LITMIR.BIZ

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of snubbing him, Cassie thought it over. ‘I’m certainly attracted to him,’ she said at last.

      ‘When I arrived the scene looked set for a very intimate evening, Cassie. Was he hoping to take you to bed at the end of it?’

      ‘It’s none of your business!’ she said angrily.

      ‘I apologise, Cassie,’ Nick said promptly, and gave her a hopeful smile. ‘Would there be pudding by any chance?’

      ‘You’ve got a nerve,’ she said, shaking her head as she got up to take his plate. ‘As it happens I do have a pudding for once—tartelet aux cerises, to be precise.’

      ‘Cherry tart—wonderful!’ he said with relish. ‘I don’t seem to have eaten much these past few days.’

      ‘Why not?’

      ‘There were hold-ups on a hotel construction in Riyadh. I’ve been on site there for the last two months, troubleshooting and generally getting everything back on schedule. I’ve been working all hours so I could get back to the UK for Christmas.’ Nick’s eyes gleamed as Cassie served him the warmed tart with a spoonful of whipped cream. ‘That looks good. My Somali cook out there had certain specialities he served at every meal. I’d be happy never to see a jacket potato again.’

      ‘They’re my staple diet,’ said Cassie. She topped up his wine glass and leaned back in her chair. ‘Four minutes or so in a microwave, a spoonful of cottage cheese, and dinner’s ready.’

      ‘So you don’t cook like this every night?’

      She chuckled. ‘I don’t cook like this any night.’

      His eyebrows rose. ‘You mean you had this sent in?’

      ‘No. I just bought it all on the way home and read the instructions on the packets. I had my hair done instead. Much more important than slaving over a hot stove.’

      Nick threw back his head and laughed, and suddenly he was so much more like the young man Cassie had once fancied so much she felt a pang of nostalgia for times past, before Max’s jealousy had disrupted so many lives.

      ‘Were you going to admit all that to young Ashcroft?’ he demanded.

      ‘Only if he asked,’ said Cassie honestly. ‘I was hoping he’d be too fascinated by my company and my appearance to care where the meal came from.’

      ‘As he was!’ said Nick emphatically. ‘I walked in on how fascinated he was.’ He sobered suddenly. ‘Was the dress new, bought specially for the occasion?’

      Cassie nodded, the look in his dark-rimmed blue eyes putting her on guard. ‘Yes. Why?’

      ‘I feel more of a heel than ever. You obviously spent a lot of money on a dress and your hair, not to mention the meal—’

      ‘If you bang on about ruining my evening again, I’ll throw my plate at you,’ she said irritably. ‘Finding Alice was a lot more important than any dress, and if it makes you any happier you can jolly well pay for the meal, since you’ve eaten most of it, Dominic Seymour.’

      ‘All right, all right,’ he said hastily. ‘Pax, Cassie. If I’m paying, can I have some more wine? I’ve been living without such niceties these past few weeks.’

      ‘You’ve got to drive home,’ she reminded him.

      ‘How have I organised my life without you up to now?’ he said with sarcasm, and commandeered the bottle to pour himself a second glass of wine. ‘If it won’t inconvenience you too much, Cassandra Lovell, I’ll leave the car here and take a cab tonight. Alcohol doesn’t play a big part in my life, but after the shock of finding Alice missing is it a sin to fancy a glass of wine or two? Especially after two months of abstinence?’

      ‘No, of course not. Sorry.’ She shook her head when he made to refill her glass. ‘Not for me, thanks. I’ll make some coffee later. Bring the bottle and your glass and we’ll go and sit in the other room. You look tired.’

      Nick got up, yawning. ‘Life’s been pretty hectic lately.’ He followed her into the other room and sank down on the sofa with a sigh after she curled up in a chair. He eyed her gloomily. ‘What the hell am I going to do, Cassie?’

      ‘About Alice?’

      ‘Yes. And Max, too. Frankly, I’m worried. There’s been some unrest near the particular region he was heading for. I hope he hasn’t got tangled up in any of it.’

      ‘So do I!’ Cassie shivered. ‘Though only because of Alice,’ she added with candour.

      Nick was silent for a long interval, smiling his thanks when Cassie refilled his glass. ‘What the blazes am I going to do? How the devil do I provide a proper Christmas for Alice? I hope Janet’s willing to hang on in Chiswick. If she is I’d better take over one of Max’s spare rooms until he turns up. Whether he likes it or not,’ he added grimly. ‘We’ve seen as little as possible of each other since the break-up with Julia, but he lets me see Alice now and then.’

      ‘As well he might,’ said Cassie indignantly. ‘With no grandparents any more, the poor little thing’s not exactly awash with relatives!’

      Nick frowned. ‘If Julia’s so fond of Alice, how has Max managed to keep her away from her?’

      ‘He was in such a rage that memorable day he actually threatened her with an injunction. But there are ways round that. I take letters and presents from Julia when I take Alice out from school. So does my mother.’ Cassie sighed angrily. ‘Your brother’s inhuman.’

      ‘Step-brother, actually,’ Nick reminded her.

      ‘Oh, yes. I’d forgotten that. You certainly don’t resemble each other.’

      ‘Max looks like his mother. She ran off with another man when he was a baby, so Dad hired a very highly qualified nanny by the name of Eileen Ryan, and fell in love with her. He married her as soon as the divorce came through, and a year or so later I was born.’

      ‘I’ve seen her photograph,’ said Cassie quietly. ‘You’re the image of her.’

      ‘I know. I miss her. I miss them both. So does Max. Which,’ said Nick, with sudden violence, ‘is why I can never understand why he keeps Julia away from Alice. He loved my mother, and she loved him. Just as Julia loves Alice.’

      ‘Perhaps it’s pride.’

      ‘Maybe he expects every woman to behave like his biological mother.’

      Cassie pulled out the shoelace from her hair, which she’d grabbed from one of her sneakers in her hurry to look for Alice. The gleaming ringlets cascaded to the shoulders of her dark blue sweater, and she tugged on one of them absently with her teeth as a plan began to formulate in her mind. She looked up to see Nick’s eyes on her.

      ‘What?’ she demanded.

      ‘I was admiring the view.’ A smile tugged at the corners of his wide, well-cut mouth. ‘Poor Rupert.’

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘I’m just beginning to realise what he’s missed out on tonight. A great meal—wherever it came from—and a beautiful companion to enjoy it with.’ He sighed theatrically. ‘I should feel guilty, but I don’t—even if I am just an interloper who got lucky.’

      ‘This is as lucky as you get,’ she warned him sharply, put out by something in his manner.

      The spectacular eyes gleamed. ‘Don’t worry, Cassie. I wasn’t about to leap on your body.’

      ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she retorted, bristling. ‘I prefer men who come without your history, Dominic Seymour.’

      ‘Why does my name sound like an epithet when you say it in full?’ he asked curiously.

      ‘It’s better than some epithets I could use!’

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