by Iris Blobel
“A Levesque!”
Chapter Seventeen
When Zach stood in front of the wooden door, it felt like déjà vu. He wiped his thumb over his eyebrow to calm himself down, and then gave himself a mental eye roll for it. Finally he knocked gently and almost immediately heard Natasha’s light steps coming down the stairs inside.
Again, she only opened the door a fraction, but as soon as she saw him, her face lit up into a smile. It went straight to his heart.
“Alone again?”
His throat was tight, and he shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. “Not really.”
She opened the door a bit wider. “She did it again?”
Staring at her, he raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“Mia. Did she run away again?”
“Really? Would I still chit chat with you like this if she’d done a runner?”
Her shoulders sagged.
“Can I come in?”
Zach noticed she was not sure about the idea, but at the same time she wasn’t quite opposed to it either. She drew in her lips as if she was weighing up the pros and cons. Then he held up a small red and pink bag.
“Got something for you as well.”
The lines on her face softened, and a radiant smile spread across her face. Slowly she moved back and let him enter. With only a few steps he went right into the lounge room and sat on the sofa. The same sofa he had sat on the night before when he’d talked about Mia and how much she meant to him. The sofa where she had sat next to him, explaining to him about how young girls react emotionally and sometimes irrationally when they weren’t able to cope. He leaned back, and for a moment remembered the kiss they had shared, but he had ended up sleeping alone on said bright red sofa.
“Would you like a cup of tea,” she asked, her voice hesitant. He had no idea why, though.
“I’d rather you’d come here and join me.”
She fidgeted with her hands nervously so he stood again and stepped closer.
“I’m not going to kiss you, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
Her gaze moved towards the window. “It’s not that.”
Zach could only imagine what it was. Sophie’s words — It involves a man she was with — went through his head. Considering the kiss they'd shared the previous night, he had no doubt she had enjoyed it as much as he had. Gently he placed his finger under her chin and turned her face towards him. When she finally met his gaze, he whispered, “You just say the word and I will leave.”
The small smile that tugged at her lips nearly tore him apart. “I don’t really want you to go, but I don’t want you to put much hope into this as well.”
“Hope is what keeps humankind alive,” he replied with a wink and her smile grew a bit more.
Zach stepped back to the sofa and grabbed the small bag. Slowly he pulled out a small, pink, soft, toy dragon, and her full-hearted laughter was music to his ears.
“I can’t believe she thinks I’m a dragon.”
“I know,” he agreed.
“I do push her hard, because she’s got so much potential, but I never knew she felt like that. She gets easily distracted, especially when Josh is around. Not to mention Olivia.”
He came closer and handed her the dragon. “If you tell her that I’ve told you, she’ll certainly kill me.”
Taking the dragon, she chuckled some more. “And we can’t have that, can we?”
Then she leaned towards him and touched his lips with hers. “Can’t say I’m very confident with men lately. My choice in them has been somewhat of a disaster. It’s been a while–” she whispered.
Cradling her face in his hands, he replied, “It’s been a while for me as well.”
She moved back her head, surprise in her eyes.
“It’s my job.”
****
Mia’s bonding time with Mark was actually more a conversation between the two to clarify Darren Schuster’s intentions. They’d gone down the main streets to a café where she enjoyed an ice cream and Mark sipped on his coffee. Mia’s memory left her hanging a little bit with the details, which, considering the day she’d had, was understandable. With Mark doing his earlobe trademark, she knew his brain was in complete lockdown, thinking through the ramifications of the whole situation and rationalising the legal side of the circumstances and the effect it would have on the family.
“Do you mind if I give him a call?”
“Mind? Go ahead. I’ve got no idea what he wants from me.” She slowly slurped in another bit of ice cream. “It’s obviously not stepping into his fatherhood shoes.”
“How do you feel about that?”
She had thought about that question most of last night and the morning. There was no denying when she initially had heard her he was her father, emotions had stirred in her, and her thoughts had gone into overdrive. A father. Father’s Day, Christmas, and Easter – all together with a father. But the more she had thought about it, and the more time she had spent with Mark that morning, she realised, that father was just a word. Mark might not be her father, but he was the next best thing to it.
Without moving her head, she looked up at him. “Initially it sucked, but now I’m glad, because he would definitely be crap at it.”
Mark chuckled at her honesty.
“So what does all the stuff mean he told me?”
“Honey, I’m not quite sure, but we’ll find out and get it sorted.”
After a moment of silence, Mia finished her ice cream, took a deep breath, and asked, “Mark, you know how Sophie asked me about Josh yesterday?”
His forehead creased and his eyes grew cautious, but he did not answer.
Although she had just eaten ice cream, her whole body was suddenly hot. It was apparent to her that this was a bit of an iffy subject, though she hoped not taboo.
“I really like him and I messed up the other day. Could I give him a call and invite him over this afternoon?”
“We’re going to see Sophie and Hope,” he answered nonchalantly.
“Afterwards?”
Raking his hand through his hair, he expelled a loud sigh. “Ask Soph.”
Frustration grew and Mia leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms. “Really?”
His nod was slow and deliberate.
“It’s not good to stress a new mum.”
Chuckling, he slid her a look that said he wasn’t really buying her argument.
Exhaling a deep sigh, Mia gave up. “Fine. Let’s ask her. If her blood pressure goes through the roof and bursts, it’s your fault.”
The chuckle turned into a laugh as he nodded towards the waitress for the bill.
Within fifteen minutes, they were back at the hospital where Sophie was feeding little Hope. Both looked very content, and there was no distracting the baby in her mission to get her tummy full to the limit.
They did their usual chit chat and when Hope was finished, Mia had her first lesson in burping the little darling. But the burp came at the wrong end of the body, and Mia quickly passed her niece back to her mother, and holding her nose, she moved to the furthest corner of the room. Realising what his sister-in-law was on about, Mark quickly followed her.
“You two are real helpers,” Sophie mocked. “You’d better get used to it. It's something that’ll happen on a regular basis.”
Both Mia and Mark wrinkled their noses as they watched with some respect the ease with which Sophie seemed to master this task.
“Mia wanted to ask you whether her friend from school could come by this afternoon,” Mark suddenly said, and Mia was pleased with the way he had chosen his words.
“I don’t see a problem, why not. Who is it?”
“Josh,” Mia mumbled.
“Who?”
“Josh,” she repeated, but not much louder.
Sophie’s head turned and shot Mark a look. Even though it wasn’t fair, Mia was glad it was her brother-in-law who seemed to be in trouble and the recipient of this intense stare.
“What?” he asked, lifting his right shoulder in a shrug.
“You know what!”
Mia had hoped too early. The stare bounced off him, and now both glared at her. Tilting her head to the side, she put on her most innocent expression.
“Mark will be around, kind of like non-stop. Always keeping us in sight. Right?”
“Right,” he grumbled.
“Please, Soph. It’s really important.”
Little Hope made a couple of amusing baby noises, and everyone seemed to be momentarily distracted by her cuteness. Surprised by her sister’s ease at how she tucked the baby into the tiniest of clothes, Mia stepped closer to admire the new family member from a smaller distance.
“Look at her tiny little fingers. Hard to believe she’ll make you heaps of trouble when she turns into a teenager.”
Seemingly puzzled by her sister’s odd statement Sophie shot her sister a glare.
Mia pointed at Mark. “Hey, with this father. I mean, honestly. You’ve got to admit, right?”
“You’re walking on thin ice, young lady,” Mark said.
Sophie just shook her head. “You’d better go and have your friend over before dinner.” Then she turned to her husband. “And you will not let her out of her sight. Not for a minute. Or even a second.”
He stepped closer and placed his hand onto Mia’s neck. “C’mon child. Who was it again who said hormones are worse after the birth?”
Mia chuckled and Sophie pointed to the door. “Out!”
Chapter Eighteen
Mark’s hand on Mia’s leg startled her.
“Would you calm down? You could drive a mob of cows mad with the leg twitching.”
“What if he’s not interested?”
“Who?”
“Josh!”
Mia saw his eyes roll and slapped him with her hand. Apart from her telling him the directions, they were both silent, apparently lost in their own thoughts. At least Mia was. Her palms were moist with sweat as she wondered what Josh would say when she rocked up at his house. Wiping her hands on her pants, she desperately tried to remember what she had said to him the other day. Or even what he had said. It was just a big mess, but she had learnt that everything was somehow meant to be. Or better, everything always fell into place – one way or another. She had a great family and the best babysitter ever. She’d learnt that. Discovered that she could rely on each of them even when things didn’t seem rosy. And she knew she’d somehow manage to get this one sorted as well.
“This is it,” she said with a shaky voice.
Noticing that Mark studied her, she let out a deep breath she hadn’t realised she was holding.
“You right?”
She drew in her lips and nodded. “You’re coming with?”
“Nope.”
“Good.”
He chuckled. “Go, girl!”
Mia opened the door and stepped out of the car. It seemed like slow motion as she walked over to the front door. She tucked her hands in her pocket, hoping the shivering would stop before she got to the end of the path. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the window curtains moving and stopped in her tracks. When she looked back to Mark, he gave her a quizzing glance as if he did not understand what she was telling him. Useless man! She followed through with her mission, knocked at the door, and flinched a bit when it was opened straight away. It was Josh.
****
Natasha still didn’t understand. “Your job?”
Zach sucked in his lower lip, opened his mouth, and then closed it. He nodded his head slowly several times while long seconds ticked by before he responded. “I think it’s time for me to head home and get some things done for next week.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “What kind of job do you have,” she asked wearily.
He took her hand and played with her fingers. They were beautiful long fingers. Delicate and fragile. And the holder of a small diamond ring. His mind raced, trying to remember where the engagement ring would be worn and decided it was the other hand. For a moment he closed his eyes, taking in every little thing. Her scent that lingered in the air. The touch of her fingers. Her steady breathing.
“Strange how much a simple touch from you can turn me into a complete muddle.”
“You don’t even know me or anything about me,” she whispered.
His gaze met hers and he inhaled deeply.
“And,” she continued. “I don’t know anything about you. You’re a part time babysitter, but you won’t even tell me your real job. A job that keeps you so occupied you haven’t been with someone for a long time.”
“You’re about the cutest dragon I’ve ever met.”
She choked back a giggle. “And probably the only one.”
Zach’s chest tightened, and he wasn’t sure where to go from here. Her blue eyes were pleading with him to tell him something. A little bit about him. But he wasn’t sure how she would take his job as an escort. For Pete’s sake, when Sophie had found out, she was speechless for days, believing he was a male prostitute.
“My full name is Zachary Jonathan Taylor. I’m in my mid-thirties. Was born and raised in Launceston.”
A small smile tugged on her lips. “Go on.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Not enough?”
“Nowhere near enough.”
Raking through his hair, he went on. “Height is one point eight three metres and my weight—”
She broke into a leisurely smile, waiting for him to finish.
“Not sure about the weight. I’d have a guess at one hundred seventy pounds.”
Nodding, she urged him to continue.
But he threw his hands up in defeat.
“Your job?” she asked, her voice sounding less confident than usual.
He pinched the top of his nose as he said, “I work in Sydney.” And mumbled, “As an escort.”
And for the first time, he felt odd saying it. The job had given him a secure income and a good life in Hobart. It was perfect and he’d loved it. Taking women who needed a companion for an important occasion or didn’t want to dine out alone had been easy and fun most of the time. He had met a lot of people male and female, and even though some of the women expected more, his pants had always stayed zipped up.
He let out a long, audible breath. “It’s not the normal nine-to-five job, but–”
“It certainly isn’t,” she said, taking a step away from him.
“Look–”
She shook her head. “I still have a few things to prepare for tomorrow. I vaguely recall you said you had a few things to do as well.”
Natasha’s chest heaved, and he couldn't help noticing her small rounded breasts outlined by her small T-shirt. He fought the urge to let his gaze linger. Never had he felt as desolated as he did that moment. He so much wanted to touch her, but he was afraid that would only make things worse. And the frown marks between her eyebrows made him think twice about reducing the gap between them. After a brief moment, he nodded and turned towards the door.
Chapter Nineteen
The rest of the week was less eventful than the weekend had been. Darren Schuster had returned to Sydney after spending most of Monday afternoon locked in a meeting with Mark. Mark had told Zach it had been a good meeting as Darren had agreed to most of the suggestions he had made. But it seemed they still needed a few more meetings to get the fine print sorted as well. It seemed all mumbo-jumbo to Zach, but the bottom line he understood was that if the factory went well, Mia’s financial future was secure. Zach loved this idea, as she had gone without for long enough before the sisters had moved to Hobart.
He parked the car in the parking lot in front of the school and walked towards the gate to wait for Mia. Mark was on his way to pick up Sophie and little Hope so he'd stepped in again to pick up Mia. His bags for his work weekend in Sydney were packed and his flight was later that night, and he’d promised Sophie to call in for a brief time before he left.
“Hello
, Mi.”
The young girl came over to him with her friends and gave him a hug. He knew it was to show off. Apparently her friends envied her for having a looker like him as a babysitter, and within only a short moment he had a crowd of teenage girls standing around him. The chitter-chatter gave him instant brain-ache. Fortunately, within only a few minutes, the herd around him dwindled, and only Olivia was left.
“How’s life, Libby?”
Thumbs up, she replied, “Couldn’t be better.”
He opened the door via remote control, and when he noticed Mia wasn’t moving he followed her gaze.
Natasha Peterson.
His stomach jumped to his throat. She hadn't seen him and walked straight to the guy in the army uniform.
“That’s her husband,” Olivia said matter-of-factly, and he turned to follow her gaze, only to find out she, too, stared at Natasha and the man.
“D'oh! She’s a Miss. How could she be married?” Mia remarked as she jabbed an elbow into her friend’s ribs.
Zach noticed she was now staring at him. Putting on a brave face, he ignored her. All week she had dug and fished for information about him and Natasha. The simple “nothing’s going on” didn’t seem to be in her vocabulary. It was the same question every day until he'd replied the previous day, We had hot steamy sex. Her jaw had dropped and a little eww was all she had said. That had been the last of the questions.
Olivia’s reply tore him away from his thoughts. “Dunno.” She shrugged. “Mum told me.”
“Naaa. She must’ve misheard.”
“Honestly. I’m sure she said Miss Peterson’s kept her name because of the students, but she’s married. As you can see, he’s not around often. He’s in the army.”
“Well, that’s kinda obvious, isn’t it?”
The two did a stare competition before Mia gave in. “What?”
“Dunno. Why is it so hard to believe she’s married? I mean, you don’t even like her.”