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‘Thea agrees with me. You’re doing the right thing.’
Lucas feigned incomprehension and then gave in. ‘Thanks. Nice to know.’
And the matter was closed. Until after dinner, when Lucas leaned back in his chair on the patio, ruminating on the problem.
‘So we have two separate nodes of infection.’
‘Only they probably aren’t separate at all. We just can’t see the link.’ Thea had been thinking about that too.
‘Yeah. And whoever the link is, they’re going untreated.’ One of his fingers tapped restlessly on the arm of his chair. Lucas wasn’t going to let this go until he’d found that person.
‘So what do we know?’
‘We have two schools, six miles apart. Very different communities, and it’s not that likely that the kids from one school mix much with the kids from the other.’
‘Maybe inter-school activities?’
‘Perhaps. But would that provide the degree of exposure needed to infect someone?’
‘Does she have a boyfriend?’
‘Don’t think so, her parents are pretty strict about that kind of thing…’ He paused to think. ‘I wouldn’t be the one to know that, would I?’
‘Not necessarily.’
Lucas frowned. ‘It’s the end of term in six weeks as well. That’s going to make things more difficult, at the moment everyone’s pretty much in the same place. Once school breaks up people will be going away on holiday and it’ll be more difficult to contact them.’
‘So we’ve got our golden opportunity now. Let’s make the most of it.’
‘Yeah. Let’s do that.’ He stared out over the garden. ‘By the way, are you free this weekend?’
‘I was going to work anyway—there’s something you want me to do?’
‘Actually, I was going to try and stop you from working. You look tired and we all need a break.’
Looking tired probably wasn’t the best of imp
ressions to make, but it was nice that he’d noticed. ‘What kind of break?’
‘I’ve got to go shopping with Ava. They have an end-of-term dance, and this year she wants a nice dress. I wondered if you’d like to come. I dare say that your opinion would count for a little more than mine.’
‘Ava wants me to go?’
His gaze met hers, and the old electricity suddenly zipped between them. ‘I want you to come. I’m shamelessly using Ava as an excuse.’
It was impossible to refuse. Maybe this was the start of what she’d hoped would happen someday. Maybe she was moving on from the past and maybe, just maybe, Lucas could be a part of her future.
‘All right. What time?’
‘About ten-ish?’
‘Ten’s good. I’ll come over and meet you here.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
LUCAS HAD UNDERESTIMATED himself. He was every girl’s dream as a shopping companion. Ava had been given a generous budget, and instead of loitering around, waiting for her to make her choice, Lucas was in the thick of it all, making suggestions and looking through rails of dresses.
Thea, on the other hand, didn’t feel as if she was a great deal of help. When she pulled a dark blue, long-sleeved dress from the rail, both Lucas and Ava wrinkled their noses at the same time.
