Free Secret North: Book 4 of The Wishes Series by GJ Walker-Smith Page A

mouth twitched and I knew she was on to me. “Do you even know what that means, Ryan?”
    “No, not really,” I admitted, shrugging. “But I’m a fast learner.”
    “Not that fast.”
    “Give me a little credit.” I sounded far more wounded than I was. Every misgiving she had about me was more than warranted, but it didn’t stop me pleading my case. “Just because I’ve never had a girlfriend before doesn’t mean I –”
    She cut me off with an angry moan. “You’ve dated half the women in the free world, Ryan.”
    “But that’s not the same as having a girlfriend, is it?”
    Bente’s backward steps looked more like a stumble. She fell back onto the couch in a heap. “Oh my God.” She buried her face in her hands. “My potential boyfriend is a relationship virgin.”
    She made it sound terrible. Now I was wounded. “I’m not completely clueless,” I asserted. “I kind of had a girlfriend once.”
    She looked at me. “And what happened?”
    I tried to keep a straight face. “Her husband found out.”
    Bente moaned again. “It goes from bad to worse, doesn’t it?”
    I pulled her to her feet. “I’m kidding, Bente.”
    “Really?” Her voice was tiny but hopeful.
    “Yeah,” I assured her. “Her husband never found out.”
    ***
    Dinner wasn’t exactly a romantic event. It was more like a session in contingency planning. We sat side by side at the kitchen counter, discussing worst-case scenarios.
    “If you’re not happy, dump me before you find someone else,” she demanded.
    “You’ll be the first to know,” I assured her. “Should I email or will a text suffice?”
    She glanced at me, and perhaps realised I was a little hurt. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I just want you to be sure.”
    I reached for her hand. “I’m as sure as I can be,” I promised. “I just have one question.”
    She nodded. “Okay.”
    “Are we going to go all-in and live together or do I have to knock on your crazy sister’s door every time I want to see you?”
    “Would that be a problem?”
    “I don’t know,” I replied seriously. “Has Ivy got a gun?”
    “No, but I think Malibu might.”
    I couldn’t be sure she was joking so I tried harder to talk her round. “Just move in here,” I urged. “Take the spare room if you want. I’ll visit you there.”
    Bente took a long sip of wine before replying. “I can’t pay rent. I’m unemployed.”
    I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous excuse. “I’ll try my best to cope with the financial burden of having you here.”
    Her garnet lips didn’t smile, but her brown eyes did. “Smartass.”
    “Just do it, Bente. Don’t make me beg.”
    She looked down at her plate. “Will you cook for me?”
    “Every night if you want me to,” I pledged. “Will you walk around the house naked?”
    Her laugh filtered through my whole body. “Sure. I see no problem with that.”
    I leaned across and kissed her. “A woman after my own heart.”
    She bumped me with her shoulder. “I’m going to get your heart, Ryan,” she whispered.
    “Bring it on, sweetheart. I’m ready for you.”

    16. SMALL TALK

    Bente
    It took me two days to come up with a game plan for breaking the news to Ivy. It took me another two to convince Ryan that he should be with me when I did it.
    “Can’t I tell your parents instead?” he asked. “Surely that would be less traumatic.”
    “They’re on vacation.”
    My parents had been on permanent vacation for years. Ed and Evie Denison were the king and queen of the cheesy cruise ship scene. My mom spent her days singing karaoke and sunning herself poolside. My dad enjoyed shooting the breeze at all-you-can-eat buffets with other bald old men who shared his fascination for Hawaiian print shirts. They usually make it home for Christmas, spend a few weeks whining about the terrible weather, and then take off again.
    Chances are they wouldn’t give a damn about my new living arrangements; but Ivy more than made up for their lack of concern. Her