Assignment: Baby by Jessica Hart

Author:Jessica Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

‘THINGS are easier now, of course,’ she said, making an effort to steer the conversation away from what felt like dangerous ground. ‘Andrew’s away at university, so I don’t need to make time for him any more, just money.’

Tess smiled wryly as she poured the soup into two bowls. ‘He’s just started his final year. Sometimes I wonder how he’s got as far as he has.’ She sighed. ‘He never seems to do any work. He just has a good time.

‘I was so pleased when he got into university,’ she confided, setting the bowls on the table and turning to find some spoons, ‘but I had no idea how expensive it was going to be.

‘I know it’s hard for students nowadays, but Andrew always seems to be in debt. He still owes money from last year, and now he and some friends are trying to rent a house, but the landlord is demanding a huge deposit which none of them can afford. He’s lost his car, too. Some boys took it for a joyride, and according to Andrew they’ve practically written it off. It’s going to cost a fortune to repair.’

Sighing, Tess sat down at the table, only to get up again as she remembered the bread. ‘That’s why I was so keen to earn some extra money looking after Harry,’ she told Gabriel, who was struggling to slot the baby into his new bouncy chair.

He looked up, the light grey eyes suddenly alert. ‘Oh?’ he said.

‘I’d thought about asking you for a raise,’ she confessed, ‘but I know it’s a generous salary as it is, and, anyway, it would soon get swallowed up just by the expense of living in London. I worked out that overtime for a week would give me a lump sum which I could send to Andrew so that he could sort out his accommodation and get his car fixed. I’d like him to give up his pub job, too. He needs to spend more time studying—it’s not that long until his finals.’

She trailed off as she noticed that Gabriel was looking at her with a most peculiar expression. Tess couldn’t decipher it at all, but she had a nasty feeling that she had just convinced him that she was obsessed by money.

Why had she told him all that about Andrew? Tess agonised. It wasn’t like her to pour out her problems to anyone, least of all Gabriel Stearne. He wasn’t interested in her petty little worries.

‘Well, anyway, that’s why I’m happy to spend this week looking after Harry,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I’m afraid my motives are entirely mercenary,’ she went on in a flip voice to disguise her embarrassment. ‘But, then, you probably guessed that.’

‘Yes, I did,’ said Gabriel slowly, ‘but I didn’t know why you needed the money.’ He was disconcerted by the lightening of his heart. There shouldn’t be any reason why it made a difference knowing that Tess hadn’t wanted the money for herself, but somehow it did.

‘I understand that

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