Trophy Wives by Jan Colley

with sunshine. A saucy little smile whispered of an intimacy he could only dream of.
    â€œYou’re right. It’s a beautiful winter’s day. Let’s not waste it indoors.”
    She hadn’t put out her hand but he felt a sweet glow of warmth as if she had touched him. Something worrisome nagged at him.
    But he pushed it away. He was happy to be here. He could tell himself all day that he was doing his job, checking out Summerhill for Magnus. But in truth, he couldn’t stay away.
    Lucy chattered on brightly, grabbing her coat, telling him she would drive, gathering up a handful of brochures to look at. The chattering continued as she dashed confidently around the streets in her little car. She allowed him the odd grunt or nod to the questions she asked, but for the most part, he sat quietly, wondering what she was hiding.
    His inquiries in the village had turned up quite a bit to be concerned about. Tom was in it right up to his neck and Ethan bet that Lucy had little idea of what was going on. From what he’d heard, things were accelerating and it was only a matter of time until the other shoe dropped.
    And this burst of bright activity and energy—he realized Lucy was trying to distract him. Just like the other day at the firearms cabinet when she had kissedhim to distract him, to conceal something, to cover up for her brother.
    What had she said? She was naughty at school to cover up her dyslexia. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure she used her charm to cover up a deep sense of powerlessness at what was happening in her life.

Seven
    â€œT alk a lot, don’t you?” he injected in a rare pause.
    She compressed her lips in a rueful grin. “Have you only just noticed?”
    Ethan chuckled and stretched, glad to be here with her. He was too big for this tiny sports car, which only served to remind him of her proximity and the scent he missed when she wasn’t around.
    He could be distracted. Lust rippled over his nerve endings and he sighed in pleasure. Lust he could handle.
    â€œI’m glad you invited me out,” he told her.
    â€œReally?” The word turned down at the end, telling him dyslexic she may be, but she recognized tongue-in-cheek when she heard it. “What did you have in mind?”
    â€œYou’re the tour guide. Make a plan.”
    Whatever was worrying her, she’d obviously decided to put it behind her. “That’s right. There has to be a plan.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œDo you ever do anything just for the hell of it?”
    Ethan thought for a few seconds. “Once, on a mountain, I kissed a girl after knowing her only a few hours.”
    Lucy glanced at him briefly. He caught a flash of that flirty look she got sometimes, right before she remembered she was trying to keep it professional.
    Then she grinned. “Truly heroic.”
    They drove through a long tunnel and into a small harbor town about twenty minutes from the city center. A visiting cruise ship dominated the berthed container ships and fishing vessels.
    â€œI heard this ship was in town. How about a cruise tour?”
    The Princess Athena was one of the largest liners in the world. Three hundred meters long, sixteen stories high, and solid-gold luxury.
    The passengers were off sightseeing or shopping in Christchurch. Parts of the ship were on display to interested sightseers, though the security guards nearly outnumbered the visitors.
    Lucy dragged him from bars to ballrooms to casinos to beauty salons and boutique shops. Afterwards they tossed a coin for choice of food and ended up eating fish and chips out of paper on a low wall along one of the lesser wharfs. They watched kids fishing off the wharf, bundled up in brightly colored anoraks. The sea chopped up into agitated whitecaps and seagulls screeched and strutted around them.
    â€œI am seriously going to have to find myself a rich husband, and fast,” Lucy commented, her eyes on the