Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) by Danielle Rose-West Page B

recovered.” He shot her a wicked grin. Callie’s cheeks flushed
red.
    “Do you two know each other?”
Cunningham asked, curiosity alight in his clear blue eyes. Lucinda sat forward,
her expression deadly as her gaze swept over Callie.
    Callie cleared her throat. “Not
really. I told you I broke down today. Mr Hawkes was the guy that towed my car
and dropped me at the Lazy Boy.”
    “Oh.” Cunningham dismissed the
explanation with a flick of his wrist. “I suggest we order right away. I’m
famished.” He picked up the menu that Lucinda had discarded earlier. “What do
you suggest?”
    He leaned towards Lucinda. She smiled
and edged closer, her gaze flicked briefly in Jason’s direction. He gritted his
teeth. He could read the calculated edge that had crept over her as if it were
a neon sign above her head. If she thought to use jealousy to manipulate him,
she could think again.
    He gritted his teeth and grabbed up
his own menu. He ignored the flirty exchange carrying on in front of him. His
lips pursed at the burst of overdone laughter that exploded from Lucinda’s
lips.
    “It would appear that your girlfriend
isn’t quite as enamoured of you as you thought.” He glanced at Callie.
Amusement lit her features. He should have known she would remember his glib remark
from earlier! The woman had a quick mind.
    “She’s just mad at me, that’s all.”
He refused to explain things to someone he’d only just met.
    “How could that possibly be?” She
grinned at him and sipped her wine.
    His lips twitched, despite himself.
“I have no idea. I’m usually so charming.” Her throaty chuckle washed over him.
    A hand slapped his arm and he glanced
in Lucinda’s direction. Her eyes darted between them and her mouth thinned. “If
you can tear yourself away, perhaps you could order for us now?”
    Jason narrowed his eyes at Lucinda.
She had the cheek to berate him when she’d done nothing but flirt with
Cunningham since the man sat down. She stared back at him with a silent warning
written all over her face. She cocked an eyebrow at him.
    “Sure.” He slowly rose to his feet
and gathered everyone’s requests.
    Jason headed to the bar and pushed
his way to the front. Anger burned in his chest. He didn’t appreciate Lucinda
ordering him around, but he didn’t want to cause a fuss in front of Cunningham.
He’d been able to feel the man’s gaze on him like a branding iron. One glimpse
of Cunningham’s expression had told Jason just how much the guy was enjoying
the discord he was witnessing. Jason refused to feed that enjoyment by creating
a scene.
    He ordered their food and reluctantly
headed back to the table. Cunningham grinned at him as he slipped back into his
seat.
    “You’re a lucky man to have such an
ambitious girlfriend. A beautiful one at that. I think she has a bright future
ahead of her, given the right encouragement.” Cunningham smiled, charm oozing
out of every pore.
    Lucinda practically preened at the
compliment. “I keep telling him how lucky he is to have snared me.” She cast a
triumphant glance in Jason’s direction. “He just hasn’t fully realised it yet.”
    “Perhaps I value different things in
a person,” Jason replied grimly. “Business orientated people have never held
much appeal for me.” He gripped his pint glass tightly as he regarded them
both.
    “Maybe that’s why you stick to one
small garage in a tiny town, when you could own a chain.” Lucinda turned to
Cunningham. “I’ve always said he wastes himself, but he never listens to me.”
    “I don’t think anyone is wasting
themselves if they love what they do.” Jason turned in surprise at Callie’s
remark. She cast him a wicked grin. “Besides, I think mechanics manage to
procure a rather good living. There are plenty of us poor souls who know
nothing about cars. It’s like another language. Who knows how much extra labour
gets added on every time our car is in the shop?”
    “How very true,” Cunningham