was as at home in her house as the twins were. Lu had been his official babysitter since his mother had left a year after his birth, shortly before her parents’ death.
Mak took a seat at the kitchen counter and accepted the glass of iced tea Lu pushed across. ‘No wine?’
‘It’s three in the afternoon, Mak. A bit early.’
‘Damn.’
‘Tough day?’ Lu asked, knowing that it was a battle for Mak to juggle his business and the demands and needs of a highly active special needs child. Deon had an au-pair he adored, and numerous aunts and uncle who showered him with attention but Mak was his lifeline, his safety net, his hero.
‘How did the interview go at that other school?’
Mak shrugged. ‘Fine. They’d take him tomorrow if I wanted, but I’m holding out for St Clare’s.’
‘You haven’t heard yet?’
Mak looked frustrated. ‘No.’
Lu bit the inside of her lip. Deon was lonely and needed to get back into school—a school where, unlike at the last one, he wouldn’t be incessantly bullied and tormented.
Mak waved his hand in the air. ‘I should hear within a couple of weeks. So, have you had any luck picking up work?’
Lu blew air into her cheeks. ‘Not a damn thing! I’ve only had one enquiry on the website and I’ve visited all the bridal shops and florists and dished out my card, hoping for referrals. I’m thinking of getting another job—’
‘Lu, it’s only been a month since the boys left. Give yourself some time. Keep plugging at it. Something will come up. So...I saw Will Scott’s flashy Range Rover parked in your driveway the other night.’
‘Were you spying on me again?’ Lu demanded.
‘Sure. That’s what good friends do,’ Mak replied. ‘I came around to check on you and saw Will’s car, so I left.’
‘You should’ve joined us.’
‘And have Deon buzzing on rugby talk for the next week? No, thanks!’
Lu smiled. Deon was completely rugby-obsessed and the Rays were his idols. He would be thoroughly over-excited if he met Will, and he’d nag Mak and her to make Will introduce him to the rest of the team. When Deon got a notion in his head it required a water cannon to dislodge it.
Lu explained that she’d invited Will around for supper to say thank you.
Mak took a sip of his drink. ‘So, did he come around to say it was a pleasure to your thank you? Or did he have other pleasure on his mind?’ Mak waggled his eyebrows at her.
Lu glowered at him. ‘It wasn’t like that, Mak!’
‘It’s always like that, Lu.’
Lu didn’t tell him about Will touching her face, about the flare of passion she’d thought she saw in his eyes. She placed her elbows on the counter and grinned at Mak. ‘He is hot, though.’
Make rolled his eyes. ‘So I’m told.’
‘So, last night I went to the Botanic Gardens and the Philharmonic Orchestra was playing. I thought that it would be so much fun to have someone to do things with. I mean, I didn’t mind being on my own, but—’
Mak looked horrified. ‘I am not going to any classical concerts.’
Lu laughed. ‘Actually, I wasn’t thinking about you...this time. I was kind of considering whether to invite Will along the next time. Do you think I could do that?’
‘Women have been asking men out for a while now,’ Mak pointed out.
Lu slid her bum onto a stool. ‘Do you know what I realised this week, Mak?’
‘What, honey?’
‘That I have been so worried about the boys being independent enough, strong enough to go off on their own, and they are fine. Me—not so much. Of the three of us I’m the one who isn’t independent. I’m the one having the most problems adjusting. Apart from that night with Will I’ve hated being in this house alone, waking up alone, going to sleep alone. The lack of noise, the tidiness... I miss them so damn much.’
‘Of course you do.’
‘I desperately need to work, to prove to myself that I am something other than a fake mommy. I want to create again. I want people’s eyes to react—good or bad—when then see my photos. I miss it, Mak. I miss being...productive. I can take as many photos of the sea, of the dogs, as I want, but it’s not the same as creating images for someone else. I miss being...me.’
Mak listened and waited for Lu to carry on.
‘And...I guess I’m just lonely. I never realised I was until the boys left. Having supper with Will the other night made me realise how much I’ve missed being with someone...and, sorry, you don’t count.’
‘You’re too skinny and too pale for me anyway.’
Lu reached across the counter to swat his shoulder. ‘I thought that Will would be an ideal man to practise on.’
Mak’s head snapped up. ‘Huh? What?’
‘I can use him to get my confidence back, to get back into the whole dating dance again. To help me become—independent. Is that the word I’m looking for?’
‘You are making absolutely no sense.’
‘I’ve lost the ability—I’m not even sure I ever had the ability—to flirt, to enjoy a man’s company, to do the dance. Having a flirtation, a fling with Will, would boost my confidence and in a weird way sort of be a...um...a kick start to this new phase of my life. A way to remind myself that I’m more than what I was—something other than the being the twins’ guardian, their housekeeper, their taxi.’
Would Mak understand that she suddenly felt lost and unable to cope now that there was only herself to worry about? She was supposed to feel relieved and free. Instead she felt more insecure and scared than ever before.
That wasn’t right. Or fair. And it definitely wasn’t acceptable. So she’d do something about it.
Preferably with Will. Could she do it? Was she brave enough?
Mak was quiet for a long time. ‘I’m all for you having some fun—getting your groove back. But there are dangers in this, Lu.’
‘Like?’
‘You falling for him and getting hurt, for one.’
Lu shook her head. ‘Firstly, he’s avoided serious relationships for years, and even if I didn’t know that he has “No Trespassing” signs all over his heart, so I know that falling for him would be stupid. Secondly, he’s only here for three months—less than that now. That’s strike number two. He’ll be my practice man and when he leaves I’ll be fine. I just need someone who’s kind of in my life to ease me into the rest of my life. Does that make any
