The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection
‘Maggie?’ Seb wondered where she’d disappeared to. She looked upset, no, more than that, she seemed angry.
But then she appeared to shake herself and wherever her mind had taken her, she was back, and her walls firmly intact. ‘I don’t swear in front of the girls.’
‘Ah, so you do let rip a juicy f-word sometimes?’
She smiled in that way he was starting to enjoy. A small, sort of surprised curve of the lips, as if she wasn’t sure why she was smiling, but couldn’t stop. ‘If the occasion warrants it, yes.’
Her gaze left his and flicked towards the kitchen, which, granted, looked like he’d tried to empty the contents of the entire place, blindfolded.
‘Bet you’d let one rip now if that was your kitchen, eh?’
This time she laughed. A gentle sound, but it crinkled her eyes and made him feel ten foot tall. ‘Quite possibly.’
‘In my defence, I haven’t learned where everything goes yet. Plus I’d only just got home when you arrived. Sarah warned me you were always on time, but Becca and Eds dawdled after their swimming lessons, though it’s fair to say the stop for an ice-cream hadn’t been strictly necessary.’ He grinned. ‘Strictly… see, I’m getting into the mood of the evening already.’
Another bout of soft laughter. ‘Glad to hear it. Do you want a hand in there?’
‘No, no, I’ve got it.’ When she gave him a sceptical glance, he grinned. ‘What you see is organised chaos. There’s a difference.’ He gave her another study, noting her hair was loose tonight, falling in a curly wave around her shoulders. With that, the dark jeans and the same black sequinned top he’d seen her wear for previous Strictly nights, she looked both unshowy and strikingly attractive. ‘Then again, if you want to help, I’m not about to stop you.’
‘Maybe I could sort out some drinks?’
Damn, he was a crap host. ‘That’d be great, thanks.’
‘So, how are you settling in?’ she asked as she went straight to the right cupboard to find the glasses. ‘You don’t seem short of friends to go out with.’
He gave her a quizzical look. ‘I don’t?’
Her eyes were focused on pouring the orange juice. ‘Alice said you were going on to a club last weekend after Strictly.’
His mind skipped back to last Saturday. Was Maggie interested? Or was she making conversation? ‘I went with a few of the guys I used to go to school with. One of their sisters gave me a lift.’ For some reason he found himself willing her to ask more, and was disappointed when she simply smiled and nodded to the juice, indicating she’d take it out to the kids.
‘How about you?’ he asked when she came back. ‘What do you do for entertainment, aside from watching Strictly Come Dancing?’
‘Entertainment?’ She said the word as if it was foreign. ‘I’m nearly forty, and a single mum. Entertainment for me is being in bed at ten o’clock with a good book.’
He wanted to say she was thirty-seven, not seventy-three. That she was in her prime. And having kids didn’t mean she had to put her own life on hold. The words died on his lips though as the opening sounds of the Strictly theme tune reverberated round the house.
Maggie disappeared out of the kitchen faster than Bruno doing a quick step.
See, he was learning something from these Saturday evenings.
He made it in with the pizzas just in time to hear the opening announcement. ‘Tonight, the couples all dare to dream of a seaside resort two hundred miles north of here.’
‘North of here?’ he repeated. ‘Who on earth dreams of a seaside resort that’s not sunny?’
Tabby shook her head at him, as he’d kind of hoped she would. ‘They don’t want to go to the beach, silly. They want to dance in Blackpool.’
‘Ah.’ He placed the tower of pizza on the coffee table, wondering if he should have put a mat down first. Then realised even if he could be bothered, he didn’t know where they were. ‘Well, I can see why they don’t want to go to the beach there. The golden mile might be a mile, but it sure as hell… heck isn’t golden.’
‘Shh.’ His niece gave him an admonishing look.
‘You have to be a mouse again.’ Tabby grinned adorably at him.
Chuckling, he grabbed a slice of pizza and sat on the vacant armchair. ‘I’ll nibble on my pizza in silence,’ he promised.
And stuck to it, in the main.
He’d cooked too many pizzas and made way too much salad. Blame it on the fact that he’d forgotten, or maybe never consciously twigged, that kids didn’t eat as much as grown-ups, women tended to eat less than guys, and nobody really wanted the green stuff, given the choice.
As the closing credits flashed up on the screen, Maggie looked over at her girls. ‘I’m just going to help Seb clear away and then it’s time to go.’
Seb watched as she began to pick up the plates. Clearly his guest was in a hurry to leave, which didn’t say a lot for his hosting skills. Or his ability to entertain a woman considerably smarter and classier than he was.
‘Can’t we stay for a bit?’ Penny gave Maggie a beseeching look that Seb wouldn’t have been able to refuse. ‘Rebecca wants us to play her new marble run game.’
Maggie glanced at him, and he wasn’t sure from her expression whether she was hoping he’d turf them out, or encourage them to stay. ‘You can hang here as long as you like. Sarah will probably be back soon,’ he added, figuring it might push Maggie into staying for a while, and yes, he wanted that. A little bit of time, just the two of them, to see if he could nudge at that wall of hers. The one he wasn’t sure was permanent, or if she just put up when she was around him.
‘Okay, but not too long,’ she warned. ‘Just while we clear up.’
All of them dashed up the stairs and Seb grabbed a few empty glasses before going to join Maggie in the kitchen where she was meticulously rinsing plates under the tap before stacking them neatly in the dishwasher. The desire to rumple her, to turn the neat and tidy into a flustered, uninhibited mess, caught him by the throat. Shit, he really was developing a crush on his sisters’ friend.
‘How was the dance class?’ he asked, needing to divert his thoughts. ‘Any taller men come forward?’
Her attention remained on loading the dishwasher. ‘It was fine.’
‘You’re going to keep going then?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ve paid up until Christmas, but, well, we’ll see.’
Her lack of eye contact was beginning to frustrate him. ‘Where is it held?’ That got her attention. Her head snapped up so fast he had to laugh. ‘Hey, I’m not planning on going to watch.’ Though actually, now he’d said it, the thought held a lot of appeal. ‘I was just making conversation. I imagine these classes are held in some dreary hall with zero atmosphere.’
She gave him a tight smile. ‘You’re right.’ She named the town, one over from theirs. ‘It’s a long way from the Tower ballroom at Blackpool.’
‘Have you ever been?’
‘No, well, not to dance, anyway. Paul and I drove along the prom once on our way to the Lake District, but he refused to stop. Said it was too tacky.’
‘True.’ Seb grinned. ‘But they say that’s part of its charm. And you can’t deny a place that has the tallest rollercoaster in the UK.’
She screwed up her face. ‘You’d never get me on there.’
He wasn’t sure whether it was the emphatic way she said it, or just this ridiculous crush raising its head again, but he took a step towards her, one hand on the work surface, the other on the island, almost trapping her where she was. ‘Is that a dare?’
Her eyes widened, the grey looking less cool now, more… turbulent. He wondered if her pulse was racing as fast as his. If she was feeling the air between them crackle, as he was.
Wondered too, if the way her eyes darted to his mouth, and then away again, was a sign that she was thinking what it would be like to kiss him.
Because in that moment, it was all he could think of. Would her lips feel as soft as they looked? If he leant forward, if he pressed his mouth against hers, would she melt? Could he lower some of those walls, relax some of that stiffness? Or would she slap him round the face?
He’d never know, because at that moment the front door opened.
‘I’m back,’ Sarah called from the hallway. ‘What did I miss?’
Me nearly kissing your friend. ‘A bit of dancing. A lot of pizza,’ he shouted back, turning to give Maggie a wry smile. She wasn’t looking at him though. Her head was bent as she slowly, and with seemingly rapt attention, wiped her hands on the tea towel.
‘There you are.’ Sarah appeared in the doorway and glanced between him and Maggie, the question in her eyes making it clear he wasn’t the only one aware of the tension in the room.
‘I didn’t realise we were playing hide and seek,’ he answered, figuring sarcasm was his best route out. ‘I’d have chosen a better spot.’
Sarah ignored him and turned her attention to Maggie, who’d finally put the towel down. ‘I’m sorry I’m so late. I hope Seb looked after you properly.’
Was it his imagination, or did Maggie look less composed than usual? ‘He did. The pizzas were plentiful and only a few minutes behind schedule.’
Sarah laughed and grabbed Maggie’s hand. ‘Well, I’m glad to hear it. And I hope you’re not planning on dashing off just yet. I could really do with a big glass of wine, a few slices of that plentiful pizza, and a good chat with my friend.’
Seb cleared his throat. ‘What about your brother?’
Sarah looked pointedly at the mess behind him. ‘He can finish off tidying up, and then check on the little people he’s supposed to be looking after.’
Thanks, sis.
As he listened to the faint hum of female voices in the other room a few moments later, he couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if Sarah hadn’t come back. Would he have dared to kiss Maggie? Would she have let him?
With a resigned sigh he finished emptying the bin, and then trudged upstairs to play marble run.
Chapter Eight
Monday morning and Maggie was in a bind. Hannah had phoned an hour ago, and it had been clear from her voice, and from the constant coughing, she was still in the grip of the virus she’d caught. Though she’d offered to take the girls if Maggie was stuck, Maggie had told her not to worry, she’d manage. All Hannah needed to do was focus on getting better.
It had been easy to say, but now she was having a mild panic. She could drop the girls off to school early – yep, that idea had gone down well – and, traffic willing, just about make it in time for her first patient. But she couldn’t pick Penny and Tabby up.
Sarah was working. Alice was working, and her two children were being picked up by Jack’s mother. There was no way Maggie could foist another two onto the seventy-year-old.
Of course Maggie knew of one person who wasn’t working. A guy her girls seemed to like, probably because he acted like a big kid himself, but who she sensed, deep down, was far more responsible than he let on. Why else would he come back to England to help out his family? Still, she really didn’t want to phone him.
Her belly gave a long, slow flip. God, they’d nearly kissed on Saturday night.
Even now, knee deep in Monday morning stress, her mind kept darting back, replaying every vivid moment. Seb’s husky-voiced question, Is that a dare? Delivered with a sexy smirk. The way he’d moved towards her, caging her in with his tall, athletic, sun-kissed body. Never had she been so aware of a man before; his fresh, outdoor smell, the incredible blue of his eyes. The sensuous curve of his lips and the heat of his body. All that young, virile maleness.
Thank heavens Sarah had come in when she had. If she’d been ten minutes later… Maggie’s stomach pitched. She didn’t know how Sarah would have reacted to the idea of Maggie kissing her brother. No, it was worse than that. Seb was Sarah’s younger-by-ten-years brother. One thing for certain, Maggie didn’t plan on ever finding out. This crazy over-reaction to him was a sign she needed to get out there and date again. And she would, once she’d found someone suitable: a man nearer to her age and experience, who wouldn’t make her conscious of her stretch marks, her wrinkles, her saggy bits. Who was looking for a meaningful relationship rather than a couple of hot trysts.
None of which helped her dilemma.
‘Who’s going to pick us up?’ Penny asked as she shrugged on her coat.
‘I’m not sure yet.’
‘Will it be the woman Rebecca and Edward have sometimes? I don’t like her.’
‘No.’ Alice’s childminder had been efficient but horribly grumpy. Maggie had used her occasionally, in those dark days after Paul had left and before Hannah had arrived. ‘She retired earlier in the year, which is why their grandma picks them up now.’
‘What about our grandma?’
‘She’d love to, I’m sure.’ A white lie wouldn’t hurt. Penny didn’t need to know her mum’s parents were still far too busy running their company to bother with things like wanting to help their daughter, or their granddaughters. ‘But it’s a bit far to come.’ Damn it, she was going to have to grit her teeth and ask the favour of Seb. It wasn’t fair on the girls to not know who’d be picking them up. ‘If Seb is free, would you mind him picking you up?’
Penny shook her head. ‘I don’t mind. He’s funny. And I can ask him some more about the reef.’
‘Okay then.’ Her children would be happy and safe with Seb. That was more important than her wobbly emotions. ‘I’ll give him a quick call while you get your shoes on and help Tabby with hers.’
Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and called the number Sarah had given her a few weeks ago. The number she’d put into her contacts out of habit, and a need to be organised, without expecting to use it again.
‘Hello?’ The answering voice sounded deep and husky with sleep.
‘It’s Maggie. Sorry, did I wake you?’
A rustle of what she assumed was bedding. ‘Morning, Mags. And yeah, I guess if it’s still before eight, you did wake me.’
‘Sorry.’ Had he really just called her Mags? She hated that. Then again, she needed a favour, so maybe now wasn’t the time to tell him.
‘You already said that, and no worries. How can I help? I assume you need my help, and aren’t just phoning to say you missed me.’
The smile in his voice was unmistakable, and made it pretty hard not to smile back. ‘It’s the first one.’
‘Damn, I knew you’d be hard to charm. Go on then, ask away.’
Her smile faltered, and Maggie inhaled a deep breath. She hated asking for help, and hated even more asking it of a man she wasn’t sure was flirting with her out of habit, to prove something or because he was genuinely interested. Whatever it was, she’d feel more comfortable seeing less of him, rather than more. ‘Hannah’s still not well, so I wondered if you were free later today to pick Tabby and Penny up from school? You could take them to Sarah’s or to ours, whatever’s easier.’ There was a beat of silence. ‘But no problem if you can’t,’ she added hastily, aware she sounded pushy. And awkward. God, she definitely sounded that.
‘What time are you back? I need to be at the youth centre for six.’
Damn, she hadn’t anticipated that one. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise. I should be back in time.’ Patients willing. Unconsciously she crossed her fingers. ‘Are you working there now?’
‘Sort of. I’m volunteering for a few days so we can both get a feel for whether it’s a good fit.’
‘It will be.’ Oops, she’d not meant to say that out loud.
Again she heard a smile in his voice. ‘I’m glad someone is confident.’
‘I just meant that from what I’ve seen, you’re a natural with children.’
‘I don’t know about that, but you’re trusting me with yours, so I must be doing something right.’ There was a pause, and as Maggie tried to work out how to bring the conversation back to more practical matters, he did it for her. ‘So, you’d better give me the name of this school. And where you work, as I guess I’ll need to collect your key if I’m taking them back to yours.’
Maggie rattled off the name of the school. ‘I’ll tell them to wait in the playground, as usual. And I’ll leave the house key with the receptionist at the surgery.’
‘Okay then, I’ll catch you later. Oh, and no worries if you’re running late. I’ll take them along with me to the youth centre.’
As she thanked him, Maggie felt the stress of the morning slide away.
Seb slid his phone back on the bedside table and sank back against the pillow. Damn and blast, he hated being this guy. Not the one who was needed by Maggie, oh no, that felt frigging fantastic. But. She’d only asked him because he was the one person she knew who wasn’t working.
And she’d assumed, of course she had, that he had the available means of transport to pick her girls up. He was guessing that didn’t include his ten-year-old battered push bike.
Groaning, his head fragile from too many Sunday night beers – as the alternative had been staying in with sister and watching the Strictly results show, the beers had seemed like a good idea – he considered his options. He could ask to borrow his dad’s car, but the fragile way he was feeling now, he didn’t think he could stomach giving the man another opportunity to lecture him on where his life was going.
Public transport was out, because to get him to the school, and then to the surgery and on to Maggie’s house would take all evening, the way the buses were around here. He could taxi it, but by the time he’d paid for that, he might as well hire a car. At least then he’d have the flexibility of being able to use it to drive to the youth centre later.
Grabbing his phone again, he found a local hire company and reserved the cheapest car he could find, putting yet more money onto his credit card. He hoped Maggie was right, and the youth centre thing worked out. With his savings currently sitting in an Australian bank, and his English account not exactly brimming with surplus cash, if he couldn’t get work soon, watching Strictly was going to be his main form of entertainment.
The rest of the morning he spent with his parents, as had been the pattern since he’d come home – shit, had he really been here over three weeks?
‘When are you heading back to Australia?’ his mum asked as she walked him out.
He looked at her tired face. ‘When Dad’s back to being Dad.’ Instead of the moody man he’d left slumped in front of the television.
She gave him a wan smile. ‘You might be here some time then.’
Seb reached his arms around her and hugged her tight. ‘He’ll get there. And in the meantime, I’m here to give you breathing space.’
‘You’re such a good son.’ Her eyes welled, and Seb felt a lump jump into his throat. ‘I know your father gives you a hard time, but he only wants the best for you.’
‘I know he does.’ His dad had never understood him though. Had never twigged that Seb wasn’t an over-achieving, super-bright version of him, like his sisters were. Seb was average, and still trying to find something he could stick at. Travelling had been fun, Australia had been fun, but it was only ever a short-term gig. He’d always known family would bring him home at some point. He only wished the trigger had been a happier one. And that his life plan had been sorted when he’d stepped on that plane.
Christ, there were kids everywhere, all dressed in green jumpers, white shirts and grey trousers or skirts. How the hell was he supposed to find the two he needed among this swarm?
But magically, the moment he stepped through the school gate and into the playground, Tabby and Penny dashed towards him.
‘You’re late,’ Tabby greeted him. ‘Hannah is always waiting for us when we finish lessons.’
‘Hey, Tabs, good to see you, too.’ He flashed her a grin, and as happy was Tabby’s default, she dropped the pout and grinned back. Then he turned to her quieter sister. ‘And how are you, young Penelope?’
She opened her mouth, he presumed to say hello, then frowned and closed it again. Finally, she spoke. ‘Nobody calls me Penelope.’
‘Is Penny not short for Penelope?’
‘Yes, but everyone calls me Penny.’
He smiled. ‘Ah, but I’m not everyone.’
‘I’m Tabitha.’ Tabby scrunched up her nose. ‘Why do I get Tabs?’
‘Because I can’t cause Penny Pens, can I?’
The pair of them giggled, and Seb thought, not for the first time, what lovely kids they were. Happy, polite. Girls it was a pleasure to spend time with.
Following a fifteen-minute drive to the surgery, they all piled out of the hired Kia – he wasn’t sure of the rules about leaving minors alone in a car. Herding them inside, he told the girls to sit down and headed to the reception desk.
The lady there greeted him with a smile that told him she was pleased he wasn’t yet another pensioner. Then her eyes flickered behind him, and her smile widened. ‘Well, well, you must be Seb. How… interesting.’
‘He’s taking us home today,’ Tabby piped up, swinging her legs. ‘Usually we only see him when we watch Strictly.’
Oh boy. Now, the forty-something-year-old was looking at him with blatant curiosity. Deciding the best way to handle the question in her eyes was to ignore it, Seb cleared his throat. ‘Mags…’ Shit. ‘Maggie said she’d leave a key for me?’
‘Yes.’ The woman reached into a drawer and pulled out a dancing bear keyring, complete with pink tutu. A present from her daughters, he’d like to bet.
‘Thanks.’ Feeling faintly foolish, he shoved it into his jeans pocket.
‘Before you go, she also left you a note. Well, it’s more of a list.’
‘Of course it is.’ Smiling to himself, he read the neat handwriting.
Leave the key on the hall table once you’ve let yourself in.
Presumably so he didn’t run off with it.
Make sure they take their shoes off and leave them by the door so we know where to find them tomorrow morning.
Please get the girls to do their homework. Tabby will say she doesn’t have any but check her homework book. She’ll also say she’s finished when she hasn’t, so please check what she’s done.
They’re allowed a cookie with their drink – they’re in the cookie jar by the bread bin. Don’t be conned into letting them have more or they won’t eat their tea.
Please message me if you need to take the girls with you to the youth centre, so I know where to pick them up.
As if he didn’t already know that.
One of the doors down the corridor opened, and Maggie stepped out. She caught his eye and, after a start of surprise, gave him an uncertain smile and began walking towards him.
He waved the paper in the air. ‘Just getting my orders.’
‘They’re not—’ She sighed when she saw him smirk. ‘Okay, I deserved that.’
He scanned down the list. ‘I wouldn’t have run off with the key. And I wouldn’t take them anywhere else without letting you know.’
He’d intended to sound matter-of-fact but it clearly hadn’t come across that way because her expression tightened and that guard he hated came down. ‘Noted. But you’ve not looked after them before, so I wanted to make sure.’ Her gaze finally settled on his. ‘I know my lists aren’t always appreciated, but they’re intended to help.’
Ah. It didn’t take a genius to work out that lists must have been a bone of contention with her ex. And the realisation he’d reacted exactly like the jerk who’d left her annoyed him. ‘You’re right, sorry. Being the kid brother I was always the irresponsible one.’ He gave her a half smile. ‘I guess this made me feel ten again.’