Charlie whined.
‘OK. Thanks.’ He hit the release for both his seatbelt and mine and then removed the keys from the ignition. ‘Shall we?’
A frisson of excitement made my heart beat out a faster rhythm. I’d never invited anybody to the house before; no friends, none of the girls from my old boarding school, and most definitely no boys. ‘Let’s go.’
We all piled out of the car at once, with Charlie jumping out from the driver’s side to save me having to fight with the lever to collapse the front seat. Zac walked around to the boot to retrieve my rucksack and the picnic blanket before trailing Charlie and me to the front door. Keys still in hand, Zac used the only available option since I only kept one door key on my keyring then pushed the door open.
‘After you,’ he said, extending his free arm.
‘Why, thank you.’ I led Charlie into the playroom then, with Zac’s help, we got Charlie settled on the picnic blanket with a plate full of food in front of Cars 2.
‘So?’ Zac said, turning away from the TV to face me.
‘My turn now, huh?’ I said, too scared to turn my hands over to see if they looked any better. Judging from how much they hurt, I suspected worse.
‘Yep. Do you have tweezers?’
I nodded. ‘They’re in my room. Do you want to come up—er…’ My stomach plummeted to my toes. Oh, puh-lease. I sounded no better than a stranger inviting someone to see their puppies. ‘Give me a sec and I’ll pop up and get them.’
‘Why? Is your room a pigsty?’
‘No.’ I shot him a glare but then noticed the crinkle around his eyes.
‘Then what’s the problem?’
‘I just thought that after…’ Stop talking, Alice. My mouth finally caught up with my brain. After the debacle in the park, I’d been given another chance. ‘Never mind. The tweezers are in my bathroom.’
‘Even better. I’ll need running water too.’ He hauled my bag back onto his shoulder and quirked his eyebrow at me. ‘Lead the way.’
‘There’s a better first aid kit in the utility, and antiseptic—’
‘No antiseptic. It might damage the tissue.’
‘Really?’
‘It can slow down healing too.’
‘Oh.’
‘You might want some painkillers though.’
‘Again…bedroom cabinet.’
‘Then what are we waiting for? You point out where everything is, and I’ll do the donkey work.’
Yep, he’s definitely too good to be true.
‘This way,’ I said, not stupid enough to look a gift-horse in the mouth, not even a donkey version. I got as far as the doorway before I stopped and turned back. ‘Charlie, we’ll just be in my bedroom cleaning my poorly hands if you need anything.’
‘OK,’ Charlie replied without taking his eyes off the screen.
‘He’ll be fine,’ Zac murmured beside me.
I hesitated a moment longer and watched Charlie take another bite of his sandwich before I nodded. ‘We won’t be long,’ I said to the room at large and then set off for the stairs.
Zac followed closely behind, his head turning this way and that as he took everything in. ‘Your house is massive.’
‘I’ll give you the full tour after lunch, if you like, but I tend to stick to my floor.’
‘Your floor? As in an entire level?’ Thank goodness somebody couldn’t actually trip over their jaw otherwise Zac would be tumbling down the stairs and in a worse state than me.
‘Pretty much, although it’s a bit different to the main part of the house.’ We reached the first landing with its wide hallway and white panelled doors. ‘Charlie’s room is on this level, along with his mum and dad’s and the guest rooms.’
‘So you live with your aunt and uncle?’
Shit. I’d set myself up for that one. ‘Something like that,’ I said, falling back on the cryptic answers as I led Zac to one of the many doors on the family floor. ‘I’m up here.’
‘Up?’
I opened the door to reveal another staircase. Zac did some weird upside-down smile and nodded his approval, then fell in behind me. We reached the top of the much narrower staircase which spilled onto the landing with its three doors leading off.
‘So these rooms are all yours?’
‘Yep.’
‘But the rest of your family are on the floor below?’
‘It’s quite an old house so I think this floor must have been designed for a housekeeper or live-in nanny.’
‘Right.’ Zac held my gaze longer than I’d anticipated, intrigue burning in his eyes, but I couldn’t be the one to look away first. ‘So which one of these doors leads to your bedroom?’ he asked finally, directing his gaze to each of the closed doors ahead.
‘That one,’ I said, pointing to the middle one. ‘The other ones lead to my home gym and my dressing room.’
‘Your home gym?’
‘Poke your head in if you like. I kitted it out last year with a treadmill, rowing machine, cross-trainer, and a punchbag.’
‘A punchbag? Wow, remind me not to get on your bad side.’
‘I need to let off steam sometimes.’ Putting it mildly. ‘Pity I can’t take any of it with my when I leave.’ Damn it, I’d done it again.
Zac picked up on my blunder straight away. ‘Are you moving out?’
‘No plans as yet, but I’m saving up. I suppose you think I’m crazy for wanting to leave this house?’
He tilted his head and studied me until it bordered on uncomfortable. ‘I’m sure you have your reasons. So is the other room crammed full of clothes?’
‘And shoes. You mustn’t forget those.’
‘Heaven forbid.’ He faked a shudder before setting off for my bedroom. With his back turned, I closed my eyes and let out a discreet sigh of relief. ‘Are you coming?’
I opened my eyes mid-exhale and saw him looking back at me with his eyebrow raised. Too embarrassed to answer, I slipped underneath his arm that was holding the door open and led the way through my bedroom to my bathroom.
Zac immediately turned on the tap over the basin.
