for a while. ‘I was just getting to know you a little bit better.’
‘No you weren’t.’ Slowly, Brenna moved her head from side to side. ‘That’s not going to happen because I won’t be here long enough.’
And with that, she fled from the seductive warmth of the Library to hurry along the thickly carpeted corridor to the lift back to the top of the house where her suite was located.
When she heard the phone ring a couple of hours later, Brenna rushed into the bedroom from the shower, a towel hastily wrapped round her sarong-style. Reaching for the receiver, she flopped down onto the big antique brass bed, spearing her fingers through her long damp tresses as she did so.
‘Hello?’
‘It’s Fin.’
She gulped down a breath and let it out again slowly.
‘You’ve heard from Nick?’
‘No. I just wanted to remind you about our dinner reservation.’
Another reprieve from the dreaded confrontation with Nancy’s father …
Brenna couldn’t curtail the strong sense of relief that swept through her. Glancing down at the little travel alarm clock she’d placed on the bedside table she saw that it was seven-thirty … dinner time. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t hungry, even to save her pride. A girl couldn’t survive on tea and complimentary biscuits alone. But the thought of spending even the shortest time with Nicholas’s enigmatic emissary made her body tremble with disconcerting trepidation.
Oh, why had Nicholas done this to her? It was bad enough she had to be here at all without having the added dilemma of wondering how to conduct herself with his friend. A friend he’d apparently dispatched to ‘look out’ for her while she was there … whatever that meant. He obviously imagined she was still the same vulnerable, inexperienced young woman she’d been when they’d first met. Was he in for a surprise!
‘You’re not backing out on me?’ Fin’s voice with its disturbing rich timbre inadvertently caressed her ear and Brenna clutched the towel more securely to her chest, as if subconsciously protecting herself from too much sensation. That sexy voice seemed to have the power to reach parts of her that no other male had reached in five long years. Her body was pulsating in response to its sensual cadence, like a cat stroked into a state of bliss by its loving owner.
‘Not at all, I’m far too hungry to refuse your invitation,’ she admitted honestly and was doubly disconcerted to hear him chuckle.
‘Does that mean you’re feeling better after your lie-down?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Good. Then I’ll meet you in the bar at eight.’
Laying out his shaving gear on the bathroom shelf beneath the mirror, Fin confessed to feeling more than a little bit pleased that Brenna hadn’t flat out refused his dinner invitation. Whether he could ultimately placate her fears or not where Nick was concerned was not something he was going to fret about. Nick was a clever, articulate guy who could perfectly well state his own case without needing Fin to do it for him. Already Brenna was suspicious of his friendship with her ex – clearly believing he’d been sent on ahead to promote Nick’s ‘good name’ and convince her that he meant only the best for Nancy. Now that he’d met his friend’s arresting and feisty ex and gleaned the situation from her point of view, Fin had to confess to not feeling entirely comfortable in the role of flag bearer for Nick.
It was clear to him that the woman was in a lot of pain over her situation – who wouldn’t be in the circumstances? Brenna obviously believed that she was under threat and maybe she was? Perhaps her fears that Nick’s wealth and position would have an influential bearing on any desire he had regarding custody of Nancy were actually founded in some truth?
Fin thought about that. About the real possibility that Nick might take Brenna to court for full custody of their daughter instead of joint custody and he wished he’d quizzed his friend more about his intentions before agreeing to divert his vacation plans to go straight to London and travel out into the English countryside to meet up with Brenna on his behalf.
But it was too late now and, like it or not, Fin appeared to be colluding with Nick to do whatever he saw fit regarding Brenna and Nancy. Feeling an unwelcome prickle of unease unravel down his spine, he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and bit back a softly uttered curse.
After replacing the receiver, Brenna lifted it again to call her mother.
‘Mum, how are you? How’s Nancy?’
‘Brenna! We’re both fine, pet. The little darling has just helped me finish doing the dishes. How’s everything going? Have you spoken to Nicholas?’
At the underlying thread of anxiety in her mother’s voice, Brenna quickly rallied to inflect optimism in hers.
‘Everything’s just fine, Mum. Nick hasn’t arrived yet because he’s been delayed but I’m hoping he’ll get here very soon.’
‘If he offers to help financially, don’t you dare even think of turning him down!’ Elsa Stewart warned sternly.
Brenna’s stomach lurched. She wouldn’t take a penny of that man’s money even if her life depended on it. She’d already done her best to explain as much to her mother, but Elsa had seen how her daughter was working herself into the ground with two jobs to keep everything together and she didn’t want the same relentless struggle that she’d endured for her daughter or granddaughter. Brenna understood, but the mere idea of accepting Nick’s financial help made her feel distinctly uneasy. The last thing she wanted was for the man to have some kind of ‘hold’ over her, no matter how tenuous. Besides, it was five years too late and that was a fact.
‘We haven’t even talked yet, Mum, so I’ve no idea what he wants to do.’
‘He said in his letter that he wanted shared custody of Nancy. I don’t think you’ll be able to talk him out of that idea if he wants it and you’ll be a fool if you do, pet. Don’t you think it’s about time you accepted some help? I won’t be here for ever, you know.’
Brenna bit down on her lip. ‘I know that, Mum. But at the end of the day I’ll do whatever I think is best for Nancy. She’s the priority here, not me. And I’m nowhere near convinced that having Nick in her life is the best thing.’
‘You’ve let what happened make you bitter. Let it go, love. Promise me you’ll work something out between the two of you that will benefit you all? You deserve a break, Brenna. A rest, at least.’
‘Mum, I’m fit and strong and not about to collapse any time soon. Look at you, you’ve worked all your life from the age of sixteen and you’re still fighting fit.’
‘Don’t use me as an example, pet. It’s taken its toll and that’s the truth. Don’t end up like me – alone and disappointed – when you could easily have so much more.’
‘Can I talk to Nancy now?’ Her breath escaping on a sigh, Brenna stared doggedly down at her ring-less fingers. Her mother had had her late in life and came from a different era, she mused – an era where for some women marriage was still ultimately the goal. More than ever nowadays, single parents were common. Brenna was just one of many. Besides … she didn’t
