Read Online Just for Fun by Rosalind James - Free Book Online

admit. And with all the money
he and Claudia had spent, could he say that? He’d liked the sleek
modernity in their decoration of the big house, the black leather couches and white
walls, the recessed lighting and splashes of color that came from the modern
paintings that hung here and there, the dark wood pieces and gleaming hardwood
floors. He still liked it. But maybe it could use a bit of warming up.
Something. Some . . . touches. He shook his head. He wouldn’t have a clue how
to do that. Maybe he could ask Claudia.
    But first, he had to get this over with. He felt the fatigue
overcoming him again at the thought. Maybe he could get some rest first. But
no. If he were going to get blood tests with Zack and Emma on Wednesday, he
needed to tell Claudia first. It was only fair. And it would be a long training
session tomorrow, followed by an endorsement obligation with Cooper’s. He had to
turn up, do a video session at their new bakery. And then he’d be telling
himself he was too tired again.
    Harden up. Do it now. He pulled into the garage, walked
through the connecting door into the house without wasting any more time
thinking about it.
    “Hello, darling. You’ve been awhile.” Claudia came into the entryway
where he was shedding shoes and jumper. “I was just about to eat without you.”
    “Sorry,” he answered automatically. “What is there?”
    “Steak,” she said. “Rose marinated it, fixed a salad and
some vegies too. All we have to do is grill it.”
    “Give me a few minutes to take a shower, OK?”
    “All right. But be quick, will you? I’ll get the steak
started.”
    The warm water helped revive him. She was opening a bottle
of wine as he came downstairs again. “Want one?”
    “Just a small one. Still a bit knackered from the time
change. I’ll fall asleep if I drink much. And be rubbish tomorrow.”
    “Where did you get off to tonight, anyway?” she asked him as
they finished their dinner. She’d just wound up a long work story, with the
upshot that the long-sought, much-anticipated partnership looked to be within
her grasp. They sat at the sleek dark wood table, eating from heavy, square
white plates set on woven mats along with chunky cutlery and glassware. The
modern furnishings gave a stylish effect to the greenhouse-style dining room
that protruded from the back of the house, offering the feeling of eating in a
forest of the native plantings that surrounded it on three sides. Artfully
placed lights glowed amidst the fern trees, allowing them to appreciate the
greenery even at night. This was his favorite part of the house. A good place
to talk.
    “Doing a bit of training with a kid,” he said, setting his
fork down and looking at Claudia. As flawless as always, her perfection
matching the room. Dark hair falling in a straight, glossy curtain to just
below her shoulders, makeup light but precise, defining her elegant features.
Her beautiful figure was, as ever, casually chic in slim jeans and a
deceptively simple heavy cotton shirt that hadn’t, he thought suddenly, come
from Trade Me or any Op Shop on the planet. He looked at her as if seeing her
for the first time. The last time, before he changed everything.
    She looked up at him, took another dainty bite of salad and chewed
it carefully. Wiped her mouth. “What kid? Somebody’s son?”
    He took a deep breath. Prepared for it. “My son.”
    Her fork stayed in the air for a long moment as she stared
across at him, before she set it down with deliberate care. “I think you’d
better explain.” She was still calm, still collected, he saw. Irrationally, the
quality he’d always admired in her now annoyed him. What on earth would rattle
her?
    He explained how he’d seen Zack at Rob’s camp. Then Emma. “I
checked his birthday. And I knew,” he finished. “And then I went to see her,
and she admitted it.”
    “When was this?” she asked.
    “Just before I left for Safa. Last Monday.”
    “And you saw them again