Parents of Convenience by Jennie Adams

Author:Jennie Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

PHOEBE hadn’t been so fed up since, well, since she couldn’t remember when. She had been through a difficult time since her arrival at Mountain Gem, darn it all, and did anyone care?

No. She had to deal with her issues by herself, as usual, and while she was dealing with them Max kept heaping more hassles on to her. Like making her want to make love with him. Marry him. Play families with him. If he didn’t have his boys, Phoebe wouldn’t care about them, would she? If she hadn’t come here to help Max out, she wouldn’t have ended up in bed with him, would she?

In her current state of mind, the argument made perfect sense. Just thinking about it all again made her want to breathe fire, and with very good reason. If ever there was a man undeserving of one millisecond of her consideration, it was Max Saunders.

He had gone off to attend to Maryellen’s estate. And Phoebe had felt sorry for him, because he had looked so torn. So stirred up. As if he didn’t want to have to leave her and the boys right now.

Even with her own conflicting feelings, it had been enough to make Phoebe want to turn around and tell him to just stay. Or that she and the boys would go with him. Anything for them all to be together. What a fool she had been to think along those lines, and thank God she hadn’t actually made love to Max that morning in her bed.

Which brought her to the question—why be so relieved about that now? Because of Felicity Danvers, that was why. She realised her jaw was locked again and tried to work it loose.

The day after Max had left, the woman had turned up on the doorstep with her pencil-thin laptop computer and her business suit and her matching luggage—all seven pieces of it—and, upon being told Max wasn’t there, had replied, ‘That’s all right. I’ve been working at a frantic pace. A couple of days’ rest will ensure I’m at my best before Max returns. Really, the timing couldn’t have been better.’

She had released her taxi— ‘I lost my driver’s licence speeding on the Great Ocean Road, you know’—and stalked confidently into the house.

That might have been half tolerable—well, not really, but Phoebe might have lived with it, but it hadn’t stopped there. Oh, no.

To Phoebe’s admirably controlled query as to the purpose of her visit, Felicity had replied, ‘I’m here to make Max’s day, darling. A business deal he simply won’t be able to say no to and, well…’ she had paused coyly ‘…some other things he’ll be equally unwilling to resist. Now, get me a cup of tea, would you, and stop pestering me with questions. I really don’t have time to instruct the help.’

Phoebe had restrained herself from hitting the other woman over the head with a conveniently placed lampshade nearby, but it had been a close-run thing for a minute.

To Phoebe’s flat

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