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Abby walked over to the nearby stove and lifted the lid on a pot, inhaling deeply and giving it a stir. ‘Actually, it came really cheap. I inherited it, it was my aunt’s.’
His brow furrowed. ‘Your aunt? I don’t remember you talking about an aunt.’
‘She was really my mom’s best friend. This was her house. She never married and she never had any children. She was a writer. Do you remember those children’s books with the big spider on the front?’
Luke gave a little nod. ‘I remember you had a set of those on the bookshelves in our apartment.’
Abby walked over to a small bookcase next to one of the easy chairs looking out over the back garden. She pulled out a set of books with a big pink spider on the front. ‘She wrote these nearly forty years ago and it made her a fortune. That’s how she could afford this house. When she died she left it to me.’
Luke walked over next to her and looked out over the equally perfect back garden. ‘God, I would kill for a place like this, Abby. It’s gorgeous.’
Abby nodded, then turned back to the stove and gave the contents of the pot another stir. ‘You’re right, it is gorgeous. The perfect place to bring up a family.’
The words hung in the air between them. A thousand things unsaid. A thousand questions unanswered and misunderstood.
The hairs on her arms stood on end. Would he speak? Would he say anything about the past? About why he would never consider the other options to have children?
No, nothing. Luke said nothing, His eyes drifted from the garden to the kitchen stove and then to his feet.
She tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Come on upstairs and I’ll show you to your room.’ She bent to pick up his case.
Luke moved quickly. ‘Don’t be silly, I’ll carry that.’ His hand encircled hers and their eyes locked for a second. His pale blue eyes with her warm brown ones. Abby flinched, not really understanding why. She pulled her hand back.
‘Come this way.’ She led him up the white-painted stairs and into a corridor with white walls and a pale blue carpet. His eyes were drawn immediately to the beautiful round stained-glass window at the end of the corridor. The sun was streaming through the window, sending a cavalcade of rainbow hues pooling on the white walls.
‘You’ve got a stained-glass window?’ A few quick strides took him to the end of the corridor to touch the coloured glass. He peered at the image in the window. ‘Flowers? What are these?’
Abby touched them in turn. ‘The yellow ones are daffodils and the blue ones are bluebells. My aunt was born in Scotland and she used to live next to some fields that were full of these flowers. She got the window made to remind her of home.’
He looked down the corridor. The window at the other end was the same round shape and size, but only plain glass.
‘How come she didn’t do that one?’
Abby smiled. ‘She meant to—she just didn’t get around to it. I’ve always meant to do it myself. I’d love to have a field of colourful freesias—lots of reds, pinks and purples. But stained glass is just so expensive, and I’ve been distracted by other things.’
Luke nodded slowly. Having a sick child could steal every minute of your day. ‘That’s some piece of history.’ He glanced around at some of the open doors. ‘Which one is mine?’
Abby walked over to the furthest away door. ‘In here.’
The room had pale blue walls, a wooden floor and white bedspread. Beautiful and homely, if a little impersonal. She walked over to the window. ‘I thought you might like the room with the view.’
And there it was, the beautiful ocean view that only a house sitting on the hills could capture.
Abby smiled as she saw Luke take a deep breath. She pointed downwards. ‘There’s even a window seat.’
He gave a little nod. ‘The view’s gorgeous, Abby.’ He watched the waves breaking in the ocean beneath them. People paid a fortune for a view like this. Abby had certainly landed on her feet.
‘You’ve got to let me thank you for this.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘For letting me stay here.’
She gave a playful smile. ‘It might only be for the one night, Luke. I throw guests out for bad behaviour, you know.’
He reached over and took her hand. ‘I know that there’s a hospital barbeque tonight. Do you want to go to that?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I try not to socialise too much at those kinds of things. They tend to be more for the adults.’ Her eyes glanced downwards to the garden where Reuben was playing and he immediately understood. She wanted to spend some time with her son.
‘How about if you let me take you somewhere local for dinner, then?’ He lifted his hand as she went to interrupt. ‘We could go out later, once you’ve put Reuben to bed, and you could ask Lucy to come back for a few hours. How about that?’
Abby nodded slowly. A late dinner would be fine. It would give her a chance to bath Reuben and put him to bed. Actually, a late dinner would be kind of nice. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gone to dinner with someone.
The front door opened and slammed again as Reuben came running inside.
‘Where are you, Mommy?’ His little voice drifted upstairs.
‘I’m here, honey.’ She crossed into the corridor and leaned over the balustrade. ‘I was just showing Dr Luke his room.’
‘Dr Luke is staying tonight? Whoopee! Can he play cars?’
Luke shifted uncomfortably. Kids weren’t his specialty and he didn’t routinely spend time in their company. What if Reuben hated him?
He turned as Abby gave him a weak smile. ‘Welcome to the madhouse.’
Luke pushed open the door to the restaurant and was immediately hit by the aromas of Mexican food. His stomach growled loudly and Abby laughed.
‘That’s twice in one day. Are you hungry, Luke?’ ‘Starving. I take it you know this place well?’ She gave a little smile. ‘Of course I do. We eat here nearly every week.’ She walked to the back of the restaurant and shouted through the doors to the kitchen, ‘Diego, sorry we’re late. Reuben wouldn’t go to bed.’
Luke could hear some muffled response and Abby led him to a red and white chequered table near the front of the restaurant. There were several other couples in the eatery, all at various stages of dinner, many huddled over flickering red candles on the tabletops, several of whom raised their hands, waving at Abby.
Luke felt something strange in his stomach. Uneasiness. Abby had a whole range of friends and acquaintances that he knew nothing about. She’d built a life for herself and for Reuben in this friendly little community. Five years ago they’d moved in the same circles and had had the same group of friends. Now everything had changed and he knew nothing about the life that she led.
A tall Mexican man appeared at their table, carrying a pitcher of water and two glasses. ‘It’s nice to see you again.’ He bent over and kissed Abby on the cheek. ‘Here you go, Abby.’ He placed the glasses and pitcher on the table and winked at Luke. ‘In preparation for the extra-hot food she likes.’
Abby gave a wide smile. ‘Can I have a diet soda too, please, Diego?’ She glanced over at Luke. ‘What would you like?’
‘Diet soda’s fine for me too, thanks.’ His eyes swept around the restaurant, noticing there were no menus or wine lists on the table. And almost instantly he understood. This wasn’t the type of establishment where you ordered. You only told them whether you liked your food medium, hot or very hot. His head tilted towards Diego. ‘So what’s on the menu tonight, then?’
‘Aha, that will be a surprise for the lovely couple.’ He pointed at them both. ‘Do you have any allergies the kitchen should know about, sir?’
Luke shook his head.
‘And how spicy do you like your food?’
His eyes swept over the pitcher of iced water already on the table. Last time he’d gone for dinner with Abby she wouldn’t even order a curry.
‘I’ll have what she’s having,’ he said with confiden
ce.
She flung back her head and laughed. ‘I warn you, Luke, my tastes have changed in the last few years. I doubt you’ll be able to keep up.’
‘Is that a challenge?’
She leaned back in her chair. ‘It could be.’ She reached over and touched Diego’s hand. ‘I’ll leave this all in your capable hands.’
He gave a little nod and headed off towards the kitchen.
Abby lifted the pitcher and poured some iced water into the two glasses. ‘So what have you been doing in Washington, Luke?’
He raised his eyebrow. ‘I think we better start with what you’ve been doing for the last five years, Abby.’
She shifted under his steady gaze. This was about Reuben again. Why was he so astonished that she’d adopted a child? She’d never made any secret of the fact she wanted to have children.
