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Joel caught her eye and grinned. ‘I was a cute baby. Want to see the photos of me in the bath?’
She knew he was teasing her but still blushed, and Nick came to her rescue.
‘Why on earth would the girl want to see photos of you in the bath? Disgusting, if you ask me.’
Joel looked affronted. ‘I was a beautiful baby.’
Nick looked at him through narrowed eyes. ‘They always say that the past is no predictor of the future, and in this case they were obviously right.’
Richard coughed pointedly. ‘So what’s happening this afternoon? We’ve already bored little Sam rigid. We ought to do something to entertain him.’
‘Oh, there’s no need,’ Lucy said quickly, folding her serviette carefully and placing it back on the table. ‘Lunch was delicious, and it was good to chat, but we’ll be off home in a minute.’
Nick shook his head. ‘You haven’t sampled Mum’s puddings yet.’
Sam came back with Elizabeth, clutching a huge basket full of toys. ‘Wow, Mum. Look at this train. It’s so cool.’
Lucy caught Joel grinning and smiled, too. It was nice to see Sam so happy.
‘That was Nick’s.’ Elizabeth knelt on the floor next to the child and sorted through the toys with him. ‘Oh, I didn’t know we still had this—look at this, Richard. Your father bought this for Michael on his fifth birthday.’
Happily involved with the toys, Sam showed no inclination to leave. And once Elizabeth had served dessert, the conversation moved on to the Valentine’s Ball that Elizabeth was planning.
‘We’ve sold a hundred tickets,’ she told them proudly. ‘It’s going to be the best night ever and we’re going to make a fortune!’
Lucy smiled. ‘Who is it in aid of?’
‘The lifeboat,’ Elizabeth said immediately, reaching for the cream and pouring some on her pudding. ‘We make a profit on the tickets and then hold an auction and several other things during the evening to make money. Will you come?’
Lucy shook her head immediately, searching for a ready excuse. ‘I’ve got no one to look after Sam.’
She’d never been to a ball in her life. Neither did she want to. Especially not a Valentine’s Ball. It would be full of romantic couples, reminding her what a hopeless mess her life was in.
‘Maria could look after Sam,’ Michael suggested, helping himself to more pudding. ‘I’m on call, so we’re not going.’
Maria smiled. ‘I’d be very happy to.’
Lucy searched for another excuse to avoid telling them the truth. ‘I haven’t got anything to wear.’
Tina smiled. ‘I own a boutique, remember? And I happen to have just the thing—it would look stunning with your dark hair.’
Lucy started to feel panicky. She didn’t want to go to a ball. It would be full of loving couples and she couldn’t bear being near loving couples. It just reminded her too painfully of what she and Sam had lost.
To her relief and surprise, Joel intervened.
‘Leave the girl alone,’ he said smoothly. ‘If Lucy wants to go to the ball, she can ask for a ticket. She doesn’t need a fairy godmother. Talking of lifeboats, I gather they had a dramatic rescue last weekend. Three teenagers were swept off the rocks.’
Knowing that he’d changed the subject on her behalf, Lucy shot Joel a grateful look and listened with interest as the conversation turned to the lifeboat rescue.
‘Yeah.’ Nick nodded slowly. ‘They scrambled a rescue helicopter and sent out the all-weather lifeboat. Those rocks are lethal, and unfortunately people don’t realise how quickly the tide comes in.’
They spent the rest of the afternoon happily chatting and eating while Sam amused himself with the toys Elizabeth had found for him.
Eventually, though, it was time to leave, and when they drove back to the harbour Sam was fast asleep in the back seat of Joel’s car.
He scooped the sleeping child into his arms and carried him out of the car and up into Lucy’s flat.
‘His bedroom’s through there…’ Lucy gestured down the hallway and Sam shouldered the door open and laid the child on the bed.
