The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection
Could she? Dare she? Excitement hummed in her belly; butterfly wings dusting themselves off and learning to flap again. ‘I wasn’t good,’ Maggie felt the need to point out. ‘And it was a long time ago. I doubt I’ll remember any of it.’
‘You can learn again.’ Hannah grinned. ‘And then you can teach us. We could do some sessions when Strictly’s finished.’
‘Maybe.’ She was cautious by nature, and divorce had only magnified that. Still, she was talking about dancing again. And this time there would be nobody holding her back, nobody saying it was inconvenient. No annoyed husband to come home to afterwards. Hannah would look after the girls, so really there was nothing to stop her, except… ‘I don’t have a partner.’
‘So? I’m sure that’s not unusual,’ Sarah pointed out in that assertive, some might say pushy way she had. ‘Single people must sign up for dancing lessons all the time.’
Alice waggled her eyebrows. ‘What’s to say there isn’t a tall, dark, handsome guy currently being forced to dance with… I don’t know… a mop, because he hasn’t got a partner.’
Maggie spluttered with laughter. ‘Knowing my luck, I’ll get the blasted mop. Though I suppose it would at least keep its hands to itself.’
Seb expected to find the place silent when he opened the door to his sister’s house a few hours later. He definitely didn’t expect to hear wild, drunken laughter. Nor did he expect to find Alice, Sarah and Maggie still camped in the sitting room when he popped his head inside.
‘Me again.’ He deliberately looked over at the now black TV screen. ‘Do I take it talking is allowed now?’
Sarah smiled serenely back at him. ‘Only if it’s about ballroom dancing.’
‘Very funny.’ She kept smiling at him. ‘Come on, you’re kidding me, right? What was that about a mop I heard when I opened the door? That’s not ballroom.’
‘It is,’ Alice asserted. ‘It’s Maggie’s new dance partner.’
More laughter, though Maggie’s was quieter than his sisters’; a more refined, dignified sound. As if she didn’t really want to be laughing but couldn’t help herself. When he sought her gaze, she gave him a small smile. ‘It’s a long story.’
How had he missed how attractive she was? With those grey eyes now gently amused, her mouth curved upwards… a zing of interest, sharp and hot, flashed through him. Pretending a casualness he didn’t feel, he leant against the wall and crossed his feet at the ankles. ‘Hey, I’ve got time.’ Especially to listen to you, he wanted to add, but not with his sisters gawping. Besides, he really did have days of the stuff. Maybe weeks and months of it. God knows what he was going to do with himself now he was back, in between seeing his dad.
To his disappointment, Maggie shook her head and slowly rose to her feet. ‘You might have, but I’m afraid I don’t. It’s time I was in bed.’
Okay, not a promising start. If he’d gone with the flirty addition, would she have knocked him back just as coolly? Really there was only one way to find out. With a nod he pushed back from the wall, and headed into the kitchen for a glass of water.
‘Seb, do us a favour and help carry the girls down and into Maggie’s car?’ Alice shouted over at him a moment later. ‘They’re asleep on Sarah’s bed.’
‘Sure.’
He stepped into the hallway where he found Maggie, who gave him a small smile. ‘Just take care of Rebecca. I can manage my two.’
She’s being protective, he reasoned. It wasn’t personal. ‘Worried I’ll drop them?’
The look she gave him was steady and measured. ‘I’m worried they’ll wake to find themselves in the arms of a man they don’t really know.’
Well, that shot his petty retort down in flames. ‘Fair enough.’ He indicated up the stairs. ‘Ladies first.’
As he watched Maggie gently scoop up her eldest, Seb wondered what to make of her. She appeared distant, reserved, yet the way she was with her kids was quite the opposite. And there was no way his mouthy, larger-than-life sisters would be friends with a boring cold fish.
Picking up his niece, Seb followed Maggie down. Her eyes fluttered open when he settled her into the back of the car next to Penny. ‘Sorry, Beccs, you’ll soon be home.’
‘Rebecca.’ Alice glared at him over her shoulder from the front passenger seat.
His niece gave him a sleepy smile. ‘Night, Uncle Seb.’
‘Night, Beccs.’ Smiling, he kissed the top of her head, saying a silent prayer of thanks to the inventors of Skype. Without it, he’d never have managed to keep up a relationship with his niece and nephew.
Straightening, he watched as Maggie walked out with Tabby in her arms. In what was clearly a well-practised move, she eased the little girl into the final seat in the back.
‘You look like you’ve done that before,’ he remarked after she’d put the seat belt round her.
‘You could say that.’ He received another small, careful smile before she opened the driver’s door and slipped inside.
He wasn’t sure what made him hold the door, stopping her from closing it on him. There was just something about her calm presence, those cool grey eyes that captured his attention. Made him want to unsettle her, as she was unsettling him. ‘Well, it’s been great to meet you, Maggie. I guess I’ll see you around.’
‘I guess you will.’
He continued to hold her gaze, not quite sure what he was hoping for, but whatever it was, his sister interrupted it. ‘Will you shut that damn door, Seb. You’re letting all the cold air in.’
Dipping his head, he nodded over to Alice. ‘Catch you tomorrow at the folks?’
‘Sure. I’ll be the one with the humdinger of a hangover.’
Laughing, he pushed the driver’s door closed. Within seconds the smart grey BMW eased away from the curb. Sleek and quiet, just like the woman driving it.
‘So what was with the mop then?’ he asked Sarah as he headed back inside.
‘Oh, it was just a joke. We’re trying to persuade Maggie to take up ballroom dancing again. She used to love it when we were at uni.’
‘Did she study with you or Alice?’
‘Alice. She’s a GP.’
He thought of the woman he’d just seen carry her daughters into the car. Yes, he could see her as doctor. Patient and caring, yet with a tough no-nonsense streak. ‘Where’s the husband?’
Sarah, who’d been clearing away, paused as she picked up a glass. ‘He’s now an ex-husband. They divorced three years ago, and wherever he is, he’s keeping it quiet. Paul’s no longer in her life, other than a few measly video calls to the girls now and then.’ She angled her head. ‘Why all the interest?’
He shrugged off the question, though inside he was asking himself the very same thing. ‘No reason. Just learning about the people my sisters hang out with.’
‘Well, it’s Hannah you ought to be asking about.’ Sarah winked. ‘For some weird reason, she thinks you’re hot.’
‘Maybe because I am hot?’
Sarah laughed. ‘Sure, maybe.’ Seb had always found Sarah the easier sister to get on with. She was less loud, less liable to ask the searching, difficult question. More likely to smile at his jokes.
‘What happened to Hannah tonight? Excitement of Strictly too much for her?’
‘Funny. One of her friends picked her up to take her to a party.’ She eyed him speculatively. ‘So, how about it? We could facilitate things with her if you’re interested.’
The thought of his sisters brokering him a date… He shuddered. ‘It’ll be a cold day in hell before I need either of you two helping me with my love life.’
‘Okay, okay, message received.’ Sarah picked up the remaining plates and headed towards the kitchen. ‘But think about it. Hannah’s not looking for anything serious and you could do with something to look forward to, in between visits to Dad.’
She wasn’t wrong there, and Hannah definitely had what he’d call cute appeal. Not a beauty, like Maggie, but probably a lot more fun. He just wasn’t sure he was in the right place to date anyone right now.
His world had gone from waking up to the sun rising over the reef, his only stress finding enough barracudas, turtles and rays to give the tourists their thrill, to – what? England in November. Grey skies, damp and dismal weather. Oh, and let’s not forget his main role, helping to take care of an invalid. His life was on pause. He wanted to be back in the place where he’d found something he was good at, even if it was only entertaining tourists.
But then he thought of his mum, and how dramatically she seemed to have aged since his father’s heart attack. Leaving now would be selfish. Like it or not, his family needed him, and he was damned if he was going to disappoint them. At least not any more than he had already.
Chapter Three
The week had flown by and now here they were again, preparing for another Strictly Saturday. This time at Alice’s.
Maggie had barely stepped through the front door when Alice pounced on her.
‘Tell me you’ve signed up for some ballroom dancing lessons.’
‘Sort of.’
The reply was never going to be enough for Alice, and clearly Hannah knew that too because she nodded towards where the girls were heading. ‘I’m off to the TV room with them. I’ll leave you to your inquisition.’
‘Traitor.’ Hannah just grinned, leaving Maggie to face Alice, who was looking at her with the expression she probably used on uncooperative patients. ‘Look, I’ve rung a few numbers but most of them are full, or they started in September so I’ve already missed two months.’
‘Most of them.’ Alice gave her arm a nudge. ‘See, I picked up on that.’
Damn, she hadn’t meant to be so literal. ‘Fine. There’s one dance studio with vacancies on a Wednesday night.’
‘Perfect.’
Alice, confident and spontaneous, would never understand Maggie’s preference for taking things slowly. Even when it was something as important to her as dancing. ‘I’m not fully convinced I should take lessons again. It means leaving Penny and Tabby—’
‘It’s a good job you’ve lots of willing babysitters then. Including their nanny.’
Maggie sighed. ‘Okay, you’ve ripped through my cunning excuse. The truth is… damn it, Alice, I want to dance again, so much, but I’m also really, embarrassingly, scared.’
Alice’s eyes flew open. ‘Scared of dancing?’
‘Scared of going to lessons. By myself,’ she qualified, feeling more and more foolish. ‘I know, I know, it’s dumb, but God, the divorce has really done a number on me. I want to be this smart, confident woman who can walk solo into a dance studio and look forward to dancing, with anyone. But I’m not that woman any more.’
‘Bollocks.’ Alice grabbed Maggie’s arms and stared fiercely back at her. ‘Paul was a dick who didn’t realise how lucky he was to be married to you. One day he will, but by then it’ll be too late because you’ll not only have realised the divorce was down to his inadequacies and not yours, you’ll have met someone who values everything about you.’ A lump of emotion lodged itself in Maggie’s throat and Alice smiled. ‘Even your need to plan things to death.’
The tears that had been brimming shifted into tears of laughter. ‘Ouch, that’s not fair.’
‘No? Why do we always have pizza on Strictly Saturdays? Why do we have a rota detailing who’s hosting when?’
‘Because then we all know what’s happening,’ she protested. ‘It’s called organisation.’
Alice laughed and threw an arm around her. ‘And it’s just one of the many things we love about you.’ Her face sobered as she caught Maggie’s eye. ‘Promise me you won’t let Paul continue to interfere with your life. Take up dancing again.’
‘I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right. I refuse to let that man, hell, any man, tell me what I can and can’t do any more.’ Maggie drew in a breath and smiled back at her. ‘I’ll enrol tomorrow.’
‘Good.’
After checking the kids were settled in front of the television, Maggie and Alice wandered into Alice’s state-of-the-art kitchen to help sort out the food. Jack, who’d been opening boxes of pizza, grinned over at them. ‘Thank God, the cavalry’s arrived. I’m out of here.’
‘Typical male,’ Alice muttered as she watched her husband slink off. ‘And I bet he’s gone to grab the best spot in front of the TV.’
‘Hey, don’t knock him. At least he’s happy to watch it with you.’ More than Paul had ever done. Because she’d had enough of thinking of her ex, Maggie turned her attention to the mountain of food on the worktop. ‘Wow, chicken wings as well as pizza. Did we agree on that deviation from the rules?’
‘They were on offer, so I thought I’d make a unilateral decision.’ Alice winked. ‘I figured it was hard for the kids to make any more mess than they already do.’
‘I admire your optimism,’ Maggie said dryly, just as the doorbell sounded. ‘That must be Sarah. I’ll get it.’
But as she went to open the door, she spotted the outline of a tall male frame through the frosted glass. And when she opened it, her breath caught in her throat. Clad in a black jacket, grey shirt with several buttons open and smart black trousers, his too-long blonde hair loose around the collar, his chin sporting sexy stubble, the visitor looked like a cross between Thor and James Bond.
‘It’s you.’
Seb’s lips quirked at her inelegant greeting, then angled his head down his body, before bringing it up again to look straight into her eyes. ‘So it is.’
Damn, she deserved that. Usually she was much friendlier than this. Then again, usually she wasn’t made to feel this unbalanced. Shaking herself, she managed a smile. ‘Sorry, I was expecting you to be Sarah.’
‘And I’m a poor substitute?’ He clasped a hand to his heart. ‘You wound me.’
‘I didn’t say that.’ Why was he able to tie her up in knots?
‘Then I’m a good substitute?’
Amusement lit up his vivid blue eyes and Maggie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I didn’t say that either.’
‘Ah, but maybe you thought it. I can live in hope.’ He winked, and she felt a small thrill to think this attractive man was, in a small, harmless way, flirting with her. ‘I’m afraid Sarah can’t make it tonight. Something’s come up at work. She asked me to let you guys know.’
‘Oh, I see. That’s a shame.’ Yet it didn’t explain what he was doing here, in person, dressed like a surfing god going to an award ceremony.
He glanced towards the door she was still holding. ‘Am I allowed in?’
Feeling stupid, she pushed the door open fully. ‘You’re not planning on joining us again, are you?’
‘Is that a problem?’ He leant towards her, the crisp, fresh smell of whatever he’d just showered with drifting deliciously up her nostrils. ‘I mean, if it’s a ticket-only affair, I think I should point out I’ve got an in with the woman hosting tonight.’
Enjoying him far more than perhaps she should, Maggie chuckled. ‘I’m surprised you want to watch it with us, that’s all. You didn’t appear to enjoy it last week.’
The eyes that were so hard to ignore, pierced through her. ‘You enjoy it, don’t you?’
She blinked. ‘Well, yes.’
‘So much that you’re going to dance with a… what was it? A broom?’
Now he was laughing at her. ‘It was a mop, and it isn’t my first choice.’
‘Interesting.’ His gaze sharpened. ‘What, or perhaps I should ask who, would be your first choice?’
Though her heart bounced at the way he looked directly at her, she forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Someone who can dance.’
His lips curved. ‘Sounds sensible.’
She couldn’t help it, she had to know. ‘Are you really here to watch Strictly?’
‘I thought I’d give it another go.’ He sent her a slow, seductive smile. ‘I can enjoy the company, even if I don’t enjoy the programme.’
There it was again, the cheeky flirting. Part of her admired his audacity – she was years older, yet he clearly wasn’t fazed by that, or the fact she was friends with his sisters. ‘Are you sure you’ve not just come to wind us all up again?’ she asked as she stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him.
‘Me?’ His eyes widened in an entirely innocent expression.
‘The thought had crossed my mind,’ she answered dryly, more charmed than she wanted to be.
‘Okay, you’ve rumbled me.’ He dipped his head towards her, his lips so close to her ear that his breath fluttered across her skin. ‘I thought I’d wind Alice up,’ he whispered, before straightening and giving her a careful study. ‘You, I suspect, are harder to rile. Where Alice is straight to boil, I’d put you down as more of a slow simmer.’
There was something about the way he said it, in that low drawl, with just the hint of an Aussie accent, that sent a flush creeping over her skin. A flush that wasn’t appropriate for a thirty-seven-year-old woman. ‘I can boil if the occasion warrants it.’
Seb wondered what it would be like to see Maggie boil. For her to let go of all that careful control. He had a feeling it would be quite spectacular. ‘I’ll consider myself forewarned.’
The alone time with Maggie he’d been enjoying was interrupted by the appearance of Alice in the hallway.
‘Seb, what on earth are you doing here?’ Her eyes ran up and down him. ‘Why are you dressed up? And what have you done with Sarah?’
It was Alice’s way, always straight to the point, and usually it didn’t bother him. Yet as had happened last Saturday, he found being treated as the annoying younger brother in front of Maggie rankled with him. ‘Okay, so in order: I’m here to watch Strictly. I’m wearing a jacket because I’m a smart guy, though it’ll be handy when I go to the club later. As for what I’ve done with Sarah, you say that like I might have poisoned her tea, tied her up and pushed her into the boot of my car.’
Deciding he’d had enough of being interrogated, Seb walked through to where he could hear the TV, leaving Maggie to update Alice on the reason for his sister’s no-show.
There he found Maggie’s kids sitting on the floor next to his niece and nephew. Jack, who’d commandeered one of the armchairs, rose to his feet and gave him a manly handshake.
‘Good to have some more male company for these evenings.’ He nodded at Seb’s outfit. ‘Didn’t realise we blokes were dressing up too, though.’
Seb laughed. ‘I was told it was part of the rules.’
Tabby looked over at him with narrowed eyes. ‘Are you going to watch with us again?’
‘Yep.’ He settled down in the middle of the sofa. ‘I loved it so much last time, wild horses wouldn’t drag me away.’
Rebecca giggled, but Tabby didn’t seem convinced. ‘It’s Halloween night. That’s one of the bestest shows. You have to be quiet when it starts.’
‘I’ll be mouse-like,’ he promised.
As the jarring opening sounds of Strictly sounded on the television, the others rushed in carrying plates of pizza and wings which they set on the coffee table. Seb didn’t miss how Maggie immediately went to sit on the other armchair at the opposite end of the room from him. Or how Hannah chose to sit on the sofa next to him.
‘Yes, it’s Halloween week.’ On the TV, the Italian judge jumped to his feet, waving his arms flamboyantly. ‘It’s going to be a spooktacular night of dancing!’
Dancers took to the stage in a variety of ghoulish costumes, and it wasn’t long before not making a comment was like not eating the last chocolate in the box: too hard to resist. ‘This is definitely the stuff of nightmares,’ he murmured. Almost mouse-like.
Tabby whirled round, eyes wide. ‘You promised.’
He hung his head and whispered. ‘Bugger, sorry.’
To his surprise, she grinned back at him. ‘And now you said a rude word.’
Of their own volition, his eyes sought out Maggie’s, and he found her watching them. ‘Your daughter’s too sharp for me.’
‘She’s too sharp for all of us.’
Maggie’s mouth curved in a smile that was echoed in her eyes, and the force of it hit him like a train. Wow, the ice maiden was intriguing, but the woman who’d just smiled at him? She was dynamite. Really, sit up and take notice. Gorgeous with a capital G.
All too soon, her attention was back on the TV screen.
‘I’m going to be doing the tango,’ a female contestant told the camera. She was dressed in a bizarre outfit he thought was supposed to resemble a playing card but actually looked like a cross between Frankenstein’s monster and a Bavarian milkmaid. ‘And I’m terrified.’
‘Not half as terrified as I’ll be, watching you.’ The words slipped out before he’d had a chance to stop them and now it wasn’t just Tabby who turned to stare at him. It was the whole room. Feeling most of them wanted to bury him alive, he mimicked zipping his mouth closed. ‘Sorry. Again.’
He managed to keep quiet for a full ten minutes, until his sister started disagreeing with the judges’ comments.
‘No hip rotation?’ Alice stabbed a finger at the television. ‘That’s ridiculous. Were they watching the same dance I was?’
Hannah giggled. ‘You just fancy the pro dancer so you want them to go through.’
Seb cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps they should go to VAR.’
Jack let out a boom of a laugh and Alice raised her eyes to the ceiling. When Seb glanced towards Maggie, he was certain he saw her lips twitch.
‘What’s VAR?’ Rebecca asked him.
‘Video assistant referee. They use it in football to correct clear howlers of a decision.’
‘But this isn’t football,’ she protested.
‘Quite,’ her mother agreed. ‘Your uncle was trying to be funny.’
‘Hey, it was funny,’ Seb protested.
‘It kind of was,’ Hannah agreed, sending him a flirty smile which soothed his ego but lacked the punch of Maggie’s smile from earlier.
It was the turn of the waltz, and as they watched the next couple dip and turn, Hannah sighed. ‘That’s so beautiful. It’s like they’re gliding.’
‘Exactly.’ Maggie’s eyes were on the television, her expression one of, well, it was beyond delight. If pushed, he’d have called it enchantment. ‘The Viennese waltz is so elegant, so graceful. I love how they seem to float across the dance floor, as if they haven’t a care in the world beyond the music and each other.’
For once, he had no ready quip. Sure, there was beauty in the dance, but that wasn’t the reason he kept his lips sealed. It was the look of longing on Maggie’s face as she watched it.
Chapter Four
It was the most hectic time of the day. That hour in the morning where things had to run to a disciplined timetable, yet could so easily veer off course if Maggie wasn’t right on top of it all.
So far she could tick off getting herself up and dressed, and the girls awake enough to be sitting at the breakfast table in their uniforms, bar Tabby’s socks. Twenty minutes for them to finish eating, clean their teeth and pack their school bags.
Twenty minutes during which Hannah would hopefully arrive, and Maggie could hand over the final responsibility of actually getting them to school. Oh, and getting socks on Tabby’s feet.
‘What happened with your project?’ Maggie asked Penny as she slapped some pre-sliced cheese between two pieces of bread. It was one thing being a staunch believer in the benefits of healthy, wholesome, exciting lunches for kids. Another having the damn time to make the Greek yoghurt and salad wrap/two-bean tuna salad/chicken satay with rice and diced flipping mango. That’s if her fridge even contained ingredients beyond cheese, ham and tomato.
Penny kept her head bent, seemingly absorbed in the task of piling more Weetabix onto her spoon.
‘Penny? Did you start it yet?’ Her elder daughter, always the quieter of the two, seemed to have totally lost her tongue. ‘Should I take your silence as a no? When does it need to be in?’
‘Wednesday.’
And today was… ‘But Penny, that’s tomorrow. Have you started it yet?’