Captivated By The Single Dad. Barbara Hannay
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phone call ended just as it was their turn to go through Security, so it wasn’t till they’d reached the other side and had collected their watches, wallets, passports and backpacks that Holly turned to Gray with a wide and happy smile.
‘So it was good news after all?’ he asked.
‘Yes. At first I thought it might have been Brand—might have been someone ringing to say goodbye. But it’s even better than that. It looks like I’ve landed a job.’
To Gray’s surprise, he felt a snaking of alarm. How would this affect their plans? Was Holly still free to help? ‘When do you start?’
‘Not till August.’ Holly’s smile widened into a beaming grin, then she gave a little skip and punched the air. ‘I can’t believe it. This is my dream job! My first choice. The school I’ve always wanted to teach at.’
Gray nodded, willing himself to be pleased for Holly. Judging by her excitement, this was very important. She must have been the pick of the applicants. Good for her!
It hit him then that he knew very little about her. It seemed she was very smart—an ace teacher—and his kids were lucky to have her even for a short time.
He was pleased for her. In fact, he was pleased for all of them. Everything was working out perfectly. By August his children would be settled into their new home and school and, with Holly’s help and approval, he’d have hired a new nanny. Then Holly would head for home to start this new flash job.
It made absolutely no sense that he couldn’t dredge up more enthusiasm. It was sheer selfishness not to be happy for Holly.
‘Fantastic,’ he said and he held out his hand. ‘Congratulations.’
At last, he cracked a smile.
Landing in Sydney was a total surprise for Holly.
Throughout the journey, she’d been mentally preparing herself for the Australian Outback. It was, she knew, a challenging place of wide red plains, isolation, dust and heat.
She hadn’t given much thought to Sydney, hadn’t expected to fly in over gorgeous golden beaches to a big and modern city heart crowded with skyscrapers. She also hadn’t expected to find Gray’s mother waiting to greet them at Sydney Airport.
Holly had vague memories of Sasha Carlisle from the wedding. She was tall and silver-haired, strikingly attractive and well dressed. Today she was wearing a white linen trouser suit, with sparkling jewellery at her wrist and a long black and white silk scarf draped with unfussy elegance. There was no doubt about it; she’d nailed casual chic for the older woman.
Beside her, Holly, in jeans and a crumpled T-shirt, with her hair hanging limp after more than twenty hours in a pressurised cabin, felt decidedly drab. But she soon forgot about that as she watched the greeting between mother and son.
No warm hugs. Just a cool—
‘Hello, dear.’
‘Hello, Mother.’
And an expertly made-up cheek held at an angle for Gray to kiss.
The tension was so thick Holly would have needed a very sharp knife to cut through it. It evaporated quickly, however, when Gray’s mother turned her attention to her grandchildren.
‘Sweethearts,’ she cried, opening her arms to Anna and Josh. ‘You remember your Australian granny, don’t you?’
Fortunately, the children obliged her with warm smiles, and they submitted to hugs and kisses without complaint.
‘Your granny’s missed you so much.’
Brightly wrapped packages were produced from a voluminous designer handbag, and Holly was pleased to see that Anna and Josh looked quite thrilled and remembered to say thank you.
Gray placed a hand on Holly’s shoulder, almost making her jump out of her skin. ‘You might not remember my mother, Sasha Carlisle.’
With her shoulder still tingling from the warmth of his touch, Holly held out her hand. ‘I do remember you, Mrs Carlisle. How do you do?’
Gray’s mother shook hands super-carefully, as if she were afraid Holly might be grubby.
‘Holly was one of Chelsea’s bridesmaids,’ Gray reminded her.
‘Ah, yes, and now she’s the nanny.’
‘Holly’s going to help us with School of the Air,’ Josh explained importantly.
‘Is she now?’ Sasha’s eyebrows lifted high and she shot a chilling but meaningful glance to Gray. ‘Is she properly trained?’
Bristling at being discussed as if she wasn’t even there, Holly decided to speak up for herself. ‘I’m a fully qualified English teacher.’
The older woman smiled faintly. ‘Thank heavens for small mercies.’
What was going on here?
The chilling tension was broken by Anna, who urgently wanted to find a bathroom. Grateful to escape, Holly accompanied her and, by the time they returned, Sasha had left.
‘My mother had a function she needed to attend,’ Gray said smoothly. The expression in his eyes lightened and he smiled at Holly. ‘Come on, let’s find a taxi.’
Their evening in Sydney was fun. The four of them dined out at a fabulous Thai restaurant and then they walked back to their hotel, enjoying the mild winter night and the brightly lit streets. The children were drooping by this stage, however, and Gray had to carry Anna for the last block. She and Josh were so tired they fell straight into bed and were asleep before anyone could think of finding a story to read.
Gray stayed behind to share a nightcap with Holly in the cosy sitting room that was part of the luxurious suite he’d booked for her and the children.
They found ice and glasses and little bottles in the minibar and then they sat in deep comfy armchairs. Holly wasn’t sure how relaxed she’d be, or what she and Gray would talk about, so she was totally thrown when he steered the conversation to her break-up with Brandon.
‘What went wrong?’ he asked, watching her through slightly narrowed eyes.
‘Oh, the usual.’ Holly had only talked about her break-up with her mom and one or two girlfriends, and it felt weird to try to explain it to a man she hardly knew. ‘He was more interested in another woman.’
‘So he was a fool,’ Gray said sympathetically.
‘Yes, he was a total idiot.’ She forced a smile. ‘But it was partly my fault, I guess. I moved away to New York and, in this case, absence did not make his heart grow fonder.’
Gray nodded and took a thoughtful sip of his drink. ‘Don’t know if it helps…but after Chelsea took off with the kids…I thought I’d never get over it, and yet, after a time, the worst feelings began to fade.’
Holly wanted to ask him what had gone wrong in his marriage, but it felt too intrusive to ask Gray when Chelsea had been so close-lipped about it.
Instead, she said, ‘I guess Chelsea must have loved it here in Sydney.’
Gray’s smile vanished as if someone had flicked a switch. ‘I’m sure Chelsea must have told you how she felt about Sydney.’
‘No.’ Holly blinked. ‘If she did, I don’t remember. She would never say much at all about her time in Australia.’
He downed a hefty slug of Scotch and scowled into his glass, and Holly felt compelled to explain her comment. ‘It’s just that I was surprised to see how busy and cosmopolitan it is here. Bright lights. Masses of skyscrapers. Lots of people. So many theatres and restaurants. It’s everything Chelsea loved.’
She watched Gray’s mouth thin into a downward curve.
He sighed. ‘Yeah, Chelsea loved