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‘So am I. My mother despairs of me.’
The whole thing sounded like a recipe for disaster and Christian slid a finger inside the collar of his shirt. ‘I don’t need help.’
There was a crash from one of the bedrooms upstairs and Lara flinched and pulled a face. ‘No?’ She tilted her head back and glanced up at the ceiling as if she was expecting a crack to appear. ‘I’ll go and see to the repairs while you think about my offer.’
CHAPTER FIVE
WHY had she mentioned moving in?
It had been a silly, impulsive suggestion. Wishful thinking on her part, because she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than being a part of his lovely, noisy family for Christmas. And Christian obviously needed some help.
But one look at his face had been enough to tell her that he wasn’t ever going to say yes to her suggestion. He was obviously used to being pursued by women and equally used to smoothly fending them off.
The chemistry between them clearly unsettled him and he hadn’t seemed convinced by her assurance that she didn’t want a relationship any more than he did.
He was obviously fiercely protective of his children.
Had they suffered a great deal?
They seemed fine to her, but she barely knew them so she probably wasn’t in a position to judge.
Lara took the stairs two at a time and found herself on a bright, spacious landing. The light poured in from large windows and she paused for a moment as she noticed the removal boxes stacked against the wall.
Her head full of questions, she walked a few paces, her feet echoing on the polished wooden floor. In her mind she was already furnishing the place. A large rug to add warmth to the landing, wooden bookshelves to store all those boxes of books. Tall plants that would flourish in the natural light.
It was a beautiful family home, she thought dreamily as she followed the direction of the noise.
Who would have thought that Christian Blake had a house in the smartest part of Notting Hill? Consultants earned good salaries, of course, but all the same…
Another crash from one of the rooms made her jump and Lara switched off her dreams and hurried towards the sound of sobbing.
Pushing open a door, she found herself in Aggie’s bedroom.
‘I can’t find them anywhere. I’ve emptied all the boxes and they’re gone.’ Aggie was sobbing noisily, surrounded by the contents of a toy box. ‘I need them for the nativity play.’
Lara scooped her off the floor and sat down on a chair with Aggie in her lap. Her blonde curls smelt of shampoo. ‘What do you need for the nativity play?’
‘Wings.’ Her sobs increased and Lara heard Christian’s tread on the stairs.
‘Don’t cry, Aggie. We’ll find the wings.’
‘What’s happened now?’ He stood in the doorway, his eyes on his daughter, his voice incredibly patient. ‘Aggie?’
‘I’m supposed to be an angel and I forgot to tell you. There’s a letter in my schoolbag. I need an angel costume.’
Christian dragged his hands through his hair. ‘An angel costume? What exactly does that involve? How long do I have to produce the thing?’
There was a faint note of panic in his voice that made Lara
smile. She’d seen him display nerves of steel when he coped with critically injured patients, but faced with the task of providing a child with an angel costume, he looked seriously flustered.
Aggie’s lip wobbled. ‘I can’t remember. Monday. Or maybe Tuesday.’
‘She needs it by the last Wednesday of term.’ Chloe appeared in the doorway. ‘The junior nativity is on the Wednesday. It’s another week and a half away.’
‘Well, that’s fine because we have plenty of time.’ Lara smiled. ‘I can provide an angel costume. And brand-new wings.’
Aggie sniffed. ‘I’m supposed to be a white angel.’
