More Than Just One Night (The Selwood Sisters Novellas) (4 page)

“Sorry. That was—”

“True.” She looked up, and broke into a reluctant
smile. “You were a bad influence on me.”

He grinned. “I hope so. Coralie—”

“Cora, remember?”

“Cora. Sorry, you’ve been Coralie in my
dreams. You have no idea how glad I am to have found you again.”

She coughed as her water went down the wrong
way. “Let’s get one thing clear, Alex. I agreed to have dinner with you, and
that’s all I’m going to do. This isn’t Sydney, and things are different here.
My daughter will be expecting me home tonight.”

“You have a daughter?”

“Yes.”

“How old is she?”

“Twenty. Her name’s Fern. She normally shares
a cramped little house near the uni with friends, but she comes home often
because most of her clothes and shoes are at home. No room for them there, you
see. She’s home tonight. Well, not right now — she’s gone out with a friend
because I said I wouldn’t be home to cook dinner.”

And if Fern knew why she wasn’t home to cook
dinner, she’d be shocked and horrified, or at the very least, would disapprove.
It would be hard for any daughter to discover that her mother was out with a
man she didn’t know. It would be particularly difficult for Fern who had
idolised her father and clearly believed that Cora would be single for the rest
of her life.

“I have a daughter too,” Alex said.

“Oh no!” She straightened. She would never
forgive herself if she’d helped him to cheat on his wife. “Please tell me
you’re not married.”

“I’m not. I’m divorced.”

She expelled a long breath, relieved that she
hadn’t stumbled into the role of the other woman. She shook her head. “I can’t
believe that I didn’t even ask before...well, you know.”

“I’m glad that you didn’t think you needed
to.”

No, she hadn’t needed to ask. She’d known
that he had integrity; she’d felt it in her bones. Relaxing a little, she said,
“So, how old is your daughter?”

“Four.” He took out his wallet and showed her
a picture of a cute little girl. Red-haired, not dark like him.

“She’s gorgeous.”

“I know. She looks like her mother.”

Ouch.
Why
should that bother her? It shouldn’t, but it did.

“What’s her name?”

“Sophie.”

“Couldn’t you have made the marriage work for
her sake?”

He shook his head. Closing the wallet he
said, “Don’t get me wrong, I would have tried, but my wife was the one who
decided to end it. She had other ideas about what she should be doing with her
life.”

“Why did she marry you, then?”

“Who knows? I don’t think she realised that
work was such a big part of my life. She probably envisaged us jetting off on
holiday whenever she felt like it.”

Cora snorted. “Not many people can do that.”

“Exactly. But she had a privileged upbringing
and life with me was a let-down. She wanted to entertain all the time too.
Parties are her idea of relaxing.” He sighed. “But not mine, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, I’m with you there. What about your
daughter, though? Do you see her often?”

He grimaced. “It’s not easy. Her mother
usually manages to find a reason not to let me see Sophie at the arranged time.
And then, when it’s least convenient, she suddenly needs me to look after her.”

“Frustrating.”

“Yes, but there’s not much I can do about it.
If I try to reason with her, she flies into a huff and refuses to let me see
Sophie until she feels like it.”

“Have you been to court about this?”

“Of course, I’m a lawyer. But there’s only so
much that can be done by the courts. I’m still dependent on my ex-wife’s
cooperation, and subject to her whims.” He shrugged. “I just have to deal with
it.”

“I suppose so.” She was glad her marriage
hadn’t ended in divorce. Not that she was happy about the way it had ended, of
course, but divorce had to be so difficult, especially where children were
involved. She’d seen how bitter her sister Gwen had become about her marriage
split.

Relaxing a little more she said, “I also have
a son. Justin. He’s finished uni and he’s travelling, seeing something of the
world before he settles down to work. He’s the one I’m keeping the business
going for.”

“Oh?”

“In theory, my two sisters have an equal
share in the company, but neither of them is interested in running it, and
their daughters are still kids. My youngest sister, Lily, is happy to work
there and draw an income, but until we sell the business and share the
proceeds, it’s mine to manage, and then my son’s when he’s ready.” She looked
away, remembering that she and Paul had talked of taking off on a cruise when
Justin was old enough to take over. Plans they’d never had an opportunity to
put into practice. She drew in a slow breath and turned back to Alex. “When
Paul had his first heart attack, I promised him that I wouldn’t sell the business
off, but I’d keep it operating and profitable for Justin. Keep it in the
family. It’s what my father would have wanted too.”

“I see. So, your husband’s death was sudden?”

She took a moment to answer. She didn’t talk
about that time in her life. With the exception of Eric, only family had been
there at the hospital, and afterwards, she’d done her best to put the whole
painful experience behind her. She certainly hadn’t wanted to discuss it with
anyone, and the few friends she’d had back then weren’t the type to push — they
weren’t the type to hang around waiting for her to open up either, come to
think of it. Not that it had bothered her when they vanished. But anyway,
sufficient time had gone by now, that she could think back over those harrowing
days without feeling as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

“He recovered from the first heart attack,”
she said, then swallowed. “They operated, and he seemed to be getting better. Then,
a couple of weeks later, he had another massive heart attack, and there was
nothing they could do.”

Her voice sounded odd to her own ears. She
pressed her lips together, willing herself not to lose it here in the
restaurant.

“It must have been terrible.”

After swallowing, she said, “Yes, it was. But
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Employees depended on Selwoods for their
livelihoods; I simply had to pick myself up and get on with running the
business. I suppose that helped me to get over the shock.”

Alex looked at her as if he wasn’t sure what
to say, but the arrival of their meals saved him the trouble. Cora returned the
smile of the young woman who delivered them; she was almost sure she’d gone to
school with Fern.

 
Great
. It would be just her luck for
news of her date to pop up on whatever social media network was flavour of the
month with Fern and her friends. Her appetite had gone missing, and she picked
at the vegetables on her plate, avoiding the chicken.

 “How many people do you employ?”

“Around forty-five. That’s the core
workforce, but it varies. If we have a lot of projects on, we hire more people
on a casual basis so that we can achieve the schedule we’ve committed to.”

“Do you get to Sydney often?”

She shook her head.

“There’s a daily flight.”

“Yes, but I can’t afford the time to go away more
than absolutely necessary. When I really can’t avoid it, I try to get
everything done in one visit.”

“Right. So, do you think you could manage to
fit me in during a visit as well?”

“Fit you in? What do you mean?”

“I’d like to see you the next time you come
to Sydney.”

Cora put down her cutlery and sat back,
giving him a direct look. “Alex, that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not workable.”

“I’ll come here, then.”

“Alex, please understand. I’m a business
owner with an image to maintain. I don’t want people to see me running around
town with a younger man.”

“Is that the problem? My age?”

“Yes. No. Not entirely.”

She sighed. “I told you, I don’t date. People
here still remember my husband. They’d talk.”

He smiled and
God help her
, her blood ran
hot in her veins.

“What do you think they’d say?”

“That I’m—” She stopped. “It really doesn’t
matter what they’d say. I’m not going to put myself in that position, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay by me. Not at all, and I
like a challenge,” he said. “I don’t give up easily.”

Lily was waiting at Cora’s office door when
she arrived at work the next morning. She frowned. Lily was never early for
work. On time, yes, but not early, because she ran around after her husband and
daughter in the mornings, making sure they ate a good breakfast before leaving
the house — and probably forgot to feed herself in the process.

“Is something wrong?”

Lily shook her head, then grinned. “Have you heard
the news?”

“Only what I caught on the radio on the way
in. Something about a sit-in protest at a library. Sounds like a dream. Think
of all the books you could read—”

“Not that news. Haven’t you seen Gwen’s email?”

Cora shook her head. “I haven’t checked yet.
I had other things on my mind this morning.”

“She’s coming home.”

After unlocking her office door, Cora
gestured to Lily to enter and followed her inside. She dumped her handbag and
pile of folders on the desk and walked around it to sit down. “For a holiday?”

“For good. She asked if she can use Mum and
Dad’s old house if it’s not tenanted. You haven’t got anyone new to take over
the lease yet, have you?”

“No, it’s still sitting empty. I don’t see
any reason why she shouldn’t move in. Will she be on her own?”

“No! There’s no way she’d leave Melbourne
without Becky.”

“Right. I wonder how Becky feels about moving
somewhere new at her age, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough. When will
they be here?”

“Soon. Within the next few weeks. She’s just packing
up the house now, and selling off the furniture she doesn’t want to bring with
her. Do you want to tell her about the house, or shall I?”

If she wrote the email her sister would read
a hidden message in her words and refuse to come after all. She couldn’t seem
to do anything right when it came to Gwen. Almost every conversation ended in a
row or the silent treatment. She sighed. “You do it.”

“It will be great to have her living close
by, won’t it?” Lily smiled and went on without waiting for an answer. “Did you
have a nice meal last night?”

“Very nice, thank you.” Not that she’d tasted
much of it — she’d be hard put to recall what she’d eaten, actually. Hopefully,
Lily wouldn’t ask.

“What’s his name?”

“Alex.”

“Is he very good-looking?”

“Yes. Yes, he is,” she said with a sigh. “Too
good-looking.”

Lily said, “I don’t think there’s any such
thing as too good-looking. So, you’re seeing him again, are you?”

“Not exactly. I’m not sure. He said if I
won’t go to Sydney he’ll come here, but I keep telling him that it won’t work.
He doesn’t listen.”

“Why won’t it work?”

“Well, his age, for one thing. He’s younger
than me.”

“Why is it a problem? How
much
younger
is he?”

“Seven years.”

“
Pfft
.” Lily smiled. “That’s nothing.
Are you really that uncomfortable with dating a man seven years younger?”

“Yes.” Tiring of the conversation, Cora took her
handbag from the desk and slid it onto a shelf beside her. This talk wouldn’t
get her anywhere but back to where she started.

“I assume he doesn’t have a problem with your
age?”

Cora shook her head.  “Though I don’t
understand what he could possibly see in a bossy old battle-axe like me.”

“Oh, Cora, you must be kidding.” Lily laughed.
“Yes, you can be bossy, but you’re also attractive, and clever too. Maybe he’s drawn
to your brain? And he’s already seen whatever there is to see, hasn’t he?”

“It was different in Sydney. It was fun. It
was supposed to be just one night, remember? It’s easier to be brave when you
think you don’t have to face someone again.”

“Why shouldn’t it be fun now?”

“Well, he’s talking about a relationship.”

“Ugh.” Lily pressed her lips together, her
eyes twinkling. “That’s the trouble with men today, they’re only interested in
relationships. Where have all the good ones gone? The ones who were prepared to
have meaningless sex.”

Cora grimaced. “I know, I know. I sound
stupid. But I wasn’t planning on having a relationship when I met him.”

“And nothing happens unless you’ve planned it
in meticulous detail, does it?”