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‘We were at school together. Never thought Sean would settle down but he’s married now with two children and another one on the way.’ His long fingers played with the mug of coffee as he watched her. ‘Funny how life turns out.’
His cold blue gaze was accusing again and she turned away and tipped her coffee down the sink. She felt too sick to drink it.
‘Shall we play a game with my dinosaurs now?’ Suddenly bored by adult conversation, Toby wriggled on his chair and looked for a distraction. ‘You can be the plant-eaters and I’ll be the meat-eaters.’
‘That sounds like a slightly mismatched contest,’ Jed drawled gently, ruffling the boy’s hair and giving him an affectionate look that twisted Brooke’s insides.
‘Jed has to leave now, sweetheart,’ Brooke said gruffly, ‘but I’m sure he’d like to play with your dinosaurs another time.’
‘You’re right. I certainly would.’ He rose to his feet and picked up his jacket and car keys. ‘I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.’
CHAPTER FIVE
JED took Brooke to a small pub tucked away on the edge of a village. It was warm and welcoming and full of locals, and Jed grabbed a small table tucked in one corner, close to the flickering fire.
‘It’s not pretentious but the food’s good,’ he said gruffly, shrugging off his coat and pulling out a chair for her. ‘I thought it was more informal than a restaurant.’
‘It’s fine,’ Brooke said stiffly, sitting down and picking up a menu without enthusiasm. She didn’t care where she was and she certainly didn’t feel hungry. Her head still throbbed—probably the anticipation of yet more confrontation, she thought wearily.
Jed ordered for both of them and settled himself more comfortably in his chair, his blue eyes fixed on her face.
‘OK. I’ve calmed down and I’m ready to listen.’
‘Listen to what?’
‘To what you have to say. You said there were reasons for not having told me about Toby.’ His voice was low and very male. ‘I’d like to hear them, Brooke.’
She stared into the fire, the heat and the flames almost hypnotic. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’
‘Try me.’
There was a long silence and she took a sip of her drink. ‘I wasn’t meant to be there that night.’
‘At the ball?’
‘That’s right.’ She put her drink back on the table and stared into the fire again. ‘I never went out. I was too busy studying, and when I wasn’t studying I was working.’
‘Working? You had a second job?’ His voice was sharp. ‘Doing what?’
‘I was a waitress in a bistro.’
‘Why did you have to do that?’
She gave him an impatient look. ‘Because we needed the money—why do you think?’
‘Who needed the money?’ He frowned. ‘Who were you living with?’
She picked up her glass and took a sip. ‘My father.’
‘Your father encouraged you to hold down two jobs?’ Jed looked stunned and she shifted in her seat.
‘It was more complicated than that, Jed.’
‘I’m still listening.’
She glanced at him and sighed. He wasn’t going to let her get away with anything less than the full story. Oh, well, why not? What difference did it make if he knew the truth? At least he might begin to understand her reasons for not telling him about Toby.
‘My parents didn’t plan to have me,’ she began, fiddling with her glass and staring at the fire. She didn’t look at him but she could feel his eyes fixed on her. ‘I was an accident. My mum was young and, well, anyway, they got carried away and I was the result. Without me they never would have got married.’ She took a deep breath. ‘And that’s why I couldn’t tell you that I was pregnant. I didn’t want to put you in the same position that my father was in when he made my mother pregnant.’
