Doris O'Connor (13 page)

“
Logical sense?” Emy found her
voice, and her delicate features screwed up in disgust, her grey
eyes locking on her husband with disdain. “Logical sense! What has
logic got to do with a marriage proposal? Honestly, Richard, I
don’t think there was anything logical about your marriage
proposal. Trust me, if there had been, I would have told you to get
stuffed!”

Richard chuckled and rolled his eyes at Kitty,
mouthing “here she goes again.” Kitty had to bite the inside of her
cheek to stop herself from laughing. There had definitely been
nothing logical about her friend’s whirlwind romance, which had
transformed a career-driven, sworn-off men, workaholic to a married
woman in the space of three months. If Kitty hadn’t been right
there in the middle of it all, she would never have believed
it.

“
And besides we loved each other;
that’s why we got married. To marry for any other reason is insane.
You had a drink with him the other night, right, Rich? Whatever did
you say to him to bring this on?”

This was news to Kitty, and she, too, glared
at Richard, who was starting to look worried.

“
Em, Kitty, now don’t you two gang
up on me. I merely pointed out a few facts.”

“
What sort of facts, Richard?”
Kitty interrupted, wondering why Emy’s husband would not look at
her directly.

“
Spill, Richard, unless you want to
sleep on the settee for the next month!”

“
Okay, okay, I merely pointed out
that Kitty here would never forgive him, and if he wanted any
chance of seeing Noah, that he should call the hounds
off.”

“
Meaning the witch that is his
mother, I take it.”

Kitty and Richard both winced at Emy’s harsh
words.

“
Emy, Mrs. Giovanni is not a witch,
she’s just—” Richard stopped, seeing the expression on his wife‘s
face.

“
Misguided?” said Kitty, making
both of them look at her with startled expressions on their
faces.

“
Are you defending the woman who
wants to take Noah away from you? Are you mad? Oh scrap that.
Clearly you are, at least where that Alex is concerned. He has your
knickers thoroughly in a twist, in fact. Kitty, you haven’t gone
and fallen in love with the man, have you?”

Kitty shocked herself with the hysteric bubble
of laughter that came out of her mouth just then. “Of course I
haven’t, Emy!”

Of course she wasn’t. She was just.
Urm
well, I’m not going to think about that now.
Her reaction to
Alex was a complete mystery to her. From the first moment she had
spotted him in that bar she had been in lust. That’s all it was. It
had to be.

“
Hmmm.” Emy looked doubtful. “Yet
here you are defending his mother. What’s that all
about?”

“
I think she is just protective of
him, and I can’t blame her for that, Emy. How would we feel, if in
twenty years’ time, one of our boys found themselves in this
situation? She doesn’t know me. I dare say all she sees is some
woman who got herself pregnant by her son, didn’t tell him, and is
now stopping him from seeing his son and her from seeing her
grandchild. I know I would be ready to commit murder, wouldn’t
you?”

“
Hmmm, but you did tell
him!”

“
Well, yes, but Alex is still
saying he didn’t get that message and I’m not sure exactly what’s
going on between him and his mother; but there is more to all this.
Quite frankly, I have just had enough of the fighting and the
solicitors, and no matter what my feelings are, Noah has a right to
see his father. I don’t want to see him dragged through the courts
just because his father and I can’t put our differences to one
side.”

“
Sounds as though you’ve made up
your mind.” Richard smiled at her, and Emy rolled her eyes in
disgust.

****

Across town Alex was having a similar
conversation with his mother.

“
You asked her to marry you? Why on
earth would you want to do that? I dare say she jumped at the
chance. Women like her always do.” Stella Giovanni glared at her
son, every pore of her body quivering in outrage.

“
Mamma, be careful. You are talking
about the mother of your grandchild here! The woman I have to
marry, thanks to your machinations with the solicitors.”

“
We can fight her, Alex. We’ll get
him, and we will; it will just take time. There is no need for you
to marry the woman. If you’re looking for a wife, then you should
consider Irene.”

Alex groaned. ”Mother, stop it. I am not
marrying Irene. I told you it would never work!”

“
And marrying that red-head will?
Listen to yourself Alex! Unless—”

Stella’s face lit up, and Alex could almost
see the wheels turning in her head. Now what was she
concocting?

“
Unless?” He was sure he didn’t
want to hear what his mother’s plans were now.

“
Oh, this is perfect, Alex. It will
mean we’ll get Noah so much quicker, won’t it?”

“
Urm, yeees, but—”

“
We will have to draw up a prenup,
of course. No way is she getting any of the family business. How
quickly can you get married, Alex? Then I suppose you will have to
have a honeymoon, for appearances’ sake as much as anything, and
you will have to work your charms. That shouldn’t be too difficult
for you. “

Alex couldn’t believe his ears. His mother
clapped her hands in excitement, her usually pale features flushed,
her eyes sparkling.

“
I’ll get on to Robert
straightaway. He can put the arrangements in place for the
adoption, and then he’s ours; and we can get rid of her once and
for all! And you can take your place as head of the family
business, just like you promised your father. Once the divorce is
final, well, we will have to find Noah a decent mother and you a
good wife!”

Before a stunned Alex could say anything at
all, she swept out of the room, leaving him with the need to sit
down. So much for getting his mother off Kitty’s back. Hell, he
just wanted his son, and as far as he was concerned Kitty and Noah
were a package deal. Work his charms indeed! He’d been lucky to get
out of Kitty’s flat in one piece last night. Never had he seen her
angrier or more beautiful for that matter, and he shifted in his
seat.

“
I wouldn’t marry you if you were
the last man on earth, Giovanni!” She had screamed at him to get
out, and as he rather valued his nether regions, he’d made a
tactical retreat. He had seen the tears in her eyes, though. Tears
which had given him a small hope that she might not be as immune to
him as she wanted him to believe. It was all rather ironic, really.
His mother making arrangements to have him divorced, before he even
convinced Kitty to marry him. And as for the divorce. Maybe he was
a fool, but there wouldn’t be any divorce, not once he had Kitty
back in his bed where she belonged.

****

“
Ms. Jenkins, there is a visitor at
reception for you.”

Kitty looked up from the I.E.P she was
creating for Ethan. Heck, what was the woman’s name? The temporary
school secretary smiled at her blandly.

“
Shall I tell the lady that she
needs to make an appointment? It’s just, she seems
agitated.”

“
No, that’s okay. Have you got a
name?”

“
Oh yes, silly me. Stella
Giovanni.”

Kitty was glad she was sitting down. What on
earth did Alex’s mother want with her? This was indeed a day full
of surprises. First the phone call from her solicitor, now a visit
from Alex’s mother. What next, the man himself wrapped up in a big
pink bow? Kitty had to resist the urge to fan herself at the mere
thought.
Get a grip, girl. See what she wants, and then you can
go back to your day job.
Not that she was managing that very
well at all. She glanced at the clock and realized with a start
that she’d sat staring at an almost blank piece of paper for the
last half hour. She would have to get Noah from nursery soon. They
were planning on having pizza with Gwen. Her neighbor had insisted,
saying that she had not seen much of them. Noah had jumped up and
down in excitement, leaving Kitty no choice but to
agree.

She made her feet move towards reception.
Stella Giovanni was patiently waiting, reading the notice board.
Even from a distance she made Kitty feel inadequate. The woman was
a walking advertisement for Italian chic, from her perfectly
coiffed hairdo, down her elegantly suited frame to the expensive
Italian court shoes.

Kitty caught sight of her own reflection in
the glass door and grimaced. Her hair had escaped its bondage as
usual; her blouse and skirt were wrinkled; and her comfortable
loafers had seen better days.

Not that she could do anything about this now.
Stella had turned around and studied her through narrowed
eyes.

Kitty forced a smile and extended her hand.
“Mrs. Giovanni, you do surprise me. What brings you
here?”

The hand that grasped hers in a surprisingly
firm handshake was cool, as was the voice that greeted
her.

“
Kitty, it is Kitty right? Is there
somewhere we can talk privately?”

“
Sure, we can use the staff room.
Almost everyone has left already, so we won’t be disturbed. If you
would follow me.”

Stella’s gaze drilled into her back. Kitty
turned around to face those frosty eyes of hers warily once they
reached the privacy of the deserted staff room.

“
I would offer you a coffee, but I
haven’t got much time left before I have to leave, so whatever you
have come to say to me, please say it.”

Kitty was quite proud of her professional
sounding voice, which didn’t betray the quivering bundles of nerves
that she was on the inside.

Stella looked her up and down, a slight frown
on her face. “I want to know why you will not marry my son. I would
have thought you would jump at the chance, now that you know about
the family business.”

“
Well, you thought wrong, Mrs.
Giovanni. I know when I’m not wanted.”

“
Oh but you’re quite wrong. Heaven
knows what Alex sees in you, but he seems very determined to pursue
you. I presume you have heard from your solicitors by
now?”

Kitty nodded.

“
So, I have done my part of the
bargain. I have withdrawn all custody charges, just as Alex
demanded of me, so why will you not marry him? Holding out for a
better offer?”

“
Hardly, Mrs. Giovanni.” A better
offer than sexy Alex? Kitty had to smile to herself.

“
I fail to see what is so amusing.
I have yet to meet my grandson, and whilst Alex assures me that I
will and to give you time, I find myself impatient to meet him.
Don’t you think you have wasted enough time, keeping Noah from his
paternal family? We have a right to see him, regardless of what any
poppycock solicitors may say. Quite frankly, my dear, I would have
no compunction pursuing you through the courts until you couldn’t
fight this anymore. But I have given Alex my word that I would
withdraw, so I have done so, against my better
judgment.”

Kitty felt an unwanted stab of admiration
towards the older woman whose gaze never wavered, her tone of voice
icily polite. This couldn’t be easy for her, and she had withdrawn
the charges, after all.

“
Are you just going to stand there?
I am told that you’re not normally lost for words. What are your
intentions towards my son?”

“
I won’t marry him, if that’s what
you’re asking, Mrs. Giovanni.”

“
I see!” Stella went visibly paler,
her lips grim, and she sat down.

“
What would it take? You know that
we are not poor. So if you’re holding out for some sort of
settlement, then that could be arranged.”

“
Mrs
Giovanni, I don’t know
who you think I am, but your money can’t buy me or Noah! I am
perfectly capable of providing for Noah, and I… let me finish.” She
put her hand up to stop Stella from interrupting. “But I am aware
that Noah needs to see his father and grandmother!”

“
Thank God.” Stella closed her eyes
briefly. They were marginally less frosty, only to turn huge when
Kitty said, “In fact, I have to pick Noah up now. Would you like to
meet your grandson, Mrs. Giovanni?”

Chapter
Fifteen

Oh, her and her big mouth! When would she ever
learn? She glanced in her rear view mirror, and, sure enough,
Stella Giovanni’s car was still following.

“
Lummy, Tella gonna have
pizza?”

Kitty glanced at her son and smiled. ”Yes,
baby, she is.”

“
Good, I likes Tella.”

Kitty sighed to herself. And there was the
reason for her big mouth. When they had arrived at Noah’s nursery,
he’d been engrossed in his cars, smiling up at Kitty, before
resuming his game. She was pulled to one side by Tracey, the
nursery supervisor, to discuss an incident at lunchtime.

“
Not too much to worry about I
don’t think, but he was upset by another child; and I thought you
would want to know.”