Page 33 of Starry Nights over Dragonfly Lake

Somebody who wasn’t speechless was Jeremy, however.

‘W-w-what?’ she heard him splutter. ‘What is this?’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’ asked Noah. But he was still looking down at Beth and she back up at him.

‘We’re dating,’ she said, finally getting her mouth to work. ‘It was an instant attraction kind of thing.’

Noah’s eyes were dark as they twinkled down at her in humour.

Jeremy cleared his throat. ‘Well, you certainly moved on fast.’

Finally, Beth broke the look with Noah and turned around tostare at her ex-boyfriend. ‘Not as fast as you,’ she told him. ‘At least our relationship was finished before I started another one.’

‘I’ve told you before…’ began Jeremy.

But he wasn’t given a chance to finish whatever excuse he had been planning to come out with. Beth decided to take control once and for all and took Noah’s hand to lead him away.

‘I’ll catch up with you later,’ she called back to Jeremy. ‘Or not. It depends how busy I am.’

She managed to leave the room with her head held high, clinging desperately onto Noah’s hand until they were safely inside the Snug and she could close the door behind them.

Finally out of view of Jeremy, she abruptly dropped his hand and spun around to face Noah.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she immediately said, keeping her voice low. ‘I suppose you’re wondering what this is all about.’

‘You mean your plan to enrage your ex-boyfriend by pretending that we’re together?’ he said, leaning against the snooker table with a smile playing on his lips.

‘Oh, well, yeah, you’ve pretty much guessed it correctly,’ she replied, giving him a sheepish look.

‘Wasn’t that hard to figure out, to be honest,’ he told her. ‘And I’m happy to help.’

‘You are?’ She looked at him. ‘So you’re a good guy wrapped in a bad boy coating.’

He laughed, his face even more handsome when it was relaxed and smiling.

‘So what happens now?’ he asked.

She gave a start. ‘Now? Well, he leaves and that’s the end of that.’

‘But from what I understand, he can’t leave tonight. All theroads are blocked.’

Beth was aghast, as she realised her fundamental error with her impetuousness. ‘No!’ she spluttered. ‘I completely forgot!’

Noah nodded. ‘It’s going to be at least morning before the roads are cleared,’ he carried on.

‘So Jeremy’s stuck here all night?’ Beth’s mind was racing. ‘But that would mean…’ Her voice trailed off as she stared at Noah.

He raised his eyebrows at her in question although she could tell from his expression that he pretty much knew what she was implying in any case.

‘I hadn’t thought this through,’ she said, dragging a hand through her hair. ‘I just went with my gut instinct. I just wanted to show him that I’m a catch. That he shouldn’t expect me just to pick up the pieces and rush back into his arms.’

‘I agree with you on that point,’ he told her.

‘You do?’ she asked, surprised.

‘So I guess we’d better keep up the ruse for a while longer, hadn’t we?’ Noah straightened up and uncrossed his arms.

‘Okay,’ she nodded, still in somewhat of a daze. ‘I suppose so.’