Womanizer (Spoilt) (10 page)

“Your mum can come too if she wants.”

“Thanks but
it’s games night at the club, so she’s covered.”

“I’ll pick you both up at seven
, then.”

“Don’t you drive a convertible with only two seats?”

“Yes, but I have another car.”

“You do?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I do,” he said poking her in the ribs which sent her into a fit of giggles. “I think I might get rid of the convertible, though. It’s a bit too ... pretentious.”

“Yeah
, it is a bit,” she said with a giggle. “Definitely a playboy’s car.”  This procured another poke in the ribs.

“I suppose it is, and not kid-
friendly either. Just as well I have my old car.”

“Why do you?”

“Sentimental reasons, I guess. It reminds me of how far I have come and how hard I worked to get here. Keeps me grounded.”

“I like that, Mitchell. It makes you seem a lot less shallow.” 

“Ha, ha, very funny. Behave or I’ll tickle you again.”

“Don’t you
dare!”

Silent moments followed and Isabelle knew he was deep in thought as his brow had creased in the adorable way she noticed earlier that day. She waited for him to say what was on his mind.

“So that means you still think I’m somewhat shallow?”

She laughed and his brow furrowed deeper.
“No, not anymore.” She tilted her head up to kiss away his concern. “Oh, crap, is that the time? I should go.”

They got up and dressed with reluctance before he saw her to her car where they lingered with teasing kisses. As soon as she pulled out of the driveway
, he longed for the following evening to arrive. With a chuckle he shook his head. He sounded like a lovesick fool.

This reminded him he should call his brother and notify him of the extra guests for dinner.

The deep husky voice of Charlotte answered the phone.

“Hey, Charlotte. How’s Chelsea?”

“She’s good. Hopefully she’ll only be in the hospital another three or four days.”

“I’m glad to hear all is well.” He paused. “We still on for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Absolutely.
Are you bringing a date, Mitchell?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Your dinner date from the other night?”

“Yes, Isabelle.”

“OK, so, plus one for the guest list.”

“Actually it will be two extra.”

“Two?”

“She has a son.”

“Oh, how adorable. How old is he?”

“Almost five.”

“An instant family, eh? Let’s hope you really have changed, then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well there is more than just her to hurt.”

“I am aware of this, Charlotte.” There was an edge to his tone but he didn’t care. Was it so hard for everyone to believe he could fall in love?

“I’m sorry, Mitch, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just wanted to be sure.”

“Who’s on the phone?” Jared asked in the background.

“Your lovesick brother,” Charlotte quipped.

“Happens to us all,” Jared replied with a chuckle.

“OK, you two had enough?” Mitch asked but couldn’t help but laugh himself.

“Sorry, Mitch,” Charlotte came back on the line. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

Chapter Twelve

Family

An impatient Jesse paced the lounge ro
om, waiting for Mitch to arrive after having spent a day of constant talk about the coming event. Not only would he be seeing Mitch again but he would meet new kids to play with and that prospect excited Jesse. Isabelle, on the other hand, took an hour to decide what to wear. It was an informal dinner but she would be meeting his family and this made her a touch nervous. After all this was only their third date.

After deciding on black dress pants, a deep green loose flowing top, and low heels, she decided it would have to do. She tied up her hair in a loose bun, applied a little gloss t
o her lips and color to her eyes. As she headed out to wait with Jesse, Carol hurried into the room and shut the door, giving Isabelle a somber look.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about Jesse? Mitch?”

“No, I think it’s lovely you have someone to spend time with and I don’t want to ruin your dinner.”

“What is it?”

“I’m worried about this.” She pulled a folded letter out of her pocket and passed it to Isabelle. It looked familiar. Once again there was no stamp so it came by hand. Isabelle didn’t think she wanted to read its contents.

Dear Isabelle,

I see you have been visited this past week and this displeases me. I endeavor to find out all about him as I really do not think he is suitable for you. I hope you will see the error of your ways and discover this for yourself in time.

A

Isabelle read the letter aloud to her mother with a concerned frown. When Isabelle finished reading and looked at Carol she found her expression mirrored in Carol’s face.

“I don’t like the sound of this, Isabelle.”

“He knows about Mitch and Jesse. Do you think this means he’s watching our apartment?”

“It’s possible. How else would he know? Unless it is someone you know
, of course.”

“What should I do?”

“Go to the police.”

“What can they do? There have been no threats made.”

“Yet.” Carol’s mouth thinned again and Isabelle knew she wouldn’t let this go.

“Maybe he will give up and go away.”

Her mother’s dubious expression gave her answer. “You should at least tell Mitch.”

“Why? I don’t want to concern anyone. I think we should ignore it for now.”

Carol shrugged but still didn’t look pleased. “If you get any more, promise me you will do something about it.”

“I promise.”

Carol gave one nod of her head and Isabelle hoped the subject would be dropped for now. As she made this vow the doorbell rang. Isabelle shot Carol a warning look but she wore an innocent expression.

“I’ll get it,” Jesse sang out as he raced to the door.

“Hey, Champ,” From her perched position on the couch, Isabelle heard Mitch address Jesse. “I have something for you and your mum.”

“You do?”

A smile touched her lips despite her concern. Clenching her shaking hands into fists and telling herself to forget her concerns, she went out to greet Mitch.

“Sure do,” she heard Mitch say. When she entered the hall, he pulled a framed photo from behind his back.

It was a picture of Isabelle and Jesse taken at the park. They were looking at each other and smiling, arms wrapped around each other. The contrast in colors and their delighted expressions caused Isabelle’s heart to swell. The picture was beautiful. His thoughtful gesture caused tears of happiness to well in her eyes. If she wasn’t in love with him before, he had just sealed the deal right then and there.

“Look, Mum,” Jesse said thrusting the photo into her hands. “It’s us.”

“Yes, it’s beautiful, honey,” Isabelle managed, wiping away a happy tear.

“Can I see?” Carol asked and Isabelle passed it to her. “It’s lovely, Mitch. You have a good eye.”

“Thanks. I had good subjects.” He shrugged with a shy smile, his eyes not leaving Isabelle’s face.

“I’ll find somewhere to put this. You three go before you’re late.” Carol said, shooing them towards the door. Jesse took Mitch’s hand and began to ask his usual endless questions.

“Is it true your brother is a fireman?’

“Can I play with their dog?’

“Where do they live?”

“J
esse, one question at a time,” interrupted his mother.

“That’s OK,
Izzy,” he said turning to her before proceeding to answer all of Jesse’s questions.

On the drive over it was Isabelle’s turn to do the quizzing. “Have you finished your collection yet?”

“Yes. I plan to take it to galleries over the next few days.”

“So am I allowed to look, now it’s finished?”

“Yes, I planned to show you next time you were at my place.”

“I can’t wait.”

Nerves struck her as she knew they drew closer to their destination. To combat them she continued with small talk.

“I like your car. I think this suits you more than the other one.”

“Really?
As I’m old, a bit beat-up and mostly reliable?” He grinned.

“No,” she said with a giggle.
“Dependable and not so flashy.”

“Um, thanks, I think.” Their laughter eased her tension a little and excitement started to well up. Could this be the start of something solid and real in their lives?
Someone to finally fill the empty space in both her and Jesse’s lives?

When they pulled up Jesse mimicked her thoughts out loud. “Wow, look at the house.”

Mitch opened the door for Isabelle and helped her from the car before doing the same for Jesse. They walked up the path either side of Mitch, their hands firmly clasped in each of his. The path wove through a lovely low maintenance garden with a rainbow of flowers greeting them. The house itself appeared quite large with a veranda that she assumed ran around the entire house. Isabelle wondered what it would be like to live in such a lovely home. The ringing doorbell was answered by a tall strawberry blonde with a stunning, unique beauty.

“Hello,” she said brightly. “Come in.”

“Charlotte, this is Isabelle and Jesse.”

“I thought Mummy was tall,” Jesse said, his voice filled with awe.

“Oh, you are just too adorable!” She grinned and Jesse beamed. “It’s nice to meet the girl who has tamed our Mitch,” she said turning to Isabelle who began to relax, albeit slightly.

“It’s nice to meet you too. You have a lovely home.”

“Thanks. Come on through, see the rest and meet the others. They’re already out the back with Jared.”

Isabelle watched Charlotte stride with confidence down the hall as her nerves continued to flutter around her stomach. Meeting almost his entire family would be daunting. With an encouraging smile, Mitch pulled her along with him as they followed Charlotte. Good thing he held tight to her hand, otherwise she wasn’t sure if would have been able to get her feet to move.

When they reached the dining and kitchen area at the rear of the house, she was amazed by the space and size, and this wasn’t even taking into account the large family room to the right. Sliding doors led out from both the dining and family room, and from what she could see led out to a large patio and grassed area. They followed Charlotte through the doors to be greeted by three welcoming faces and two children playing with a large puppy on the grass.

“Well, well, well, what do we have her
e, Mitch?” asked a tall, auburn-haired, hazel-eyed beauty Isabelle assumed to be Carrie. Although her tone was an obvious dig at Mitch she worried that his family would be concerned about her ready-made family. Her welcoming smile eased Isabelle’s concern a little.

“Um, Isabelle, Jesse, this is Carrie,” he said gesturing to her and
, sensing Isabelle’s unease, offered a welcoming smile. “Nathan,” Mitch said motioning to a slightly taller, darker blonde version of Mitch with icy blue eyes. “Jared.” He signaled to a very tall, very broad, ruggedly handsome, blonde man with dark blue eyes. “And down there is Mabel and Tommy.”

“Hi,” Isabelle squeaked, suddenly shy from the attention.
Something very new for her. Confidence had never been a problem but it became very important to make the right impression.

“Can I go and play, Mummy?” Jesse, not shy, was ready to make new friends.

“Yes, of course, honey.”

Jesse raced off and before long all three children
were playing with Buster the dog like long lost friends.

“Isabelle,” Charlotte said. “Come with me and we’ll fix you a drink.”

When the girls had disappeared into the house, Nathan let out a low whistle. “Gees you can pick 'em, Mitch. She’s a stunner.”

“Oh really, Nathan?”
Carrie said with a smile. “I guess anyone with a pulse would notice her.”

“She has a child, Mitchell. I hope you know what you are doing,” Jared warned.

“I heard this from your fiancée already and as I told her I do know what I’m doing. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Is it so hard to believe I could actually like someone?”

“No, just making sure.” Jared grinned. “She sure is something else
, though.”

“She’s also nice,” Mitch said knowing his tone was defensive.

“I think someone’s in love,” Carrie said.