‘My pleasure.’ He shrugged on his windbreaker, sniffing the air as they went into the hall. ‘Fresh paint?’
‘In here.’ Kate opened the door to the sitting room. ‘Joanna’s choice of colour and my handiwork. What do you think?’
Jack nodded in approval. ‘It looks good. How about furniture?’
‘Aunt Edith left me a houseful, but I auctioned some of it. I bought the rest locally, and asked for a delay in delivery until I finish painting. I sold my London furniture with the flat. It seemed the right time to make a fresh start.’
‘Off with the old and on with the new?’
‘Exactly.’ She smiled coolly. ‘We’re both old hands at that, Jack.’
He shook his head, his eyes narrowed to an unsettling gleam. ‘You’re the one who gets through fiancé, Kate. I’ve only had one.’
‘That doesn’t count—you had a wife.’
He shook his head. ‘Dawn doesn’t count, either. I married her out of obligation, not love. Did you love the men in your life?’
‘Not enough to marry them, obviously.’ She brushed past him to the door and opened it. ‘But I’m glad I know the truth at last. Thank you for making the effort to put me straight, Jack.’
‘No effort involved, Kate,’ he assured her and strolled across the pavement to his car. ‘Thanks for the coffee. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight.’ She waited politely until the car moved off, then went back to the kitchen to scowl at the assortment of party leftovers in the fridge. She put a selection on her plate, cut some bread and slumped down at the table, irritated because Jack had left without asking to
see her again. Yet she’d been utterly convinced, right up to the last minute, that this had been the real purpose of his visit. She had wanted—craved—the glorious satisfaction of turning him down. More fool you, Kate, she thought scornfully, and doggedly munched through her supper without tasting a mouthful of it.
CHAPTER THREE
JACKLOGAN’Srevelations gave Kate such a restless night she lingered longer than usual with the morning paper over breakfast next morning. She wrote a letter to Joanna afterwards, then finally got to work on reports for two of her clients and chased up late payments for another. She smiled in satisfaction as she shut down her computer. The great advantage of her new job was working at her own speed instead of to the hectic timetable of her former life. Like Jack, colleagues had asked what on earth she was going to do with herself. Work for half the day and then do as she liked, had been Kate’s answer. She would take up tennis again, swim,go to a gym regularly instead of once in a blue moon, visit the local cinema and repertory theatre, enjoy Sunday lunch with the Mait lands, look up old friends, and gradually become part of the local scene again.
Anna rang before Kate started painting after lunch. ‘Are you busy?’
‘Why?’
‘I need to see you. Could you possibly down whatever tools you’re using and come over for tea?’
‘Of course.’
When Anna let her in later Kate studied her friend closely.
‘What’s up?’
‘I’ll tell you in a minute. Thanks for coming, love.’
‘Any time.’ Kate followed her friend into the kitchen. ‘It’s the big plus of my new occupation. I can drop everything and run if necessary. Though Jack doesn’t think much of my change of career,’ she added casually.
‘Jack?’ said Anna instantly. ‘You’ve seen him since the party?’
‘He called in last night.’
‘Surprise, surprise!’ Anna nodded sagely as she made tea. ‘Was the visit for old times’ sake—or new ones?’
‘Old. He came to tell me exactly why he married someone else in such a rush. Usual reason—Dawn was pregnant.’
‘By him?’
‘No, as it turned out, but it could have been. Jack was merely top of Dawn’s sperm-donor list.’
Anna’s eyes widened. ‘She conned him!’