‘It wouldn’t mean that you were glad to be seen with me, liked me for myself, and maybe, I don’t know…?’
‘Maybe thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen and the nicest I’d ever been out with?’ he supplied helpfully. ‘No, nothing like that. Don’t worry.’
‘You relieve my mind,’ she said gravely.
He raised her hand and brushed his cheek against the back of her fingers.
‘I think we should stay level-headed,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t want to offend you by indulging in the kind of sentimental behaviour I know you despise.’
‘That’s thoughtful of you. On the other hand, your family are going to expect us to seem at ease with each other. We mustn’t disappoint them by being too distant.’
He nodded as though giving this judicious consideration.
‘True. We need to get it just right.’
Before she knew what he meant to do, he leaned across the table and laid his lips softly against hers.
It was the briefest of contacts. No sooner was his mouth there than it was gone again. It might never have happened, yet it went through her like lightning, making nonsense of logic and control, leaving her changed and the world a different place.
She tried to smile with careless unconcern, but her heart was thumping, and there was no way she could seem indifferent. To hide her confusion she looked down, but when she raised her head again everything was more confusing, because now she could see that Lang was startled too.
‘That should be about right,’ she managed to say.
She was lying. It wasn’t about right, it wasn’t nearly enough. One whispering touch and something inside her had sprung to life, making her tingle with frustration. She wanted more, and so did he. His expression had told her that. Yet here they were, two well-behaved dolls, bound and gagged by the constraints that they had set themselves. Only a moment ago it had seemed amusing.
‘So what can I tell the family?’ he asked, and she wondered if she only imagined that his voice was shaking.
‘I’d be delighted to accept their kind invitation when I return from my travels.’
‘You’re going away? When? Where?’
‘I’m taking a cruise down the Yangtze.’
‘But not tomorrow?’
‘No, in three days but-’
‘Fine, that gives us plenty of time.’ He whipped out his mobile phone and dialled hurriedly. ‘Better do this before you can change your mind. You’re a very confusing person. I never know where I am with you.’
After the days she’d spent longing to hear from him-which she now admitted to herself she had-this left her speechless with indignation. While she was still trying to think of something bad enough to call him, he began talking into the phone.
‘Hallo, Aunt Biyu? Olivia says she’d be delighted. Yes, yes.’ He looked back at Olivia. ‘Do you like dumplings?’
‘I love them,’ she said promptly.
‘She loves them, Aunt Biyu-What’s that? All right, I’ll ask her. Do you prefer meat or vegetables?’
‘I’m happy with either.’
‘She’s happy with either. Oh, yes, that sounds nice.’ To Olivia he said, ‘Shrimp and bamboo, OK?’
‘Yes, splendid,’ she said, slightly confused.
Lang turned back to the phone. ‘Olivia is thrilled with shrimp and bamboo. Tomorrow evening?’ He raised an eyebrow and Olivia nodded. ‘Tomorrow’s fine. Goodnight.’
He hung up. ‘Aunt Biyu is married to Uncle Hai. She’s preparing you the best shrimp and bamboo you ever tasted, and the whole family is helping. You’re a very important guest.’
She knew enough about Chinese culture to recognise that this was true. In the old days of poverty, dumplings had been the staple food, and had subsequently acquired a place of honour. To lay out a banquet of dumplings for a guest was to pay a compliment.
She began to wonder exactly what Lang had told them. As he drove her home later, he was smiling.
At her apartment block he saw her to the main front door, but didn’t try to come any further.
‘I’ll collect you at six o’clock tomorrow evening,’ he said.
‘Yes. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight.’
He hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward suddenly and gave her the briefest possible kiss before hurrying away.
Olivia was thoughtful as she entered her apartment. Nothing in the world seemed clear or simple, and it was because of Lang, a man she’d met only three times.
Reaching into her bag, she felt something soft and silky, and realised that she’d forgotten all about Ming Zhi. The little panda regarded her severely, reminding her that she was a sensible woman who had renounced love in favour of logic.
‘Oh, shut up!’ Olivia said, tossing her onto the bed. ‘I don’t care if he did give you to me. You’re a pain in the whatsit. And so is he.’
That night she slept with Ming Zhi in the crook of her arm.
CHAPTER FIVE
NEXT morning she went online to Norah and was rewarded by the sight of the old woman waving and smiling at the camera.
‘So, what are you going to do with your holidays?’ she asked. ‘Did you book that cruise?’
‘Yes, I’ll be off in a few days.’
‘And?’ Norah probed, for Olivia’s tone clearly hinted at something else.
‘I’ve met this madman…’
She tried to describe Lang. It wasn’t easy, for he seemed to elude her even as she spoke. Calling him a madman was the truth, but far from the whole truth, and she was still discovering the rest.
‘He can make me laugh,’ she said.
‘That’s always a good beginning.’
‘And he gave me this.’ She held up Ming Zhi. ‘When we went to the zoo.’
‘Now, that looks like getting serious. When are you seeing him again?’
‘This evening. He’s taking me to have dinner with his family.’
‘Already? My dear, he’s moving very fast.’
‘No, it’s not like that. One of his relatives saw us together and the family got curious. He’s only taking me home to shut them up.’
‘Is he a wimp, that he can’t stand up to them?’
‘No, he’s not a wimp,’ Olivia said, smiling and remembering how Lang gave the impression of being quietly in command, except when he was being jokingly deferential to make her laugh. ‘He pretends to be sometimes, but that’s just his way of catching me off-guard.’
‘And does he often succeed?’
‘Yes,’ Olivia admitted wryly. ‘He does.’
‘Then he must be a very clever man indeed. I look forward to meeting him.’
‘Norah, please! You’re going much too fast. Lang and I have only met a few times. I’m not looking for anything serious. We’ll enjoy a brief relationship and then I’ll come home. In fact-’
‘Don’t you dare start that again. You stay where you are, and
‘All right, I promise,’ Olivia said. She was slightly startled by Norah’s intensity; a kind of anguish almost seemed to possess her.
