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Back The Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. Reading Group Questions
  67. Read More
  68. I
  69. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Romy began to laugh when she saw his stricken expression. He didn’t immediately join in and she knew she should control herself, but it wasn’t easy in her tired, slightly tipsy state. ‘I’ve had a wonderful time! Eccentric, perhaps,’ she managed to say through her giggles. ‘But certainly not the stuff of disaster.’

He gave a rueful grin. ‘I’m normally good at logistics.’

‘You are good. You saved me from a life-threatening illness, remember? Made sure I was fed and watered, and now I have a cosy …’ she looked askance at the sad, chilly singles ‘… bed for the night.’ She got up. ‘What more could a girl want?’

Finch was really laughing now, as he stood. For a moment they hesitated, watching each other in silence. Then he gently pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms. She sighed with pleasure, knowing she was trembling slightly as she looked up to meet his eye. Then Finch kissed her.

His kisses were soft at first, but as he felt her respond, they grew more intense, their bodies pressed together in the narrow gap between the beds.

After a while they pulled back, a question on each of their faces. Romy was buzzing, aroused. But Finch seemed to be holding back.

‘Maybe we shouldn’t rush,’ he said, his voice croaky with desire, at the same time holding his palm against her cheek. Her eyes met his and she took a steadying breath.

The desire she felt made Romy’s head spin. But now she couldn’t help projecting herself into the cold light of morning, waking in the club room scrunched, half dressed, beside Finch in the narrow single bed, make-up blotched on her face, mouth stale and no toothbrush, wondering what they’d done. That was the trouble with being older: you thought about these things.

She reached up and kissed him again. Not a come-on kiss, this time, but a holding one, which spoke of promise and looked forward to the next time they might be in each other’s arms.

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10

November 2016

Nothing was ever the same in Romy’s marriage after the letter. It was as if a malign – and uninvited – guest permanently stalked the flat. Despite her outward support for Michael’s position – as in going along with his determination to do nothing – those words had created a seismic shift in their relationship. She was almost afraid to be with Michael, reluctant to look him in the eye for fear of what she might see. And as the months went on, the distance between them seemed to become solid and increasingly unbreachable.