by Iris Blobel
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
Lifting his shoulder in a slight shrug, he asked in return, “Is working with children what you want to do? Or is it just something you feel comfortable with?”
Sophie’s eyes wandered over to the brochures. No, it was something she needed to do. And she knew she was good at it as well. As much as she loved photography and wished that she could make a go of it professionally, it would have to remain her hobby for a little while longer.
Instead of a reply, she said, “It’s late. I’ve started a job at the café a few blocks from here. There are still a few things I need to get done.”
He stepped closer and placed a kiss on her cheek. “There might also be another reason I came,” he whispered in her ear.
Sophie looked up at him but was too afraid to say anything. Too afraid to think or assume what he could have meant by those words.
“I assume it’d be more than inappropriate to kiss you the way I’d like, but can I tell you, it’s very hard to just walk off now.”
But he did, and it took her a minute or two to actually comprehend what had happened. The supposedly boring, yet remarkably handsome lawyer had just whispered into her ear. Had he said he wanted to kiss her? A smile escaped her as she touched her lips. A hesitant sense of being attractive rose in her, boosting her self-confidence for a small moment.
Until reality kicked in.
She thunked her head against the door as she exhaled a big sigh, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid. It all was so familiar. Sophie thought back to her childhood and of all those men who had come and gone with her mum. It was like a kick in her stomach to think Mark was unprofessional enough to play with her — the new girl in town; scared, worried, and lost in a situation that might change any day. Bit of fun and then goodbye. Her head still against the door, as she heard his car drive off, she bit her lip.
She liked him, though.
Chapter Six
Mark leaned against Jared’s Jeep. His arms were weak as jelly, and he had holes in his fingers from the rock climbing. Never much for changes, he preferred a game of squash over Jared’s new idea to enjoy Tasmania’s warmer days outside. He had definitely underestimated how tricky and intense rock climbing was.
“So, how did the follow-up service go?”
Mark grimaced. He had kissed a client! Theoretically, it could cost him his job, or even his license. In all fairness, it’d been only on her cheek, but a kiss was a kiss. And he still cursed himself for liking it so much.
“None of your business,” he retorted as he crammed the climbing rope into this backpack.
Jared stared at him for a beat and then let out a bark of laughter. “I can smell trouble.”
Mark cursed under his breath as he walked around the car to the passenger’s side. “No more rock climbing. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
“You feel crap because of what’s going on with your lady,” his friend countered.
They got in the car and made their way back into town. The road was still muddy and slippery from the rain the previous week.
“So ya giving me the silent treatment?”
Leaning his head against the headrest, Mark closed his eyes. “I went over the other day. Your idea seemed perfect: follow-up service. After all, not often that I hand over a key for a new house.”
“That’s the confidential part, I take it.”
Eyes still closed, he let out a heavy sigh. “Yup.” He paused before he admitted, “I like her.”
There was a moment of silence. Mark gathered from the rocking of the car that Jared needed to concentrate on the road. The old car rattled just as much as his insides. He wasn’t so sure anymore whether his follow-up service had been a good idea. Yes, he liked the little kid and helping her out had been kind of fun. She had a great laugh and such a bright mind, but looking and being near Sophie stirred up emotions he had tried to suppress. He wasn’t sure why, though.
Or was he?
Was the thing he had with Linda not worthy of emotions, but simply pure lust?
“Now what?”
Mark opened his eyes and looked over to his friend. “Now, nothing.”
“Kiddin’ right? You’ll see her again, won’t ya?”
He stared ahead, not that sure any more. It might have only been a kiss on the cheek, but the feel of her skin under his lips and her fruity scent had felt amazing. For a small moment, he pictured himself with his hands on her hips pressing up against her, her legs wrapped around him, exploring every inch of her body.
The sudden jerk of car brought him back to the now. He met his friend’s gaze who apparently was still waiting for an answer.
No, he wasn’t going to see her again. His job as a lawyer was done.
****
Sophie searched the crowd of young students to find her sister amongst them. It was a sea of light blue tops and dark blue pants, with the occasional child wearing a dark blue jumper. She finally spotted Mia on the playground, and her heart filled with pride and joy as she watched her with the other children. The girl’s face was flushed, most likely from running around. It beamed, expressing fun. And her eyes shone with delight. Sophie lifted her hand and gave her sister a gentle wave as soon as their eyes met. She opened her arms, and Mia ran right into them for a hug, wrapping her legs up around Sophie like a monkey. When she noticed another little person close by, she turned for a look.
“This is Olivia,” Mia said, pointing at her friend.
After Mia was back on her feet, Sophie kneeled onto one knee. “Hello, Olivia. Nice meeting you.”
The little girl smiled and murmured a shy, “Hello.”
From the corner of her eye, Sophie saw another person approaching and stood again.
“Hello. I’m Olivia’s mum, Georgia.” She extended her hand to shake Sophie’s.
“Nice meeting you. My name is Sophie. I’m Mia’s sister.”
The women chatted for a little while about the school, teachers, the two girls, and life in general. At that moment, Sophie’s world seemed perfect, untouchable, and very real. And she loved it. A simple conversation with a mum at school gave her joy like Christmas had come twice a week.
Olivia interrupted their conversation. “Mum, can Mia come for a little play?”
Georgia looked over to Sophie. She smiled. “It’s fine with me, if okay with you.”
A lump formed in her throat. How could she say no to the idea of Mia having a play with her new friend? If the simple idea of talking to a mum gave her such a rush, she could only imagine how much enjoyment Mia was going to have spending more time with her new friend.
They exchanged phone numbers and addresses, and then Sophie stared after her little sister, hopping off hand in hand with her new friend. Life seemed so much easier when you were a child.
No responsibilities, no bills to pay, no searching for jobs. No worries about whether a house belongs to you or not. And no grocery shopping. Rolling her eyes, she turned to walk back home as soon as Georgia drove off with the girls in the back of the car.
“Miss Levesque!”
She shot around, surprised to hear her name, and almost bumped into the owner of the voice.
“How are you?”
Sophie stared at the woman in front of her, remembering the face, and desperately searching her mind for the connection.
The woman refreshed Sophie’s memory. “I’m Kristen. Mark O’Connor’s assistant.”
She gently slapped her own head. “Of course. My apologies. It’s been quite a week.”
Mark’s assistant nodded as though she understood. “How are you?”
With a slow movement of her head, she replied, “Slowly getting there.” Looking around she asked, “So you have children here?”
Kristen’s face became more cheerful. “Yes. My two boys attend school here. In theory, Mark was supposed to tell you that I live close by, just in case you needed some help or someone to ta
lk to.”
Sophie choked back a chuckle. “He missed that part when he came over the other day.” The thought of whether he might have had forgotten the details about Ms. Bellinger as well popped into her head, but she focussed back on Kristen.
“He’s becoming one of the best lawyers in town, but I sometimes wonder,” Kristen said with a grin. “He tends to forget the simplest things.”
Sophie remembered how almost impossible it had seemed for him to memorise her surname. For a moment she considered asking Kristen about Ms. Bellinger, but respected that she was here as a mother and bit her tongue. The temptation was big, though, but she held back, not wanting to place Mark in an awkward situation for revealing he’d come over for… What had he come over for? A kiss? He had mentioned he’d stopped by to see how they were settling in. It had sounded genuine, especially with his argument that he didn’t hand over keys to a house in circumstances like theirs often.
A voice inside her screamed, though, to ask. Curiosity took over and if Kristen thought it to be inappropriate to talk business, she could still say no.
“Did he find out more details about the lady?” Her voice was hesitant, even to herself.
Kristen shook her head, no sign of any bother. “No. Not yet.”
She nodded in disappointment. “Did he check?”
Kristen gently placed her hand on Sophie’s arm. “Yes. He reminds me every day to keep on digging for details.”
Relief as well as disappointment flooded her. She was relieved to hear about his commitment to find out more, but was disappointed that all his efforts so far had been fruitless. The two of them fell into a moment of silence before Sophie thanked Mark’s assistant before their conversation was all about daily life, the school, Mia, and her new friend, Olivia. It felt good to have a casual chat.
“Olivia and her family live right next to us. Olivia is a cute little girl. Are you picking her up?”
“No. Georgia is kind enough to drop her off.”
“I’ll have to organise a barbeque for us all. Liam is in Olivia’s class, so Mia will know him.”
Within seconds, she revelled in excitement. A barbeque? Adults to talk to. Getting to know people. Her mind raced, but she replied with as much calm as possible, “I would love that. Thank you for the invitation.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Kristen stole a quick glance at her watch. “My apologies, but I’d better get going. Swimming tonight.”
“I’d better get going as well. Nice meeting you again.”
A barbeque. Sophie bit her bottom lip as she walked away. Holding back on the excitement bubbling inside, she took a deep breath, crossed the street, and made her way home. These were new beginnings. Despite being still wary about it all turning out to be a mistake, she treasured the rare moment she’d dare to dream about a new life in Hobart.
On her way back to the house, she had quickly stopped at the little grocery store for a few fresh items for Mia’s lunch box and dinner that night.
Kristen’s words kept going around her head in circles. Yes. He reminds me every day to keep on digging for details. So it hadn’t been the kiss, but like he’d said, checking how they’d settled in. But it didn’t make sense to her. Why hadn’t he mentioned that they were still trying to find out details instead of focussing so much on her studies? As well as confusing her with his words. Controlling her breathing, she tried to relax. Her head started to ache from all her thoughts and theories.
Sophie swapped shopping bags from one hand to the other as she strode back home. She needed to learn how to drive and get a car. These hilly roads were more than a bit of exercise. They were wearing her out. She felt the crinkles at the corners of her eyes as she smiled at her own laziness.
But her smile quickly faded.
As soon as she turned around the corner, she saw his car.
Mark.
She stopped suddenly, her feet frozen to the road suddenly. Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the house. One slow step after the other. One deep breath after the other. But even that fell short to calm her down. She felt like she had just finished a marathon. Mark came towards her and opened the gate.
“Hi there.”
Afraid her voice was failing her, she looked up at him and smiled.
“Where’s your sister?” he asked as he took the bag from her.
“Mia’s with her friend for a little play.”
He had an expression of suppressed mirth on his face. “Feeling at home already, is she?”
She shrugged. “I suppose life’s a bit easier when you’re still that young. She’s been through a lot. She deserves it.”
Slightly raising one of his brow, his expressive face changed. “Are you making friends?”
His question surprised her a little, yet she wasn’t sure why, because even that afternoon he’d come to visit them, she’d come to learn about his way of thinking. Meeting his gaze, she felt her legs turning to jelly. About to shake her head in reply, she remembered Kristen’s invitation to a barbeque and nodded. It was only a small nod. A careful nod. They weren’t friends by any means, but she was meeting people. That had to count for something.
They stepped into the house, went to the kitchen, and unpacked the groceries. The heat in her stomach almost burst into a flame as the silence between them thickened. Sophie wasn’t sure what to say or talk about. The memory of him placing a kiss on her cheek caused her to blush. Yet, at the same time, irritation stirred in her for being so unusually unsettled around a man.
Turning away from him, she asked, “So what brings you here?”
“I’ve been doing a bit of digging regarding Ms. Bellinger.”
Her head shot up, and met his gaze dead on. The words about time were on the tip of her tongue, but she held back. “Do you know who she was?”
The sudden sadness inside caught her off guard. Had she really been thinking or even hoping of a repeat of a kiss? Was a small peck on the cheek from the man standing in her kitchen more important than the security of a home?
Regaining her composure, she decided her thoughts to be inappropriate. Her eyes held his stare.
But instead of replying, Mark filled a glass with water and walked out of the kitchen, across the hall, and into the lounge room.
Eyes wide, she followed him. “Excuse me. Don’t walk away from me.”
There he was, lounging against the fireplace mantle, and acting as if he’d ignored her presence. With hands on hips, she stood in front of him. “I’m talking to you!”
His blue eyes stared at her as he sipped on his water. Then his attention turned, and he examined the paint pots next to the lounge. “Going to paint the lounge?”
Anger rose in her, and she took a deep breath. “What?”
Indicating the paint on the floor, he elaborated. “The paint. Are you going to paint the lounge?”
With heavy legs, she stepped in front of Mark. Placing her right hand on his chest, her eyes didn’t leave his. Momentarily distracted by the warmth of his body through his shirt, she tried hard to ignore the shivers down her spine. Tempted to trail her fingers down the contours of his muscles, she briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tears welling up behind her eyelids, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Let me get this right,” she said slowly with a hoarse voice. “Mia and I have inherited this house from a stranger. Waking up every morning, every single morning, afraid we might lose it again, all to a possible mistake.” Still with her hand on his chest, now though more for the comfort of holding onto him than enjoying his closeness, she continued. “So you find out some detail about good old Ms. Bellinger, and you feel the urge to ask me about me painting the lounge?”
He took her hand from his chest and gently rubbed her palm with his thumb, her fingers slowly uncurling. “There’s nobody else. The house is yours and Mia’s,” he said calmly. "Ms. Bellinger moved here a few years ago. No traces of any family. Only an ex-husband, Mr. Schuster, who is
living in Sydney and has apparently been informed of the will and has accepted it.”
“Schuster?” she whispered more to herself than to him as she gazed past him.
“Do you know him?”
Shaking her head, she withdrew her hand from his.
Mark hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “I had no idea you were so afraid of losing the house.”
Hearing his voice, but not really listening, she shrugged and walked over to the couch.
Following her, he sat onto the small coffee table opposite her. “Sophie?” With his elbows leaning on his knees, she felt his gaze lingering on her. “What happened to your parents?”
Focussing right past him into the distance again, her eyes misted over at the thought of her mother.
Chapter Seven
Mark listened intently to Sophie’s story, only asking questions when necessary. His eyes never left hers, even though her gaze was distant. His fingers twitched with the urge to touch her as she told him about the day her father had left for another woman, younger, of course. The many men that had come and gone throughout her childhood, but none of them had stayed long enough for her to remember their names. Let alone consider them good material as a new dad. Sophie talked about the day her mother had lost her job, and the moment she and her mother had sat in the park, excited about the news of her mother’s pregnancy.
There’d been no dad for this baby either. She vividly remembered the day she’d held baby Mia in her arms — love at first sight. Then she recalled the day her mother died, and that nothing had been the same from that day on. Life had turned difficult. But they’d survived.
Mark only broke eye contact when he rubbed his hands over his face, once she had finished.
“It’s okay,” he heard her say just above a whisper as she took his hand and moved it away from his face. “It’s going to be better now. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. We had happy times. We are good at creating happy times.”