s the serenity?’

When she opened her eyes she saw her oblique reference to the iconic Australian film The Castle had made his lips lift.

Which, it had to be said, lifted her spirits a fraction too, so there was that.

She dragged her gaze away before it could become anything more. She didn’t want him thinking she was in the market for anything like that. And if he wasn’t looking for anything of that nature either—and he hadn’t said or done anything to give her reason to think otherwise—she didn’t want to be lumped in with the scary ladies.

‘I’ll have what she’s having,’ he said when the bartender came over.

‘It’s diet,’ she warned.

‘But not diet,’ he added, before glancing back at Ella. ‘You look like you’d prefer something stronger.’

She pointed a finger at him. ‘Perhaps we are on the same wavelength after all.’ Rather than emerging light and teasing, though, an edge of bitterness laced her words, making her wince. ‘But you know... I need to get home in one piece, so it’s time to switch to the soft stuff.’

His nostrils flared fractionally. Harry really did have the most classically handsome nose to go with that classically handsome face. He had the kind of face that a girl could enjoy staring at for a very, very long time.

‘Are you driving?’

The question was carefully asked, but she sensed the disapproval behind it. ‘Oh, Harry, that wavelength thing just took a bit of a battering. Of course I’m not driving. I’m always far too tempted at these things to have one glass too many. Also, driving from the southwest of the city to the northeast on a Friday afternoon in peak-hour traffic is not my idea of fun. It was quicker to take the train and taxi it from the station.’

‘Sorry, I should’ve realised.’

There was absolutely no reason he should’ve realised anything. Despite what he said, he didn’t know her from Adam...or Eve.

‘Oh!’ She straightened. ‘Were you hoping for a lift home?’

‘Of course not.’

He said it too quickly and then she saw what this was and her chest clenched. ‘You’ve been co-opted into Ella duty, haven’t you?’

His grimace gave him away. For God’s sake, she didn’t need babysitting!

‘I promised your dad I’d see you safely home.’

‘I’m a grown woman.’

‘I don’t feel good about it either, but...’

She raised an eyebrow.

‘I had the distinct impression it was either promise that, or they’d...’

‘Babysit me?’

‘Shepherd you back to the family home for the night. I thought maybe this was the lesser of two evils.

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