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‘Dominic has had a super time. Thank you so much for asking him along to watch you, Miss Reynolds.’
‘No problem.’ She made sure not to look at Alessandro. ‘I…er…I actually wanted to talk to you about maybe letting Dominic have football lessons, Mrs Park…’
‘I’m afraid that’s quite out of the question, Miss Reynolds.’
She hadn’t finished the sentence before Dominic was jumping up and down in a state of high excitement.
‘He might take you to court if you don’t agree,’ Megan said lightly, and the other woman managed to crack a smile at that. Depressingly, Megan found that it was hard to dislike her, because somewhere under that hard-edged, business-like surface she sensed a nice person.
‘I’ll leave you to think about it, anyway. I’m going to make my escape and get cleaned up. Have a brilliant Christmas!’
She still hadn’t looked in Alessandro’s direction, but she could feel his eyes on her. Even more depressing than the fact that she couldn’t hate his fiancée was the fact that she was still mortifyingly aware of him. Two miserable seconds in his company and he was back in her thoughts as though it was yesterday.
She fled towards the changing rooms—angry with him for rubbing his jolly, settled, oh-I’ve-found-the-perfect-woman life in her face, and angry with herself because he still got to her and it wasn’t fair.
She was flinging all her dirty kit into her bag when something made her look up—to find the object of her thoughts lounging by the door to the changing room, arms folded, watching her.
‘What are you doing here? This is the women’s changing room, in case you hadn’t noticed!’
‘The only woman in here is you. I waited outside, expecting to see you emerge with the rest of them, but after fifteen minutes I thought I’d come in. Make sure you hadn’t collapsed.’
‘Well, I haven’t, so you can leave now.’ She had showered, washed her hair and blowdried it, and put it into two stubby plaits. She had changed into jeans and a jumper and her thick waterproof anorak, which was a fashion disaster but could withstand anything the weather could throw at it.
‘You played a good game out there. Football. Hmm…Wonder why I’m not surprised?’ Covered in patches of mud, she had looked like an urchin. A very cute, very willful little urchin.
‘What are you still doing here, Alessandro?’ She snatched up her kit bag and drew in a deep breath before walking to the door. ‘I haven’t collapsed, and your fiancée will be waiting outside for you.’
‘Victoria’s been swept off her feet by your coach chap, who’s taken her and Dominic to some coffee bar round the corner to discuss football lessons.’
‘Robbie?’ Megan paused, and then burst out laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’ Alessandro said with a tight smile, feeling as though he was standing on the edge of some private inner joke. Did she laugh that laugh with him, the blond, athletic football coach who had managed to persuade Victoria out of her tightly allotted timetable?
‘You wouldn’t get it.’ Megan brushed past him, still amused at her rogue of a coach, who had obviously charmed the very proper Mrs Park into breaking with tradition and taking time out.
‘I haven’t lost my sense of humour,’ Alessandro told her with irritation.
‘I’m sorry,’ Megan apologised insincerely. ‘Is that what you thought? No, I was just thinking about Robbie, that’s all. He always manages to put a smile on my face.’
‘Does he, now?’
‘I’m not sure where you’re going, but I’m heading for the bus stop. You’re more than welcome to stand in the biting cold and wait with me, but I don’t suppose you do public transport these days?’
‘Give me five minutes.’
‘Give you five minutes to do what?’
‘To explain to Victoria that I’m going to see you home, and to tell my driver to wait for both of them.’
‘No!’ Megan stood with her hands on her hips, her football kit dumped on the ground next to her. ‘This isn’t going to do, Alessandro.’
Her heart was thumping inside her. He was so tall, so dominant, and her head was so full of memories that made her weak and vulnerable. But she was going to stand her ground—because what gave him the right to swan into her life after seven years and turn it upside down?
‘We’ve had our little chat. I don’t know how much clearer I can be when I tell you that I don’t want you in my life. I made a fool of myself over you seven years ago, but I’m a different person now. We have nothing in common and nothing to talk about! You’re not my friend, and quite honestly…’ she crossed her fingers behind her back ‘…I have no idea what I ever saw in you in the first place.’
