Free Loving Your Lies by Piper Shelly Page A

quickly switched to clipped English, casting me a
welcoming smile when I walked in.
    The dragon tried to smile at me, too, but
somehow the corners of her mouth wouldn’t really lift. “It was a
long and exhausting journey for me. I’ll get some rest. Marie will
help you make yourself at home.”
    At home , my arse. When would the
bitch stop talking to me at last? I clamped down on my teeth,
glowering at her until she disappeared into a room at the far end
of the hall.
    “I will make sure your mother is fine, then
I shall give you a tour through the house if you like.” Marie
flashed an excited beam at me.
    Pivoting on the spot, I marveled at the
light-flooded interior. With a nonchalant shrug I accepted her
offer, although I was more than eager to see the rest of the
house.
    The oval hall held nothing more than a
wardrobe and a credenza with a blue and white patterned vase
sitting next to an old-fashioned landline phone. Carved wood doors
in off-white opened in either direction. When I was sure nobody
would notice, I leaned slightly to one side, peeking around the
corner of what seemed to be a study. Shelves filled with books and
collectibles lined the walls of the small room.
    To the right of the hall, a flight of
semi-winding stairs led to the second floor. Only when I traced the
staircase up to the balustrade did I understand the uncommon
brightness inside. Part of the roof sloped down over the open space
in a garret with a huge dormer, providing the imitation of a real
sky inside the house.
    “It’s a little bigger than your small room
back in London, isn’t it?”
    At Julian’s soft taunt I whirled about. He
leaned against the doorjamb, his thumbs hooked through the belt
loops of his jeans.
    I straightened and put on my well-rehearsed
girlie grin. “You’re still here? Shouldn’t you be heading home to
your family by now?” The mocking edge to my voice did nothing to
rattle his relaxed composure.
    “ Mais nó , Julian is living
with us,” Marie cheered as she exited my mother’s room and grabbed
my wrist. “Come with me. I will show you the kitchen while I put on
the kettle for a cup of tea.” She tugged on my arm until I followed
her, but I couldn’t hide my horror as I caught Julian’s amused
gaze.
    As he winked, his beautiful blue eyes held
the promise for a very special six weeks.

 
     
     
    6
     
    CINDERELLA’S CASTLE
     
     
    IN A SPACIOUS kitchen, vanilla cupboards
hugged sage walls. The warm smell of freshly baked bread wafted
through the room. The oak table sat eight, and with me the sole
occupant at one end, the thing extended like the runway of a
fashion show.
    The island in the middle of the room
reflected in the stainless steel fridge door as Marie rummaged
through the shelves. The metallic giant should come with a map. It
was clear Marie was getting lost in there.
    “I hope Albert did not eat it all. Ah, here
it is.” She emerged with a bundle enveloped in wax paper and
grabbed a plate from one of the cupboards. Taking off the wrapping
revealed a pastry of some French kind, which she shoved in the
microwave for a few seconds. Moments later, she placed the steaming
snack in front of my folded arms.
    With her elbows propped on the table, she
lowered into the chair next to me. “Eat, chérie. You must be
hungry.”
    “No, I’m not,” I said. The same instant, my
stomach gave a traitorous rumble.
    Her laughter, like the peals of a tinkling
bell, bounced off the walls and filled the room. “You are family,
Jona, and very welcome in this house. Do not be shy to help
yourself to anything.” The soft shine in her eyes made me feel she
meant every single word.
    But why now? What drove this woman to play
the good auntie today, when for almost eighteen years she hadn’t
even cared if I lived or died? This woman was a stranger to me.
She’d never come to our small flat in Cambridge when I still lived
with my mother, nor had Charlene ever mentioned a sister in France.
I knew nothing about