A Suspicious Proposal. Helen Brooks

the two respective pairs of parents, before striding down into the car park and over to a dark blue Mercedes.

      He didn’t look at her again as he drove out of the hotel grounds but she knew he was aware of her—as vitally aware of her as she was of him. And again she told herself this was crazy, dangerous, that she was way, way out of her league and that her little joke, her small effort at revenge, had escalated into something more disturbing.

      Janice joined her as the Mercedes disappeared, tucking her arm through Essie’s as she said, ‘You’re seeing him tonight?’ in a tone that said she knew the answer before Essie spoke.

      Essie nodded slowly.

      ‘Then take it from me, girl, tell him in the first few seconds what you’ve done, turn it into a joke against yourself somehow, and you’ll have him eating out of your hand. He’s crazy about you; he fancies you like mad.’

      ‘He fancies Janice Beaver, actually,’ Essie said, with a weak smile.

      ‘A rose by any other name…’ Janice grinned at her before she said again, urgently this time, ‘Tell him, Essie, right off. That way you can start again, and who knows what might come of it?’

      ‘I don’t want anything to come of it.’

      ‘No?’ Janice’s tone was sceptical.

      ‘No. I mean it.’ Essie turned to look Janice full in the face now, and something in her eyes made Janice’s gaze narrow. ‘The last thing I want to do is to get involved in a relationship, Janice. There was someone at university… Well, I got my fingers badly burned, that’s all, and I prefer the odd light date with no strings attached now. My career is my life and I intend to keep it that way.’

      ‘You sound a perfect match for Xavier, if you ask me.’ Janice looked into the ethereally beautiful face that was quite strikingly lovely for a few moments before she murmured, ‘Yes, the perfect match.’