Sarah could feel the slight flush coating her cheekbones. ‘Yup. It’s a favour. He said he has a huge house and we’ll barely even see each other. He’ll probably be away on business anyway.’
‘And you’re happy to do that?’
‘Yes.’
For the life of her she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Mary looked at her closely and then clearly decided not to pursue it further.
‘OK. I’ll bear it in mind as an option when I see him tomorrow. Thank you, sweetheart—but know this: your home is here.’
‘I know that, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and Jodie, more than I can ever say.’
It was another hour before she and her mum finished talking and Sarah tiptoed into the room she shared with Jodie and fell into bed.
Thoughts swirled and chased through her tired mind, but her last thought before she fell into restless sleep was Ben. Along with the insidious realisation that a part of her wanted to go and stay with him.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
Her subconscious was a Klaxon...
* * *
Two days later Ben paced his house, then checked the rooms for the hundredth time and his watch for the millionth. He forced himself to go into his study and sit down. This was daft. This was no big deal. Sarah and her six-year-old daughter were coming to stay for a while. This was a favour for a...a colleague. There was no reason for his nerves to be twanging as though he’d drunk a vat of espresso.
Madness.
Once he’d welcomed his guests, he’d barely see them.
The chime of the doorbell broke into his thoughts and he headed for the door, pulling it open with a smile, very aware that Jodie would be feeling a little unsettled at being uprooted from home.
‘Hey.’
‘Hey...’ Sarah’s smile looked a little forced, a little tired, a little worried—he guessed the emotional turmoil of
her father’s return was taking its toll.
‘You must be Jodie.’
He looked down at the little girl on the doorstep and held out a hand. She surveyed him for a long moment and he studied her back. The family resemblance was uncanny, though her eyes were green instead of brown, and the very seriousness of her expression tugged at his chest.
‘I’m Ben.’
Solemnly she shook his proffered hand. ‘Thank you for inviting us to stay. And thank you for my bear. I named her Benedetta.’
‘You’re very welcome and that’s a perfect name.’ He meant it. ‘Now, let’s bring your stuff in and then I can show you around.’ Once the suitcases were deposited by the front door he said, ‘Let’s go.’
Jodie’s eyes widened. ‘It’s like a...a palace,’ she said as they walked along the wide, plushly carpeted hallway and up the stairs.
Smiling down at Jodie, he pushed a door open. ‘I’ve put you and your mum in adjoining rooms, but if you prefer to share that’s fine too. I’ve put an extra bed into one of the rooms.’
Ben tried not to hope too much that he’d got it right. He’d tried to prepare a welcoming room for a six-year-old without unduly flaunting his wealth, hearing Sarah’s voice in his head telling him it was important to keep it ‘ordinary’.
Jodie gave a little squeal of pleasure as she ran towards the bed.
‘Your mum mentioned you like unicorns so I thought you might like one in your room.’ The large, fluffy cuddly toy had seemed like a nice idea. ‘And I picked up some books you might like. Your mum also mentioned you like pirates.’ The book was filled with different pirate stories and activities.
He glanced quickly across to Sarah and the smile she gave him both warmed and embarrassed him.