United States of Love

Sue Fortin

A division of HarperCollinsPublishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Contents

Sue Fortin

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Six

Love Romance?

About HarperImpulse

Copyright

About the Publisher

Sue Fortin

Lover of cake, Dragonflies and France. Hater of calories, maths and snakes. I was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with my family, and for a time I did actually think my name was ‘The New Girl’. However, having lived in West Sussex all my adult life, it does feel like home and I do now know what my name is! In my previous life, aka before children, I worked in various secretarial/PA roles before admitting defeat at juggling a career with four tiddly-peeps, and left the world of paid employment to rediscover my love of writing.

To my family, with all my love, for all your love.

Chapter One

It was her hair that caught his attention first: short cropped and blonde. White blonde. It was her neat little figure second, and it was the car coming up the road as she stepped backwards off the sidewalk that he noticed last.

Tex Garcia felt like he was moving in slow motion as he lunged towards her, grabbing her arm and hauling her out of the car’s path. She slammed into his chest, and in a reflex gesture he engulfed her in his arms as the car sped by, missing her by inches.

‘Whoa! You got some sort of death wish?’ He looked down at her. Staring back up at him were two startled and confused mossy-green eyes. ‘You just nearly got yourself run over.’

She looked up the road at the offending vehicle as it disappeared out of sight. ‘Th … thank you,’ she stammered. ‘I didn’t see it.’

‘You don’t say.’ He crooked a smile.

‘Well, I think the danger is over now, so maybe you could…’ She regarded his arms still firmly around her. ‘Perhaps release me?’

‘What? Oh, sorry.’ Tex dropped his hands and took a step back. Then, as a precautionary measure, put a hand on her arm and drew her away from the edge of the sidewalk and into the forecourt of the church building. He looked up at his new business premises, wondering what had distracted her. She had been gazing up at the building, poised with a camera in her hand.

She followed his gaze. ‘It’s going to be a pizza place.’ He didn’t miss the derogatory tone in her voice.

‘Really?’ He stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye.

‘Hmm. Apparently some Italian chef has bought it. Nico Garcia. Although I have to admit, I thought Garcia was a Hispanic name.’

‘You don’t sound too impressed.’

‘Ignoring the potential for noisy scooters whining up and down with their delivery boxes full of pizza, I dread to think what will happen to the building itself. I just hope that the planning department doesn’t let this Nico Garcia ruin it.’

Tex sucked in the corners of his mouth to repress the grin that was threatening to erupt. ‘What makes you think it will be ruined?’

‘Not being British, he may not appreciate how old this building really is. It’s got so much history and, okay, it hasn’t been used as a church for a long time now, but it has always retained its dignity.’ She wandered over to the entrance and reached out to touch the solid oak doors. ‘It would be awful if these were changed to some modern glass ones, or those gorgeous leaded and stained glass windows swapped for big, white plastic, double-glazed ones.’

This time Tex couldn’t censor his grin or the small chuckle. He had actually been thinking about changing those old windows with plain glass to let some more light into the place. She turned and looked at him, her eyebrows darting together. He swallowed down his laugh and put on a straight face.

‘You’re quite passionate about it, aren’t you?’

The frown lifted as she shrugged. ‘I love Arundel. This town’s got so much history. I work part-time as a tour guide so I suppose I’ve grown quite fond of some of the buildings, even if they don’t warrant a mention on the tours.’

He nodded, and as she looked up at the building again, he took the opportunity to appreciate a different view: her neat butt. She swung round too quickly for him to avert his eyes, and for a moment he wondered whether she was some sort of feminist who was about to slap his face. To his relief, it appeared she wasn’t. Instead, she began to inspect her camera and presumably the photos she had taken of the church.

He leant over her shoulder, peering at the small digital screen, taking time to breathe in the soft vanilla fragrance that floated around her hair.

‘What are the photos for?’

‘I like to keep a record of the town. Before and after shots of how things change and develop. I might make a book of them all one day.’

‘Social history in pictures.’

She turned to look at him. ‘Yeah, something like that.’ Switching off her camera, she moved slightly away. ‘You’re American, right?’

‘Sure am,’ replied Tex, tipping his forehead with his fingers in a slack salute.

‘On holiday?’

‘No. Actually, I’ve lived in the UK for five years now.’ He drove down the churning in his gut. It always happened when he thought about his move here and what he had left behind.

‘Oh, I see. If you were a tourist I was going to sign you up for a guided tour.’ She smiled at him. ‘My boss is always nagging me, so at least today I can say I tried. And speaking of which, I had better get on. I’ve got a tour in five minutes and I’ve got to get up to the cathedral yet.’

Tex was aware that a slither of disappointment eked its way through him as she made to head off.

She paused. ‘There’s an open evening here tonight. Get to meet the new owner.’

‘You going?’ he asked.

‘Too right. I need to check out the competition.’

Tex raised his eyebrows in question. ‘Competition?’ She looked so sincere, he almost felt guilty for his deception. Maybe deception was too harsh a word. More like withholding information.

She pointed vaguely in the direction of a building further along the road. ‘I also work in the tea rooms down there a couple of days a week, so I’m curious to find out if we have anything to worry about and what exactly this Nico Garcia has planned.’

He grinned. ‘You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised.’

‘I’m not holding my breath.’

‘I’ll be there tonight. Will be interesting to see your reaction.’ Had he blown it? She was looking at him strangely. He held out his hand, hoping to distract her. ‘My name’s Tex, by the way.’

‘Anna.’

As she put her hand in his, he couldn’t help noticing how small it looked and how soft it felt against his own rough fingertips.

Something akin to an electric shock zipped right through her when she shook his hand. The same something she had been fully aware of when he had leant on her shoulder to look at the camera. It was unnerving. Aware, too, that her heart was now doing its usual skippy thing it always did when she felt attracted toward someone. Anna made a supreme effort to walk calmly away from Tex. It only took several paces before her resolve weakened and she found herself turning round to look at him. He was standing there, hands stuffed in his jeans pocket, watching her.

‘Oh, by the way,’ she heard herself call out. ‘Thank you for saving me!’

He tipped his forehead in that lazy, mock-salute way he had done earlier and treated her to what she could only describe as a laconic Paul Newman smile.

As Anna walked away, she was already mentally going through her wardrobe wondering what to wear that night, and then chided herself. Of course, had he, Tex, not been going, she probably wouldn’t even be thinking about it, but now it seemed incredibly important that she looked nice. ‘Get a grip,’ she said out loud. ‘You’re thirty-five, separated from your husband and definitely don’t need another relationship just yet.’

Despite this pep talk, throughout the guided tour that afternoon, no matter how hard she tried to dismiss thoughts of him, her mind kept conjuring up images of the tall American. The dark brown eyes encased in thick lashes, the dark hair brushed back from his face, a few strands falling forwards. And all set off against a honey-toned complexion.

The main hall of the old United Reformed Church was beginning to fill up with guests, mostly local traders. It was probably out of curiosity rather than any real desire to welcome him into their community with open arms, but Tex wasn’t worried. This way he hoped he would be able to win them over. He had hired in a local outside catering company to organise the food and drinks, as a gesture of his willingness to fit in and support his new neighbours. The fact that the church kitchens were so primitive and in no fit state for him to be able to do justice to any food he cooked, was neither here nor there.

‘You all right, mate?’ It was Jamie, a long-established friend and former colleague of his. ‘Not a bad turn out, eh?’

Tex nodded, thinking yeah, sure it was going okay but shame there was no sign of the little blonde from earlier. Anna. Before he could commiserate further, Yvonne, Jamie’s wife, skipped over.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek before picking up a vol-au-vent from her plate and biting into it. ‘Hiya, Tex. I have to say this food is really lovely. I think this company could give you a run for your money.’

Tex gave her a look of mock reproach. ‘You hush your mouth there, little lady,’ he said, exaggerating his southern drawl.

Yvonne laughed. ‘I do love it when you go and get all cowboy on me, Tex.’

Jamie gave Tex a nudge. ‘That bloke over there, the one looking at your plans.’ He nodded towards the centre table where the architect’s drawings had been carefully laid out around a scale model and cross section of the new premises. ‘See him? I think I overheard him saying he was from the local Chamber of Commerce. Didn’t know if you needed to go and sweet-talk him.’

Tex followed his friend’s gaze, and sighed. ‘I suppose I’d better.’

Tiresome as it was having to suck up to the local hierarchy, he knew it was a necessary evil and so headed off towards the middle-aged, bearded man that Jamie had pointed out. It was then that he saw Anna coming in. He felt himself draw breath. She looked good – her hair styled a bit more choppy, fresh make-up, pretty soft blouse that showed off her tiny frame, skirt resting just above her knees, revealing a fine pair of legs.

She spotted him, broke into a smile and waved. He was aware that he waved back in some klutzy high school way. Damn it! Not only that, but she had noticed, judging by the giggle she made no attempt to hide. He walked over to greet her.

She was still smiling. ‘You made it then?’

‘Sure. Had no choice.’ He really should tell her, before it all got out of hand and she found out for herself.

‘Mr Garcia!’ Tex heard a voice behind him and groaned inwardly. Too late. Anna was peering about, no doubt trying to work out which one was Mr Garcia.

‘Mr Garcia!’There it was again, except closer this time. Then Tex felt a tap on his shoulder.

‘Argh, Mr Garcia, sorry to interrupt. I just wondered if we could have a quick word. I’m Richard Harrington, Arundel Chamber of Commerce.’ He was by the side of Tex now, holding out his hand.

Tex shook hands. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ He turned to Anna whose mouth was working but no sound coming out. ‘Could you just excuse me a moment, Anna? Maybe we can talk later?’ Her eyes hardened as she nodded. Computation complete. Oh yeah, she’d worked it out.

‘We certainly can talk later, Mr Garcia,’ Anna said, the smile now nowhere in sight.

So he thought he was clever did he? A proper smart-arse. Nico Garcia or Tex, or whatever his blasted name was. Anna glared at the American’s back as he chatted to the Chamber of Commerce guy. Despite her bad temper with Tex, she couldn’t fail to acknowledge the broadness of his shoulders underneath the crisp, dark suit. He looked even more attractive tonight, all spruced up, shirt and tie. He really did scrub up well. Stop! She must stop thinking like this about him.

‘Hello, Anna.’ It was Andy Bartholomew, the curator of the museum at Arundel Castle.

Great, just what she needed. Handy Andy, as he was unaffectionately known amongst the female tour guides, and it was certainly nothing to do with his DIY skills.

‘Hello, Andy,’ she replied politely as she shifted around him, looking for an escape route, someone else she could suddenly develop the urgent need to speak with.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side. Everyone’s attention now appeared to be focused towards the stage where Tex stood with a microphone in his hand. Feeling obliged to stand still and pay attention, Anna was dismayed to feel Handy Andy brush up alongside her.

‘Could I have your attention for one moment please?’ Tex began, flashing a killer smile around the room. Anna could almost hear the collective swoon of all the females there, his soft drawl was practically X-rated.

‘First, I would like to thank you all so much for turning up here this evening, it means a lot. Second, I must thank Forresters Outside Catering for the fabulous buffet they have provided. And my thanks also go to local architects Hanson & Williams for the excellent scale model in the centre there. Perhaps you could join me in a small round of applause.’

Everyone seemed more than happy to join in, Anna noted. Tex had obviously been working the room well leading up to this little speech.

‘You will see from the display,’ Tex continued, ‘that I intend to open a contemporary restaurant: high-class food for the working man’s pocket. Not a pizza delivery service with a horde of mopeds ‘whining up and down’ the road, as some of you might fear.’ A little ripple of laughter circulated.

Anna felt a flush race to her face as he fixed his eyes on her, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. He so knew what he was doing. To her relief, he looked away and carried on speaking, telling the attentive listeners how he was looking forward to being part of the community, that there was enough room for everyone, and how pleased he was to be putting something back into the local economy, jobs for local people, and so on.

God, he was good. By the time he had finished, the whole audience was clapping and smiling broadly at him. Mission complete it would seem.

‘So thank you again for coming,’ he said as the applause died down. ‘I’m looking forward to getting to know you all much better.’ His eyes swept the room, coming to rest at Anna, as another flutter of clapping spread throughout the guests.

‘Smarmy Yank,’ muttered Andy, leaning into Anna and snaking his arm around her waist.

She resisted the urge to point out the irony of this statement, and attempted to wriggle free.

‘What say me and you slip away for a quiet drink at the Kings Head?’ Andy suggested, tightening his grip on her waist and running a finger down her arm.

Anna shuddered but tried to retain a degree of professionalism. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Andy. Thanks all the same.’

‘You’re not knocking me back again, are you?’ A frown folded over his face. ‘I wouldn’t want to have to complain to Howard about the lack of service.’

‘Andy, can you stop this please?’ He had been trying for the past six months, on and off, to get her to go on a date with him. It just wasn’t happening. Ever. Purposefully, she took hold of his hand and prised it from her waist. ‘As I’ve said before, I don’t mix business with pleasure.’ Not that he would be a pleasure by any stretch of the imagination.

‘Oh, come on, Anna.’ He went to take hold of her again, but now that everyone was milling around once more, Anna seized her opportunity.

Spinning on her heel to avoid his groping hand, she propelled herself forward and found herself running straight into the chest of Tex.

Chapter Two

Tex wrapped his arms round her as she bundled into him. He couldn’t have planned it better if he had tried. Hugging her tight to his chest, he appreciated the feel of her curves against him. He grinned down at her.

‘We seem to be making a habit of this,’ he said.

‘Maybe. Trouble is, this morning, I thought I had bumped into Tex. Now I seem to have bumped into Nico Garcia.’

‘And which one do you prefer?’ He noticed she hadn’t tried to wriggle free.

‘I’m not sure yet. Although I do know someone who isn’t a contender.’ She jerked her head backwards.

Tex had already spoken to the castle curator earlier in the evening and had also clocked him pestering Anna. In fact, he had just been on his way over to rescue her. Again.

Releasing her from his hold, but catching her hand in his, he smiled politely at the brooding curator. ‘Would you mind excusing us, I need to speak to Anna about the tour guides. Thank you.’

He didn’t wait for an answer, instead plucking a glass of wine from a passing waiter’s tray, he whisked her away through the guests to the back of the hall.

‘I had it all under control there, you know,’ she spoke, after a rather large gulp of her wine.

Tex nodded. ‘Of course you did.’

‘I did!’ She took another sip, trying to hide a small smile of embarrassment behind the glass.

Tex didn’t miss it. ‘Look, I wanted to speak to you anyway,’ he began. ‘About earlier. I didn’t say anything because I was curious to hear an unbiased and honest opinion of what folks were feeling around here. I was going to tell you. Honest!’

She eyed him sceptically. ‘Okay, so what if I tell you I’m not really Anna but my name’s Sheila and I’m the local planning officer? I was just preparing a report to uphold an objection against the development of this building.’

What the…! He felt himself draw back to look at her again through fresh eyes. ‘You serious?’ Jeez, she looked it.

Then she broke into a huge smile and laughed out loud. Tex felt the air expel from his lungs, and found himself laughing too.

‘Oh, your face,’ she said once she had calmed down. ‘Got you going there for a moment. Serves you right.’

Tex shook his head. He was in no position to complain. He deserved that.

‘You two look like you’re having fun,’ came Jamie’s voice as he wandered over with Yvonne.

‘Don’t ask.’

‘Do you and Tex already know each other?’ Yvonne asked Anna, accepting the glass of wine Tex had summoned over.

‘Not really. We did briefly meet this morning. You could say he saved my life.’ Anna gave Tex a grateful smile.

‘Twice,’ Tex added.

Jamie patted Tex's back. ‘The all-American hero.’

Tex shrugged. ‘Hey, what can I say?’

‘So do you work around here?’ Jamie asked.

Anna repeated what she had told Tex that morning, adding, ‘I also do a bit of work from home, translating electronic manuals or legal documents. Nothing particularly exciting, but it's all work.’

‘You’re a busy lady,’ said Tex, surprised. She hadn’t mentioned all that this morning.

‘Just three small jobs, no different to working full-time at one.’

‘So as a tour guide, do you speak any other languages?’ asked Yvonne, exchanging a glance with her husband.

‘German and French.’

Tex gave Anna a little nudge, whispering theatrically in her ear, ‘Watch out, he’ll be trying to employ you next.’

‘Interesting,’ mused Jamie. ‘I run a relocation company, primarily for clients who are moving to the UK from overseas. It's a sort of handholding, fix-it service for foreigners working, visiting or relocating here. I use bilingual staff as some of my clients, especially their spouses, can't speak enough English to deal with things like banking, property purchases, schools for their children etc. We basically help them in any way they need it where the language might prove a barrier.’

‘That sounds interesting. Have you got clients locally then?’ asked Anna.

‘That will be me,’ put in Tex.

‘Oh, I thought you were just friends.’ Anna looked a mixture of confused and embarrassed.

‘We’re both. BFFs, as you girls would say,’ grinned Jamie, putting his arm round Tex and pretending to plant a kiss on his cheek.

‘Sometimes I feel like the gooseberry,’ said Yvonne.

‘A real bromance then.’ A small giggle escaped Anna.

While Jamie and Yvonne laughed at the joke, Tex looked blankly at the three of them, which just made them all laugh even more.

‘Think of it as brotherly love,’ explained Jamie. ‘Bromance. Girls find it highly amusing.’

‘Oh, not amusing,’ teased Anna, ‘more like sweet.’

‘Yes, sweet,’ agreed Yvonne. ‘You two are so cute.’ She gave it her best coochy-coo voice.

‘Hey, don't knock it,’ winked Jamie.

As the four of them chatted easily for a while, discussing the local town of Arundel, nearby Chichester and Goodwood Racecourse, which Jamie had attended recently, Anna seemed relaxed and at ease in their company, Tex thought, aware that he was glancing at her more than was necessary.

He felt the familiar buzz he always got when the chase was on. First though, it looked like he still needed to get rid of the castle curator who had just sidled up to Anna.

‘Apologies to interrupt, but have you finished here now?’ The curator’s hand rested on Anna’s back. Tex felt himself bristle unexpectedly at the gesture. He was about to tell this slimeball to back off when Anna spoke.

‘Is it important, Andy? Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I could call over to the castle in the morning, if you like?’

They were speaking in low tones but Tex could just about make out what was being said. He studied her face. He couldn’t tell from the expression whether she meant it or was just trying to get rid of him. He checked himself and said nothing.

Andy now looked irritated. ‘As I said earlier, I’m sure Howard wouldn’t want to find out you’ve been neglecting me.’

Tex studied Anna’s face for an indicator. He still couldn’t read her, although he did notice she was fiddling with a couple of rings on her right hand, rapidly twisting them back and forth.

‘But this isn’t work’s time, so I don’t think it counts,’ she replied firmly.

‘Let’s make it count.’ The impatience in Andy’s voice was thinly disguised, the leer in his eyes even less hidden.

Something inside Tex snapped. He’d had a bellyful of this Andy guy already. He stepped forward, his arm cutting between Anna and the curator, then hooked the surprised man away.

‘I think the lady doesn’t want to be bothered and I’ve still got some business to discuss with her, so why don’t you be a good boy and take a hike.’

The surprised look on Andy’s face and his mouth flopping open in astonishment sent a feeling of satisfaction through Tex. He gave Andy a shove towards the exit and watched him disappear out of the door, before turning triumphantly to Anna.

Damn it! She did not look impressed.

‘Very caveman-like,’ she said evenly. ‘I was handling it myself actually.’

No, she definitely wasn’t impressed. ‘He’s a jerk,’ he replied.

‘That’s as maybe, but he was my jerk, and I could do without him complaining to my boss.’ She looked at him reproachfully. ‘And you could do without making any enemies, which is what I thought tonight was all about.’

She had a point, but he didn’t think some nerdy castle curator was too much to worry about.

‘Will you get into trouble? With work, I mean,’ asked Yvonne.

Anna shrugged. ‘I’ll find out Monday when I’m next in the office.’ She gave Tex a small smile. ‘I suppose I should say thank you. Again.’

He wondered if it was necessary for him to smile so widely, but he seemed to have lost control of his facial muscles. ‘This is becoming a habit.’

‘Look, Anna,’ said Jamie, ‘if you have any bother at work and fancy a change, give me a call.’ He took his wallet out from his inside pocket and extracted a business card. ‘Here, take this, it would be good to chat.’

Anna took the card. ‘Thanks, I might just do that.’

‘I was going to say I don’t have any lecherous clients,’ said Jamie, ‘but then I remembered him!’ He nodded at Tex, who was relieved to see Anna grin, the awkwardness passing.

‘I suppose I had better go. I’ve got to get back to Chichester,’ said Anna after a while.

‘I'll walk you to your car,’ said Tex.

‘Don't forget my offer,’ Jamie called after her.

There was a chill in the night air as they stepped outside. Anna shivered, wishing she had brought a cardigan with her. As if reading her mind, Tex slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She could smell the citrus-fresh fragrance of his aftershave on the collar.

‘You don't have to walk me. I'll be fine.’

Tex smiled. ‘I know I don't have to, but I want to.’

She could feel his hand resting between her shoulder blades as he ushered her across the road, and he kept it there as they walked.

‘Well, this is my car,’ said Anna as they reached her battered old blue Fiesta. As she stood in front of him, she suddenly felt self-conscious.

He cast an acknowledging eye over her vehicle before turning back to her. Anna didn't know what to say next. Meeting his steady gaze, she felt tongue-tied, like a teenager on her first date. She had forgiven him for tricking her earlier and had enjoyed his company this evening, very much aware that she had been unable to stop herself looking at him. A couple of times when he had caught her watching him, it had caused her to look hurriedly away, embarrassed. Despite this, she had looked back again and again. Like an addiction, she couldn't help letting her gaze linger on him. Those eyes were so welcoming, they seemed to be able to smile all on their own, and as she had listened to the timbre of his soft drawl, it were as if her eardrums were being caressed by his voice. It was enough to give her an eargasm.

Realising that she was doing much the same again now, she quickly turned her attention to her feet. This was awkward. Sneaking a look back up at him, she saw that Tex was now peering at her feet too.

‘What?’ she said worriedly.

‘Nothing. I was just wondering what was so interesting on the floor.’ For a second or two he looked deadly serious then, looking up, his whole face broke into a broad grin.

Anna laughed. He had such a lovely smile that seemed to reflect in his eyes. ‘Thanks for … well, you know … rescuing me … ’

‘Can I see you again?’ he asked gently, interrupting.

She caught her breath. He wanted to see her again – yay! The feeling of joy competed with the nervousness in her stomach.

Since Mark had left a year ago, she had only been on two dates, courtesy of Zoe, her sister-in-law. Neither date had been her choice, but Zoe had gone through a matchmaking phase last year and decided that the two candidates were just perfect for Anna. Apparently. Apparently not, as it turned out. Anna had soon got rid of them by pointing out that she was still married and had a teenage son. It was a good tactic to deter any undesirables.

Tex must have misread her silence. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to say yes.’ He lifted her left hand and ran his thumb along her bare third finger. ‘Sorry, I assumed you were single.’

‘I am. Well, sort of. Oh God, I’m making a mess of this.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I’m separated, have been for the past year and I have a teenage son.’

‘Okay, separated is good,’ smiled Tex, still holding her hand. ‘As for a son, that’s not unusual, so why do I feel you are still hesitant?’

‘I don’t get out much,’ she said, then catching the look of amusement in Tex’s eyes, found herself laughing again. ‘Oh, that sounds bad.’

‘Hey, that’s cool. We should remedy the situation though.’ Letting go of her hand, he took out his iPhone. ‘I'll ring you, if that's okay with you?’

‘It's very okay.’

Anna slipped his jacket off her shoulders as he tapped the number into his phone, double-checking he had it right.

‘I'll call you,’ he said smiling, taking the jacket. He paused as his hand brushed hers, his face still, his eyes even more still as he gazed at her. Anna felt her stomach knot as for a moment she held her breath, willing him to kiss her. He seemed to have the same idea, and in an instant, he was drawing her towards him. When his lips made contact with hers, it were as if she had been tasered, a shockwave shooting through the very core of her being.

‘Are you sure you have to go home?’ he murmured when he eventually pulled away.

She nodded. ‘Sorry.’ That didn’t even begin to cover it.

He let out a long sigh before stooping for another kiss.

‘Oh man, this is no good. I’m gonna have to go,’ he groaned as he disentangled himself.

As she drove home, Anna’s tummy was performing all sorts of gymnastics at the thought of a date with Tex. She hoped he would ring. He hadn’t seemed too bothered about her ex, Mark, or the fact that she had a son, so that was a good sign.

Not that Mark should be a problem; he was over five thousand miles away building a new life for himself. Her and Mark were very much separated, her marital status a mere technicality.

Chapter Three

Anna was thankful that the last group of foreign exchange students hadn't wanted to ask any questions at the end of their guided tour of Chichester Cathedral. Spurred on by the thought of a chilled glass of wine at the Fish and Fly tonight with her sister-in-law, she picked up her bag and headed towards the main entrance.

It was then that she saw him. He was just standing there, grinning at her obvious shock. For a moment she thought her legs would give way.

‘Hey,’ Mark murmured, as if stroking her with the word.

Anna stared back, went to speak but her mouth and throat had completely dried up. What the hell was he doing here? He was still as good looking as the day he had left, all six foot of him. His blonde hair, the tips now white from the LA sun, tanned complexion and Wedgwood blue eyes. The teeth, however, weren't quite as Anna remembered. Now they seemed whiter, and possibly straighter.

‘Hi,’ she finally managed to say.

‘You're looking well. You cut your hair.’

Anna's hand automatically went to her now short hair. Her break-up haircut. Of course, Mark hadn't seen it. She knew he preferred long hair, that was part of the satisfaction of getting it cut.

‘It's nice,’ he continued as he took a step closer, his arms slightly open.

Anna stiffened. How do you greet your estranged husband? A full-on embrace? Definitely not. Handshaking? Too formal. Maybe a quick hug and an air kiss. Before she could decide, Mark was upon her. Hands holding hers, moving in closer for a kiss on the cheek, a quick hug, before looking directly into her eyes.

‘It's good to see you,’ he said.

For a moment neither spoke. It was Anna who broke the gaze first and took not only a physical step back, but a mental one too. She didn't like the way Mark could almost put a spell on her, even after everything that had happened. She needed to pull herself together. He may still be able to melt her with his looks but she needed to remember what was underneath.

‘What are you doing here?’ She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

‘Came to see you, of course.’

‘No, here. How did you know I'd be here? Why didn't you phone? Does Luke know you're back?’ Her mind was on overload. As the questions came tumbling out like an upended jar of marbles, she was barely able to keep up with her thoughts.

‘Hey, hey, slow down,’ Mark gave her a small grin. ‘One question at a time.’

‘Well?’

‘I called at the house. Spoke to Luke.’

‘Oh God, Mark, why didn't you wait for me before you saw him? I could have warned him in advance.’

‘I don't think you have to warn my own son about me.’

She ignored the edge in his voice. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘Yeah, I do. Anyway, he was delighted to see me, as it happens. He told me where to find you.’

‘And your reason for coming back?’

‘Didn't know I needed one. But seeing as you asked, I thought I'd come over and see you and Luke. I thought I could spend some time with him.’ He flashed a boyish grin at her. ‘Thought I would surprise you.’

‘You thought a lot of things,’ said Anna before walking out through the glass doors. Like a pit pony coming out into daylight, she squinted as she was momentarily struck by the brightness. She popped her sunglasses on. She could hear Mark's footsteps quicken to catch up with her, falling in next to her as she hurried across the flagstones, up the steps, past the statue of St Richard, around the bell tower and down the path that ran along the side of the cathedral.

‘Where are you staying?’ she asked, without breaking her stride or looking at him.

‘Err, well, there's a bit of a problem there. Everywhere's really busy. I didn't decide to come until the last minute so didn't make any arrangements.’

‘Unfortunate.’

‘I thought I could stay with you. At the house,’ he said casually.

‘Stay with me?’ echoed Anna, stopping dead. They were at the Market Cross in the centre of Chichester, where the four pedestrian roads met. A great meeting spot, a favourite with teenagers, and today foreign exchange students in particular. Anna could hear the gabble of French and Spanish, mixed in with the English voices of other tourists and shoppers. She took off her sunglasses and looked at Mark. Was he being serious?

‘It will give me a chance to spend some quality time with Luke,’ said Mark, a defensive tone creeping in. ‘I haven't seen him in ages.’

Anna bristled. ‘A whole year.’

‘I do my best,’ said Mark lamely, ‘but let's not get into all that now. I'm here to try and make up for lost time. Come on, it'll be fine.’

‘I don't think it's a good idea. I haven't got enough room anyway.’

‘I can kip on the sofa, not a problem,’ replied Mark Then winking, said, ‘Failing that, I'm sure we could both still share the same bed, in a purely platonic way of course.’

‘There must be a B&B somewhere, or what about a Travelodge?’ said Anna, choosing to ignore the last comment. Replacing her sunglasses, relieved that her feet responded, she headed down East Street towards home.

‘Come on, Anna. What's the big deal? Besides, you know Luke will be really pleased if I stay with you and him.’

‘You can't just waltz back into our lives, acting like everything is hunky-dory,’ said Anna, looking straight ahead, still walking. ‘You haven't exactly been the greatest advertisement for fatherhood. The occasional phone call or sometimes an email.’

‘I was hoping you'd be a bit more understanding.’ There was a coolness in his voice. ‘I didn't want to have to force you to agree but you seem to be forgetting one tiny detail. It is actually my house. I don't think you've got a lot of choice. I am entitled to stay in my own home, you know.’

‘Your house, but my home. It’s never been your home. You bought it for me and Luke. No, you’re not staying. In fact, let’s go back into town and find you a B&B.’

‘You’ll have to pay then. I can’t afford it. Money’s a bit tight.’

‘Money’s a bit tight yet you’ve managed to afford a flight here! Don’t give me that, Mark. You’re not broke and you’re not staying with me.’

‘Thing is, my case is already there. Let’s go and get it and tell Luke you’re kicking me out.’

She knew that he was fully aware she didn’t have the heart to do it, not because she felt sorry for him, but because Luke would be hurt. Anna let out a sigh and ground to a halt.

‘You're such a shit at times.’ She paused before finally agreeing. ‘Okay, but you're on the sofa.’

‘That's my girl. You know it makes sense.’ He had the effrontery to grin and then hug her. An embrace that he held just a moment too long for her liking. ‘Come on then, let's get home. I'm starving. What's for tea?’

‘You're letting him do it to you again,’ grumbled Zoe. Anna could hear the irritation in her voice over the phone. Zoe was more than just the wife of Anna's brother, she had become a friend and confidante over the years, especially so when Anna's marriage was in its darkest hour.

‘I don't have a lot of choice,’ said Anna in a low voice, looking over her shoulder to make sure her bedroom door was shut properly.

‘You're letting him take control. Christ, he's only been back for ten minutes and already he's calling the shots.’

‘It's not like that, honestly,’ protested Anna, dropping her skirt and blouse into the linen bin. ‘He's Luke's father, I can't get in the way of that. Hang on one sec.’ She put the phone on the bed as she quickly pulled on a fresh t-shirt from the drawer. ‘Okay, I'm back.’

‘Well, don't pretend you're happy about him staying,’ said Zoe.

‘I'm not. Look, I'd better go, I've left him downstairs while I've nipped up to get changed out of my work clothes. I'm really sorry about tonight.’

‘That's all right. It's karaoke night at the pub, so we won't be missing much.’

‘I'd say we've had a lucky escape then,’ said Anna, as she tucked the phone under her chin and wriggled into her jeans.

‘Look, you do what you feel is best, but please don't let Mark walk all over you. Do it because you want to, not because he wants you to,’ said Zoe. Her voice softened. ‘All I'm saying is to be on your guard. You know what a sweet-talking charmer he can be.’

Having had a rather restless night's sleep, Anna woke early and tiptoed downstairs. Mark was still fast asleep on the sofa but she was surprised to find Luke already up and sitting at the kitchen table.

‘Morning.’ Anna dropped a kiss on top of her son’s head. ‘You okay? Thought you’d still be tucked up in bed, fast asleep.’ She pushed the kitchen door closed and spoke softly so as not to disturb Mark.

Luke shrugged. ‘Couldn’t sleep.’

Anna filled the kettle and flicked it on to boil. ‘Are you okay with your dad being here?’ She took a seat next to him so they could speak quietly.

‘Yeah, ’course I’m pleased to see him. It just feels a bit odd.’

‘He’s been away for a year now, it’s bound to feel a bit strange him being around.’ Anna could identify with that feeling. It felt quite surreal last night as the three of them sat around the kitchen table sharing a Chinese takeaway.

‘He seems different,’ continued Luke. ‘A bit more interested in things, maybe.’

‘It’s been just you and me for a long time now, I suppose it’s bound to feel a bit odd, but it’s good he’s taking an interest in what you’ve been doing, isn’t it?’

Luke nodded and gave his mum a small smile. ‘Yeah. I mean, even when Dad was still living with us, it was almost like he wasn’t. Even then it was just, like, me and you. It was always you who gave me lifts, always you who came to parents’ evenings, sports days, that sort of thing. Dad was always too busy.’

Anna nodded. She couldn’t really deny it. Mark’s involvement with Luke had been sporadic. He was there when it suited him and him alone. More times than she cared to remember, she had felt like a single parent. When Mark had decided to move to America, it hadn’t really changed anything. Her and Luke had carried on as they were.

‘I don’t know how long your dad is back for,’ began Anna. She didn’t want Luke getting his hopes up that Mark would be around for any length of time. ‘Just try to take a day at a time with him. He may have to go back for work or something, you know that, don’t you?’

Luke gave wry smile. ‘It’s all right, Mum, I know what you’re trying to say.’

‘Do you?’

‘I know I can’t depend on him totally, not at the moment anyway,’ replied Luke, slowly spinning his mobile round on the table with his finger. ‘But I want to give him the chance. You never know, things may be better now.’

Anna slipped her arm around Luke’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze. ‘Okay, just don’t get your hopes too high, that’s all I’m saying.’

The sound of raised voices and shrieking seeped out through the front door as Anna stood on the doorstep, waiting for her knock to be answered.

‘Morning, Titch,’ smiled Nathan, opening the door and standing to one side so she could come in.

‘Morning, Lofty.’ It was a joke they had shared since childhood.

At nearly six feet tall, her brother Nathan took after their father with his athletic physique, fine-tuned by his career in fitness training. Anna, on the other hand, at five feet two, with a small petite frame and waiflike in her appearance, took after their more delicate mother.

‘Sounds fun in here this morning.’ Anna headed towards the kitchen where the noise of squabbling children seemed to be reaching fever pitch. ‘Morning everyone,’ she said as she poked her head round the door.

‘I don't want Coco Pops,’ whined Alex, one half of Nathan's seven-year-old twin boys. ‘I want Boulders.’

‘Just eat them now,’ sighed Zoe as she held a warmed bottle of milk in Emily's mouth with one hand, and with the other began pouring another bowl of Coco Pops for Jake, the other half of the duo. She glanced up as Anna walked in. ‘Well, good morning to you. What are you doing here so early?’ Then with a sudden anxious look on her face, ‘Everything all right?’

‘Fine, absolutely fine,’ said Anna reassuringly. She took the box of cereal from Zoe and finished pouring them into the bowl. ‘Here you go, Jake. Where's the milk?’

Jake wasn't paying attention, instead embarking on a tug-of-war with his three-year-old brother, Henry. Jake wanted the milk, but so did Henry. Giving the carton one final tug, Jake managed to pull the milk free from Henry's grasp. The momentum took Jake by surprise and the milk flew out of his hand, splashing all over the table and sending a cup of tea into Zoe's lap.

‘Oh, for God's sake!’ Zoe cried. ‘That's so naughty, look what you've done!’

Baby Emily began screaming in protest at having her breakfast whipped away as Zoe dropped the bottle while trying, and failing, to avoid the tea.

‘Hey! Hey! Hey! Boys!’ commanded Nathan as he strode across the kitchen. ‘That's enough.’

The boys exchanged a look and immediately sat quiet, as did Henry. Nathan picked up the bottle of milk and ran it under the tap to clean the teat before quickly popping it back into Emily's mouth. Peace.

‘Could have done with you down here five minutes earlier,’ muttered Zoe, simultaneously trying to mop up the milk on the table and sponge out the tea from her dressing gown. ‘I expect you've got to rush off to work now.’

‘Here, Zoe, let me clean that up,’ insisted Anna. ‘You sort yourself out.’

‘So how's your house guest?’ asked Zoe as she dabbed at the tea stain.

‘We had a Chinese last night and then he pretty much fell asleep. Jet-lagged. Left him asleep on the sofa this morning.’

‘I think you're asking for trouble,’ grumbled Nathan, looking at his watch. ‘Oh Christ, I've got to go. I'm going to be late for my client. We've got a five-k run this morning. Here, Zoe, take Emily.’

‘Always rushing off,’ complained Zoe, lifting Emily from Nathan's shoulder. She popped a kiss on her daughter's head and put her back in her baby chair. ‘You sit there, darling. Mummy's got to sort out those brothers of yours. Daddy's clearing off again, just when I could do with his help. Perfect.’

Anna glanced at Nathan who gave a small shake of his head, tension etched in his face.

‘I'll be back at lunchtime. Bye, love.’ He went to kiss Zoe but she turned away, busying herself with filling the kettle.

‘Right. Fine.’

Anna waited until she heard the front door close. ‘I'll make the tea, Zoe, you sit there for a bit. Is everything all right?’

Zoe looked thoughtfully out of the window for a moment before answering. ‘The official party line is yes, everything is fine. Nathan's personal training business is really taking off. I'm busy looking after the children and the house, sipping coffee with girlfriends and flicking through glossy home furnishing magazines.’ Zoe let out a big sigh.

‘And unofficially?’ prompted Anna.

‘Unofficially, Nathan's working all the hours God sends to keep a roof over our heads so I don't have to go back to work. We hardly see each other. I just feel so tired all the time, it's a struggle to do anything.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I am a complete wreck, suffering from sleep deprivation, who can just about manage to pull on my baggy tracksuit and tie my hair in a ponytail.’

‘Is it really that bad?’

‘Most of the time. When you cancelled last night my first thought was, oh good, I don't have to bother getting all done up, I can just have a bath and go to bed. I was asleep by nine.’

Normally, Zoe was upbeat and positive but since Emily had been born, she had seemed less so, thought Anna as she looked at her sister-in-law. Her eyes looked heavy and the black circles underneath them were highlighting the bags that were beginning to become part of her daily feature.

‘It's natural to feel a bit run-down. You only had a baby four months ago.’

‘Some days I don't even want to get up. I feel like it's Groundhog Day most of the time.’ Zoe pulled her dressing gown further around her, retying the belt. ‘When Nathan gets in all I want to do is go to bed to sleep.’

Anna sensed that a ‘pull yourself together’ team talk wouldn’t help Zoe at this precise moment. A more practical approach would probably be best, Anna thought. In her head she began to formulate a plan of action.

Chapter Four

Anna was convinced Mark was up to something but she couldn't for the life of her think what it was. She had woken up on Sunday morning to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. Mark had made brunch for all three of them, something hitherto unheard of. Then, later, they had wandered down to the Fish and Fly pub and sat out in the courtyard garden sharing a bowl of chips. She had a glass of wine, while Luke nursed a coke. The conversation up until then had been easy-going, mostly involving Luke: his schoolwork, his band and his GCSEs that were looming in a couple of months. On the whole, it had been okay until Mark took a phone call. He had moved out of earshot, leaving her to watch him pace the car park with animated gestures. That was thirty minutes ago, and ever since he seemed agitated and restless, drumming his fingers or tapping his foot.

‘You okay, Mark?’ asked Anna, feeling uneasy by his mood change.

‘Of course I am. Why the hell wouldn’t I be?’ he snapped back.

‘Sorry, you just seem a bit on edge…’

‘Just drop it, Anna.’ He got up and strode off towards the toilets.

‘What’s got into him?’ asked Luke, exchanging a look with his mother. ‘He was all right until he took that call.’

Anna shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. Best not say anything again.’

Mark came back a few minutes later and sat down, smiling at them. ‘That’s better. All okay? Good. Another drink?’

At home after returning from the pub, Anna felt even more troubled about Mark and his sour mood swing. Yes, he used to fly off the handle from time to time throughout their marriage, but she had never known it to be so sudden, or such a dramatic swing.

Late on Monday morning, Anna was sitting in a coffee shop in Chichester, phone in one hand and Jamie's business card in the other. She hadn’t heard from Tex yet and she couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

She flicked the business card over and over again in her fingers. Jamie had sounded like he’d meant it when he had said she should give him a call about work. She didn't actually have much choice. Not after her meeting with Howard earlier. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She should have just let Howard give her a roasting over her behaviour towards Andy. She should have just nodded and apologised. What she shouldn't have done was to tell Howard just what a creep Andy was and that Howard should be backing up his staff. She also shouldn't have said words to the effect of ‘over her dead body’ about taking Andy out to lunch. And she most definitely shouldn't have told Howard that if his attitude was her word against Andy's then he could stick his sodding job.

Ten minutes later and with a feeling of trepidation, Anna left the coffee shop. It had been a successful call. Jamie had sounded genuinely pleased to hear from her. They had agreed that she should travel up to his home in Surrey tomorrow.

‘Most of my work is done over the phone,’ he had explained. ‘Any meetings are usually at the client's house or hotel. I tend to go to my clients rather than them come to me, it's part of making the service professional and elite. I use my office at home to co-ordinate my staff. Yvonne helps out with the paperwork.’

It occurred to Anna that she should have done a bit of research about Jamie's company before she had phoned. She would have a look at his website when she got home, then at least she would be better prepared when she met him tomorrow. She also had a document waiting to be translated by Friday, so she’d have to make a start on that this afternoon, because Wednesday and Thursday she was working in the tea rooms. She could see a few late nights of translating coming up. Still, she shouldn’t complain, especially not now she’d just lost one of her jobs.

When she and Mark had separated, they had sold their bigger Southampton home and Mark had bought this one for her and Luke. She hadn't wanted to stay in Southampton, she'd only gone there with Mark because as a professional footballer, he needed to be near his club. Once his career had been deemed over, due to an accident, they no longer had any ties with the city. Anna had chosen to return to Chichester, where she had grown up, needing to feel she belonged somewhere, getting comfort from familiar places and people.

It was only a two-minute walk from the centre of Chichester to her little, two-up two-down, mews cottage. No matter whatever the weather – be it a bright April morning like today or a cold, dark winter's afternoon – the sight of her blue wooden door at 2 Coach House Cottages always made her feel happy.

She approached her front door, and as usual her neighbour Mrs Meekham twitched her net curtain. Anna waved and smiled, thinking if you looked up the expression Neighbourhood Watch in the dictionary, it would simply say ‘Mrs Meekham’. She put the key in the lock and turned it gently before creeping in. The front door opened straight into the living room and she didn't want to disturb Mark.

Much to her surprise, he was actually up, showered and dressed, judging by the two wet towels tossed idly on the back of the sofa, and was now in the kitchen, talking on his mobile.

‘Yes that would be great. I'll give you a call when it's convenient to come round. I just need to make sure…’ He stopped in mid-flow as he turned and saw Anna. ‘Err, look, can I give you a call back? … No everything's fine … not at the moment… Yep … Yep … that's right… Okay, cheers then. Bye.’ He slid his phone shut and thrust it into his pocket.

‘You didn't need to hang up on my account,’ said Anna as she picked up the towels.

‘I didn't.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. Really.’ The slight irritation in his voice didn't go unnoticed. ‘Just business. Nothing for you to worry about.’

Famous last words, thought Anna suspiciously. He was definitely being shifty. Perhaps he was planning to dash off back to America, something that she would be most happy about, but on the flip side, Luke would be crushed.

‘How long are you here for?’ she asked.

‘Not sure, a couple of weeks,’ responded Mark vaguely. ‘Thought I'd go and see my parents at the weekend.’

‘That'll be nice. You could take Luke with you.’

Mark looked slightly startled at the suggestion. It was obvious the thought hadn't actually crossed his mind.

‘Yeah, I was just about to suggest that myself,’ he said rather too brightly.

‘Good, that's that sorted,’ smiled Anna. Then changing the subject before Mark could think of an excuse to wriggle out of it, she said, ‘I have an appointment in Surrey tomorrow, so you and Luke will have to look after yourselves. I just need to sort out a few things about work.’

‘Okay, no problem.’

Towels put away, Anna sat down at the kitchen table and typed Jamie's website address into the laptop. The company logo appeared, a fancy hand drawn with wavy lines reaching out across an image of the world. She skimmed over the homepage, speed-reading. Relocation packages, various different levels of service – Silver, Gold, Platinum. Specialising in international relocations and assistance.

Anna flicked around the website, jotting down some things she thought she should remember. It might help to impress at tomorrow's interview. Then she clicked on ‘About Us’. There was a picture of Jamie smiling easily at the camera, his fair hair cut short with a slight side parting. Scrolling down, there was a picture of a footballer in a red and white kit standing next to Jamie. She read the caption underneath it. Patrick Ardoin, Arsenal FC. Anna assumed that Jamie had links with football clubs; it would make sense, as there were so many foreign players these days. She vaguely remembered Mark talking about Ardoin, saying what a good defender he was.

As a pro-footballer in his younger days, Mark had always been appreciative of Arsenal's 'rock solid back line'. Unfortunately, Mark's premiership career had only consisted of six first team starts.

Anna felt that familiar pang she always experienced when she thought of the accident that had not only brought about the end of Mark's playing career, but had also caused her to miscarry what would have been their second child. Another little boy. She closed her eyes and tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. She hated thinking about the last few years of their marriage; it was too painful. She turned her attention back to Jamie's website and clicked on ‘Testimonials and Clients’.

‘What you looking at?’ asked Mark, peering over Anna's shoulder.

Anna jumped, unaware that Mark was there. She snapped the lid down on the laptop.

‘Trunky want a bun?’ she teased, well, half-teased.

‘That's a pretty impressive CV,’ said Jamie, putting down the printout of Anna's résumé she had emailed the day before. ‘I was particularly impressed by the fact that you completed your Modern Languages degree through the Open University. That couldn't have been easy with a young child.’

‘No, it wasn't at times,’ acknowledged Anna. ‘But going to a brick uni wasn't an option.’

‘Work with the tour company is definitely over then?’

‘Well, put it like this. My P45 landed on the doormat within twenty-four hours of the meeting. So I think it's pretty safe to say I no longer work for them.’

Jamie leant back in his chair, his fingers steepled. ‘I can't guarantee work day in, day out initially. It quite often depends on whom you're assigned to, where they are located, whether it's a one-off assignment or an ongoing working arrangement. For example, you could be assigned to a family who are relocating from abroad and need lots of things sorting – moving home, schools, bank arrangements and so on – in which case you would be with them for several weeks or even months. On the other hand, it may be a one-off business meeting, or you may be needed to translate or help interview a live-in nanny or gardener. Something like that could be one day or a few days.’

‘It sounds fine. I’ve still got the couple of mornings I do at the tea rooms midweek.’

‘The work here doesn’t always involve translating. Sometimes it’s a bit more like PA work. Are you okay with that too?’

She nodded. ‘Absolutely. It sounds great.’ She genuinely liked the sound of it. She may even be able to give up the two mornings at the tea rooms.

‘Okay, let's give it a go, shall we?’ Jamie sat forward and tapped at the keyboard on his laptop. Then he paused, as if struck by a thought. ‘The PA work I mentioned, you all right working for Tex?’

Anna felt a little flutter in her stomach. Working for Tex? Could she work for him? Then again, could she say no to Jamie? Would that jeopardise her chances of getting this job? She realised Jamie was waiting for an answer.

‘Err… yes, that’s okay by me.’

‘You sure?’

‘Absolutely. He seems nice enough, I’m certain we can work together well.’ She wasn’t sure if Jamie was convinced.

‘I can always assign you to someone else, it’s just that Tex thought someone with local knowledge would be ideal.’

‘What, he asked for me?’

‘Pretty much. I told him I was interviewing you today and that’s when he suggested it.’ Jamie looked evenly at her. ‘I must admit, I have my reservations. You know he can be very charming.’

Anna felt the flutter in her stomach turn into a knot. Jamie was warning her Tex was a charmer. A ladies’ man. She looked directly at Jamie. ‘I’m sure he can be, but don’t worry, I never mix business with pleasure.’

A timely knock at the door brought the conversation to a halt. Yvonne poked her head in the room and smiled when she saw Anna.

‘Hi! How are you?’ she enquired.

‘I'm fine thanks. You?’

‘Great, thanks.’ Waving some papers in her hand, Yvonne looked over at her husband. ‘Thought you might need these. Time sheets, expenses forms, personnel form.’

‘Excellent! What would I do without you? Actually, while you're here perhaps you can go through them with Anna. You're much better at that sort of thing than me.’ Jamie gave Yvonne his best angelic smile and fluttered his eyes at her.

‘Quit with the puppy dog eyes, Dixon,’ joked Yvonne, then coming into the office, beckoned Anna. ‘Come on, you're with the Queen of Forms now. Let's sit over there on the sofa and go through them.’

‘Thank you, darling.’ Jamie grinned at his wife.

Anna dutifully followed Yvonne over to the black cube sofa and began going through the various personnel questions with her.

‘Okay, that's all done,’ announced Yvonne after fifteen minutes. ‘All explained and filled out as necessary.’ She put the form Anna had just completed into a wire tray marked ‘filing’ on Jamie’s desk.

‘Thanks ever so much for this,’ said Anna as she was leaving. Funny how it now seemed to be a double-edged sword. And one she didn’t want to get cut by.

Chapter Five

‘So there you have it. I am now going to be working for a relocation company and my first job is in Arundel. How ideal is that?’ Anna said to Mark and Luke as the three of them sat at the table, having finished their evening meal. ‘Thought it was about time I did something different. A new challenge.’ She crossed her fingers under the table at the lie, well, manipulation of the truth.

‘Well done, Mum.’

‘All I've got to do now is finish translating that document,’ said Anna, eyeing the green folder on the bookshelf. ‘I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket. I'm still going to keep the translating work going.’

‘Perhaps I should do something like this Jamie's doing,’ mused Mark as he broke off a piece of garlic bread. ‘Sounds like he's doing all right. A nice house in Surrey that must be worth a bob or two. Working from home, just organising people. He must be raking it in.’

‘You're doing okay though, aren't you?’ asked Anna. Somewhere in the back of her mind alarm bells were ringing.

‘Oh yeah, everything's fine,’ responded Mark, then changed the subject swiftly. ‘Thought I'd visit my parents tomorrow.’

‘Oh, right,’ said Anna trying to keep up with the turn in conversation. ‘What about Luke?’ Mark looked blankly at her. ‘You were going to take him with you but he's got school tomorrow.’

‘I can have the day off,’ interjected Luke. ‘Well, that's if Dad doesn't mind me going with him.’ Luke looked at his dad expectantly.

‘Of course you can, son. Not a problem at all,’ said Mark.

‘But, Luke, I don't know if that's a good idea,’ began Anna.

‘Come on, Mum, it's only one day,’ argued Luke. ‘How is one day going to hurt? It's hardly likely to affect my future career prospects, is it?’

Anna looked at Mark for some moral support, but he just shrugged and said, ‘Don't look at me. I don't want to be brought into your row.’

‘Mum! Why are you being so difficult and starting an argument?’ said Luke grumpily. ‘You always do it. Anyway, I'm going with Dad tomorrow and that's that.’ To show that as far as he was concerned the matter was now closed, Luke clattered his cutlery down onto his plate and stood up. ‘Don't spoil everything.’ With that, he stormed off to his room, stomping on every stair as he went.

‘Luke!’

‘Just leave it, Anna,’ said Mark frowning, agitatedly tapping the table with his fingers. ‘It's only one sodding day.’

The following morning Anna saw Mark and Luke off. Well, just Luke really. She hated any bad feeling between her and her son and always liked to wipe the slate clean at the beginning of each day. She had rung Luke's school earlier that morning, excusing him on the pretence of illness. Thank goodness she could leave a message on the answerphone, it was much easier to lie to a machine than a real person.

‘Give my regards to your grandparents,’ said Anna, as Luke followed Mark out the door.

Luke gave his mum a smile and brief hug. ‘Yeah, sure. See you later.’

Closing the door behind them, she turned and looked menacingly at the laptop and the electronics folder containing the document that she was translating.

‘Right, here I come,’ she said, marching purposefully over to the offending items.

Often the thought of the work was worse than the actual act, and quite soon, she was working steadily through the text. The morning was productive but the afternoon proved less so. Not only was she feeling tired after yesterday's travelling and interview, but the phone seemed to be on a personal mission to disrupt her concentration as many times as possible. Four times it rang within an hour and each was a complete waste of time. Fed up with so many interruptions by people trying to sell her something, the last one being from an estate agent wanting to make an appointment – Anna rudely slammed the phone down on him – she pulled the phone out of the wall to make sure no one disturbed her again.

She did, however, receive a text message on her mobile.

Hey! Looking forward to seeing you next week at work. Maybe we could get some lunch? Tex.

She looked thoughtfully at her phone while wrestling with conflicting feelings. She was happy she had a job and she was happy that Tex had messaged her, but on the other hand, she was disappointed that the job involved working with him. Much as she liked Tex, now he was going to be a client she couldn't afford to get involved. Beautiful eyes and an orgasmic voice or not. In the end, she didn’t reply. It would be easier if she explained face to face.

‘That's really great, sis,’ said Nathan after Anna had finished telling him about her new job. ‘A bit sudden though. I didn't know you were looking for a change.’

‘I wasn't really. It just came up. A great opportunity,’ said Anna, holding her mobile to her ear as she looked out between the Venetian blinds at her living room window. She watched the Saturday evening shoppers and workers rush by, her road a convenient shortcut to the car park on the north side of the city walls. ‘Anyway, I was just ringing to see how Zoe is. We were supposed to be going out tonight.’ Anna wandered over to the sofa and began fluffing the cushions.

‘I'll pass you over.’ There was a slight pause and a rustling sound while the phone exchanged hands, then Anna heard her sister-in-law.

‘Hi, Anna, I'm really sorry but I can't make it tonight. I feel dreadful.’ Zoe sniffed. ‘I can't shift this cold I picked up from the kids.’

‘You don't sound too good,’ consoled Anna, trying to hide the disappointment.

‘I'm so tired, I really wouldn't be any fun tonight. Aitch-choo!’

‘Bless you.’

More sniffing. ‘Thank you.’

‘Well, you get yourself dosed up and into bed. I'll come by in the morning and take the boys out to the park or something.’

‘Oh, thank you, Anna. You're a star. That would be a great help. Nathan's working tomorrow, as usual. I'll see you in the morning. And sorry.’

‘Don't worry. Not a problem. We will get a night out sooner or later.’

Anna ended the call and flopped down onto the newly fluffed cushions. She had been looking forward to a girlie Saturday night. Something that she felt Zoe needed as much as she did herself. It had been a funny week, and she really wanted to chat to Zoe and get her take on the turn of events. That was the trouble when you lived alone, you didn't have anyone to sound out your ideas and thoughts with. Someone to reassure you that you were doing the right thing or, indeed, the wrong thing. That was something she really missed.

Anna was now faced with an evening alone. Luke had gone to one of his friends after school and was staying the night as they were having band practice followed by an X-box evening. Mark was going to Southampton that evening to see his old friend Gary. Mark had somehow managed to talk Anna into letting him borrow her car. Just as well she had never changed the insurance details when Mark went to America; her tired old blue Fiesta was still insured for any driver over twenty-five. This did have an upside too, mused Anna, trying to cheer herself up. Mark would look pretty funny in it, his six-foot frame scrunched up like a locust. So not cool.

‘Penny for them?’ Mark asked, coming into the living room. He was carrying two glasses of wine and passed one to her. ‘Been stood up?’

‘Mmm. You heard then. Should you be drinking if you're driving tonight?’

‘I might go over to Gary's in the morning instead.’

‘Why's that then? Won't he mind?’ Anna took a sip of wine.

‘No, he'll be fine.’ Mark smiled at her. ‘Cheers. I just thought seeing as Luke isn't here and you're all alone, that maybe we could go out tonight.’

‘Me and you? Out? Tonight?’ The suggestion had taken her completely by surprise.

‘Yeah,’ nodded Mark slowly. ‘That was the general idea of what I said.’

Anna eyed him carefully. Was this a good idea?

‘What's the harm in it?’ asked Mark, as if sensing her apprehension. ‘We've been eating together all week. It's just the same except we'll be at a restaurant instead.’

‘I suppose you have a point,’ said Anna, trying to reason with the thought.

‘Of course I do. Come on, get your glad rags on. It'll be just like old times.’

Anna couldn't make up her mind if the butterflies she felt in her stomach were excitement or nerves. She couldn't ignore the feeling that going out for dinner with Mark wasn't one of her best ideas.

‘Wow, you look lovely!’ he exclaimed as Anna came downstairs and into the living room.

It was the response she had hoped for. Had she been going out with the girls tonight, she may have just worn her jeans and one of her casual tops, but as it was Mark, she wanted to show him that she could still look good and hadn't fallen to pieces without him. She had opted for a black shift dress with bold, purple and red embroidered flowers around the neckline and hem, teamed with black patent high-heeled boots and a purple cardigan.

‘You look nice, too.’ In fact, Anna thought Mark looked gorgeous. She had always liked him in a dark suit and open neck shirt. Whether he remembered this and had purposefully dressed that way, she didn't know.

It felt odd walking through the town centre, side by side. It had been so long since they had done that. Before, Anna would have automatically slipped her arm into his, or he would have put his arm around her shoulders or held her hand, but those days were long gone now. Having said that, Anna had gradually felt herself relax around Mark as the week had gone on. She was still unsettled as to what he was doing back in England, but actually having him physically present wasn't as unnerving as it had been originally. Maybe tonight, on neutral ground, they both might relax even more, and she might be able to wheedle out of Mark why he was here.

The restaurant in South Street was busy but they managed to get a table. There was plenty of noise and a good atmosphere, which would help fill any awkward silences between the two of them, Anna thought. But she needn't have worried, she realised, as the conversation flowed pretty easily, although Mark seemed to be asking most of the questions and avoiding talking about himself and America. The conversation had started off very generally, almost politely, as they talked about how much new housing was being built around Chichester, the recession, Luke, his school and, of course, in true British style, the weather.

‘Talking of the weather,’ said Mark, ‘do you remember that time we went camping, when Luke was about three or four? We went to Cornwall.’

‘Oh, will I ever forget it,’ chuckled Anna. ‘I've never known so much rain. I thought tents were supposed to be waterproof.’

‘They are, except someone didn't zip it up properly and left all my clothes by the door.’

‘That wasn't me!’ she exclaimed, laughing at the memory. ‘Oh, but weren't they soaking that morning? Every single thing was dripping wet. Oh God, and then Luke did a wee on your sleeping bag. Do you remember?’ Anna was really giggling now. At the time, Mark had been horrified.

‘How can I forget? He must have been saving that wee up all night. It soaked straight through the bag.’ Mark was laughing too.

‘It was such a horrendous night that we packed up and came home the next day.’ Anna was shaking her head and still grinning at the memory.

‘We were so Ray Mears, weren't we?’ said Mark smiling at her.

‘See, I told you that one day we would laugh about it.’ Anna was aware that she had had too much to drink. She wasn't really sure how much, as Mark had just kept topping her glass up. Time to abandon caution she thought, it was now or never.

‘Mark,’ she began, nervously twiddling the stem of the wine glass in front of her. ‘What are you really doing back here?’ She looked up at him for a response but he just looked back at her, studying her face, as if he was deciding whether to tell her something or not. Anna raised her eyebrows questioningly. ‘Well?’

‘Well…’ Mark moved his hand across the table until his fingers were touching the base of the wine glass Anna was still fiddling with. ‘Let's go home. I'll explain there, where it's more private and less noisy.’ He stroked the tip of her finger with his.

Somewhere at the back of her mind she knew her sensible voice was telling her to move her hand away, however, it appeared the hand was ignoring the distant advice. Her hand stayed exactly where it was, letting Mark's fingers slide the glass away to hold her hand fully.

‘Can I get you anything else? Sir? Madam?’ The waitress broke the silence, and Anna felt herself snap out from the spell she was under. Feeling flustered, she snatched her hand away from Mark's. The wine was sure making it difficult to think straight. Coffee. Yes, that was what she needed.

‘Can I have a coffee please? Black. Strong.’ Hopefully, that would sort her out a bit as she felt decidedly squiffy.

Despite the coffee, Anna didn't feel much better when they left the restaurant. Her brain and feet seemed to be having trouble communicating effectively.

‘Steady,’ laughed Mark, catching Anna's arm as she stumbled on the path. ‘Here, hold onto me. Big deep breaths. That's it. Come on, let's get you home.’

Anna had to admit that linking her arm with Mark's was making the art of walking slightly easier. A pair of flat shoes would have made it even more so.

Anna dropped back onto the sofa and unzipped her boots, relieved Mark had managed to get her home in one piece.

‘Here, let me,’ said Mark, kneeling down and gently pulling each of her boots off in turn.

Anna put her head back into the headrest and closed her eyes. It felt like her brain was swaying all on its own to the James Blunt track You're Beautiful that Mark had just put on. She was aware that Mark had sat down on the sofa beside her, but she kept her eyes closed and hummed to the music. Mark began humming too, which was most unlike him. She opened one eye and glimpsed sideways at him, sitting back in the same position as her. He looked at her and a big grin spread across his face. They looked at each other for a second and then they both burst out laughing.

‘Stop it,’ Anna grinned. ‘If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were taking the mickey out of me.’ She gave him a playful tap on the arm.

Mark caught her hand in his. ‘As if I'd do a thing like that.’

There, her hand was doing it again; it wasn't paying any attention to the warnings. Her hand was certainly being defiant. Anna closed her eyes again but opened them as Mark lifted her hand to his lips.

For a second, all the years of heartache fell away and a brief image of them on their wedding day, happy and smiling, flitted in front of her. Love and treachery went hand in hand with Mark, as immediately this image was replaced with the memory of his betrayal. This was certainly a sobering thought, in more ways than one.

Quietly and with an apologetic smile, Anna withdrew her hand. Mark gave a resigned half smile.

‘You're probably right,’ he said softly.

Anna nodded, shifting slightly in her seat to face him, resting her head on her hand.

‘Why are you back, Mark?’

Chapter Six

Anna awoke the next morning with a thumping headache. It felt as if the whole cast of Riverdance were performing in her head, and her mouth tasted like it had an old sock stuck in it. It was a few seconds before she remembered the events of the previous evening. She groaned inwardly as she began to put together fragmented memories that came to mind, not necessarily in the order of events, but it didn't take her long before she got to that moment on the sofa with Mark.

‘Shit,’ she said aloud as she remembered him saying that he had come back for her. That he missed her, and could they possibly give things another try? It had poleaxed her. She hadn't known what to say, but somehow through the haze of the alcohol she had managed some clarity and had suggested they talk about it when they were both sober. Okay, she was buying time, but she needed headspace.

She reached over for her mobile and saw a message from Luke. It had come in last night, after she had gone to bed. A simple message saying goodnight and that he loved her. Anna sent one back, asking if he was okay, and to let her know if he needed picking up later.

Tentatively, Anna swung her feet onto the floor. She needed a cup of tea. It was then she remembered she was supposed to be taking her nephews out that morning. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned, but knew she couldn’t let Zoe down.

Pulling on her dressing gown and making her way downstairs, Anna was relieved to find Mark had already left. She didn't want to face him yet.

Zoe opened the front door to a rather delicate looking Anna.

‘Blimey, you actually look worse than me,’ Zoe croaked through her soggy tissue. She stood to one side to let Anna come in. ‘I take it whatever you ended up doing, you had a good night?’

Anna grunted and began to shake her head but stopped abruptly. It hurt too much. Her barely intelligible response to Zoe reminded her of Luke. Hell! When did she morph into her teenage son? ‘My head is killing me,’ she groaned and looked at herself in the hall mirror. ‘God, my eyes look like burn holes in a blanket.’

‘I'll put the kettle on.’

The clattering of feet on the wooden floor and the shrieking of three excited boys pierced the air.

‘Aunty Anna! Aunty Anna!’

‘Yay! We're going to the park!’

‘Can we go now?’

Anna was nearly bowled over as Jake, Alex and Henry threw themselves at her for a group hug.

‘Sshhhh! Boys! Sssshhh!’ pleaded Zoe, trying to calm them down and prise them away from their aunt. ‘You're going to wake Emily up.’ Too late. Emily didn't want to be left out of the fun and began crying. ‘Thanks a lot, boys.’

Anna looked at Zoe who was now pulling a crumpled tissue from her sleeve. She wasn't sure if Zoe was dabbing her eyes and nose because of her cold or because she was upset. This wasn't good.

‘Come on, boys,’ cajoled Anna. ‘Why don't you go in the garden for ten minutes? I'm not quite ready yet. Come on. And you, Henry. Here, I'll carry you. There we go. Come on, Jake. Alex. Let's go outside for a bit.’

Zoe looked at her gratefully before disappearing upstairs.

‘There's a cup of tea for you,’ smiled Anna as Zoe came back down carrying Emily. ‘Ooh hello, Emily darling. Did those boys wake you up? Never mind. Come here for a cuddle while mummy has a cup of tea.’ Anna took Emily before either mother or daughter could protest, and gently bobbing the child up and down, she wandered over to the window. ‘Look, can you see your brothers? There's Alex and Jake and little Henry. Aren't they having fun?’ She turned to her sister-in-law. ‘You okay, Zoe?’

‘Thanks, Anna. That's the first time someone's made a cup of tea for me in ages.’

‘Why don't I take Emily out as well? She doesn't seem too full of cold this morning. As long as you wrap her up warm the fresh air will do her good. What do you think, Emily? Want to come to the park? Mummy can have a nice, long soak in the bath, or sleep in bed, do whatever she fancies. Veg out in front of some cooking show.’

Zoe didn't even pretend to make a ‘oh, you don't have to’ or ‘it'll be too much for you’ type of protest. She didn't have the energy or the inclination, it seemed.

Having spent a good couple of hours at the park with the children then walking into town, treating them all to a McDonald's, Anna was glad to be back home. She really could do with a sleep. A boozy night, followed by an early morning and all that running around in the park had worn her out.

Any notion she had of a quiet afternoon was shattered pretty much as soon as she walked through the front door to her house. Luke jumped up from the sofa and turned to face her angrily.

‘What did you say to Dad?’ he demanded.

‘Oh, hello, Mum. How are you? Want a cup of tea? Oh, I'm fine thanks, Luke. A bit tired but I'd love a cup of tea,’ she said, annoyed at the abruptness of Luke's greeting.

‘Sorry,’ mumbled Luke. He went out to the kitchen and reappeared a couple of minutes later with a cup of tea.

‘Thank you.’ She took the cup from Luke and put it on the coffee table in front of her. ‘Now, what’s up?’

Luke flopped down into the chair by the fireplace. ‘Dad! He was supposed to be taking me out for a curry tonight and then we were coming back to watch the football.’

‘And now?’

‘He phoned to say he wasn’t coming back tonight because of you.’ Luke glanced up at Anna before reverting his gaze to the television.

‘Me? What have I done?’ What had she done to make Mark leave? She had no idea. ‘Did he say anything?’

Luke let out a sigh. ‘No, just that he thought it was best if he stayed out of your way for a bit.’

Anna could see the disappointment Luke was trying to hide behind his sullen expression. So it hadn’t taken Mark long to let Luke down. Selfish pig. And as for using her as an excuse! Right, where was her phone? She was going to phone Mark and get to the bottom of this.

He answered on the fifth ring.

‘Mark, I just wanted to check if you were coming back tonight or not? Only Luke doesn't seem to think so.’ She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

‘No, that's right. Thought I'd stay over here the night. Why, is there a problem? I didn't think I had to clear things with you these days.’ Mark's response was terse. Then, as if catching himself, he spoke more cordially. ‘I just thought I'd give you the headspace that you asked for. Give you time to think about us.’

Anna sighed, glancing at Luke before she walked into the kitchen and spoke in a quieter voice. ‘Mark, there hasn't been an “us” for a long time now.’

‘So last night was your way of getting a bit of revenge then?’ The terseness was back. ‘Giving me the green light then switching to red at the last minute. Is that your way of getting your own back at me?’

‘Do you really think I've been waiting all this time to get my own back? Besides, what happened last night could hardly be considered as like for like.’ God, now she was being drawn into an argument with him about their marriage. Hadn't they done all this a year ago?

‘Mark, please just listen to me a minute. This isn't getting us anywhere. Last night I had, well, we both had, too much to drink. I thought we could just have a nice evening out, which was at your suggestion. We were both a little worse for wear. We both knew it wasn't the right way to go. If you thought otherwise, I'm sorry.’ Damn, somehow she had ended up apologising. ‘We can't take our misunderstanding out on Luke. It's not his fault.’

‘Which is exactly why I'm giving us a bit of space,’ said Mark.

‘Perhaps you can spend some time with him tomorrow then. Give him a call later. It will cheer him up.’

‘Yeah, okay. I've got to go. Me and Gary are just on our way out. Gary says hello, by the way.’

‘Say hello back,’ said Anna, somehow feeling like the villain. ‘See you tomorrow. Do you know what time?’ Too late, Mark had hung up.

Anna leaned back against the worktop and closed her eyes. Her head was hurting again. At least tomorrow was a bank holiday so she would have a full day to recover before beginning her new job. She wanted to make sure she started off well, to impress not only Jamie but Tex also. She was going to be totally organised – her clothes, her work bag, check the directions, go over some basic building terms and procedures in case she needed to sort anything out. She wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.

Chapter Seven

It was not the best start to the first day in her new job. To begin with, Mark had extended his stay in Southampton, much to her annoyance and Luke's disappointment. It was now Tuesday, and because of Mark's change of plans, she didn't have her car today to drive to Arundel. She took the train instead and walked down from the station into the town to Tarrant Street. The walk itself wouldn't have been too bad had it not been raining, and even less had the wind not been so strong it had turned her umbrella inside out.

Peering out from under the hood of her parka coat, the old United Reformed Church stood back from the row of shops lining Tarrant Street, with a paved area at the front used as outside seating for when it was a coffee shop. Today, instead of tables and chairs were three vehicles: a white transit van, a Volvo estate and a Ford Ranger pick-up style truck. The builder, the architect and Tex, she concluded.

Anna wasn't sure if she should just go straight in, whether she should knock, or try to find a side door. However, her dilemma was solved when the door opened and out stepped a man.

‘Are you here for the meeting?’ he said, popping his glasses into his shirt pocket. He sidestepped her and sprinted over to the Volvo, from where he removed three large cardboard tubes from the back seat.

‘Yes, that's right,’ she called, holding the edge of her hood up a bit so she could see him properly.

He nipped past her, back through the door he’d left open and into the dry. ‘You'd better come in then,’ he said, gesturing. ‘You'll get soaked standing out there.’

‘Thanks.’ Anna was grateful to get in from the rain. She entered into a small hallway. Through a set of double glass doors she could see the main hall.

‘I'm Graeme Roberts, by the way,’ said the man, just managing to stick his hand out as he struggled to keep the cardboard tubes from falling. ‘Mr Garcia’s architect.’

‘Anna Barnes. Mr Garcia’s PA.’ Anna shook his hand, and then held one of the internal glass doors open for him to get through.

The trestle table with the cross-section model of the restaurant had been moved to the side of the hall. Graeme scurried over to it, dumping his things on the floor before beginning to examine the plans.

Anna could hear the dull tones of voices coming from one of the rooms at the back and assumed it was Tex and the builder. She walked over to the table and took off her wet coat, which she hung on the handle of the window. Taking her phone from her bag, she switched it onto silent.

The door at the back of the hall opened and a large burly man, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, came out.

‘Hello, Rod. How are you?’ said Graeme. He turned to Anna. ‘This is Rod. He's one of the building contractors tendering for the project. Rod, this is Anna, works for Mr Garcia.’

Rod shook her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you. He won’t be a minute, he's just taking a phone call.’

‘Anna, would you mind giving me a hand with these?’ asked Graeme, indicating the large sheets of drawings for the renovation works he had removed from the tubes and was now attempting to lay out. ‘Got some more detailed plans to look at today. Could you hold the ends while I tape them down?’

‘Sure. It looks complicated,’ said Anna, popping her phone onto the windowsill. ‘I mean, the drawings, not the taping.’ She stretched her arms out and held down each edge of the drawing as Graeme unpicked the end of the masking tape.

He smiled and looked as if he were about to answer, when his attention was caught by the sound of one of the doors at the back of the hall opening and closing.

‘Good morning.’ The rich accented voice sounded out, flirting with Anna’s eardrums.

Still leaning over the table, arms outstretched while Graeme seemed to take an age finding the end of the tape, Anna looked back over her shoulder and smiled at Tex. ‘Hi!’

With more than a hint of amusement on his lips, Tex raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘Nice view.’ Then he seamlessly moved on to greet Graeme.

Anna felt her face burn hot with embarrassment and stood up abruptly, letting go of the drawing, which pinged back into a roll and fell to the floor. By now, Tex was by her side and stooped to pick up the drawing, placing it back on the table.

Anna was grateful for the few seconds to compose herself before Tex turned to her.

‘You okay?’ He cupped her upper arms with his hands and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.’ Right, she must remain professional and concentrate on the job in hand and stop acting like a lovestruck teenager. Briskly, she turned back to the table and resumed holding the large sheet of paper in place, this time by taking one edge in turn, while Graeme taped it down as he fell into discussion with Tex. Rod sauntered back across to join them. Meeting commenced, thought Anna. Good.

Initially, she made notes on her pad in case anything needed to be clarified afterwards. All the while she tried not to let her gaze linger on Tex for too long. It was hard though. She liked the way his hair casually fell forwards, not long enough to fall in his eyes, but enough to touch the top of his dark eyebrows. He had remarkably long, thick eyelashes for a man too, framing those deep brown eyes of his.

Anna wasn’t entirely sure what Tex was expecting her to do, so she continued taking notes as the three men discussed technical issues, such as beam splicing and loading, engineers’ reports and calculations.

‘I would like the staircase to start at this side and curve round to the first floor,’ explained Tex, walking over to the right-hand side of the hall. He made a sweeping motion with his arm to emphasise his point.

Anna couldn't help admiring him as he stood there explaining and gesturing. Dark trousers, expensive-looking, black shiny leather shoes, pale blue shirt open at the collar, his sleeves rolled up. That fresh showery, citrus smell of his aftershave tantalising her senses.

‘You would lose quite a bit of floor space downstairs if you want a curving staircase,’ said Rod, ‘and then you have to take into consideration the rise of each step and how far it carries. It will take a fair bit of working out.’

Rod went on to explain how each tread and riser was calculated and how much something like that would cost. He rambled about kites and winders, newels, spindles and strings. Graeme was furiously pecking at his calculator as Rod reeled off numbers and measurements.

Anna had no idea what they were talking about. She looked over at Tex and had to stifle a giggle as he gave an exaggerated, confused look, unnoticed by the others. Rod carried on, more or less discussing it with himself, correcting and contradicting himself along the way, and Graeme continued to tap at the calculator like some sort of demented woodpecker.

She stole another glance at Tex who, catching her eye, mimed a yawn, tapping his mouth with his hand, which just made Anna want to giggle again. When he silently acted out a noose round his neck and then made out to shoot himself in the temple with his fingers, Anna couldn’t hold the burst of laughter in. Rod and Graeme stopped and stared at her. She quickly fashioned the laugh into a small series of coughs.

‘Sorry, tickly throat,’ she said apologetically, not daring to look at Tex.

‘Hey, come out back and I’ll get you a glass of water,’ Tex piped up, and before she could protest, he was gently leading her away by the arm. Once inside the kitchen he closed the door and they both laughed quietly.

‘Jeez,’ groaned Tex. ‘Death by numbers.’ He took a step closer. ‘Now, where did we leave off the other night?’

Anna took a step back. Oh, this was hard. ‘I think it’s best to leave it there,’ she said.

He was standing in front of her. ‘Huh?’

‘I’m sorry, Tex, but I think it’s best if we just keep things professional now that I’m working for Jamie which, by default, now means you. It’s a rule of mine never to mix business with pleasure.’

‘You serious? Damn it, you are!’ Tex cursed. This wasn’t going to plan. ‘What about if I fire you then? Tell Jamie I’ve changed my mind.’ He saw the alarm on her face. ‘I was only joking. I wouldn’t really.’

‘Good, because I could do with this job,’ replied Anna.

‘What about if you give me a chance to change your mind?’ He fixed her with his killer smile, the one that he usually got his way with. She was shaking her head. She wasn’t buying it.

Before he could plan his next move, there was a knock at the door and a female voice calling his name. It was Christine.

The door opened and in she wiggled, smiling widely at him. Then she clocked Anna, and instantly Christine’s smile disappeared. ‘Oh, hello.’

‘Anna, this is Christine,’ said Tex. ‘She works in the art gallery across the way. Christine, this is Anna, she’s my PA.’ He watched Christine’s hostile eyes look Anna up and down. Anna would have to be downright stupid to miss that, he thought.

‘Hmm, I see,’ responded Christine.

Tex had been so busy checking Anna’s reaction to this unfavourable greeting that he was totally caught out when Christine draped herself over his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. Without barely moving her mouth away from him, she said, ‘I just came over to see if you were free for lunch, but I don’t want to interrupt anything.’

‘You weren’t,’ said Anna tersely. ‘I’d better get back to Graeme and Rod. Don’t want to miss anything.’

Tex cursed to himself yet again as Anna left the room.

‘Sorry, did I upset someone?’ cooed Christine.

‘Hmmm,’ grunted Tex, then gathering himself, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ll take a rain check on lunch. I’ve already got a meeting.’

‘Oh, come over later then. I’ve got some pictures that I thought would look good in the restaurant.’ She smiled sweetly and wiggled her way back out.

The rest of the meeting ran smoothly without any problems, although Tex noted that Anna didn’t look at him once this time. She definitely had a businesslike air about her. Professional, almost to the point of being curt. She really did mean it when she said she wasn’t mixing business with pleasure.

‘Okay, that's me done,’ said Rod as the meeting drew to a close. ‘I'll need a couple of days to price this, so I will get back to you by the end of the week.’

As Rod left, Graeme looked expectantly at Anna. When it appeared she wasn't taking the hint, he said to Tex, ‘Have you got a minute? I wondered if I could have a quick word.’

‘Sure, but I do have another appointment at midday,’ replied Tex, glancing at his watch.

‘I'll leave you to it,’ said Anna, still avoiding eye contact with him. ‘If there's anything you need to clarify, you can get hold of me through Jamie.’

‘Anna…’ began Tex.

‘I've got to go, my train will be here soon. Nice to have met you, Graeme.’ Anna walked towards the door.

‘Anna! One moment please,’ called Tex.

‘Sorry, got to go,’ she called back, as Graeme anxiously tried to retain Tex’s attention.

Chapter Eight

‘Tex. It's about my daughter's wedding. Would you give her some advice on the menu?’

Tex looked from Graeme to the door and back again. Much as he wanted to tell Graeme that his daughter's wedding menu was the last thing on his mind at that moment, and that it was something he really should be asking the caterers, he couldn't be rude.

Making polite but short work of discussing the best dishes for large parties, Tex managed to usher Graeme out of the building in ten minutes with the promise of putting some ideas down on an email for him. As soon as the door closed behind the architect, Tex took out his cell phone and called Anna's.

She wasn’t answering it. Perhaps it was in her handbag and she hadn't been able to get to it in time. Listening to the ringing tone and willing her to answer, Tex wandered over to the trestle table where Graeme had left a revised set of drawings taped to the table. It was then that he heard a vibrating sound coming from the direction of the window. He looked over and saw a phone jiggling away on the windowsill. Anna’s.

Tex checked his watch. She could only have just made it to the station by now. If he was quick he could be there in five minutes, hopefully before her train arrived. He patted his back pocket. Yes, his keys were there. Without looking for his jacket, Tex dashed out to his car.

It was still raining as he drove out of Tarrant Street and over the bridge towards the train station. Within a few minutes, he pulled up outside the ticket office, and abandoning his car, sprinted through the unmanned office and out on to the platform. Tex scanned the deserted platform up and down; there was no sign of Anna there or in the waiting room. He looked over at platform two on the other side of the tracks. That appeared empty too.

Then he saw her, stepping out from the plastic waiting shelter there, looking at him. Intrigued? Curious? He wasn't sure. They walked towards each other on opposite platforms.

‘Can we start again?’ Tex called across the tracks. Anna said nothing as she stood there studying him, as if wrestling with herself as to what she should say or do. ‘You can't leave yet anyway. I have your phone. You left it on the window ledge.’ Ah, now that got her attention.

Looking concerned, Anna stuffed her hands in her coat pockets and then rummaged through her bag, obviously up until that point not realising she didn't have her phone with her. Tex waved the Nokia in the air.

‘So it would seem,’ she said finally. ‘I suppose you want me to come and get it?’ Tex grinned as Anna made her way over the bridge and walked up to where he was standing. ‘I forgot I'd left that. Thank you.’ She reached out to take the phone.

Tex popped the phone behind his back. ‘There's one condition.’

‘Which is?’

‘Have lunch with me.’

She sighed and her shoulders drooped. ‘I don't think it's a good idea. Under any other circumstances I would love to, but not when you're my client. It's a bad idea. Really bad.’

‘Would it be bad if it was a business lunch?’

She appeared to be contemplating what he had said. ‘Just business you say?’

‘Just business,’ repeated Tex. Personal business, he added to himself.

‘Okay, I accept.’ She smiled a shy smile up at him.

‘Thank you. I am now a very happy man.’ Tex fought the urge to kiss her there and then. He was going to have to work his charm to win her over. Still, he liked a challenge. Then her brow furrowed and she had a confused look on her face.

‘I thought I heard you say to Graeme that you had a lunch appointment.’

‘I was hoping that would be you,’ said Tex, a sheepish grin crossing his face.

‘That was rather presumptuous of you,’ said Anna, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows playfully.

‘Not presumptuous. More like hopeful.’

‘That will do,’ Anna smiled. ‘So can I have my phone back now?’ Tex nodded. ‘Well, that's the only reason I'm agreeing. That, and it being a business lunch. You do understand don't you?’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’ He gave a quick salute. ‘I understand completely.’ He wasn't entirely sure he did, but she had agreed to lunch, which is what he had wanted. He didn't usually have to work quite so hard. Normally it was much easier and much more straightforward – a bit of flirting, a little bit of fun, nothing serious, no obligation. He liked it that way.

He drove her back to the hall in silence, cranking up the car's heated seats to help dry Anna's coat which was soaked from her walk down to the station. Having just spent five minutes standing on the platform with no jacket and the rain blowing under the canopy, Tex wasn't faring much better himself.

‘Not very nice weather for public transport. Do you always travel on the train?’ he asked, as they pulled up outside the hall.

‘No. I have the car but I let Mark, my sort of ex, borrow it. He was supposed to come back at the weekend but didn't.’

Tex ushered Anna through the internal doors into the main hall and then guided her to the room on the left at the back of the hall. There was a small square table in the middle of the room with a simple white linen tablecloth on it, at its centre, a vibrant red gerbera in a tall drinking glass. The table was set for two people.

‘Presumptuous,’ said Anna as she took in the scene.

‘Hopeful,’ corrected Tex. He walked up behind her and gently rested his hands on her shoulders. ‘May I take your coat?’ He took a deep breath as he momentarily flirted with the idea of kissing the back of her bare neck, before checking himself. Slipping Anna's coat from her shoulders, he hung it on the back of the door before pulling out the chair for her to sit down.

‘I'll be back in one minute,’ he said and disappeared into the adjoining room to warm up the soup he had prepared that morning. Whilst that was heating, he cut some French stick then took the bread together with a bottle of Perrier water back into Anna.

‘It's nearly ready. Just some humble soup. I only have two gas rings at the moment,’ he said as he put the bread down and poured a glass of water for each of them.

‘I'm sure it will be lovely.’

Tex switched the radio on. Hopefully, a bit of background music would help her relax.

‘This isn't looking very businesslike,’ commented Anna.

‘Let's talk business if it makes you feel happier.’ Hmm, this was going to be harder than he thought.

‘Have you always been a chef?’ she asked.

‘Yes. I never wanted to be anything else.’

‘Where did you train?’

‘France, of course. That is where the best chefs in the world are and I was fortunate enough to have some very good teachers. I worked for some of the great chefs in France.’

‘Any I would know?’

‘Edward Le Manquais. You have heard of him no doubt?’

‘Of course. He's a bit more than just a chef now, he's something of a celebrity in his own right,’ said Anna. ‘Didn't he do a reality restaurant show on TV recently?’

‘Ahh yes, the celebrity chef. I am afraid that is not for me.’

‘By choice?’

‘By choice,’ Tex affirmed. ‘Does that make any difference to you?’

Anna looked surprised by the question. ‘To me? No. No, it doesn't make any difference. That doesn't worry me the way you think.’

‘What way do I think?’ probed Tex. He waited patiently whilst she took a sip of water. He wasn’t letting her off the hook that easy. Experience told him if he said nothing for long enough, the other person would carry on speaking.

‘Okay, here goes,’ she said. ‘You probably think I would be impressed and pleased that I had landed a famous client. That I would be imagining fancy parties, champagne, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, but the truth is, I couldn't be less interested in that.’

‘Go on, I'm still listening,’ coaxed Tex.

‘Don't say you didn't ask,’ said Anna with wry smile. ‘Mark was a professional footballer. We married when we were very young; I was pregnant. Mark had a lot of temptation in the female stakes. He hasn’t got much willpower. Part of it was because he was a bit famous, and as a footballer there were plenty of offers from a slew of female fans. So my experience of being with someone well known isn't a particularly good one.’

‘You said the other night that you were separated but not divorced.’

‘That’s right. He went off to America and we have just never got round to it. Part of me doesn't want to become a statistic, but to all intents and purposes we might as well be divorced.’

Tex smiled reassuringly at her. There was obviously a lot more to it but now wasn't the time. He'd established that Mark wasn't a threat.

‘How did we get onto the subject of my personal life?’ asked Anna. She leant back in her chair. Tex couldn't help noticing the button of her blouse had come undone, revealing a glimpse of white flesh encased in black lace. He forced himself to look at her face, keeping his eyes level with hers to answer her question.

‘It's important if we are going to work together that we know each other properly. It's not a regular sort of office job, there may be times when you have to accompany me on social events. It’s real important that we know each other well so we’re comfortable together.’

Anna didn't look convinced, but didn't challenge him either.

‘When do I get to find out about you?’ she asked.

‘I will get the soup and then you can ask me anything you like.’

Tex returned to the makeshift kitchen. Leaning against the work surface he took a deep breath as he recalled her open blouse. Reappearing a few minutes later with two bowls of soup, he placed one in front of Anna. Her blouse now done up, he ignored the self-conscious look on her face.

‘This looks nice,’ she said, picking up her spoon and dipping it into the thick, orange liquid. ‘Tastes good too. Let me guess. Carrot and … mmm … not sure. There's definitely another flavour but I'm not sure what it is.’

‘Coriander.’

‘Ah yes, I recognise it now. It's lovely.’

‘Thank you.’

They ate together in silence for several minutes. A comfortable silence, with just the radio to fill the space between them.

‘So, in the interest of fairness and Anglo-American relations, I think I'll take you up on your offer,’ said Anna. Tex looked blankly at her. ‘Exchange of information. Background information. It's your turn,’ she smiled.

‘What do you wanna know?’

‘You tell me. If you were me, what would I want to know?’

Tex made an act of looking thoughtfully up to the ceiling, as if he were recalling any relevant information. ‘Where to begin,’ he mused.

‘Why the name Tex?’

‘That’s an easy one. Short for Texas, where I’m from. Brenham to be exact. When I went off to Europe, I was something of a novelty. You don’t get many cowboys from Texan ranches wanting to learn how to cook.’

She smiled. ‘Okay, what else?’

She’d seemed pretty unfazed by that, which was cool. ‘I am forty-five years old,’ he continued. ‘I have one daughter. Julie-Ann, she’s twenty-two. Lives in Paris.’

‘And Mrs Garcia?’

He was used to that sort of question. They all asked sooner or later. It was still difficult to say, nonetheless.

‘Estelle, Julie-Ann’s mother, my wife, she died six years ago.’ He watched the surprise flicker across Anna’s eyes, quickly followed by a look of concern. She went to speak, probably to offer her condolences, but he raised his hand slightly. She didn’t need to say anything, it wasn’t necessary.

‘She was ill for a short time,’ he continued. ‘Liver cancer. There was nothing they could do for her. Afterwards, I promised I would make a success of the restaurant, just as we had both planned, except I didn’t stay in Paris, I came to England. Jamie and Yvonne helped me a lot, both professionally and personally.’

‘And since then?’ Anna spoke gently.

Tex knew what she was asking, and in a strange way he found it refreshing. Most women avoided the question once they heard about Estelle.

‘And since then I haven’t had any meaningful or long relationship.’ He had answered honestly, and hoping to retrieve the light tone the lunch had started out with, said buoyantly, ‘I’ve been too busy opening the restaurant and working hard to get my first Michelin star at my Guildford restaurant.’

‘Do you always let work rule your personal life and stop relationships?’

‘Do you?’ responded Tex immediately, eager to steer the conversation away from Estelle.

Anna looked slightly startled by his response, then gave a little laugh. ‘Touché. I asked first.’

‘The truth is … ’ Tex hesitated, putting his spoon down and pushing the near empty bowl away. ‘The truth is, my work is my true love.’

‘And no one could ever mean as much as your work?’

‘No one has meant enough yet.’ He gave a small laugh to himself and shook his head as he leant back in his chair. ‘I have no idea why I'm telling you this. Any sane person would not want anything to do with me and here I am in danger of scaring you off.’ He paused and then spoke more softly. ‘Which is something I really don’t wanna do.’ The chase was well and truly on.

Anna, straight-faced, looked directly at him. ‘Why would you scare me off? Our relationship is purely business.’

‘So why do you let business get in the way of your personal life?’ Tex held her gaze until she looked away.

‘You really want to know?’ she asked, fiddling with her napkin.

Tex nodded but said nothing so Anna would continue.

‘Okay. When my son, Luke, went to school, I got a part-time job working in the offices at the football club Mark played for. Trouble was, after a while I started to hear rumours about what Mark was doing, what he was getting up to when he and the other lads were out. Naturally, I was upset, suspicious, and began questioning him, which caused quite a few arguments.’ Anna paused to have a sip of water.

Tex remained silent, his feeling that there was more was confirmed as Anna began to speak again.

‘As if that wasn’t enough, Mark was jealous if any man spoke to me too much, that included any member of management and any of his team mates. Needless to say, I handed my notice in after just three months, it was more trouble than it was worth. So that is why I don’t mix business with pleasure.’

‘And you think that every business and pleasure encounter will end the same?’

Anna shrugged in response.

Tex decided it was best to keep off the subject of their personal lives. Anna must have thought the same when she changed the subject by asking, ‘So how come you ended up here in England?’

‘Jamie and I were at catering college together but it didn’t take him long before he realised being in the kitchen wasn't for him. Instead, he put his organisational skills to good use and started working for a PR company arranging work placements in the UK for chefs from France and vice versa. This gradually expanded through word of mouth and soon Jamie was helping foreign nationals to settle in the UK. Such was the demand, he had the foresight to leave the PR company and set up his own relocation company.’

‘Good that you remained friends though.’

‘Yes. Through his help I was able to open my first restaurant. That was five years ago. I've been looking for premises in this area for a long time to open another and finally came across this place.’ He gestured in the air with his arms. ‘Next week I need to start looking for an apartment so I can keep a closer eye on the refurbishment. The Guildford restaurant runs itself mostly.’

Anna wasn't quite sure where the two hours went, but when she glanced at her watch she was shocked to see it was gone two o’clock.

‘I'd better go, otherwise I'm not sure what time I'll get back. I think there's a train in about half an hour. I'm supposed to ring Jamie when I get home. He'll think I've resigned before I've even started.’

Tex dropped his napkin to the table. ‘I'll take you home.’

‘Oh, you don't have to.’

‘I know.’ Tex paused as he pushed back his chair. ‘Or does it go against your no business with pleasure rule?’

‘Probably,’ said Anna, ‘but a lift would be nice all the same.’ She silently tutted at the desertion of her willpower. It was very difficult to say no to Tex Garcia.

Twenty minutes later Tex pulled his car to a halt outside Coach House Cottages. Anna noticed both Mrs Meekham's curtain twitching and her car parked in the resident's parking bay a little way up the road. Mark was obviously back.

‘Can I see you again?’ asked Tex, as he turned in his seat to face her.

‘You'd better check with Jamie. He said something about me going to Brighton next week to help a family who want to look at schools.’

‘Not business,’ smiled Tex.

Anna gulped and reminded herself to breathe. His voice was giving her all sorts of problems. ‘Pleasure?’ It was almost a whisper.

Tex nodded. ‘Are you free Friday evening? Me, Jamie and Yvonne are coming down for the weekend. I have a few things to sort out to do with the refurbishment, and Jamie's got a client he wants to see in Sussex. As it’s also Yvonne's birthday, we thought we would go out for a drink. Maybe you'd like to come too?’

‘Did you not listen to anything I said about not mixing business with pleasure?’

‘I was hoping I may have changed your mind and that maybe you weren’t so goddamn stubborn.’ Tex let out a sigh of resignation.

‘It’s hard work being this stubborn. Sorry.’ Anna looked apologetically at him, her sigh matching his. ‘I can’t anyway; I'm going out with my sister-in-law. We were supposed to go out last week but couldn't for one reason and another, so we rearranged for this week.’

‘I understand. Where are you going? Anywhere nice?’

‘Just the Fish and Fly, our local haunt.’

‘Perhaps we could all meet up there? Just for one drink.’

‘I think this is where I'm supposed to say no,’ said Anna, feeling her resolve weaken. ‘That would be against my no business with pleasure rule.’

‘Think of it as, how do you say, a work's do.’

How could she resist that smile, those eyes and that voice?

Anna felt as if she were floating as she walked up to her front door. Funny how she could suddenly justify her actions, relegating her work ethics to the back of her mind. Like Tex said, if they were going to work closely together then it was inevitable that a few social occasions would arise.

Her feeling of happiness didn’t last long. In fact, within seconds of walking through the front door it was totally eradicated.

Chapter Nine

Mark was standing at the window, glaring at the Ford Ranger as it drove away down the road. As Anna closed the door, he turned to her. From the look on his face, Anna could instantly tell he was in a bad mood. She gave an involuntary shudder as it immediately took her back to the dark days of their marriage.

‘What's with the bloke and the pick-up then?’ Mark said stiffly.

‘Not that it's any business of yours but, if you must know, that was my client today. He kindly gave me a lift home because someone didn't bring my car back in time.’

‘You still got there okay, and got a lift back in style.’

‘No thanks to you.’ Glaring at him, Anna dropped her bag to the floor and threw her coat onto the back of the sofa. ‘You could at least apologise.’

Mark gave a sideways look. ‘I'm sorry.’

He didn't sound particularly sincere, Anna thought, but at least he had apologised.

‘I was just hoping you would have time to think about us. I didn't expect you to be getting it on with your client.’

Anna let out an exasperated sigh. ‘I wasn't getting anything on with my client. It's just business.’

‘So that answers one question. What about the other? Did you think about us?’ His voice was calm and soft now.

Anna sighed sadly. ‘Mark, I think we’re better off apart. In fact, I know we are.’ She really didn't want to have this conversation. She almost felt sorry for him, guilty even, until she remembered how she had felt during their marriage, and what he had done. The pain might not be so real now but she couldn’t forget how much hurt she had endured back then.

‘Listen, there's something I want to tell you,’ began Mark. ‘I … ’

Anna shook her head fiercely. ‘No. Not now, Mark. Please.’ Picking up her bag, she made for the stairs. ‘I'm too tired and I still haven't finished work yet.’

Leaving Mark standing open-mouthed by the sofa, she went upstairs to ring Jamie.

‘Tex was really impressed with you,’ enthused Jamie. Anna wondered whether Tex was referring to her skills as a PA or in being able to say no to him. ‘I'm really happy and confident about giving you more work if you want to carry on,’ Jamie continued.

‘I'd be delighted,’ answered Anna, a morass of feelings swirling round in her head, half of her hoping the work would be with Tex, the other half hoping it wouldn't. She didn't know if she would be able to resist him for too long.

Home from school, Luke grinned with delight at seeing his father seated on the sofa. ‘Hi, Dad! You're back then.’

‘Yeah, I'm back here with the Ice Maiden. She's not in a good mood with me.’

Anna ignored Mark's comment, the atmosphere between them as stilted as it had been all afternoon. She continued preparing the evening meal. Jacket potatoes tonight. Nice and easy. And she knew Mark didn't really like them.

Luke headed straight for the fridge. ‘You still fed up about the car, Mum?’

‘Don't start picking, tea will be ready soon.’ Anna tapped Luke's arm and closed the fridge door. ‘And as far as your dad is concerned, just ignore him.’

‘I don't know why you're being so pissy, you're not usually,’ frowned Luke, stealing a pinch of cheese Anna was grating.

Mark appeared in the doorway and lounged against the wall. ‘I was thinking of going back to the States,’ he announced. ‘I'm not sure if it's working out me being here.’

‘What?’ exclaimed Luke. ‘You've only been here a couple of weeks. He doesn't have to go does he, Mum?’

‘Well … it's up to your dad,’ said Anna, totally surprised by this apparent U-turn. What was all that about getting back together then?

‘Of course I don't want to go, but … ’

‘Just stay, Dad,’ pleaded Luke. ‘It will be okay. Mum's just having a couple of stressy days. Aren't you, Mum?’

‘It's not quite that simple,’ Anna said.

‘I think maybe my coming back was a mistake.’ Mark looked over at Anna as he spoke. If he was hoping for her to refute this, then he was out of luck. Anna said nothing.

‘It wasn't a mistake, Dad. It's a good thing. I've really enjoyed you being here. It's just like it used to be. I wish you could stay, you know, for good. Here.’ Luke dropped his gaze to his trainers. ‘Just stay for now, please.’

‘All right,’ said Mark after a lengthy pause. ‘I'll hang about for a bit longer, just as long as your mum doesn't mind.’

‘You don't mind do you, Mum?’ said Luke looking eagerly at Anna.

‘Well, I … err … ’ began Anna. Yes, she did mind wasn't what Luke really wanted her to say.

‘Why don't you just say yes?’ her son snapped. ‘Why don't you just say, “I think it's a great idea? Your dad is more than welcome.”’

Anna looked at Mark, hoping for a bit of support. Wrong. Mark just shrugged in a nothing-to-do-with-me sort of way. Not for the first time, she sensed that Mark was manipulating everyone around him.

‘Don't you need to get back for work?’ she asked Mark, hoping he would take the hint.

‘Oh no. They can manage without me for a bit longer. Well, that's that sorted then.’ Mark pushed himself upright from the wall and grinning at Luke, gave him a playful punch on the arm. ‘Cheers mate.’

Luke beamed back.

Anna had to marvel at the laser-precision, pincer movement Mark and Luke had just executed. Attack from both sides. She never stood a chance. Now it looked like she had Mark here indefinitely.

‘Just give him a chance, Mum,’ said Luke after Mark had gone upstairs for a shower. ‘Everyone deserves one. You always say that yourself.’

‘It's not that simple,’ said Anna reticently.

‘Of course it is. You're just making it difficult.’

Anna sighed. How much did you tell your son about your marriage? ‘Listen, Luke. You know I wouldn’t say anything bad about your dad to you, but you have to understand lots of things happened between me and him, things that you wouldn’t know about.’

‘I’m not stupid,’ grumbled Luke. ‘I remember the arguments. Dad being out late or all night. You crying.’ He paused, looking at her before dropping his gaze. ‘I know about the baby and the other women.’

Anna gulped. She had often wondered if he knew more than she or, indeed, Mark gave him credit for. ‘I’m sorry you do. I guess I never protected you from it as much as I thought.’

‘But you could still give him another chance. Now that he’s had a year to sort himself out. Couldn’t you?’

Anna gave Luke a hug, which felt slightly ridiculous as he was several inches taller than her already. ‘Let’s just worry about you and Dad getting to know each other again. That’s the important thing.’

Jamie had asked her to step in at the last minute to cover for another member of staff who was sick. She was to accompany a German woman and her two children on a school visit in Brighton and help with the interpreting. Anna had really enjoyed this assignment. It was great to be able to practice her German and the family were very charming and polite. An unexpectedly busy week as it had transpired, as a small document concerning a property transaction in France had also come in for translating. However, Anna was glad to have Friday free, which meant she could implement phase one of her ‘Help Zoe’ plan.

‘Just be ready in half an hour,’ said Anna down the phone to Zoe. ‘Both you and Emily.’

‘Can't you just tell me what we're doing? Just a hint?’ pleaded Zoe.

‘Nope. Bye.’ Anna hung up before her sister-in-law could delve any deeper. She checked through the two bags on the kitchen table to make sure everything was there. Satisfied, she placed them by the door ready for action.

The gym was quiet. When Zoe protested she didn't have any sports clothes with her, Anna produced the bag from the boot of her car. ‘All your stuff's in here. Nathan got it for me the other day,’ she said, grinning triumphantly. ‘And before you say anything about Emily, she's booked into the crèche, which Nathan has checked out, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about or any reason to duck out. Come on, girly, we're getting you sorted.’

Picking up the car seat with Emily still strapped in, Anna strode off across the car park, leaving Zoe little alternative but to follow obediently.

Anna called back over her shoulder. ‘Anyway, I could do with your advice about something. Come on.’

Anna had been grateful to get out of the house a couple of times in the week. There had definitely been a shift in dynamics since Mark had wrangled what seemed to be a pretty much open invitation to stay. She didn't want to seem paranoid but, as she explained to Zoe while they strode side by side on the treadmills, it was like Mark and Luke had their own little club now, one that she was excluded from.

‘Luke's bound to be a bit like that,’ puffed Zoe, turning the speed setting down. ‘For the past year all he has really wanted is to have a relationship with his dad. Now Mark's here, he has finally got it. The only thing that would top that is you and Mark getting back together. It's only natural he doesn't want to upset Mark. Luke knows that you will always be there for him and that's why you're getting the brunt of everything. It's a familiarity thing.’

‘I know you're right,’ sighed Anna, taking her lead from Zoe and slowing the speed down, ‘and I do try to put Luke first in all this but it's very difficult. I wish Mark wasn't living under the same roof as us though. It's not like I've even got the space really. I feel quite claustrophobic at times.’

‘And he hasn't said how long he's staying for?’ asked Zoe, as she pressed the red stop button and wiped her face with her towel.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.