Frisky Business (22 page)

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and blinked at her.

‘Hi, Romy,’ he said, and he smiled at her, which just made his face even more beautiful.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say something completely inane and idiotic like ‘my, how you’ve grown’, but she stopped herself in time. ‘I’d hardly have recognised you,’ she said instead.

She watched as he peeled himself away from the door and moved around the kitchen, pulling stuff from cupboards, shaking cereal into a bowl, pouring milk.

‘I hope Kit and Dad didn’t wake you,’ Laura was saying from her position over by the island.

‘Nah, I was awake anyway,’ he said, his voice still thick with sleep. He pulled out a chair, placed his bowl of cereal and spoon on the table and sat down opposite her. ‘Wow, Romy! This is surreal. I can’t believe you’re here,’ he said, beaming at her. ‘I feel like I’ve gone through a time portal.’

‘I know what you mean.’

‘It’s really nice to see you again.’ He leaned back against the chair, running a hand through his already messy hair, his frank scrutiny of her unnerving. ‘God, I used to have such a crush on you, ’ he said with a crooked smile. Then he bent forward and began shovelling cereal into his mouth.

Romy laughed in astonishment at his frank admission. ‘I know,’ she said, smiling back at him.

‘Really?’ He looked up at her from beneath his lashes. ‘You
knew? That’s a bit embarrassing.’ But he didn’t look embarrassed.

Romy shrugged. ‘Well, it sort of comes as standard, doesn’t it – a crush on your older brother’s girlfriend?’

‘Hmm, I guess. It’s still embarrassing.’ He gave a huge yawn, laying his head on the table momentarily before lifting it again. ‘Sorry, knackered.’

‘Ah, you finally woke up, Rip van Bollocks,’ Kit said, striding back into the kitchen. He poured himself a mug of coffee from the pot on the worktop and sat down beside Romy. ‘Dad’s just rearranging the stuff in the van,’ he said to Romy. ‘He has a system. I was just getting in the way. I hope my little brother hasn’t been pestering you.’

‘No, he’s being very charming.’

‘You want to watch him. He’ll charm the pants off you. It’s his thing.’

‘Yeah, no woman can resist my thing,’ Ethan said, laughing.

Boys!
Romy thought, rolling her eyes. ‘So, what are you up to these days?’ she asked Ethan. ‘Apart from wowing the ladies with your thing. Last time I saw you, you wanted to play for Manchester United.’

‘Ah, well, that didn’t work out, unfortunately.’

‘Never got the call?’

‘Nope. So I had to settle for Plan B.’

‘What’s that?’ Underwear model seemed the most likely

option. Maybe he had been away somewhere exotic shooting a catalogue.

‘Medicine.’

‘Oh, you’re a doctor?’

‘Yep.’ He nodded.

‘Ethan’s been working for Médecins Sans Frontières,’ Laura put in, pride evident in her voice. ‘He’s spent the past year in Haiti.’

Ethan
squirmed uncomfortably.

‘Wow, that’s—’

‘Oh, don’t pay any attention to him,’ Kit said. ‘He just does it to get laid.’

‘That’s true, actually,’ Ethan said, grinning. ‘It’s much better than being a footballer in that way. Doesn’t pay as much, though.’

‘All the girls love a do-gooder. Jammy bastard!’ Kit put an arm around Romy’s shoulders, a proprietary gesture that she found amusing. Was he feeling threatened by his little brother?

‘I can’t help it if I have an awesome bedside manner,’ Ethan said. ‘Actually, that’s all down to you,’ he said to Romy. ‘You were my first.’

‘What?’ Romy gulped. ‘I was?’

He nodded. ‘You were an excellent patient.’

‘Oh! That,’ she said, remembering. Ethan had been doing

a first aid course and she had let him practise on her. He was studying for his certificate, and he had taken it very seriously. She still remembered his enthusiasm, the solemn intensity with which he had worked, and the gentleness of his touch as he ran his hands over her, checking for phantom injuries. ‘You bandaged my arm,’ she said.

‘And you let me put you in the recovery position.’

You could put me in any position you like now
, Romy

thought as images flashed through her head of him laying her down on the floor, arranging her limbs to his satisfaction while she lay passive beneath his expert hands.
Hang on – I didn’t just think that, did I? Not about Ethan!
He was Kit’s little brother. He was twelve, for Christ’s sake! Well, not now … obviously. But still – he was twelve once. She shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts about someone who used to be twelve.

‘You
did a very good fainting victim,’ he said. ‘You didn’t give it up too quickly – really made me work to bring you round.’

‘Well, you were very dedicated to getting me back on my feet. And you
did
have a lovely bedside manner,’ she said. She smiled, remembering. He had been slightly shy and awkward about touching her, blushing as he explained that he was supposed to loosen her clothing, and offering to let her do it herself. But she said it wouldn’t be authentic and insisted he should do it.

‘Huh!’ Kit said, pouting. ‘Where do you get off practising your bedside manner on my girlfriend?’

Oh God, Romy thought guiltily, had she just been flirting with Ethan?

She couldn’t do that. She was supposed to be starting to clock in as Kit’s girlfriend. She had to try and remember that. She couldn’t flirt with his brother right in front of him.

Just then Mr Masterson came back in. ‘Ethan, you got back,’ he said, as casually as though Ethan had just been away for the weekend.

‘Hi, Dad,’ Ethan said, smiling as his father ruffled his hair affectionately, as if he was five years old.

‘Everything’s packed up, ready to go,’ Colm said to Kit.

‘Thanks, Dad. I guess we’d better get going,’ Kit said to Romy as he stood.

‘Okay,’ Romy joined him. ‘It was lovely to see you all again.’

‘You too, honey,’ Laura said to her. ‘And hopefully we’ll see you again tomorrow for Thanksgiving.’

Seeing Ethan had taken Romy’s mind off everything she had discovered in Kit’s room, but as soon as she sat into the van with
him it all came flooding back. She put the key in the ignition, but didn’t start the engine, turning instead to Kit.

‘You were over here last Hallowe’en, weren’t you?’ she asked him.

‘Yeah, I was over for Dad’s sixtieth around then.’

‘You didn’t … you weren’t by any chance at David Kinsella’s party, were you?’

He gave her an odd look. ‘Why do you ask that?’ He frowned.

She shrugged. ‘Just … curious.’ She had expected him to just say that he hadn’t been there. Instead he was acting shifty – almost as if he had something to hide. ‘So … were you?’

‘Um … yeah, I was, actually.’

‘Really?’ she gasped, her heart hammering. ‘So was I.’

‘Oh. Pity we didn’t bump into each other.’

‘Well … maybe we did,’ she said breathlessly. ‘I met someone … it was dark and I never saw his face, but …’ Kit’s eyes widened. He looked startled, panicked almost.

‘I was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.’

‘Oh, Christ!’ Kit hung his head. ‘That was
you?’

Romy nodded. She couldn’t find the breath to speak.

‘Oh, God – I didn’t know.’

‘Well, how could you? The masks …’

‘God, I’m so sorry – about what happened. I don’t usually—’

‘I know,’ she nodded. ‘Me neither.’

‘Honestly, I’ve never done that before—’

‘What?’ She frowned. ‘Sex?’

‘Well, obviously I’ve done
that
before,’ he stammered. ‘But not, you know, like that …’

‘No … well, it wasn’t exactly in the mainstream,’ she said with a giggle.

He turned and gazed out the window. ‘Can we just … not
talk about it?’ he gulped. ‘I just want to forget it ever happened.’

‘Oh … okay.’ God, he couldn’t even look at her. They would have to talk about it more at some stage, but she couldn’t

pursue it right now – not when he was obviously so horrified by the whole thing! Anyway, she needed some time to get used to the idea herself and decide how she felt about it. Right now, she was too stunned to think straight.

‘I was really messed up that night. I mean, it’s no excuse, but—’

‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Strange, she thought
she
was the one who was messed up that night – he had seemed very together and grounded. Her hands were shaking as she started up the engine.

‘Um, Romy?’ Kit turned to her. ‘Are you still coming to

Hannah’s wedding with me?’

‘What?’ She spun around to look at him. ‘Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I?’

‘I just thought maybe you wouldn’t want to after …’ he trailed off.

‘Hey, it’s no big deal,’ she said, trying to give him a reassuring smile. But it was disconcerting that he was so freaked out about what had happened that night. How could she possibly bring the subject up again?

She could hardly concentrate on driving, there were so many thoughts swirling around in her head. So Kit
was
Luke’s father. After all this time of wondering, suddenly she had the answer. But instead of bringing her closure, it just opened up all sorts of other dilemmas. How did she feel about it? How would he feel about it? And the hardest question of all – how in hell was she going to tell him?

‘So
I take it you’ve agreed to be Kit’s fake girlfriend, then, since you’re off to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family?’ Lesley asked Romy on Thursday evening. She was sitting on Romy’s bed holding Luke, watching Romy put on her make-up.

‘Well, I said I’d go to his sister’s wedding with him as his girlfriend. He seems to be terrified of his matchmaking relations.’

‘We’ve all been there. Have you asked him if he was at David’s party?’

‘Yes.’ Romy leaned closer to the mirror as she applied mascara. ‘And he was there.’ In the mirror she saw Lesley’s eyes widen.

‘And?’

Romy
sighed as she tossed the mascara onto the dressing-table and turned to face Lesley. ‘If I tell you something, can you keep it to yourself?’

‘If you asked Poirot that, he’d have a face on.’

‘Well, I’m not asking Poirot, I’m asking you. Not that you aren’t equally awesome,’ Romy added hastily.

‘Of course I can keep it to myself. If you watched more TV detectives, you’d know that discretion is the byword of the amateur sleuth.’

‘Okay. Well …’ Romy took a deep breath. ‘It was him. Kit is Luke’s father.’

‘Oh my God!’ Lesley gasped. For a moment, she just stared at Romy in wide-eyed, open-mouthed silence.

‘So you can … close your file or whatever,’ Romy said.

‘Pack up the incident nook.’

‘I told you!’ Lesley said, despite the fact that she couldn’t look more amazed. ‘But I can’t believe you’re being so cool about it.’

‘Believe me, I wasn’t when I first found out. I’ve had some time to think about it.’ She had thought of nothing else since yesterday and she had barely slept last night. But she had come to some conclusions. She had decided she was glad that it was Kit – someone she liked, someone she had loved once … someone she could possibly see herself having a relationship with. She wanted Luke to know his father, and if she got the chance, she would try to make a go of it with Kit. They liked each other, they got on well – she felt they could be happy. Besides, what were the chances of her meeting someone else when she had a baby in tow?

‘So what did he say when you told him?’

‘I haven’t told him … not yet.’

‘Why not?’

‘Well … it’s not the easiest thing to just come out with.’

‘I
guess not.’

‘Plus he seemed really freaked out about what happened that night.’ Romy bit her lip, remembering Kit’s reaction when they’d spoken about it. ‘It was like he felt really ashamed about it.’