Will changed from the swimming shorts into his clothes and thought that in his normal life, with a ‘normal’ girl, he’d just lay it on the line and suggest they spend the night together: big fun, no commitment. That spark of attraction to Lu was there, he admitted to himself. It burned hard and bright and he’d ignored it all night. Whenever he thought about acting on it something held him back.
His conversation the other night with Kelby kept resonating with him and he was forced to admit that Kelby had been bang-on with a lot of his observations. He was Mr Control these days—his life went into a tailspin when he cut loose—and if he had to be totally truthful he admitted that he’d never allowed any of the attraction he felt to a woman to be fanned into a fire. He used sexual attraction to get...well, sex. And while he always made sure that both he and his partner had a fun time in bed, he knew that at any time he could walk away. He didn’t allow himself to get emotionally involved because he genuinely believed that he couldn’t offer a woman anything permanent. Every fire went out eventually.
Yet Kelby’s question kept prodding him in the head.
‘Why don’t you try being friends with a woman instead?’
And Lu—strong, calm and capable—was just the type of woman he could be friends with. Her decision to raise her twin brothers at such a young age told him that she was loyal and determined. He liked those traits in men and they were very attractive in a woman too. He could respect her—another trait he considered essential for a friendship.
And, with her lithe body and quick smile, she was a lot easier on the eye than Kelby and his other mates.
Lu had just started to stack the dishwasher when Will walked back into the room, his car keys dangling from his fingers. ‘Thanks, Lu. For dinner and the company.’
‘Pleasure.’ Lu walked him to the hall and shoved her hand into the pocket of her shorts, pulling out a memory card. She held it between her fingers. ‘Change the photo, OK?’
Will’s smile was warm and deep as he took the card. ‘I’ll pass it along. Thank you.’
Will couldn’t stop himself from lifting up his hand to touch her cheek. He needed to know whether her skin was as soft as it looked, whether her bottom lip was a plump as he thought it was.
It was all that and more.
Will shook his head as he turned away. He’d never had the urge to touch his mates’ faces and thank God. If he did he’d get the snot smacked out of him.
* * *
Lu looked up as Mak and Deon walked into her kitchen, courtesy of the set of keys Mak had been given by her father all those years ago, when they’d first become friends. Lu accepted a hug from Mak’s high-functioning Down Syndrome son and smiled when Deon headed straight for her cookie jar. He was as at home in her house as the twins were. Lu had been his official babysitter since his mother had left a year after his birth, shortly before her parents’ death.
Mak took a seat at the kitchen counter and accepted the glass of iced tea Lu pushed across. ‘No wine?’
‘It’s three in the afternoon, Mak. A bit early.’
‘Damn.’
‘Tough day?’ Lu asked, knowing that it was a battle for Mak to juggle his business and the demands and needs of a highly active special needs child. Deon had an au-pair he adored, and numerous aunts and uncle who showered him with attention but Mak was his lifeline, his safety net, his hero.
‘How did the interview go at that other school?’
Mak shrugged. ‘Fine. They’d take him tomorrow if I wanted, but I’m holding out for St Clare’s.’
‘You haven’t heard yet?’
Mak looked frustrated. ‘No.’
Lu bit the inside of her lip. Deon was lonely and needed to get back into school—a school where, unlike at the last one, he wouldn’t be incessantly bullied and tormented.
Mak waved his hand in the air. ‘I should hear within a couple of weeks. So, have you had any luck picking up work?’
Lu blew air into her cheeks. ‘Not a damn thing! I’ve only had one enquiry on the website and I’ve visited all the bridal shops and florists and dished out my card, hoping for referrals. I’m thinking of getting another job—’
‘Lu, it’s only been a month since the boys left. Give yourself some time. Keep plugging at it. Something will come up. So...I saw Will Scott’s flashy Range Rover parked in your driveway the other night.’
‘Were you spying on me again?’ Lu demanded.
‘Sure. That’s what good friends do,’ Mak replied. ‘I came around to check on you and saw Will’s car, so I left.’
‘You should’ve joined us.’
‘And have Deon buzzing on rugby talk for the next week? No, thanks!’
Lu smiled. Deon was completely rugby-obsessed and the Rays were his idols. He would be thoroughly over-excited if he met Will, and he’d nag Mak and her to make Will introduce him to the rest of the team. When Deon got a notion in his head it required a water cannon to dislodge it.
Lu explained that she’d invited Will around for supper to say thank you.
Mak took a sip of his drink. ‘So, did he come around to say it was a pleasure to your thank you? Or did he have other pleasure on his mind?’ Mak waggled his eyebrows at her.
Lu glowered at him. ‘It wasn’t like that, Mak!’
‘It’s always like that, Lu.’
Lu didn’t tell him about Will touching her face, about the flare of passion she’d thought she saw in his eyes. She placed her elbows on the counter and grinned at Mak. ‘He is hot, though.’
Make rolled his eyes. ‘So I’m told.’
‘So, last night I went to the Botanic Gardens and the Philharmonic Orchestra was playing. I thought that it would be so much fun to have someone to do things with. I mean, I didn’t mind being on my own, but—’
Mak looked horrified. ‘I am not going to any classical concerts.’
Lu laughed. ‘Actually, I wasn’t thinking about you...this time. I was kind of considering whether to invite Will along the next time. Do you think I could do that?’
‘Women have been asking men out for a while now,’ Mak pointed out.
Lu slid her bum onto a stool. ‘Do you know what I realised this week, Mak?’
‘What, honey?’
‘That I have been so worried about the boys being independent enough, strong enough to go off on their own, and they are fine. Me—not so much. Of the three of us I’m the one who isn’t independent. I’m the one having the most problems adjusting. Apart from that night with Will I’ve hated being in this house alone, waking up alone, going to sleep alone. The lack of noise, the tidiness... I miss them so damn much.’
‘Of course you do.’
‘I desperately need to work, to prove to myself that I am something other than a fake mommy. I want to create again. I want people’s eyes to react—good or bad—when then see my photos. I miss it, Mak. I miss being...productive. I can take as many photos of the sea, of the dogs, as I want, but it’s not the same as creating images for someone else. I miss being...me.’
Mak listened and waited for Lu to carry on.
‘And...I guess I’m just lonely. I never realised I was until the boys left. Having supper with Will the other night made me realise how much I’ve missed being with someone...and, sorry, you don’t count.’
‘You’re too skinny and too pale for me anyway.’
Lu reached across