Free Falling for Mr Wrong by Joanne Dannon Page B

romantic break in the Greek Islands.”
    Her head spun around to face him. “You didn’t tell her we were going to Jerusalem?”
    “No.”
    She nibbled her lip. “What about the engagement?”
    “Of course I told her, as it’ll be in the newspapers. But she promised she would not say anything to the press.”
    Yeah right . Tilly would bet her treasured Gran’s engagement ring that Bea would sell the story. Unfair assessment? Perhaps. But there was something about Bea that made her thoughts turn hostile. Fiddling with her hair she asked, “What did Bea say about the engagement?”
    “She accepted what I told her,” he said in a flat tone.
    “That tells me a lot,” she said in a voice that clearly implied the opposite. “Did you tell her you were engaged to Summer from New Zealand, or Tilly from Australia?”
    “You, as in Tilly.” The tightness around his mouth increased. “I told her I’d been seeing you for a couple of months and that we’d kept it quiet especially after the whole Sebastian debacle. I told her circumstances forced me to announce the engagement to the press.”
    “She didn’t think it was strange?”
    “She did. But I have a public presence, so she just accepted it even though I could tell she had a million questions burning on her tongue.” His voice lowered, “I’ll tell her everything later.”
    She nodded. “Just so you know, I’m not telling my family the truth.”
    “You’re not?” His eyebrow arched.
    “And make me a bigger loser than I already am?” she bristled.
    His head jerked up. “I didn’t think being engaged to me was that bad?”
    She blinked furiously. “You haven’t been labelled the Naughty Nanny and chased around London like a criminal.” She stopped and caught her breath. “Do you honestly think I want my parents to know we created a fake engagement to divert attention?” She crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “Sheesh!”
    His gaze flicked to her then back at the road. “I’ll keep that in mind for when we end it.”
    “Thank you.” Clamping her lips together, her gaze ventured out of the car to the desert landscape. It may have been incredible and stunning, but her thoughts consumed her. So much to think about.
    Lies. Deceit. Nuptials.
    A knife twisted in her belly. Lying to her family. Again!
    Her heart slid, it was only a few months ago she boarded a plane to London, full of excitement, anticipation and naivety. It was supposed to be a working holiday, a chance to work in a large, exhilarating city, meeting new people and doing touristy things.
    She humiliated her family, but now she had developed some back-bone and stood up for herself. Look at how she outsmarted the press and now with Nate. Her heart sank thinking about hurting him but she could not return to London, not ever. She belonged in Jerusalem, in the warmth and security of her aunt’s love.
    Nate’s question broke her thoughts. “I think you owe me the real reason you want to go to Jerusalem.”
    Her heart leapt to her throat. Either the man was a psychic or her facial expressions revealed too much. Darn him. Time to do a course on achieving that perfect poker face.
    She could lie or tell him the truth or a bit of both. She decided to go with option three. Despite everything he had done for her and her falling for him, she had been let down so many times that she was unwilling to leave herself totally exposed.
    She drew a deep breath and stayed closer to the truth than lying. “Someone I trust is in Jerusalem.” A flicker of pride zipped along her spine at her determination to being honest with Nate.
    “You stayed there when you left London?” His eyes flickered from the road to her.
    “Yes.” She paused. “With my aunt.” She looked at him and saw his jaw tightened. “Is that a problem?”
    “No, not all.” He gave her knee a reassuring squeeze before returning his attention to the road. “So tell me about your aunt?”
    She cleared her throat. “She’s