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СКАЧАТЬ Nina …’ He was so pleased to see her and he asked Dianne if he could show Nina a new poster that he had in his room.

      ‘Why don’t you show me when I bring you back?’ Nina suggested, because she had that uncomfortable feeling that she and Blake were in the way.

      She ached for him.

      Ached because for the Wilson siblings love never quite made the distance. Instead, they were always having to make do with someone else’s crumbs.

      Well, not for much longer.

      ‘Are you looking forward to seeing the new apartment?’ Nina asked as they trudged through the slush towards their new home. ‘I’ve got to set up your bed and furniture when we get in. Maybe you can help?’

      ‘I want to watch the game …’ Blake was ice-hockey mad, and tonight Nina was actually glad of it as she’d get his room set up much more quickly on her own. ‘Can we get take-away?’ he asked for maybe the tenth time in as many minutes, refusing to let it drop when Nina said no. And as much as she enjoyed her access times, they were incredibly exhausting too. Nina wanted to be firm with him, but she didn’t want to spend the weekend arguing either, and of course she wanted to spoil him. It was conflicting and exhausting and she just wanted Blake properly in her life, not these alternate weekend vacations he expected.

      She climbed the stairs to her apartment, Blake still moaning about dinner. She was already peeling off her hat and scarf when she saw Jack standing at her door, holding a bottle of wine.

      ‘What are you doing here?’

      ‘I came to talk to you.’

      ‘I told you I had Blake this weekend.’ She looked down at her brother, who was grinning up at Jack, and she was not going to discuss things in front of Blake.

      ‘Go inside, Blake.’ She turned the key and pushed open the door. ‘I’ll be inside in a moment.’ And then she remembered that Blake hadn’t been there before so she could hardly show him his new home by shoving him inside. Suddenly Nina knew how to sort this right here, right now, knew how to get Jack to leave. ‘Come in if you want to …’

      She was incredibly annoyed that he did.

      Blake raced around the apartment as Jack stood a little awkwardly. ‘This is your room,’ Nina said. ‘I’ll make up the furniture later. You go and have a wander around and get used to the place.’

      She headed back to Jack.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ he said when they were alone. ‘I shouldn’t have just crashed in like that. I honestly thought when you said weekends that you meant Saturday.’

      ‘Nope,’ she said. ‘I have Blake two nights a fortnight and soon I’m hoping to make it fourteen.’

      She was also incredibly annoyed about what his eyes suggested when she took off her coat and she stood in her court outfit, though it was a little less elegant as she’d changed into boots for the journey home.

      ‘How was court?’

      ‘Good,’ Nina said. ‘Well, there was a lot of hanging around. I read about you in a magazine, actually …’

      ‘Every word must be true, then.’

      ‘This one was devoid of scandal.’ She gave him a smile. ‘Your mum can’t wait to have grandchildren …’

      ‘Well, she can keep right on waiting.’

      She heard the dismissal in his voice and again she was reminded about what she was dealing with.

      ‘Are you close to anyone?’

      He just gave her a smile that spoke of the other night at the office.

      ‘I’m serious, Jack.’

      ‘As I’ve said before, there’s no such thing as a perfect family.’

      ‘What about your brother?’ Nina asked, but Jack shrugged.

      ‘There’s a six-year age difference.’

      ‘Same as there is with Janey and Blake,’ Nina said. ‘There’s an even bigger one between Janey and I.’

      ‘Which meant we didn’t see each other at school.’

      ‘What about at home?’

      ‘We went to boarding school.’ Jack knew his words didn’t quite wash, given how she fought so hard to unite her family. ‘They’re difficult people,’ Jack said.

      ‘Families are.’

      Blake appeared then, asking again if they could get take-away.

      ‘I’ve already said no.’

      ‘I don’t mind going out to get something …’ Jack offered, and had no idea why it incensed her so much, had no idea Blake had been begging for it all the way home.

      ‘I’m making dinner,’ she said.

      ‘Is that an invitation to join you?”

      ‘It’s just pasta.’

      ‘Great.’

      Nina slammed around her small kitchen as Jack sat on the sofa, chatting to Blake. She could hear them both laughing and it annoyed her further. ‘Jack!’ she called over her shoulder as she filled a large saucepan with water. ‘Can you come here for a moment?’

      ‘Sure.’

      He came to the door.

      ‘Go easy on him.’

      ‘Sorry?’

      ‘Blake’s really needy …’ She was so angry that he’d turned up like this, because two minutes in it was clear Blake was already a huge Jack Carter fan. ‘Just don’t make any promises you can’t keep.’

      ‘Do you think I’m stupid?’

      ‘No,’ Nina answered tartly, ‘but we’re just friends if he asks.’

      ‘Really!’ Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘I told Blake I worked with you and had a patient that we needed to discuss, but I can upgrade us to friends if you like …’

      ‘Colleagues is fine.’

      Trust Jack to have been one step ahead.

      Except she didn’t trust Jack, because he was terribly easy to like, and from his past reputation terribly quick to leave.

      So she made Blake’s favourite dinner, herb and breadcrumb pasta.

      Quick, tasty, cheap and nothing at all like Jack was used to.

      She melted the butter in a pan and added a couple of cups of breadcrumbs and then threw in a load of herbs and tried not to listen to the laughter from the lounge as she put the crumbs into the oven and added СКАЧАТЬ