His Christmas Present by Woods Serenity

Author:Woods, Serenity [Woods, Serenity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-12-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Christmas Present

Megan lifted Harry’s seat out of the car, locked the door and carried him across to the café. The December morning had dawned humid and warm, so it was a relief to walk into the air-conditioned café, the smell of coffee and warm muffins making her mouth water even as she walked through the door.

Dion was already there, sitting at a table with a latte, looking out of the window at the bustling town, but he turned as she approached. He stood, and her heart rate increased at the sight of him in beige cargo shorts and one of the new tight-fitting All Blacks rugby tops that showed off the sculpted muscles of his torso. Sean had told her Dion had asked to go shopping to Whangarei the day before, the nearest city an hour away, and he’d bought some more casual clothing. They suited him—he looked younger, a little less awkward than he had the moment he’d walked into Sean’s house, dressed like an Italian businessman on holiday.

She stomped on her feelings, though, conscious of the fact that he wasn’t smiling, his eyes still hard. That bird’s long flown, she told herself firmly. She had to take this opportunity to repair the damage Sean had done with his surprise introduction, nothing more.

It had been three days since Dion had landed, three long days during which she’d spoken to Gaby several times, who’d told her that Dion had been quiet and had done little more than go fishing with Sean and sit on the deck watching the bay. Megan had begun to fear he’d refuse to talk to her, but that morning he’d rung to ask whether she’d meet him in town for a coffee. Neutral ground, she thought. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.

She gave him a brief smile, took the chair opposite him and placed Harry in his seat on the floor.

“Thank you for seeing me,” she said.

His face softened at that. He stirred his latte slowly, watching the spoon draw patterns in the foam on the top. “I’m sorry it’s taken this long. I needed a bit of time.”

“That’s okay. I understand.”

A waitress came up, and Megan ordered a fruit juice and a muffin, and Dion ordered a muffin too. When the waitress walked away, Dion said, “I can’t believe you’re ordering fruit juice. This coffee is fantastic.”

“I’m still breastfeeding,” she said awkwardly. “Unfortunately I’m off caffeine for another few months.”

“Oh, of course.” The shutters came down over his face again. His gaze slid briefly to the baby lying in his seat swatting occasionally at the mobile above his head, and then his eyes moved back to her.

She cleared her throat. “So you’ve been fishing, I understand. Catch anything good?”

“A few snapper. It’s been a long while since I’ve been out on a boat. Mostly I lay on the roof and dozed. Fucking jet lag.” His lips twisted wryly.

She smiled. His face had caught the sun, the red skin already turning brown. She noticed that his hair was ruffled too, not slicked back like it had been when he arrived.

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