Seduction In Sydney. Fiona McArthur

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ I have said I will work and do the on-call before I leave for the States.’

      Annie looked so sweet and Emily’s trepidation grew. She knew that look. ‘So you have no family here, do you?’

      Emily froze, wanted to put her hand out or even over her daughter’s mouth as she sensed what was coming.

      ‘No.’ Marco wasn’t stupid either and Emily held her breath.

      So innocent Annie. ‘Would you like to come to my baby shower?’

      ‘Annie!’ Emily’s voice came out strangled.

      ‘I’ll see.’ Marco’s smile was crooked. ‘Perhaps your mother would prefer if I didn’t?’

      Annie feigned horror. ‘Mum!’

      Emily knew she was trapped. ‘What?’

      Annie cajoled, ‘Well, I’d like to invite Rodney and his friends and maybe you could invite Dr D’Arvello and yours?’

      Emily’s face reddened. ‘We’ll see. I’m sure Dr D’Arvello has other plans.’ She hoped.

      Marco didn’t offer anything and she glared at him as she was obliged to fill the gap. ‘But of course he’s welcome.’

      Annie was full of mischief. ‘You could even come home this afternoon and help us put up the decorations for Mum’s birthday.’

      Emily blinked in shock. It got worse. ‘Annie! That’s enough.’

      He looked at Emily. ‘It is your birthday?’

      ‘Not until Friday.’

      Annie sighed. Rolled her eyes. ‘Okay. I’ve already invited Rodney.’ She grinned at Marco. ‘If you get bored you can get the address from my notes.’

      Marco smiled at her. ‘Strangely, I know where you live.’

      Annie nodded as if he had just confirmed her suspicions. ‘I thought you might.’ She glanced at her mother’s red cheeks.

      Going down in the lift Emily fumed. She gripped the handle of Annie’s overnight bag and squeezed it until the plastic bit into her fingers. She’d kill her. The little witch had planned that.

      She speared a look at her daughter and Annie was innocently staring at the numbers on the console. Avoiding her, as well she should.

      Emily stopped grinding her teeth. ‘Please don’t invite any more people without asking me, Annie.’

      Annie swung to face her. Mischief clear and bold. ‘Oh, come on. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other.’ Annie raised her brows and for a moment she looked like her grandmother and Emily felt her anger drain away like water from a leaky pipe.

      Until her daughter said, ‘And for the record, who was it who said if you like a boy enough to want to have sex, it would be good to let me into the secret?’ She grinned cheekily. ‘I hope I don’t have to discuss contraception with you, Mum.’

      It was that obvious? Emily buried the fingers of her free hand into her forehead. This was all too much. She felt like the daughter here. ‘Touché.’ She huffed her breathe out. ‘He is a nice man but he’s leaving soon.’

      ‘Come off it, Mum. The guy’s gorgeous and he’s smitten with you. Even more reason to have some fun, for goodness’ sake. And Friday is your birthday.’

      Who was this young woman? Then again, Annie had no idea how much fun her mother had already had. Her ears heated. ‘I’ll think about it.’

      By the time she’d driven home and Annie was settled into the big squishy living room chair with her feet up, Emily had calmed down. She even whipped up a batch of date scones to set on the table with butter and jam. Men were always hungry. She couldn’t help feeling it would be a bit of an anticlimax if Marco didn’t turn up along with Rodney.

      She glanced out the window. A black Aston Martin stopped across the road.

      Marco turned off the engine. He’d been kidding himself that he wouldn’t come. He was glad now because he could see Rodney sitting in his car, staring at the front gate. He’d bet the young man tried to build up the courage to knock on the door.

      Marco crossed the street and knocked on Rodney’s car roof. ‘Hello?’

      ‘Oh. Hi.’ Rodney drooped in his seat.

      Marco bent down. ‘You are coming in?’

      Rodney poked his finger down his T-shirt. ‘I don’t think Annie’s mother likes me.’

      Marco opened his door. ‘Annie’s mother will like anyone who makes her daughter happy. You can come with me. We will go in together. Your lady will be glad to see you.’

      Marco wasn’t real sure about his own lady but he could understand her reluctance to become more involved when he had stated his intention to leave.

      Today he was going to help Rodney.

      It would be cathartic to help. To help an insecure boy like Marco had been all those years ago. He certainly would have benefited from some advice from another man.

      To Emily it must have seemed as if Marco and Rodney had arrived at the same time and she opened the door with a smile that welcomed.

      She greeted them both warmly and he couldn’t help his relief. Though why he was surprised was a measure of his own insecurity because she had always been polite.

      ‘Come in. Welcome. Annie will be pleased to see you and we have scones ready.’

      The house floated on the aroma of fresh baking, Emily’s cheeks were flushed, and Annie lorded over them all from her chair.

      It felt like a family. He swallowed the fear in his throat.

      Or how he imagined a family would feel. He shouldn’t be here. Only when his father had been in jail had he had any idea of a stable life with his mother and he’d been ready to leave home by then. Was there any chance one day his life might come to this?

      ‘Marco, can you help, please?’ Perhaps Emily had sensed his ambivalence because she didn’t leave him to ponder too deeply for long.

      Within minutes industry ensued as Emily directed and he could see where her daughter had inherited her organisational skills from.

      A doting Rodney carried buttered scones across to his lady and Marco lifted down the heavy box of decorations that overflowed with a family history he could only imagine. Even at a glance he could tell some of them were very old.

      ‘Thanks.’ Emily peered in. ‘That’s the hardest part—getting that box down from the top of the cupboard.’

      She lifted a handful of paper chains from the box, some of them falling apart, and set them on the table ready to hang or repair.

      ‘Annie and I make these every year with the greeting cards from her birthday we saved from the year. So there’s lots of them. It’s a family tradition. We СКАЧАТЬ