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‘What happened?’ She looked up at him. ‘You went out with her for a long time, Nick, you must have been smitten—so why finish it?’
‘Kate, it’s in the past, there’s no point raking over it. Jayne’s probably married with children by now,’ he muttered.
She frowned. ‘Yes, but that’s not the point, is it—?’
‘The point is that we all make mistakes—’
‘At least you didn’t make the mistake of living with Jayne,’ she murmured. ‘Moving in with Stephen was a big, big mistake, I can see that now.’
‘Hey, I’ve had my share of disastrous relationships.’ Nick lightened his tone. ‘Remember Rebecca Palmer?’
Kate laughed.
‘There you go, I knew I could cheer you up.’ Nick’s hands left hers. ‘Was she off her trolley or what?’
‘She was a bit weird.’
‘A bit weird, she was seriously scary, and yet when I took her out first time, I thought she was gorgeous.’
‘That’s because you never look much further than a great body…it doesn’t matter about the personality.’
‘That’s not true.’ Nick looked at her with a twinkle in his dark eyes. ‘It does matter if they want a second date.’
‘You’re incorrigible,’ Kate muttered. ‘You do nothing but break women’s hearts. Just as well I never fell in love with you.’
‘Why was that, I wonder?’ Nick’s voice was suddenly contemplative. His eyes moved over her face. ‘How come I never added you to my list of conquests?’
Kate shrugged. Suddenly she was very conscious of the fact that she had very little on. The T-shirt was hardly modest—it reached her knees but it was very fine cotton and the shape of her breasts was visible to the discerning eye. And suddenly his eye did seem to be more than a little attentive.
‘You’re a Gemini and I’m a Sagittarius,’ she murmured. ‘We wouldn’t be compatible.’ She moistened her lips as his gaze rested on their softness.
Nick grinned. ‘You’re not still into that astrology stuff, are you?’
‘You may mock, but my stars said this morning that I was entering a phase of profound change.’
‘So you think every Sagittarian came home to find their partner had…strayed.’
‘Don’t be obtuse, Nick. Change takes many forms.’
‘Exactly, which is how these astrologers can claim success so often. You can read anything into those columns.’
Kate frowned. ‘You’re such a sceptic, Nick.’
‘And you’re such a sucker when it comes to superstition.’
‘I rest my case.’ She shrugged. ‘You’re a Gemini and I’m a Sagittarian. We’re totally opposite and that’s why a relationship would never have worked between us.’
Nick’s gaze moved again to her lips. ‘I could blow a hole in that theory very easily,’ he murmured. There was something dangerously seductive about his words and the way he was looking at her.
She felt her body temperature increase dramatically. ‘So…so why don’t you?’ Kate angled her chin and sent him an unconsciously provocative look from glittering emerald eyes.
‘Because now’s not the time.’ He moved back from her.
About to challenge him to what exactly he meant by that, she changed her mind as he glanced at her again. Maybe some things were better left as they were.
‘And anyway, friendship seems to last longer than everything else, doesn’t it?’ Nick glanced at his watch. ‘And given the fact that we are so…opposite in every way…we are lucky to have that in spades, aren’t we?’
There was a dry irony in the last part of those words but she decided to ignore it. ‘Yes, we are. What time is it?’ she asked.
‘Almost one, we’d better try and get some sleep.’
‘Yes. I suppose we should.’
‘Will you be OK now?’
‘I’ll be fine.’ She smiled at him. ‘You’re right, I am strong and I will bounce back.’
‘Not if you don’t eat, though.’ He pointed to the food beside them on the table. ‘Try and have something.’
She nodded.
‘See you in the morning, then.’ He leaned towards her. Her heart missed a beat as he kissed her on the cheek. She could smell his cologne, feel his warmth. His hand rested lightly on her shoulder, yet she imagined she could feel it burn slightly through the shirt.
‘Sleep well,’ he said as he got to his feet.
She watched as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
Somehow she just knew that she wouldn’t get any sleep at all.
CHAPTER THREE
THE phone was ringing as Kate let herself into her apartment. She wondered if it was Stephen. It was almost six weeks now since he had left and she hadn’t heard a thing from him. Most of his clothes were still hanging in the wardrobes; his CDs were still beside the hi-fi. She supposed he would get in contact if only to collect them, but she wished he’d get it over with—this waiting around seemed interminable. It felt as if she were living in no man’s land; their relationship was over and yet he was still here in essence. Every time the doorbell or the phone rang her nerves seemed to go into freefall.
She put her shopping down on the kitchen counter and snatched up the receiver.
‘Hi, Kate, it’s Tanya.’
‘Oh, hi, Tanya.’ She sat down at the breakfast bar, not knowing if she felt relieved or disappointed that it wasn’t him. ‘How are you?’
‘More to the point, how are you?’ Tanya said, sympathy filling her voice and for some reason jarring on Kate. ‘I’m really sorry to hear about you and Stephen splitting up.’
‘Well, don’t be too sorry, it’s probably for the best.’ Kate tried to sound upbeat. She liked Tanya and they had been friends for a while, but she was very aware that the other woman worked with Stephen and so anything Kate said might be repeated to him.
‘So you’re really OK?’ Tanya sounded surprised.
Did she think I’d fall to pieces? Kate wondered, feeling a tinge of anger. And, if so, why hadn’t she rung before now?
‘Yes, I’m really fine. In fact I couldn’t be better,’ Kate purred, her voice exuding a glowing happiness that was completely at odds with her reflection in the mirror opposite. She looked tired, testament to the fact that she hadn’t been sleeping very well recently.
‘I’m so pleased, Kate. I’ve wanted to ring you for a while but I’ve kept putting it off. I feel a bit torn, being friends to both you and Stephen…and also with working with Natasha.’
‘There’s no need to feel awkward, Tanya,’ Kate assured her. ‘It’s all water under the bridge now and I’m happily getting on with my life.’
‘Are you seeing someone else?’
Kate hesitated, wondering how much of this conversation would go back to Stephen. ‘Well…you know, I’ve got a few irons in the fire.’ How many more clichés could she use to extract herself from this situation? she asked herself sardonically.
‘That’s great! Listen, what are you doing the weekend after next?’
‘I don’t know.’ Put on the spot, Kate blustered feebly. ‘Nothing much, just the usual—’
‘That’s brilliant, because David and I are getting married.’ Tanya’s voice resounded with happiness. ‘And I want you to come.’
Kate could feel her temperature rising. She wanted to ask if Stephen and Natasha would be there, but that would go against the relaxed ‘I’m over him’ attitude, wouldn’t it? So instead she resorted to cheerful congratulations, while trying to work out a sensible reply to the invitation. Why hadn’t she said she was busy that weekend? Why the hell hadn’t she said she was out of town, going to Paris…anything?
‘I’m so pleased for you, Tanya,’ she heard herself gush.
‘Thanks, Kate. I was worried about telling you…what with you and Stephen splitting up. You two had lived together as long as we have…and, well, I felt a bit…awkward.’
‘There’s no need,’ Kate said sincerely. ‘I really am happy for you.’
‘Yes, I should have known you would be. I’m glad you will be able to come, Kate, it means a lot to me. I’ll stick an invitation in the post for you…oh, and bring a partner if you like.’
‘Thank you.’ Kate didn’t know what else to say.
‘OK, see you soon. Bye, now.’
Tanya’s cheerful tones rang in her ears as she put the phone down. You should have just told her you were busy, that you’d forgotten some important previous engagement, Kate told herself fiercely. You don’t want to see Stephen and Natasha. It will be pure torture. On the other hand, why should she stay away? She had been Tanya’s friend before Stephen. Hell, on his request she had even pulled the strings to help him get the job there. She had nothing to be ashamed of…unlike Stephen. If he and that woman had any conscience, they would be the ones to stay away.
It crossed her mind that she could ask Nick to accompany her. That would cause a few raised eyebrows. It would also wipe that note of sympathy out of people’s voices. No one could feel sorry for her if she had a man as gorgeous as Nick on her arm. She could pretend that he was her lover, they could dance close together on the dance-floor, gaze into each other eyes. That would knock the arrogant smile off Stephen’s face. For a moment she felt a burst of happiness at the thought, then the daydream faded into reality. Stephen wouldn’t care if she were dating Prince William, and Nick wouldn’t want to pretend to be anything but her friend. It would be too embarrassing even to ask him.
Kate glanced at her watch and then got up to put the shopping away. She had better get a move on. She had invited Nick for dinner and he would be arriving in a little over an hour.
The lasagne safely in the oven and the table laid, she went to make herself presentable. She showered and changed into a pale blue skirt and matching top. Then she applied some make-up to hide the dark circles under her eyes and some brighter lipstick.
Not bad, she thought as she ran a smoothing hand over her long dark hair and stepped back to survey her appearance in the full-length mirror. She hadn’t seen Nick in a few days. He’d been to Paris on business and she had really missed him.
She didn’t think she would have been able to get through these last few weeks if it hadn’t been for Nick. Somehow being with him had made things feel better. He’d taken her out quite a bit, to the cinema and for drinks. Of course, she knew he was doing it to cheer her up, but she appreciated it…and it had worked. He had been very good company.
She felt excited at the prospect of spending the evening with him tonight; she glanced at the clock, counting the minutes until he’d arrive, and hoped his flight wasn’t delayed.
As Kate made to leave the bedroom she noticed a pile of Stephen’s books sitting on the top of a chest of drawers. She really needed to start sorting things out, putting his stuff into boxes and clearing out the debris. She took out an old suitcase from the top of one of the wardrobes and dropped the books inside. Then on impulse she started throwing a few other things in. It felt quite good tossing bits of Stephen into a box—his football kit, his magazines, his dreadful pictures of motor racing. She was starting to enjoy herself when the front doorbell rang.
Nick was standing on the front doorstep, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
‘Hi.’ He smiled at her.
‘Hi, yourself.’ She grinned back at him, feeling happier than she had felt in a long time. ‘You’re just in time to help me carry a heavy suitcase down the hall.’
‘Am I? Whose suitcase is it?’
‘Guess?’ Kate reached to kiss him on the cheek and was overpowered by the scent of lilies and mimosa. His arms went around her, delaying her momentarily beside him.
‘So how are things with you?’ He looked deep into her eyes, his gaze moving over her face, noting the hollows beneath her cheeks, the slight shadows under her eyes.
She felt her body tingle with awareness at his closeness. Felt her heart starting to speed up, her pulses race. ‘I’m OK, but I’m glad you’re back.’ Did her voice sound as breathless as she suddenly felt? Perplexed by the rush of adrenalin, she pulled away from him and led the way into the apartment. ‘Thanks for the flowers,’ she said, burying her face into their sweet scent and breathing deeply.
‘It’s the least I could do when you’ve offered to cook me dinner.’ Nick grinned. ‘So, where’s this case you want me to carry out for you?’
‘It’s in the bedroom. You can do it later.’
As he followed Kate through the smart apartment to the dining room, he noticed that she had lost weight, the pale blue skirt that used to reveal the delightful curves of her hips now hung on her.
‘So, what’s the news?’ he asked. ‘Have you heard anything from Stephen?’
‘No, I’ve no news on that front. I just thought I’d make a start and pack up some of his stuff for him so it’s ready if he calls by.’
‘I’d throw it out if I were you,’ Nick muttered.
‘I couldn’t do that.’
Why not? Nick wondered as he watched her walk through to the kitchen to put the flowers in water. Surely she wasn’t still carrying a torch for Stephen after the way he’d treated her? The notion angered him. He wanted to tell her to just forget the guy.
‘Anyway, I’ve started to pack things up, because I’m going to have to move,’ she said as she returned to put the vase of flowers on the sideboard. ‘This apartment is too expensive for me to manage on my own, so I’ve had to give in my notice.’
‘Oh, Kate, I am sorry. I know how much you love this place.’
The gentleness of his tone made her insides twist with a painful kind of longing. She shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s for the best. There are a lot of memories here for me, and I’m better to move on, forget them.’
He nodded. ‘Have you seen anywhere you like yet?’
‘I’ve only looked through the papers. I’ll start in earnest next week.’
‘Well, if you’re stuck you can always stay in my spare room for a while.’
‘Thanks.’ She wondered what it would be like to stay at his place. For a moment her mind flicked back to the night she had slept there. She remembered the way she had felt when they had been alone in the bedroom, and how she had forgotten where she was the next morning and raced out into the landing to answer the phone, only to find Nick standing there with a towel around his waist, his hair and his body still glistening damply from the shower.
‘It’s for me,’ he had said calmly as he’d turned and met her eyes.
She had found herself gibbering something, her skin on fire, as she’d wrenched her gaze away from the powerful masculinity of his body.
Kate met his gaze now and felt herself heating up at the memory.
Maybe staying at Nick’s place wouldn’t be a good idea, she told herself.
She glanced at her watch and tried to bring her thoughts back to reality. ‘Help yourself to a drink, Nick. I’ll just check on the oven and then you can tell me all about Paris.’
When she came back, Nick had poured them both a glass of red wine.
