Cracking the Dating Code by Kelly Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

you?’
    ‘For him. We were practising on the same boy, Trig, who’s a friend of my older brother’s. I wasn’t really interested in him and neither was Lena. He was just—’ Poppy waved her hand in the air ‘—there. In hindsight, we should probably have
told
him we were only practicing. We probably should have mentioned it to Jared too.’
    ‘Wonderful thing, hindsight,’ murmured Seb. ‘Let me guess. Trig flirted back with one of you, or both of you. Either way, your brother beat him up.’
    ‘No, Trig ignored us for all he was worth and
Lena
beat him up.’
    ‘Poor Trig. I appreciate his dilemma,’ offered Seb. ‘What did he do next? Run?’
    ‘No, he joined the special intelligence service. So did my brother. So did Lena, a year later. Trig and Lena’s arguments have escalated somewhat since then.’
    ‘Wonder why?’ murmured Seb.
    ‘Don’t we all.’ Poppy smiled impishly. ‘Trig worships the ground Lena walks on—not that he ever
mentions
it. The hope from those in the front-row seats is that one day Lena will realise it, return the favour and put him out of his misery. Not that Trig seems miserable. I think he’s enjoying it. You’re a man—how does that work?’
    ‘Ever been Marlin fishing?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I’ll give you a clue. Lena’s the fish.’
    ‘Ew.’
    ‘So what does your older brother think of Trig’s dilemma?’
    ‘Hard to say. Jared’s missing. No one’s heard from him in nearly eight months.’ Poppy shoved her hands in the pocket of her cotton trousers as all thoughts of flirtation fled. ‘Are you hungry? I’m hungry.’
    So he ladled stew into bowls and they ate standing at the counter and after that Seb offered up the island’s repertoire when it came to entertainment.
    ‘There’s a sudoko tablecloth around here somewhere,’ he said. ‘I could fish it out for you?’
    ‘No. I’m all numbered out.’
    ‘Game of 3-D chess? You’ll win. I’ll lose. I’ll get over it.’
    ‘If you already know you’ll lose, there’s no point playing.’
    ‘There’s a billiard table,’ he offered.
    ‘That could work,’ she said. ‘Movement would be good and it’s not too taxing on the mind. I estimate I have a good half an hour of billiards in me before catatonia takes hold.’
    ‘Well, hell, Miss Ophelia,’ he drawled, andthis time that reckless smile of his came out in full. ‘If it’s an intellectual challenge you’re after, I could always teach you how to flirt while we play.’
    Half-six saw them in the billiards room, with the wind picking up outside and whitecaps dotting what they could see of the ocean. Which was plenty. Every room in this house had floor-to-ceiling windows and that breathtaking ocean view. They’d put the music on. A little bit of good ole boy rock, a little bit of southern-fried bluegrass. Poppy’s billiards beverage of choice was lemon-barley cordial. Sebastian had opted for maximum-kick cola. Both drinks were over ice. For now, at any rate, it appeared that Sebastian’s dance with the whisky bottle was done.
    ‘So we’re in a bar,’ said Sebastian conversationally as he chalked his cue. ‘And you see someone you wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better. What do you do next?’
    ‘So…you really
are
trying to teach me how to flirt?’ asked Poppy tentatively.
    ‘Just seeing what you’ve got.’
    ‘Oh.’ A smile spread through Poppy before she could stop it. It was the smile of a child who’d suddenly been given free run of the toy room. She couldn’t flirt to save herself andshe needed to practise, preferably somewhere private and with someone who was willing to teach her. An expert in the field. A person she didn’t recoil from. Someone who didn’t know how clueless she was when it came to this sort of thing.
    Learning opportunities didn’t come much brighter than this.
    ‘So we’re in a bar and I see someone I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better,’ she echoed thoughtfully, studying the break,