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Drix winces, shifting his gaze out the window. “Let’s just say when Hubert died things changed. Not that I mind, I don’t want that kind of… responsibility,” he replies, choosing his words carefully.
“I see,” I reply, not sure that I do.
“So, that means I have time to look after Toby whilst you work the morning shift, and if anything crops up Daisy is willing to help too. As you can see, she already adores Toby.”
“Isn’t there a nursery in town?” I ask, biting on my lip as I try to think this through.
A nursery will cost money, money that I don’t have. Drix has already shown me over and over again what a good man he is, and Toby adores both him and Daisy. This could be a perfect arrangement for all of us.
“There is. I could take you to view it later today, if you’d prefer?” he replies, and I can’t help but notice how his eyes flicker with disappointment.
In that moment, I’m reminded of all the times he’s shown Toby such kindness and affection in such a short space of time. Making a decision, I shake my head.
“That won’t be necessary. I’d love it if you could look after Toby for me, if you’re absolutely certain you’re okay with that?”
Drix grins, his smile is so genuine it takes my breath away. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. Thank you, Lia, for trusting me with Toby. That means a lot.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you,” I say, earnestly, giving him a wavering smile. “I will never forget this kindness, and one day I hope that I'll have the opportunity to pass it on.”
“You’re welcome, Lia,” he replies, reaching for the door handle.
I grab his arm, and without allowing myself to think too much about it, I lean in and press a kiss against his cheek. It’s both brief and eternal; this soothing kind of warmth floods through me at the contact. He smells of pine and warm leather, like everything my broken heart needs, yet my head tells it to be wary of. Pulling away, I feel heat flush my cheeks, and tiny sparks of electricity scatter down my spine as our gazes meet. God, what is this man doing to me? This feeling, that’s what frightens me the most.
He clears his throat. “Come on, let’s head inside.”
An hour later we sit down for dinner in a quiet corner of the hotel’s restaurant. Toby is tucking into a bowl of spaghetti, Drix and I enjoy roast beef with all the trimmings, and Daisy is demolishing duck confit. The conversation flows easily between Drix and Daisy, but I’m lost in thought, more than a little overwhelmed after meeting everyone I’m going to be working with and the conversation I had with Drix earlier. Overwhelm seems to be a feeling I’m constantly living with right now, but I’m hoping once I get into some kind of routine, things will get better. Drix certainly seems positive they will, and maybe I should allow myself just a tiny bit of hope that he’s right.
The kitchen staff and the chefs were welcoming, the kitchen itself well equipped with everything I could need to do my job. To be truthful, just thinking about starting work tomorrow fills me with an excitement that I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s a feeling I’m not used to.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Drix says, catching my eye as he lines up his knife and fork on his empty plate.
“Everyone seems really nice,” I reply with honesty.
“The staff here are amazing, no thanks to Dalton,” Daisy adds, her attention drawn to someone over on the other side of the room. That someone being Dalton himself. He’s dressed smartly in a black fitted suit, talking with a couple at another table. On the surface he appears to be professional and charming, yet going by the look on Daisy’s face she doesn’t buy it for a minute.
“You know you really need to try and lay off him,” Drix says. “The guy has sh- stuff going on,” Drix corrects himself when Toby snaps his head up, a smile pulling up his sauce-covered lips.
“That stuff being husbands wanting to murder him for sleeping with their wives?” Daisy counters, visibly bristling.
“Look, I get it. He’s a womaniser–”
“What’s a womaniser?” Toby asks, swiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
It’s kind of cute the way Drix screws up his face trying to figure out a child-friendly way to explain to Toby that his best friend likes to sleep around with people he shouldn’t.
“Erm, it’s kind of when a man makes friends with a woman who’s already married to another man,” Drix says.
“Like you and Mama you mean?” he replies, and Daisy coughs on her mouthful of drink, her eyes widening as she drops her gaze to my ring finger. Which is ring-less, given I threw the damn thing away the first moment I could after escaping.
“No, not like that,” I say, suddenly feeling nauseous.
“You’re married?” Daisy whispers, as Drix draws Toby’s attention to the waitstaff heading towards us with pudding.
“I’ll explain later,” I reply, shaking my head.
Daisy frowns, looking over at Drix who’s doing his best to not listen in, even though he’s the one who deserves an explanation the most. It’s not that I lied to him, it’s just I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I actually married my abuser even though at that time there were no signs of who he really was beneath all the charm. The truth is, when I left, I didn’t just leave Martin, but every commitment I ever made to the man. He’s not my husband. Not anymore.
“Okay,” she nods, shifting in her seat as one of our waitresses clears our plates and the other serves our pudding.
