The tears that had been brimming shifted into tears of laughter. ‘Ouch, that’s not fair.’
‘No? Why do we always have pizza on Strictly Saturdays? Why do we have a rota detailing who’s hosting when?’
‘Because then we all know what’s happening,’ she protested. ‘It’s called organisation.’
Alice laughed and threw an arm around her. ‘And it’s just one of the many things we love about you.’ Her face sobered as she caught Maggie’s eye. ‘Promise me you won’t let Paul continue to interfere with your life. Take up dancing again.’
‘I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right. I refuse to let that man, hell, any man, tell me what I can and can’t do any more.’ Maggie drew in a breath and smiled back at her. ‘I’ll enrol tomorrow.’
‘Good.’
After checking the kids were settled in front of the television, Maggie and Alice wandered into Alice’s state-of-the-art kitchen to help sort out the food. Jack, who’d been opening boxes of pizza, grinned over at them. ‘Thank God, the cavalry’s arrived. I’m out of here.’
‘Typical male,’ Alice muttered as she watched her husband slink off. ‘And I bet he’s gone to grab the best spot in front of the TV.’
‘Hey, don’t knock him. At least he’s happy to watch it with you.’ More than Paul had ever done. Because she’d had enough of thinking of her ex, Maggie turned her attention to the mountain of food on the worktop. ‘Wow, chicken wings as well as pizza. Did we agree on that deviation from the rules?’
‘They were on offer, so I thought I’d make a unilateral decision.’ Alice winked. ‘I figured it was hard for the kids to make any more mess than they already do.’
‘I admire your optimism,’ Maggie said dryly, just as the doorbell sounded. ‘That must be Sarah. I’ll get it.’
But as she went to open the door, she spotted the outline of a tall male frame through the frosted glass. And when she opened it, her breath caught in her throat. Clad in a black jacket, grey shirt with several buttons open and smart black trousers, his too-long blonde hair loose around the collar, his chin sporting sexy stubble, the visitor looked like a cross between Thor and James Bond.
‘It’s you.’
Seb’s lips quirked at her inelegant greeting, then angled his head down his body, before bringing it up again to look straight into her eyes. ‘So it is.’
Damn, she deserved that. Usually she was much friendlier than this. Then again, usually she wasn’t made to feel this unbalanced. Shaking herself, she managed a smile. ‘Sorry, I was expecting you to be Sarah.’
‘And I’m a poor substitute?’ He clasped a hand to his heart. ‘You wound me.’
‘I didn’t say that.’ Why was he able to tie her up in knots?
‘Then I’m a good substitute?’
Amusement lit up his vivid blue eyes and Maggie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I didn’t say that either.’
‘Ah, but maybe you thought it. I can live in hope.’ He winked, and she felt a small thrill to think this attractive man was, in a small, harmless way, flirting with her. ‘I’m afraid Sarah can’t make it tonight. Something’s come up at work. She asked me to let you guys know.’
‘Oh, I see. That’s a shame.’ Yet it didn’t explain what he was doing here, in person, dressed like a surfing god going to an award ceremony.
He glanced towards the door she was still holding. ‘Am I allowed in?’
Feeling stupid, she pushed the door open fully. ‘You’re not planning on joining us again, are you?’
‘Is that a problem?’ He leant towards her, the crisp, fresh smell of whatever he’d just showered with drifting deliciously up her nostrils. ‘I mean, if it’s a ticket-only affair, I think I should point out I’ve got an in with the woman hosting tonight.’
Enjoying him far more than perhaps she should, Maggie chuckled. ‘I’m surprised you want to watch it with us, that’s all. You didn’t appear to enjoy it last week.’
The eyes that were so hard to ignore, pierced through her. ‘You enjoy it, don’t you?’
She blinked. ‘Well, yes.’
‘So much that you’re going to dance with a… what was it? A broom?’
Now he was laughing at her. ‘It was a mop, and it isn’t my first choice.’
‘Interesting.’ His gaze sharpened. ‘What, or perhaps I should ask who, would be your first choice?’
Though her heart bounced at the way he looked directly at her, she forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Someone who can dance.’
His lips curved. ‘Sounds sensible.’
She couldn’t help it, she had to know. ‘Are you really here to watch Strictly?’
‘I thought I’d give it another go.’ He sent her a slow, seductive smile. ‘I can enjoy the company, even if I don’t enjoy the programme.’
There it was again, the cheeky flirting. Part of her admired his audacity – she was years older, yet he clearly wasn’t fazed by that, or the fact she was friends with his sisters. ‘Are you sure you’ve not just come to wind us all up again?’ she asked as she stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him.
‘Me?’ His eyes widened in an entirely innocent expression.
‘The thought had crossed my mind,’ she answered dryly, more charmed than she wanted to be.
‘Okay, you’ve rumbled me.’ He dipped his head towards her, his lips so close to her ear that his breath fluttered across her skin. ‘I thought I’d wind Alice up,’ he whispered, before straightening and giving her a careful study. ‘You, I suspect, are harder to rile. Where Alice is straight to boil, I’d put you down as more of a slow simmer.’
There was something about the way he said it, in that low drawl, with just the hint of an Aussie accent, that sent a flush creeping over her skin. A flush that wasn’t appropriate for a thirty-seven-year-old woman. ‘I can boil if the occasion warrants it.’
Seb wondered what it would be like to see Maggie boil. For her to let go of all that careful control. He had a feeling it would be quite spectacular. ‘I’ll consider myself forewarned.’
The alone time with Maggie he’d been enjoying was interrupted by the appearance of Alice in the hallway.
‘Seb, what on earth are you doing here?’ Her eyes ran up and down him. ‘Why are you dressed up? And what have you done with Sarah?’
It was Alice’s way, always straight to the point, and usually it didn’t bother him. Yet as had happened last Saturday, he found being treated as the annoying younger brother in front of Maggie rankled with him. ‘Okay, so in order: I’m here to watch Strictly. I’m wearing a jacket because I’m a smart guy, though it’ll be handy when I go to the club later. As for what I’ve done with Sarah, you say that like I might have poisoned her tea, tied her up and pushed her into the boot of my car.’
Deciding he’d had enough of being interrogated, Seb walked through to where he could hear the TV, leaving Maggie to update Alice on the reason for his sister’s no-show.
There he found Maggie’s kids sitting on the floor next to his niece and nephew. Jack, who’d commandeered one of the armchairs, rose to his feet and gave him a manly handshake.
‘Good to have some more male company for these evenings.’ He nodded at Seb’s outfit. ‘Didn’t realise we blokes were dressing up too, though.’
Seb laughed. ‘I was told it was part of the rules.’
Tabby looked over at him with narrowed eyes. ‘Are you going to watch with us again?’
‘Yep.’ He settled down in the middle of the sofa. ‘I loved it so much last time, wild horses wouldn’t drag me away.’
Rebecca giggled, but Tabby didn’t seem convinced. ‘It’s Halloween night. That’s one of the bestest shows. You have to be quiet when it starts.’
‘I’ll be mouse-like,’ he promised.
As the jarring opening sounds of Strictly sounded on the television, the others rushed in carrying plates of pizza and wings which they set on the coffee table. Seb didn’t miss how Maggie immediately went to sit
on the other armchair at the opposite end of the room from him. Or how Hannah chose to sit on the sofa next to him.
‘Yes, it’s Halloween week.’ On the TV, the Italian judge jumped to his feet, waving his arms flamboyantly. ‘It’s going to be a spooktacular night of dancing!’
Dancers took to the stage in a variety of ghoulish costumes, and it wasn’t long before not making a comment was like not eating the last chocolate in the box: too hard to resist. ‘This is definitely the stuff of nightmares,’ he murmured. Almost mouse-like.
Tabby whirled round, eyes wide. ‘You promised.’
He hung his head and whispered. ‘Bugger, sorry.’
To his surprise, she grinned back at him. ‘And now you said a rude word.’
Of their own volition, his eyes sought out Maggie’s, and he found her watching them. ‘Your daughter’s too sharp for me.’
‘She’s too sharp for all of us.’
Maggie’s mouth curved in a smile that was echoed in her eyes, and the force of it hit him like a train. Wow, the ice maiden was intriguing, but the woman who’d just smiled at him? She was dynamite. Really, sit up and take notice. Gorgeous with a capital G.
All too soon, her attention was back on the TV screen.
‘I’m going to be doing the tango,’ a female contestant told the camera. She was dressed in a bizarre outfit he thought was supposed to resemble a playing card but actually looked like a cross between Frankenstein’s monster and a Bavarian milkmaid. ‘And I’m terrified.’
‘Not half as terrified as I’ll be, watching you.’ The words slipped out before he’d had a chance to stop them and now it wasn’t just Tabby who turned to stare at him. It was the whole room. Feeling most of them wanted to bury him alive, he mimicked zipping his mouth closed. ‘Sorry. Again.’
He managed to keep quiet for a full ten minutes, until his sister started disagreeing with the judges’ comments.
‘No hip rotation?’ Alice stabbed a finger at the television. ‘That’s ridiculous. Were they watching the same dance I was?’
Hannah giggled. ‘You just fancy the pro dancer so you want them to go through.’
Seb cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps they should go to VAR.’
Jack let out a boom of a laugh and Alice raised her eyes to the ceiling. When Seb glanced towards Maggie, he was certain he saw her lips twitch.
‘What’s VAR?’ Rebecca asked him.
‘Video assistant referee. They use it in football to correct clear howlers of a decision.’
‘But this isn’t football,’ she protested.
‘Quite,’ her mother agreed. ‘Your uncle was trying to be funny.’
‘Hey, it was funny,’ Seb protested.
‘It kind of was,’ Hannah agreed, sending him a flirty smile which soothed his ego but lacked the punch of Maggie’s smile from earlier.
It was the turn of the waltz, and as they watched the next couple dip and turn, Hannah sighed. ‘That’s so beautiful. It’s like they’re gliding.’
‘Exactly.’ Maggie’s eyes were on the television, her expression one of, well, it was beyond delight. If pushed, he’d have called it enchantment. ‘The Viennese waltz is so elegant, so graceful. I love how they seem to float across the dance floor, as if they haven’t a care in the world beyond the music and each other.’
For once, he had no ready quip. Sure, there was beauty in the dance, but that wasn’t the reason he kept his lips sealed. It was the look of longing on Maggie’s face as she watched it.
Chapter Four
It was the most hectic time of the day. That hour in the morning where things had to run to a disciplined timetable, yet could so easily veer off course if Maggie wasn’t right on top of it all.
So far she could tick off getting herself up and dressed, and the girls awake enough to be sitting at the breakfast table in their uniforms, bar Tabby’s socks. Twenty minutes for them to finish eating, clean their teeth and pack their school bags.
Twenty minutes during which Hannah would hopefully arrive, and Maggie could hand over the final responsibility of actually getting them to school. Oh, and getting socks on Tabby’s feet.
‘What happened with your project?’ Maggie asked Penny as she slapped some pre-sliced cheese between two pieces of bread. It was one thing being a staunch believer in the benefits of healthy, wholesome, exciting lunches for kids. Another having the damn time to make the Greek yoghurt and salad wrap/two-bean tuna salad/chicken satay with rice and diced flipping mango. That’s if her fridge even contained ingredients beyond cheese, ham and tomato.
Penny kept her head bent, seemingly absorbed in the task of piling more Weetabix onto her spoon.
‘Penny? Did you start it yet?’ Her elder daughter, always the quieter of the two, seemed to have totally lost her tongue. ‘Should I take your silence as a no? When does it need to be in?’
‘Wednesday.’
And today was… ‘But Penny, that’s tomorrow. Have you started it yet?’
‘I don’t know what to do,’ she protested. ‘It’s a crap title.’
‘Crap isn’t an appropriate word.’ Though right now Maggie had a burning desire to shout it out loud and on repeat. ‘Remind me what it was about again?’ she asked with a heavy dose of guilt. Yes, Hannah was in charge of picking the girls up from school and supervising their homework, but she wasn’t their mum. The shivvying, chasing, the encouraging, they were all down to her. And she’d ballsed this one up.
‘We have to write about climate change. One example of it.’
‘Well, that’s not crap, it’s important. I’m sure you can think of lots of things to choose from. How about the weather? Summers are getting hotter, weather becoming more extreme and more unpredictable.’
Penny yawned. ‘That’s so lame. Only old people talk about the weather.’
Tabby giggled, which made Penny grin, and Maggie took a precious moment from her tight schedule to gaze over at her daughters. How could Paul have just upped and left them? Even now, three years later, she still felt so angry about it. Him leaving her had hurt, but she was grown up enough to understand people changed and grew apart. Leaving these precious girls, though? That wasn’t just incomprehensible, it was inexcusable.
‘Mum?’
Maggie shook off the dark thoughts. ‘Sorry. Okay, you don’t want the weather. How about the effect on wildlife and loss of their habitats, like the poles losing ice, or the oceans getting warmer… hang on a minute, I might have an idea.’ Flashbacks of the conversation she’d had with Alice and Sarah last Saturday played through her mind and she reached for her phone. ‘You need to clean your teeth in two minutes.’
Used to her meticulous timing, they both gave her the long eye-roll, but then jumped down from the table and scrambled up the stairs.
A quick call to Sarah later, and Maggie was staring down at the digits she’d scribbled on the pad.
She couldn’t explain why her pulse sped as she punched the numbers into her phone. Nor could she explain her body’s reaction to the answering deep male voice. ‘Hey, Seb here.’
Maggie found she had to clear her throat. ‘It’s me. Maggie,’ she added quickly, aware he wouldn’t have a clue who me was. ‘Do you have a minute?’
‘For Maggie the Dancer? Of course. Shoot.’
Her brain, usually so sharp, was struggling to fire. ‘Before you came back to England, you were taking people scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.’
‘Are you asking me, or telling me?’
She could hear the amusement in his voice, and it annoyed her that he was so laid back while she sounded like an uptight school teacher. ‘That part I remember Sarah telling me. What I’m asking, is would you be free later today to help my daughter with her school project?’
‘The firecracker, or the mini-you?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Which daughter?’
She was still trying to get her head around the way he’d pigeon-holed them. Tabby was outspoken, yes, but was Penny really so much
like her? ‘Does it matter?’
‘It doesn’t matter, no. I was just interested. What’s the project?’
Maggie explained how she thought her daughter could use the reef as an example of climate change. ‘Penny has to hand it in tomorrow and I thought she might find it more interesting to chat to you than find information on the internet.’
‘Wow, careful there. It sounds like you’re saying I’m interesting.’
She knew, from the tone of his voice, that he was smiling. ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’
Soft laughter echoed down the phone. ‘Ouch, you’re a tough nut to crack. Just like your eldest daughter.’
‘Penny’s not tough,’ Maggie countered. ‘She’s cautious with people she doesn’t know.’ There was a rustle of clothing, and in the background the hum of traffic, which made her suspect he was walking outside.
‘As I’m one of those people, will she be okay with me interfering in her project?’
‘It isn’t the project itself I’d like your help with. More getting her interested enough in the subject that she’ll actually do some work on it.’ She hesitated, aware of the imposition. ‘But only if you can spare the time.’
‘Time is something I have a fair amount of at the moment.’ There was a beat of silence. ‘So when do you want me?’
Though it was an innocent enough question, Maggie felt her cheeks flush. God, what was wrong with her? ‘Hannah brings the girls home around half three, so any time after that would be great.’ Her nanny was finally going to get the chance to be alone with Seb. Well, Seb, two girls and a heavy dose of homework.
‘And what about you? When will you be back?’
‘It depends on my patient load.’ She frowned down the phone. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘Just wondered if there’s a deadline we need to be finished by.’
Maggie started to laugh. ‘You haven’t helped a nine-year-old with their school work before, have you?’
‘Err, no. Why?’
‘Because getting her to sit down for more than five minutes will be a miracle.’ She glanced up to see the girls coming back down the stairs. Tabby still without her flipping socks on. ‘Look, just do what you can. As long as she writes something. The moment she gets fidgety, you have my full permission to escape.’
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