Kane was speechless at first. Then a bit stroppy.
‘Well, thank you very much for not ruining my brother’s marriage! Why didn’t you? Guilt?’
‘Guilt? Why should I feel guilty?’
‘Come on, doll, let’s face it. If I had been some poor, unhappily married bloke, and you’d swanned into that bar making eyes at me whilst I was sloshed, I’d have had a hard job resisting you, too.’
‘Don’t exaggerate,’ she said. ‘I’m not that sexy.’
‘Trust me, sweetheart, you are. You’re one hell of an actress, too. I could have sworn you were genuinely turned on last Friday night, that you really wanted me to make love to you.’
This was her out, if she wanted to take it.
Jessie decided on a middle course.
‘I did find you rather attractive,’ she admitted with considerable understatement. ‘But I would never have gone to a hotel room with you. Not within minutes of meeting you.’
That was her story and she was going to stick to it. ‘I didn’t know your name, either,’ he muttered. ‘But I couldn’t have given a damn.’
‘Yes, well, you’re a man. You’re a different species entirely. Women are, on the whole, a little more careful.’
‘Not all women,’ he ground out.
Possibly, he was remembering the blonde.
‘I do realise that. I also realise that single mothers have a certain reputation for being…shall we say…easy marks? I wouldn’t like you to make that mistake if you’re thinking of asking me out. Which I presume you are. Because why else would you be here, driving me home?’
Another set of lights brought the car to a halt. His head turned till his eyes met hers once more. He smiled wryly.
‘You seem to have me taped perfectly. What can I say? Yes, I want to ask you out. And yes, up till now, my intentions have not been entirely honourable.’
‘And now?’
‘I still want to take you to bed. But I also want to spend time with you out of bed. You’re a very intriguing woman, Jessie Denton.’
Jessie felt herself blushing. She turned her head away to stare out at the halted traffic, which was thicker than when they’d left north Sydney. She glanced at her watch. It was almost half-past five and they were only at Chatswood. Still, once they got through this bottleneck it should be plainer sailing to Roseville. They should arrive before six. But it would be much quicker on the train.
‘So will you go out with me?’ he persisted.
Jessie turned back to face the road ahead. She could feel him looking at her but refused to look his way again. Those eyes of his made her melt almost as much as his smile.
‘Maybe,’ she said, pleased with her cool tone.
‘When?’
‘Don’t rush me, Kane.’
Kane. She’d called him Kane. She couldn’t remember calling him that before.
‘How about this Friday night?’ he jumped in immediately. ‘You must have had someone mind your daughter last Friday night. You could do the same this Friday night. We could go out to dinner, then on to a club, or whatever you like to do. The movies. A show. Anything.’
Going to bed with him would be nice, she thought, shocking herself again. Truly, she was in a bad way. But her pride was still greater than her need.
‘I’m not sure about this Friday,’ she said. ‘I still don’t know all that much about you. I mean, you’ve at least read my résumé. I don’t even know what you usually do for a living, when you’re not minding the store for Harry Wilde.’
‘You’ll find the answer to that question on your desk in the morning. Easier than trying to explain what I do. It would take all night.’
Jessie blinked over at him. He called her intriguing. He was the intriguing one.
‘OK, but I still don’t know much about you personally. I mean, you said you were divorced. How long were you married and why did your wife divorce you?’
‘We were married for three years and I was the one who asked for a divorce.’
‘Good heavens. Why? Was she unfaithful?’ The idea seemed ludicrous to Jessie. If Kane were her husband she would never look at another man.
‘Not that I know of.’ The lights went green and the car crawled on through the busy intersection. ‘My wife and I had a difference of opinion about the matter of having children,’ he explained. ‘We should have discussed it before we got married, I suppose, but… Did you see that bloke cut me off?’
She did and it was a near miss. Still, they weren’t going fast enough to have a serious prang.
‘Driving a four-wheel-drive, of course,’ Kane ground out angrily. ‘Worse than truck drivers, they are. Why any sane person would need a mini-tank to get around the city I have no idea. They should all be banned. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, my divorce. Look, when I realised that I couldn’t change my wife’s mind about having kids, I decided to call it quits. It was quite an amicable parting. We’re still very good friends.’
Jessie couldn’t help feeling disappointed that Kane was one of those selfish modern men who didn’t want children. Truly, he should never have got married in the first place. That poor woman, wasting three years of her life on a man who would never give her what she wanted.
Which was a good warning for herself.
‘I see,’ she said, nodding.
‘And what about you, Jessie?’ he counter-questioned whilst she was still pondering if it was worth the risk of falling in love with Kane Marshall, just to have the pleasure of going to bed with him. ‘Why aren’t you still with the father of your child?’
She could have told him the long version. But she decided he probably wouldn’t be interested.
‘He died,’ she said. ‘In a snowboarding accident. Before Emily was born.’
‘God, how awful!’ He seemed genuinely shocked and sympathetic. ‘That’s tragic, Jessie. Truly, I’m very sorry. I hope his family has been supportive.’
‘I never told them about the baby. Lyall was estranged from his folks, and frankly, I didn’t like the sound of them. Anyway, they live over in New Zealand. I could hardly afford to fly over all the time. I thought it best to raise Emily by myself.’
‘But what about your own folks?’
Jessie winced. ‘Not a pretty picture there either, I’m afraid. Mum was a single mother herself. My father was a married man. She was Irish and Catholic, so getting rid of me was out of the question. Anyway, she emigrated to Australia when I was a baby, by which time she was all bitter and twisted about men. A few years ago she went back home. She wasn’t at all pleased about my becoming a single mother. Said I was a fool. But I’m a very different single mother from my mum, I can tell you.’
‘I don’t doubt it. You’re one very strong character, Jessie Denton. Very brave.’
‘Brave?’ Jessie gave that notion some thought. ‘Not really. I was scared stiff at the time. Not to mention seriously depressed. I didn’t have post-natal depression. I had pre-natal depression. But I couldn’t have done anything else. Emily was my baby. And really, other than having a few money worries, it’s been an incredible experience. I wouldn’t change a day of it. And now that I’ve got a decent job, I won’t even have any money worries,’ she added, not wanting him to think she needed money from any man. Or that she might look at him as a possible meal ticket.
‘I read on your résumé that you’ve been working as a waitress,’ he said.