Page 23 of Outback Secrets

‘But …’ He gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’s kinda cute you felt the need to defend my honour.’

And that wasn’t the only thing cute about her. In those tiny denim shorts covered in grease, a tank top that looked like it had been worn so much it was thin in places, and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail as if she’d come here straight from rolling out of bed, he had to work really hard not to obviously appreciate her cuteness. Not to mention those incredible legs tucked into very dirty boots.

She looked up and her lips curved slightly. ‘Well, sometimes I speak before I think. It’s a flaw, but we all have them. Even you, I’m sure.’

He shook his head. ‘Nah, pretty sure I’m perfect.’

She rolled her pretty brown eyes and her expression relaxed a little.

‘Anyway.’ He cleared his throat and tried to focus on the issue at hand. ‘I get you want to do this to get your mom off your back, but … what exactly is in it for me?’

‘Um …’ Henri bit her lip, and it was clear she hadn’t thought this through one bit. ‘Well, is there anything you want or need?’

Geez, wrong question. There was only one thing Liam could think of off the top of his head, but he didn’t think that’s what she had in mind. And he didn’t want to come across as a sleaze. Besides, hadn’t he already established that sex with Henrietta Forward wouldn’t be a sensible idea? His policy aside, he had no evidence whatsoever that the attraction was mutual anyway.

‘I know.’ Her whole face lit up. ‘Surfing.’

‘Huh?’

‘Yesterday. You said you’d always wanted to surf. Well, I could teach you.’

The idea of surfing professionally had never even crossed his mind; from as young as he could remember he’d harboured ambitions to take the gourmet grocery business his parents had started and grow it into an empire. They’d had two very profitable supermarkets—one in Silver Ridge and one in nearby Monument when his parents had died—but he’d planned a chain of shops right across the state. He’d lied yesterday when he told her he wanted to surf professionally; weirdly, it was the first thing that popped into his head. Maybe because swimming was one of the many things he did now to keep himself from losing the plot. ‘You can surf?’

‘Don’t look so surprised. I grew up here in the Bay, you know. Flying isn’t the only thing I’m good at.’

I’ll bet. Liam’s mind took a fast dive into the gutter.

‘Dad used to be a lifesaver before he married Mum and they took over her family’s farm. He taught all of us to swim and surf almost as soon as we could walk. I’m not as good as my brothers—Andrew even won some competitions and stuff—but yeah, I know my way around a wave. So, what do you say? Lessons in exchange for pretending to be madly in love with me?’

An image landed in his head of Henri standing on a surfboard. In a figure-hugging wetsuit. Or a bikini! Surfing lessons with her would definitely not be a good idea. This whole proposition was a terrible idea. For a number of reasons.

Yet, instead of turning her down, he found himself saying, ‘You really think you could teach me to surf?’

‘Of course. As long as you can swim and have some sense of balance, I should be able to help you with the basics before I leave.’

‘Three weeks, right? That’s how long we have to keep this up?’

‘Just under. I’m heading south, day after Boxing Day.’

‘What are you doing there?’

‘Fire contract.’

‘And what happens then?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, who dumps who? It’s all very well fooling everyone for a short while, but we can’t keep this ruse up forever.’

She thought a moment. ‘I’ll dump you. We’ll have a big fight because you want me to give up flying and come run the pub with you and I refuse to give up my dreams and sense of self for a mere male.’

Mere male?He raised an eyebrow at how ridiculous that sounded. ‘I wouldn’t force you to give up your dreams.’

She smiled at him in a way that felt a bit condescending. ‘That’s very sweet, Liam, but trust me, no man likes a woman he can’t pin down. And anyway, it’s better this way—we need to protect your business. I don’t want people boycotting the pub because you dumped one of their own, and maybe if Mum sees I’ve tried and failed at another relationship, she’ll finally give up hoping for a miracle.’

‘Another relationship?’ That sounded like a story he wanted to hear.

‘I don’t really want to talk about that, if you don’t mind.’