Free She Hates Me Not: A Richer in Love Romance by F. E. Greene Page A

Avon, across from Holy Trinity Church
    How did you find your service?
    between 10 and 1
    Any additional comments?
    TSB on Ely St
    chicken or lobster salad, stilton or brie
    flatbread, White Bordeaux, strawberries
     
    Lou thrust the card in Kip’s direction like she issued him a ticket for breaking the law.  “This is flat-out cheating!  And I hate cheaters.”
    “Oh dear.”  He tucked it away.  “Just this once then.”
    Just this once.  It was becoming Lou’s new motto.  Just one gala.  Just one kiss.  Just one conversation over scones and tea.  Just one picnic beside the river on a summer afternoon.
    So much for one and done.  Or had she found her own loophole in Lydia’s deal?
    As she opened both bottles of water, Lou surveyed the spread.  Kip had purchased everything on Moggie’s list.  Both salads.  Both cheeses.  And apparently all the strawberries in Warwickshire.  The Starving Bard was Stratford’s ultra-gourmet take-away bistro where locals splurged and tourists indulged.  Thanks to Kip, the Bard’s week was off to a profitable start.
    Accepting a glass of wine, Lou reminded herself to sip slowly.  “No bodyguard today?”
    “He’s still in London with my mother.”  As he recorked the bottle, Kip frowned.  “Does Yannick bother you?  He doesn’t spy on me, if that’s your worry.  I always know when he’s about, and I would tell you if he were.”
    “I’m not bothered,” Lou said.  “I’m curious.  Why do you need him in the first place?”
    “My brother Ben was kidnapped for ransom once, whilst he was in primary school.  For years after that, we had private security everywhere we went.  Mother finally relaxed when I finished Sixth Form, and since then it’s been only Yannick.”
    “Is your brother okay?”
    “Oh yes.  Ben’s resilient.  It takes a lot to rattle his cage.”
    Setting down her wine, Lou helped Kip peel the lids off the containers of food.  He’d bought enough to feel a small army – or a giant bodyguard.  What Lou made in a week, Kip had spent on one meal.
    The Richmonds were wealthier than the Queen of England, but was that really an advantage?  More than women hunted Kip for his money.  Any stranger on the street, any guest at a gala, could be a potential threat.  How would Kip, or his brother, know who to trust?  Who to befriend, and who to love?
    Lou felt tempted to explain her own situation, to let Kip know that she understood.  But Lou wasn’t sure she should trust him.  She was supposed to be hating Kip Richmond, not be feeling the reverse.
    Accepting a plate when he offered it, Lou stuck to a safer subject.  “Don’t you have to go back to work at some point?  Report to an office?  Fly to India?”
    “Eventually.  A lot of what I do happens off site.  Speeches.  Presentations.  Appeals for donations.  Appearances at ground-breakings and company meetings.”
    “Shaking hands.  Kissing babies.”
    Kip chuckled as he filled his plate.  “I’m in public relations, not politics.  I’ve no interest in standing for election, and I doubt that I’d qualify.”
    “Why not?  Most politicians are snakes.”  Lou froze.  “Not that you’re a snake.  I didn’t mean that.  You’re just…”
    “Just someone you hate?” he finished with a wink.  “People may be quite forgiving, but some labels become permanent, perhaps because they should.  Not even families can ignore them, perhaps because they shouldn’t.”
    Lou felt like they were dancing again – this time around a topic.  She decided to deal with it American-style.  “Were you really addicted to drugs?” she asked bluntly.
    To his credit Kip didn’t skip a beat.  “Painkillers.  Right after I graduated uni, I broke my ankle whilst competing in a charity football match.”
    Kip raised the right leg of his khaki slacks.  Scars crisscrossed both sides of his ankle.
    “It’s more metal than bone down there now.  I can still play some sports, and