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“Xander’s nice, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” She wondered where this was going. The last thing she needed were intimate revelations about the girl’s relationship with Xander.
“He’s really good with Colin. Like a dad. Leo was good too, at the bistro.” She added it like an afterthought, maybe trying to seem less focused on Xander.
Bonnie scrubbed at a stain on the bench that looked like beetroot. “They both like children.”
“Do you think a girl having a kid already would put someone like Xander off?”
Someone like Xander? Or Xander? “I don’t think so. He’s a nice guy. All the guys are, but I suppose you know Xander best. He’d make a good father.”
The girl hugged the cleaning cloth to her chest. “I think so, too.” Her eyes were dreamy in a way Bonnie recognised. She’d looked exactly the same when thinking about the same man. Xander Mac was too nice for his own good. Whether he was seriously interested in someone as young as Tamara, she didn’t know. He treated her with an indulgence, a gentleness that made Bonnie’s heart ache. She’d never seen it with any other girls, the hordes of fans at the festival last night being treated with his smile and a few words and firmly brushed off.
She wondered about Colin’s father. Not even Flo had let slip the secret of the boy’s parentage, which meant either she didn’t know, or she was too kind to share it around. Bonnie hadn’t been around, so all her knowledge came second-hand through Flo. The older woman had kept Tamara on at the inn after Colin’s birth, allowing her to bring the baby to work.
“Did you want to go to college, Tamara?”
The girl laughed. “Me? No. I thought of doing a hairdressing apprenticeship, but once Colin came along it wouldn’t have worked. I like it here and when Flo’s okay, she promised to teach me some more cooking. Dad is all about meat and three veggies and tinned fruit and ice cream for dessert. It’s okay, but I’d like to learn something fancy.”
Bonnie realised how lucky she’d been. Like Tamara, she’d lost her mother, but she’d had Nan and Flo. “I could teach you while I’m here.”
“That would be great.”
The girl seemed pathetically grateful for attention. Living alone with her dad probably meant a dearth of female companionship. Gordo was renowned as a bit of a woman hater. He treated them with respect; he simply didn’t allow them into his life.
“Look, Tamara, I’m going out tomorrow night with some of the girls. Would you like to join us? Can you organise babysitting?”
“Dad would look after Colin. He’s usually in bed by seven anyway. Are you sure you want me along?”
“It’s a bunch of girls at the Spotted Cow. No big deal.”
A pretty pink flush coloured her face. “I’d like to come.”
“Good.” Bonnie pulled out the mop and dealt with the kitchen floor, while Tamara vacuumed.
After locking up the cottage, they walked back to the main building together, Bonnie carrying the laundry bag. They were almost at the side door when Tamara stopped her with a light touch on her arm. “Colin’s dad wasn’t a bad person. I lied to him.”
“About your age?” It was possible. The girl had always been tall for her age and had tended to use heavy make-up and dress older. “He believed you?”
“I said I was nineteen.”
That was very believable. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”
“Me too. He wasn’t really interested in a relationship. When he found out I lied, he didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Or Colin?”
“It’s better this way. Xander gave me some money for Colin. He didn’t want me to have to work, but I don’t want to be stuck at home all the time. At least here I’m learning and get to meet people. Colin is used to going to the childcare centre because of me finishing school.” She added the explanation at Bonnie’s startled look.
Xander had given financial support to Tamara for the boy? The girl hadn’t named him as the father. Why would he be so involved if he weren’t the father? He had plenty of money to burn so maybe it was just the logical thing to do. Her head was buzzing as she pushed open the door. “I need to start on the evening meal.”
Tamara gathered Colin under her wing and headed for the cloakroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“Eight o’clock at the Spotted Cow.”
*
Bonnie checked thepublic rooms, making sure they were empty of guests, and headed upstairs. She needed time to process everything. It had been a strange day. Every day when Xander was around had her off-kilter. Today was… more. The reporter thing was worrying. It was clear Xander didn’t want the woman taking an interest in Colin. Making it look like he and Bonnie were an item might have been taking the whole thing too far. Not that she minded being held by him, being at the receiving end of his radiant smile, being praised; none of those things were exactly bad. But they were confusing.
