C.E. Murphy - Truthseeker

“If David does, or if Dickon does?”

“Ooh, she’s graduated to calling him David,” Kelly announced to their reflections. “That’s a good sign. And either of them.” She ran her hands over her hips again, then nodded. “Okay. We’re ready to go now.”

“We are?”

“I am,” Kelly amended with a sniff.

“I don’t understand why you’re nervous, when you’re the one who all but shanghaied me into going on this date.” Lara nudged Kelly out of the restroom to the sound of mumbled excuses.

David stood again as they returned to the table, Dickon a beat behind him. “Someday,” Kirwen said to his cameraman. “Someday I’ll have you well enough trained that you won’t need reminding to stand when women enter the room.”

“At which time a woman will happily take him off your hands.” Kelly moved Lara’s coat from the back of her chair and took the seat herself, then smiled merrily at Lara. “You can sit across from David.”

Dickon’s eyebrows rose as Lara came around the table to sit by him. “I bet she’s deadly at weddings, huh? Rearranges seating arrangements and shi—stuff?”

“As a matter of fact, she does. We know two couples who met at weddings because Kelly is a busybody.”

“I am not!”

Lara smiled. “Yes, you are, but you mean well.” She nodded thanks as a waitress offered menus and poured water, and for a few moments let herself become engrossed in nominally studying the choices, and actually peeking over its edge at David Kirwen.

He had a knack, like Kelly did, for putting people at ease. A more useful talent than her own, certainly; knowing the truth had never talked someone into joining her for dinner. The idea made her hide a smile behind her menu. Kelly would no doubt find a way to use the truth to get a dinner date.

Lara shook her head. It was easy to compare herself unfavorably to her boisterous friend, to envy Kelly’s quick way with words and willingness to risk embarrassment in pursuit of the things that interested her.

Things like David Kirwen. Well, no: Kelly had gone after David purely for Lara’s benefit, which she was certain of for two reasons. One, she’d have heard the lie if Kelly had been interested in Kirwen for herself, and two, the slender weatherman genuinely wasn’t Kelly’s type. His broad-built cameraman, though …

Lara hid another smile in her menu. Kelly would call it instant karmic feedback, trying to set Lara up for a date and finding a hunk of her own by doing so.

“You must have gotten a much more entertaining menu than I did.” David Kirwen tipped Lara’s menu toward him so he could peer down it. “It looks the same …”

Lara clapped the menu shut, then, flustered, opened it again. “Oh. No. No, I was just thinking. I hadn’t even looked at it.”

Kirwen flourished his fingers, coming up with a shining coin. “Penny for your thoughts, then?”

“Oh!” Lara reached out, startled, to catch the penny from his fingertips. “How did you do that!”

“You’d have me give away all my secrets on the first date?” Kirwen tsked . “You’ve taken the penny, so you owe me a thought now, don’t you?”

“Ooh,” Kelly said loudly enough to be heard, though her innocent expression suggested she didn’t intend to be, “that implies there’ll be a second date. That’s promising.”

Lara aimed a kick at her under the table and instead crashed her booted toes into the pedestal with a thonk . Kelly burst out laughing as Lara sank into her seat, face buried in her hands. “Way to be subtuhl, Lar. She was thinking a second date had better not be a double,” Kelly told David. “Better not ask her while Dickon’s around. He’ll horn in on it.”

“Only if my barbecue is rained out!”

Lara risked peeking through her fingers in time to see Kelly give Dickon a frankly lascivious once-over and lean in to purr, “Honey, I’ll make sure your barbecue never goes out.”

Dickon, brightly, said, “Check, please!” and beneath their laughter Lara murmured, “I was thinking it would be easier to be like you and Kelly. She makes friends in a heartbeat, and you seem to expect that, too. I’m not that outgoing.” She held up the penny, smile turning wistful. “Was that worth a penny?”

“It was.” David reached out to fold the coin into her palm, briefly cupping his hand over hers. “And if we were all as forthright as Kelly, then we would miss the delight of coaxing the shy out of their shells. Some things, Miss Jansen, are worth the wait.”

“Good,” Kelly broke in cheerfully. “Wait until Saturday.”

David released Lara’s hand, sending a rush of disappointment through her. She quashed it, feeling absurd, and frowned at Kelly. “We’re helping Rachel move on Saturday.”

“Exactly! David can spend the whole day coaxing you, and we’ll have a couple of big strong handsome men around to help.”

David turned to his cameraman solemnly. “I believe we’ve been hornswoggled, Dickon.”

“I believe we have,” Dickon said just as solemnly, then squinted at Lara. “Hornswoggled means tricked, right?”

“Oh no.” Kelly looked dismayed. “You haven’t already done your walking dictionary trick, have you? I swear, Lara, I leave you alone for five minutes … !”

Lara lifted her chin and sniffed, trying to dismiss Kelly playfully, and shook her head at Dickon. “It’s like rapscallion. The real meaning is darker than the way it’s used now. You have an old-fashioned vocabulary, Mr. Kirwen. Is that a Welsh thing?”

“It’s certainly the way of my people,” Kirwen replied lightly. “What time will you need us to help move your friend?”

“Us?” Dickon’s voice rose. “Who said anything about us?”

“You wouldn’t leave a fair lady in distress, would you, Dickon?” David gestured to Kelly, who fluttered her eyelashes and put on an unconvincing expression of helplessness. Dickon laughed and raised his hands in defeat. Lara smiled at the banter, listening as plans were made, and watched David Kirwen quietly, thoughtfully.

“It’s the way of my people” was a very careful phrase. Lara thought even she might have overlooked it had it not highlighted something he’d said earlier, that his name was Welsh “by most accounts.” He laid no claim to that account himself.

Curiosity blossomed in Lara’s chest, stealing her breath. Handsome, witty, and not only mysterious, but cautiously mysterious. Very few people she knew could disguise the truth in such a way as to not trigger her sixth sense. Even fewer would have any reason to.

Disarmed by her own interest, Lara sat forward to rejoin the conversation and enjoy the prospect of dinner with a man who could keep a secret from her.

“I haven’t stayed up this late in months. I won’t be able to see the pins tomorrow.” Lara frowned at her feet, having difficulty focusing on where to place them, much less the more dubious prospect of fine needlework on the morrow. The steps leading down from the restaurant seemed distinctly more treacherous than they had upon arrival. “How much wine did you give me?”

“I believe you asked for that fourth glass,” David Kirwen said in amused self-defense. “Careful, now.” He offered his elbow and Lara clung to it gratefully as he escorted her down the stairs. Kelly and Dickon waited at the bottom, neither of them as impeded as Lara. She scowled lightly at Kelly, who made a dismissive sound.

“I drank as much as you did. I just have a lot more body weight to slosh it around in. You okay?”

“I think so.” Lara released Kirwen’s elbow and smiled up at him. “It was a lovely dinner. Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I hope we can do it again sometime.”