Instant Family (22 page)

"He does. He's coming over." Seb took a huge satisfied bite from
his sandwich. "So you can go out with the cop and enjoy yourself,
and you won't have to put up with Alex at all."

Chloe turned her back to rinse her mustard knife in the sink and
avoid Seb's grinning face with the bulging, chewing cheeks. And so he
wouldn't see the flush of dismay and shock and embarrassment burning red on her own.

"Plus," he added, "you can stay out as late as you like, because
Alex won't get tired like Gran does. She can go home anytime she
wants. In fact, she needn't come at all."

Alex called late that evening. Chloe took the phone to her bedroom despite the fact that the others were in bed. Katy was asleep,
but either of the boys could easily wander out in search of a snack or
a drink. This conversation did not require eavesdroppers.

He didn't waste any time; he launched right in, forestalling her
own attack.

"Why are you going out with that policeman?" he demanded.

"He's a friend. I've every right to go out with a friend, and you
even told me yourself I should." She sat down on her bed.

"But I hoped you wouldn't want to go out with anyone else."

Chloe sprang to her feet. "Go out? I hardly ever go out. And I've
never been out with you." She strode across to the window, spun
around, and strode back.

"I asked you to lunch, and you refused." Righteous indignation
dripped from every word.

"Only because I couldn't go." She stopped pacing. Thought. Drew
a deep breath. What was happening here? Was he claiming exclusive rights? He had a nerve after what happened today. Take her
take the rest of the family. Doesn't he understand that yet? "I refuse
to be intimidated by you, Alex. I'll go out with whoever I want, and
I don't have to answer to you. I imagine you have friends, don't
you?"

He sighed. "Of course I do. I play basketball with them every
week."

"Any women in the group when you go out?"

"Yes."

"Right." She relented, just a tad. "It won't be just us. There are
others going as well."

His relief was palpable. "All right, I'm sorry. Go out with your
friends and enjoy yourself."

"I will." Now it was her turn. "And why weren't you in court?"

"One of my clients had a disaster with an electrician. I had to be
there, or someone might've committed murder. Then I'd have been in court as a different sort of witness." He gave a short laugh, but
Chloe wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Surely they could've sorted it out without you."

All traces of humor vanished. "No, they couldn't, Chloe. This is
my work, my business. I have to take care of my clients, or my reputation will be shot."

"So you chose strangers over Seb?"

"I had to. I'm sorry. I meant to be there. I wanted to be there.
He understands." His voice rose on another wave of indignation.
"I couldn't even pick Steffie up from school. She was sick, and
her mother couldn't leave work. She had to stay there in the nurse's
office."

"Is she all right?" Poor kid. Nobody had time for her.

"Yes. They thought it might be appendicitis, but it turns out she
has a stomach bug."

"How fortunate for you."

"Don't be like that. Can't you see how impossible it was? What
was I supposed to do?"

"What you did, I suppose. Put your clients above your child and
your friend."

"I always put Steffie first if it's possible."

Prickling heat crawled up Chloe's back. That was it. The lie he'd
told himself for years, fooling everyone but Stephanie and Lucy.
The if it's possible gave him away. "I don't think she sees it that
way, Alex. The way she behaves proves that."

"I barely see her, Chloe. I think her behavior has far more to do
with the way her mother treats her. I try to show her I love her."

"Being with her and putting her first is what she needs from you.
So she believes you really mean it."

"You wanted me to put Seb first a minute ago. Seb has a better
grasp of this situation than you do!"

"That's because he grew up having to accept heaps of things most
kids don't. Plus I tried really hard to continue the solid family base we
had before. They know they can rely on me. It goes without saying.
They just know I'll be there for them. And Simone."

"I know you've done all that, Chloe. I'm doing my best for Seb,
but at any rate I'd have had to put Steffie first."

"Oh, of course." He wouldn't miss the sarcasm. She couldn't help
it. He hadn't put Stephanie first today. If he hadn't shown up in court
because he'd picked her up sick, it would've been a completely different situation. That, anyone would understand.

Alex started, "You're being totally unreasonable-"

But Chloe cut him off. "How can you come here next Saturday?
Won't Stephanie be with you? Are you bringing her?"

"They've got something on, and Lucy wants Steffie to go. Why
are you so upset about this? Is it just because I didn't make it to
court for Seb? He understood straightaway. Why can't you?"

"He thinks the sun shines out of your behind, Alex. Just like
Stephanie. I'm scared of what it'll do to him when he discovers the
truth-your work will always come first with you, and then a distant
second your daughter, leaving Seb where? No matter how much you
say he's important to you She was pacing again. She caught a
glimpse of herself in the mirror, waving her free hand wildly, face
creased, mouth distorted. She had to keep her voice down.

Alex didn't. He almost shouted. "That's unbelievable, Chloe!
What you're really saying to me is I have to choose between work,
Steffie, and Seb, isn't it? And you expect me to put Steffie or Seb
first. It's ridiculous, because it depends on the situation. Can't you
see that?"

"No, I can't. Seb needed you there today. He was terribly disappointed. He's pretending he doesn't mind, but you should have seen
his face. He trusted you, Alex. And you let him down. And Stephanie."
And me, she added desperately in her head.

"I didn't, Chloe. I didn't let either of them down."

"Yes, you did. Sending that report in was easy. Didn't inconvenience you at all. Actually being there is another thing altogether. A
crucial meeting with a client? Far more important than going to sit
in the Children's Court and waste your time. Or pick up a sick little
girl." A tear dropped down her cheek, followed by another. Acid
tears of frustrated disappointment and rage, because she'd known
all along he'd be like this but had hoped she was wrong. Had hoped
Lucy was wrong. She wasn't. "And why can't Steffie live with you?
She wants to, and you say you want her to, so why are you satisfied
with such a lopsided arrangement? Did you choose those terms?"
She scraped her palm across her eyes, furious with herself for cry ing. Glad he couldn't see. "Is it because you don't really want a
child underfoot? And you can blame her mother for all the problems
she has? Nice and easy for you."

"Chloe...

"This relationship will never work, Alex. I can tell you that right
now. I put the kids first. Always. All of them, because I love them. I
even spent all of Saturday sewing for your daughter, and I hate sewing.
You put yourself first, even though you say you love Stephanie. We'll
never see eye to eye on that."

He said in a voice reminiscent of that first one in the police station, icy with rage, "I tell you what I'm not going to do, Chloe, and
that's waste my time listening to this hysterical load of rubbish.
Good night."

Alex slammed the phone down, fuming. His hands were clenching
and unclenching involuntarily. He realized they were beginning to
ache and shook them furiously. What had gotten into her? She was insane. What could he do? He didn't know how sick or not sick Steffie
was. The school could cope, and, anyway, Lucy shouldn't have sent
her off in the first place. Chloe didn't attack her for not leaving work
for her daughter. Plus she'd volunteered to sew that dress. Women! Impossible.

Seb had understood his predicament. He would've been disappointed, but he hadn't carried on like a maniac about it. Everything
had worked out all right. The guys were hanging out on Saturday
night. No way would he break that date. Let Chloe go off gallivanting with the cop. See if he cared.

Alex concentrated on work for the remainder of the week. He didn't
allow himself to dwell on Chloe. She needed time to calm down. Let
her see that Seb really hadn't minded his nonappearance. Let her begin to miss him. She'd realize soon enough how much she wanted him
around. It had been on the tip of his tongue to ask her to the awards
dinner. Good thing he hadn't!

By Friday he'd decided to play it cool on Saturday. Be friendly.
Wish Chloe a good time on her date. Leave when she came home. No
hanging around just to be near her, no touching, and definitely no
kisses.

Simone arrived early to babysit, in time for a cup of afternoon tea
and a chat. She eyed Chloe curiously over the rim of her teacup
when Seb, on his way to the fridge, announced that Alex was coming over later, but for once in her life she said nothing. Seb finished
plundering and sauntered out crunching on an apple with another in
his hand for Julian.

"He looks happy. Alex has been a godsend."

"The boys like him." Chloe poured more tea with studied concentration.

"I thought you did too. He's a very handsome man" Simone
leaned ever so gently on the very. "Especially in a bathing suit."

Chloe couldn't help it. The hot red blush started in her chest,
crept up her neck, and lodged in her face. Burning, uncomfortable,
and all too revealing. "Yes, he is," she muttered, avoiding Simone's
eye at all costs by getting up to put the milk back into the fridge.

"He fancies you-that's blindingly obvious. The way he was
ogling you that day." Simone chuckled. "Perhaps your date with
Brent will give him a little prod in the right direction. Some men
can't see what's staring them in the face. Or they're shy." She
paused, frowned, slurped tea. "He didn't strike me as being the shy
type."

Shy? Alex? "Simone, he doesn't need a prod. He's not shy."

"Whoops! You should have said something when I accepted your
date for you. A polite thanks but no, thanks. Burrows wouldn't have
minded. I like him, but he's no knee-trembler."

Chloe grinned and shook her head. Knee-trembler of all things.
"So do I like him. That's why I'm going out"

"So. Has he kissed you yet?"

No use prevaricating and asking who she meant. Simone could
winkle the secret from the sphinx. "Yes."

"And did you like it?" This had a penetrating gaze attached, raising Chloe's facial temperature several degrees again.

"Yes. It all happened very suddenly, though."

"The phrase `swept off your feet' didn't come from nowhere. You
must have swept him off his feet."

"I doubt it."

"Dear Jeff swept me right off my feet"

"But he's not-he doesn't really ..." She gave up. Nothing was
clear, and she certainly couldn't explain it. "I don't know."

"You're not playing games with him, are you? Using this date
with Brent to make Alex jealous?"

"No! I'd never do that. He knows Brent's a friend."

"Good. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a woman who manipulates her men. So what is it?"

"Alex let Seb down badly, and I can't forgive him for that. Plus he
doesn't want his daughter." Chloe placed her palms flat against her
cheeks, hoping they'd cool the overheated skin.

"I think that's a bit harsh, lovey, saying he doesn't want his
daughter. He may not know how to handle her, but it's obvious he
loves her."

"His ex-wife told me he didn't want a baby when they were married. Stephanie turned up unexpectedly, and he rejected her."

"They must have been very young. He might have changed his
mind. You changed your mind about Stephanie."

"But he let Seb down."

"Did he? I thought he went out of his way to help. He had every
right to do nothing at all. He was the victim."

Chloe sighed. Heartfelt and deep. This was a basic issue of trust.
She didn't trust him, painful as that was to admit to herself. "You
don't understand."

"No." Simone eased her bottom off the stool. "I don't. I'm just a
silly old noodle."

Chloe sighed, smiled, shook her head. "Please don't say anything
about Alex and me to the boys or Katy. I'm not sure I know what I
want. It's too confusing. We have a fundamental difference of opinion about children and responsibility."

"I don't think you do, but you'll have to sort it out. Where's my
Katy? You go and make yourself even more beautiful than you already are for your date."

"It's not really a date if there's a group of us."

"It's a date, and you could do with more of them. Alex might get
the idea and ask you out too. Instead of stealing kisses and confusing you." And she went off to find Katy, grinning from ear to ear.