Chapter 24
Once she ended the call with her sister, Allena took a shower and changed into her favourite jeans, a bright silky blouse, and her boots. She was meeting Leah for a drink at the bar in the hotel that evening and was about thirty seconds into their conversation when she asked about the kids.
“They’re fine,” her friend said and sighed. “But they miss you. We all miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
“Justin’s unbearable at the moment,” Leah said, grinning as she sipped her pineapple aiquiri.
“Worse than we expected. My brother is an idiot.”
Allena wasn’t going to disagree, but she also didn’t want Leah to imagine something was going on between them. Because it wasn’t. One brief kiss and a marriage proposal aside, she and Justin were not any kind of thing.
“He likes his life in order, not chaos,” she reminded Leah. “Once he gets a new routine, it will be situation normal.”
“He’s in love with you, Allena,” Leah said bluntly. “Everyone can see that. I mean, everyone but my stupid brother.”
Her heart almost stopped. “He’s not, and I don't."
“And you’re in love with him, too,” the other woman said, gentler now.
“I’m not,” she denied swiftly. “And I hope you won’t say anything to—”
“Of course I won’t,” Leah said, smiling gently. “You’re my friend, and I want to see you happy. If he’s too blind to see how wonderful you are, then he doesn’t deserve you. But,” she added and winked, “if he does come to his senses, promise me you’ll consider it, okay? You’re my friend, and even though I don’t understand why you’d want to be with a stick-in-the-mud like my big brother, if he does manage to work it out, there’s nothing I’d like more than to call you my sister-in-law.”
Allena’s throat burned with emotion, and being with Leah made her miss the De Neros more than she already did.
Declining a second drink, she hugged Leah goodbye around seven o’clock, saying she’d see her at the christening on the weekend.
Early on Thursday morning, Allena showered, changed into fresh jeans and a shirt, grabbed her jacket, and headed downstairs. The foyer was busy, and she waved to a couple of people she knew as she headed out into the morning sunshine and walked down the street. The sidewalk was spotted with people, and she made eye contact with a few she recognised and headed for the bakery down the block. And of course, after almost six days of not seeing Justin, he was the first person she saw when she entered the store. He was sitting at one of the tables, head down, glasses perched on his nose, his concentration taken by the laptop on the table. He wore a suit, a pale blue shirt, and one of the ties she’d gifted him, and he looked utterly gorgeous. He had one hand loosely around a takeout coffee cup and the remnants of some kind of pastry on a plate he’d pushed aside. His left hand—the one without the wedding ring. She wondered for a moment why he’d suddenly taken the bandoff.
Perhaps to make a point? That he was available. He was ready to get married again. In body, perhaps. But not his heart. Leah was wrong. He didn’t love her. Not the way she needed to be loved. He liked her. He respected her. And yeah, he cared. But not enough—and not the way she needed him to.
Allena considered bailing, but she knew she couldn’t avoid him. The town was a small one, and chances were, she’d run into him occasionally. The two jobs she’d applied for were in the city, which would be better. It was close enough that she could visit Tess, but far enough away that she wouldn’t see Justin on every street corner. Or bakery.
She considered being a coward for about ten seconds and then spoke. “Hello, Justin.”
His head jerked up, and he stared at her, looking way too sexy in his dark-framed glasses and slightly tousled hair. “Allena. Hi.”
She gripped the back of the chair. “How are the kids?”
“Fine,” he replied, straightening up the papers in front of him. “They miss you.”
Of course, he would say that. Anything to make her feel bad. “I miss them, too. How’s the new nanny working out?”
“Very efficiently,” he said quietly. “How do you like staying at the hotel?”
She shrugged a little. “It’s okay.”
“I’m surprised you’re not staying with Tess.”
“She asked,” Allena said, motioning to the chair. “But I wanted some time alone.”
He nodded, like he understood. “Would you like to join me?”
“No,” she said quickly, realising how desperate she sounded, then shaking her head. “I mean, I don’t want to disturb you if you’re working.”
“I’m not,” he said, closed the laptop, and got to his feet. “I’ll get your coffee. Decaf hazelnut latte with extra foam, correct?”
He actually knew what coffee she liked?
Maybe he has been paying attention.
When he returned to the table, he had a take-out cup in one hand and a small brown bag in the
other. He passed her both items and sat down.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Your favourite pastry.”
Allena looked inside the bag and spotted a peach Danish, ignoring the way her insides fluttered a little. “Thank you. Although I’ve already had breakfast.”
“What about dinner?”
She stared at him, eyes widening. “Dinner?”
“Tomorrow night,” he replied, his gaze unwavering.
“I don’t think I should see the children just yet,” she said, swallowing hard. “It’s probably too soon, and they will only get confused and—”
“Child-free,” he said, cutting her off. “Just you and me.”
Allena straightened her already straight back. He could mean only one thing, right? "Um, you mean, like a date?”
“Exactly like a date.” He held her gaze.
Justin wanted to take her on a date? Shock vibrated through her, and she stared at him. “I’m not quite sure what to say.”
"Yes, that would be a starting point.”
She hesitated, thinking about all the reasons why she shouldn’t. About her reasons for leaving.
About her plans for a life post-Justin. About Bobby. About everything. And then she caved. “Sure.”
“I’ll pick you up at the hotel at six thirty,” he said, quickly placing the laptop into his satchel and clearing away the cup and plate. “See you tomorrow,” he said with a smile, and left without another word.
Allena remained where she was for a while, sipping her latte, thinking about what she’d just agreed to, and wondering if she hadn’t completely lost her mind. She had a date with Justin. Perhaps he wanted to talk about the kids. Or maybe the new nanny wasn’t working out, and he wanted her thoughts. Whatever his reasons, it couldn’t be a real date.
Because thinking it was would only lead to her heart breaking more than it already was.
Justin headed to the kitchen late on Friday afternoon and spotted Leah standing behind the
countertop, adding the final touches to the christening cake. Apparently, Tess had heartily approved of the sample. He watched as she decorated the top of the blue and white concoction while Cassie played with a few candied flowers he suspected were supposed to be for decoration. Leah looked up and smiled when he entered the room.
“You look nice,” she said, raising a brow. “Hot date?”
He ignored the heat settling under his collar. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
Leah’s brows shot up. “Allena?”
He shrugged, staying noncommittal. “It’s just dinner.”
She nodded. “Gotta start somewhere.”
“Thanks for watching the kids.”
“My pleasure,” she said, grinning. “At least one of us is getting out.”
“I thought you’d sworn off dating after the last debacle with what’s-his-name?” he queried and laughed softly, thinking that reminding Leah about her no-good ex probably wasn’t his smartest move.
“I have,” she replied. “Love sucks. But a date every now and then would be okay. Except I’d have to deal with the inevitable groping at the end of the evening by some oversexed Neanderthal.”
He looked at his sister, reading between the lines of her words. Leah was essentially a cheerful person, but he knew her last breakup had been messy and left her with serious trust issues.
“There’s someone special out there for you, Leah.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “And for you?”
“Time will tell, I guess.”
“Don’t wait too long to make your move,” Leah said, winking. “Someone else might be waiting in the wings to snatch she-who-we-don’t-dare-mention up.”
The heat under his collar intensified, and he wondered if Leah knew something he didn’t. “You mean the fireman?”
Leah nodded fractionally. “She’s not going to wait forever for you to come to your senses.”
“Is that what she’s doing?” he asked, suddenly hopeful. The truth was, the last week had been crappy, and he knew it was because he missed Allena so much. He missed her laughter around the house; he missed the soft sound of her voice as she spoke to his children; he missed the scent of her perfume lingering throughout the house long after she returned to her room each evening. And he missed the way she made him feel. Seeing her at the bakery had only confirmed what he already knew—and made a mockery of what he’d made himself believe for the past four years. That he didn’t see her as simply the nanny. He saw her as a woman. A woman he was attracted to. A woman he didn’t want to see in the arms of another man.
But he wasn’t ready to pin a name to his emotions. However, the more he thought about marriage, the more he realised it was the right thing. The only thing. He could make it work.
“Allena’s my friend, Justin. I care about her.”
“I care about her, too,” he said.
“I know,” Leah supplied. “The point is, how much.”Justin’s gut sank. It was a good question. Enough to marry her? Enough to be a caring, devoted husband? Enough to give her what she wanted – a family of her own? He hoped he was ready for that. All he knew is that he didn’t want to give up without a fight. Leah shooed him from the kitchen. “Go. I’ll look after the kids. And Justin,” she added as he went to leave. “Try to be charming.” He scowled. “I’m always charming.” She laughed. “I mean, don’t be an uptight know-it-all. Just, I don’t know…chill out. Relax a little.”