Hand in hand, they wandered back to the car and he helped her in. He drove her home in almost total silence. When they arrived, he leaned over and kissed her again, gently but very thoroughly. ‘Call me when you’re free and we'll do a spot of sightseeing. I only need short notice. Dad is pretty cool about time off.’ Brett worked in the family electrical business and, as with most things, seemed to be very free and easy — about their lives. As she was getting out of Brett’s car, she noticed a light go on in Kate’s room. Obviously, she had been looking to see who was outside. She turned back and leaned over to plant another kiss on Brett’s cheek. He looked surprised. ‘That one was for Kate’s benefit,’ she chuckled. She awoke early the next morning and collected the children for breakfast before Ashton himself was ready. The two children sat quietly at the table munching their cereal. Kerrien had put the coffee on and was making toast when Kate came through. ‘Conscience pricking is it
A couple of days later, once she had settled the children for their afternoon nap, Kerrien left the house to meet Brett. They had agreed it would be best to meet a little distance from the house to avoid any further problems with Kate. She stood waiting at the roadside for him to pick her up. She felt a thrill of anticipation at the thought of seeing him again. She was longing to see the city centre and hoped to do some shopping. She desperately needed some new clothes and knew she could afford to splash out a little now that her money had all been transferred from the UK. ‘Hi,’ Brett called out, as he drew up beside her. ‘Sorry I kept you waiting. Traffic was awful.’ Kerrien climbed into the car beside him and sat awkwardly, unsure of whether he expected her to lean over and kiss him. That degree of informality was not really in her nature but she didn’t want to give the wrong impression. She needn’t have worried. He touched her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. ‘Good to see you
He was not pleased. He promised to call during the next week, just to make sure she was all right. Ashton was most apologetic and promised to make it up to her as soon as he could. In fact, he only had one call during the morning and he was away for just over an hour. The rest of the time, he joined in the games with the - children. They loved every minute of the precious time their father spent with them, especially away from the watching, disapproving eyes of their aunt. Even Ashton seemed more relaxed with her out of the way. ‘Now I feel even worse,’ Ashton said as they all sat down together for an early tea. ‘I’ve done you out of a day off, being taken somewhere really nice, I don’t doubt, and I’ve hardly been out all day. Still, I must say, I’ve really enjoyed myself.’ ‘And me, Daddy,’ piped Ben. ‘I’ve really enjoyed yourself as well.’ They all laughed. ‘I’ve never played swimming cricket before, have you, Daddy?’ Jodie asked. ‘It’s a strange old British custom,’ he laughed.
Kerrien tidied round the house, humming tunelessly to herself. The children were playing quietly on the veranda, totally absorbed in their game. She was glad of this time alone, a space to think. In fact, she seemed to have spent most of the night thinking but had reached no conclusion about her feelings. She put down the half-peeled potato and stared through the window. On the surface, there should be no contest between the two men who seemed to be showing interest in her. Brett was young, good-looking, obviously available and his family seemed to run a successful business. Ashton was older and had two children already. Nor was he quite so devastatingly good-looking as the younger man but he had such hidden depths. His life must have seemed impossible for so long that it was little wonder he had forgotten how to enjoy himself. She sighed and went back to her potato peeling. She had been in such a reverie that she’d not heard the car draw up and Kate made her jump as she walked into t
As soon as Kate had left, Kerrien put the children to bed for a short nap and she dialled Brett’s number. ‘Good to hear from you,’ he said disarmingly. ‘Look, I can’t really talk now. [ll see you this evening, if that’s OK.’ ‘I can’t. I mean, everyone’s away so I can’t go out. Besides, I . . .’ But she got no further, as Brett interrupted her. ‘Right. I'll be over about eight. I'll get a take-out shall I? We can eat at your place and Ill help you baby-sit. Have to go now Bye. See you later.’ And he was gone. Kerrien stared helplessly at the receiver. She supposed it didn’t matter. Kate would probably be out till late, which would give her plenty of time to give Brett his marching orders. She hoped she could carry it off without losing his friendship. After all, his mother, Margaret, had been her first friend in Australia and she would like to keep in touch, for a while, anyhow. She felt restless as the children slept. It was hot, humid and very oppressive. There could be a thunde
The oppressive night gave way to a cooler dawn. Kerrien watched the strip of sky through her window, waiting for the day to arrive, so that she could get up. She had no doubt that Kate would want to spread her gossip to Ashton at the first opportunity. She also knew that whatever she said in her own defence, . Kate’s interpretation of what she saw would never change. She dressed and went through to the kitchen, desperate for some coffee to ease her burning, dry throat. The remains of last night’s meal lay on the table and she bundled it into the waste bin. In his haste to leave, Brett had forgotten it. Automatically, she wiped down the surface while waiting for the coffee to brew. ‘I'll go and wake the children,’ she said as Kate came into the kitchen. ‘I'd rather you left them. I don’t want you to go near them now.’ ‘Whatever do you mean? That’s what I’m here for ... to look after the children.’‘Precisely. And what happens the moment my back’s turned? You bring in some beach bum
‘Perhaps Daddy will take you into town to see Santa Claus at the weekend,’ Kerrien suggested. ‘I shouldn’t think he’ll have the time. Martine is coming you know.’ The children’s faces fell. It was obvious to everyone that the prospect did not appeal to them very much. ‘I thought the idea was for her to get to know the children better. Perhaps it would be the perfect opportunity, taking them to town.’ Kerrien was not a little tongue in cheek at the idea. After all, shopping with small children in tow, was always something of a nightmare. If that didn’t put her off, nothing would! Kate spent the next day busily preparing for Martine’s visit. She cleaned and baked and tried to make the house as nice as possible for the impending royal visit, which was how Kerrien was beginning to see it. So far, she was managing to control her feelings very well, she thought. She was slightly scared about meeting this woman, this doctor colleague of Ashton’s, and not a little curious. She knew that sh
'You can take the car if you like,’ Kate offered the next morning. ‘Gosh, thanks,’ Kerrien replied, surprised and pleased at the unusual offer. She had planned to take the bus to town and look round the Botanic Gardens. She had called Brett but his mother told her he had decided to go with some friends to Surfer’s Paradise for the weekend. Some festival or other was on and it had seemed like a chance he couldn’t miss. ‘Come and see us soon, love. Everything OK with you?’ Margaret had asked. How could Kerrien explain everything that had happened recently, in just a few words? ‘Fine,’ she answered simply. ‘Everything’s just fine.’ She hoped Margaret was easily convinced! As soon as she could, Kerrien made her escape. For once, she left the children for the others to organize. She would have liked to have seen Martine coping with dressing and washing them, but the temptation to leave before the other woman emerged, was too great. After she’d changed into a simple cotton dress, she sa