through the cracks in the system. If she needed help and support he wanted to make sure she got it. For her sake and for her children’s sake.
‘Thank you,’ she replied with a nod as she stood up, preparing to leave. She picked Milo up from the exam table to put him back into his stroller. ‘Do you have kids, Luci?’ she asked.
Melanie was bending over, strapping Milo into his pram, and she missed Luci’s expression. But Seb didn’t. She looked like someone had slapped her.
‘No, I don’t,’ Luci replied.
‘You should. You’re a natural.’
‘Mmm-hmm.’ Luci turned away and Seb wasn’t able to see her face. He couldn’t tell if her expression had changed or not.
‘I don’t seem to have the energy,’ Melanie remarked.
‘I imagine managing them twenty-four-seven is very different from seeing them for ten minutes at a time,’ Luci said. ‘I’m not surprised you’re tired.’
‘Exhausted is the word, I think. But I’ll get through it. What other choice do I have?’ she remarked as she pushed the pram towards the door.
‘Are you okay?’ Seb asked Luci the moment Melanie left the room.
‘I’m fine.’
She didn’t look fine.
‘I’m concerned about Melanie, though,’ she said, changing the subject. ‘Do you still think the kids are safe?’
‘How was Harper’s health check?’ he asked, letting her change of topic go—for now. ‘Were there any red flags with her weight or teeth or any unexplained bruises?’
Luci shook her head. ‘Everything was within normal ranges.’
‘I’ve never seen any signs of neglect or abuse. The kids are clean and well fed. I think she’s coping. Maybe just, at times, but I don’t think the kids are in any danger.’ If he thought the children were in any danger he wouldn’t sit on his hands. ‘Her kids’ welfare comes before her own, which is part of the problem, but also why I’ll insist that she continue with regular psych reviews. If anything changes, hopefully we’ll pick up on it.’
Luci was nodding but she still looked upset. He felt that he’d learned to read her expressions in just a few days and he was still worried about her. He wanted to find out why she’d looked so shocked. He ignored his self-imposed ban. He wanted to spend time with her. ‘Have you got plans tonight?’ he asked.
‘Only to cook up a stir-fry.’
‘Would there be enough for two?’
‘You’ll be home?’
So she’d noticed that he’d been MIA. He wondered if she had missed him. He nodded and offered, ‘I’ll bring wine.’
‘Sure.’
‘Dinner smells good.’
Seb’s voice startled her and made Luci jump. She had her head over the wok and the sizzle as she fried the garlic and crushed chilli had blocked out all other sounds.
‘It’s just chicken and noodles,’ she said as she scraped the marinated chicken strips into the pan. The aroma of fried garlic always smelt good but she hadn’t really thought about the practicalities of serving up a dish laden with garlic. Oh, well, she supposed it was one way to make sure Seb didn’t kiss her again.
She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the familiar snap as Seb broke the seal on the screw top on the bottle of wine he held. He poured two glasses and handed one to her before leaning back on the kitchen bench.
Was he planning on hanging around in the kitchen while she cooked?
She’d been surprised that he was free tonight. He’d barely been home all week. She’d heard him come in late at night but he definitely hadn’t been home for a meal and she’d expected he would have other plans. She’d wondered if he had been deliberately avoiding her and had thought about shooing him out of the kitchen now, but dinner would only take five minutes so she may as well enjoy his company. Sitting home alone was no fun.
The house had been far too quiet this week without Seb. She still wasn’t used to being on her own. After her divorce she’d formed a habit of eating at her parents’ house a couple of times a week or sharing a meal with Flick. But being in Sydney, where she didn’t have a large network of friends, had made her nights long and lonely. She’d never really been on her own before and she’d discovered she didn’t like it. But that didn’t mean she was going to fall for the first guy to cross her path. She needed to develop some resistance along with her independence.
She sipped her wine, hoping it would calm her nerves. It felt like they were on a date. Not that she really knew how that felt. She and Ben had been together since high school and she couldn’t even remember their first date, but she guessed it would have been at a school friend’s birthday party. They had probably played silly party games and drunk some wine they’d pinched from a parent’s cellar.
She wished she was cooking something a bit more complicated than a stir-fry, something that required more attention. Something that would require her focus but, as it was, she could whip up a stir-fry blindfolded and that meant she had plenty of time to think about Seb.
Even though she hadn’t seen much of him that week she could always tell when he’d been to the apartment. She could smell him. The air was different and even now, despite the aroma of garlic and chilli, she could still smell him. He had showered after work—that must have been while she’d been at the supermarket—and she could smell soap and aftershave. He’d changed into a pair of stone-coloured shorts with a fresh navy T-shirt. His feet were bare and he looked relaxed and comfortable. He certainly didn’t look nervous or like he was dressed for a date.
Luci took another sip of wine and concentrated on copying Seb’s calm approach as she served up the stir-fry and sat at the table opposite him.
He tucked into the bowl of noodles, scooping up several forkfuls before he paused to take a breath.
‘This tastes great, thank you,’ he said, as he topped up their wine glasses.
Luci had intended to do some studying after dinner but she could fast see that plan disappearing if she had too much wine but she didn’t refuse the top-up. After a week of lonely nights it made a pleasant change to share a meal with someone. And it was even more pleasant when that someone was Seb.
‘Two weeks down, how’s it been going?’ he asked her as he sipped his wine. ‘Have you recovered from Melanie’s visit?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Something she said upset you.’
‘You noticed that?’
‘I did. What was it?’
‘I know she didn’t mean any harm but if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if I had kids I’d have paid off my mortgage. I just don’t understand why
