The Lawson Boys: Alex (8 page)

And while he
waited, his thoughts churned, taking a different direction.

Yeah, he’d
come to Whicha for a showdown, to confront Harly, to make her admit
the truth and yes, to make her feel as bad as he felt, but now that
she was crying he felt…well, hell, he felt bloody confused.

He should be
happy. Satisfied. But having a woman sobbing in his arms was
something he hadn’t thought about. He should have driven off in the
knowledge that she now knew how wrong she’d been to hide the truth
from him, and yet it still didn’t sit right, it was still so
wrong.

Now he knew
but he still wasn’t satisfied.

Goddamn
it
.
What’s wrong with me?

A sniffling
sound and the feel of Harly pushing back from him took his mind off
his troubling thoughts, and he looked down into her tear-stained
face.

She glanced
fleetingly at him before lowering her gaze and biting her lower
lip.

The silence
between them now was fraught with unsaid words, confused feelings,
and a whole lot of wariness.

Yay me
.
He’d lost control of the situation and the frustration wasn’t doing
his temper any good
.
Why the hell did
he
feel guilty?
With a sigh, he shoved his hand through his hair.

“Ummm…” she
managed.

Yeah, that
about said it all. Alex glanced around the hallway looking for
inspiration, only to meet Buffy’s quizzical gaze from where she sat
in the doorway of the lounge room. Great, even the dog didn’t
understand him.

Impatiently
placing his hands on his hips, he switched his gaze to Harly.

She
immediately looked away again.

“Harly…” Not
quite knowing what to say, he stopped. This sure as hell hadn’t
turned out the way he’d planned.

“It - it’s
okay.” Linking her fingers, she bent them backwards a little, palms
up. “I…umm…”

He needed
space. Right now. His head was filled to bursting with half
coherent thoughts. But one thing he knew for sure, he wasn’t
finished with Harly Bentley.

“We need to
talk,” he stated abruptly.

Her startled
gaze flew to his. “I thought we already had.”

“I mean
calmly.”

“I don’t see
what I can tell you that would be any different.” She took a step
back.

“Are you
working tomorrow?”

It was with
obvious relief that she nodded.

“At the
café?”

“Yes.”

“What time do
you finish?”

“Alex, I don’t
think it’s a good idea to meet.”

“What
time?”

“Alex-”

“Harly, this
isn’t finished. I need to talk about this, okay? But we both need
to calm down. What time do you finish at the café? I’ll pick you up
and we can go somewhere for a drink and a quiet talk.”

“This is a
mistake.”

“Or I can just
get there early, read a book all day and wait until the café
closes.”

A flash of
annoyance flared briefly in her eyes. “It won’t change
anything.”

She had no
idea that things had changed for him, and most unexpectedly.
Lowering his voice, he canted his head slightly toward her and said
quietly, “Please, Harly. Let’s do it right this time.”

She gazed up
at him searchingly. “How did you find out?”

“For that,
you’ll need to meet me.”

“Who told you?
No one knew but me, my parents and the doctor.”

“What time do
you finish?”

Tiredly, she
rubbed her forehead. “Five thirty.”

“I’ll pick you
up.” Turning on his heel, he walked back out the door.

~*~

After a night
of almost complete sleeplessness, Harly got out of bed early. Tired
and feeling drained, she watered the pot plants and roses before
munching listlessly on breakfast.

Buffy and the
cats ate and went about their usual business, and she decided if
she ever came back into the world she wanted to come back as one of
her cats. At least their lives were uncomplicated. The other cats
didn’t sneer about their weight, they only had to worry about their
one coat, and they spent all day eating, drinking, and lolling in
the house or in the garden.

Yes, life as
one of her cats would be just grand.

Unfortunately,
she wasn’t one of her cats and with a sigh she cleaned up the
breakfast dishes, gathered up her small shoulder bag, bid the pets
goodbye, locked the house and walked down the drive to the gate.
Shutting it behind her, she waited for Bill’s car to arrive to give
her a lift to the café.

The early
morning sun was soothing and she half closed her eyes as she leaned
against the fence.

Last night her
mind had been in turmoil, her emotions shot to pieces, but the
passing hours had calmed her and allowed her to get back under
control. Life, she decided, was like that. Turmoil one minute,
quiet the next.

The worst had
happened, Alex had found out, she’d cried, she’d spent a sleepless
night, and now she was going to go to work like nothing had
happened and then…well, there was the kicker. Then she was going to
have a drink with Alex.

Not something
she was looking forward to but she knew he had questions and yes,
he had the right to answers. As did she, because for starters -
major starters - who had told Alex? The doctor was bound by
patient/doctor confidentiality, and no way had her parents told
him, they’d never spill the family secret. So who knew? Who had
told?

Hearing Bill’s
ute approaching, she straightened. Tonight she’d know. Tonight she
had to face Alex again. To be honest, after her crying all over
him, facing him was one thing she didn’t want to do, but
unfortunately being an adult meant she had to face problems.

Alex Lawson was
a big problem but one that would soon be back right where he
belonged - in her past.

Bill looked at
her as she got into the ute. “Man, you look like hell.”

“Gee,
thanks.”

“Bad night?” He
put the ute into gear and drove back onto the road.

“Not the
best.”

“Want to talk
about it?”

“Seriously?”
She stared at him.

“Not really.”
He shrugged. “But if it helps…”

Shaking her
head, she relaxed back onto the cracked seat. “I’m fine. I’ll catch
up on sleep tonight.”

“Okay.” Bill
retreated into his customary silence, obviously more than happy not
to take it further.

Grinning, Harly
gazed out at the scenery as they drove along the road and towards
the town. A new house was going up on the outskirts of town, and
she noticed Paul’s work ute there, along with a couple of his men’s
assorted utes and cars and his company’s truck.

Whoever the
house owner was, they were lucky to have one of the best carpenters
in the state. Paul was well known for his perfectionist attitude
when it came to work, and his company came highly recommended.
They’d even done work in other towns.

She watched in
appreciation as one man balanced several heavy planks on his
shoulder. His t-shirt was stretched tight across an impressive
torso, the muscles outlined by his movements. Turning, he kept one
gloved hand on the planks and looked up briefly just as Bill’s ute
passed the house.

Harly’s breath
caught. It was Alex. Obviously he was helping Paul. Just as
obviously he’d caught her looking - well, staring, to be truthful -
and his gaze collided with hers.

God. He was
almost mesmerizing. Built like a woman’s wet dream with piercing
blue eyes and a handsome, masculine face. There was nothing pretty
about him, he was all hard male.

Determined
male, as she’d found out.

Then the ute
was past the half built house and barrelling into town.

Drawing a deep
breath, Harly briefly closed her eyes.
Settle down, girl. Maybe
you’re not as calm as you believed.
The faster beating of her
heart was stress, that was all. A cup of coffee to steady herself
at work and she’d be fine. Just fine.

The café was a
welcome sight and meant a reprieve of her troubled thoughts. Bill
pulled into the staff park behind the café. Maryanne’s car was
already there, Mark shouldering his school bag and walking up the
road towards the school. As Harly watched, several of Mark’s
friends appeared and fell into step beside him.

Inside the
café, she put her bag in the staff room and took down a clean
apron, tying it around her waist. Bill went into the kitchen while
Harly walked into the dining area. Going to the espresso machine,
which Maryanne had already going, she poured herself a cup, added
two sugars, then stood and sipped it with a sigh.

“Espresso?”
Maryanne appeared by her side. “Already? That means you’re upset
about something.”

“Just a few
things I need to sort out.” Harly smiled reassuringly at her
friend. “Nothing major.”

Maryanne looked
pointedly at the cup of hot coffee.

“I didn’t sleep
well. This is to help clear my thoughts.”

“Want to talk
about it?”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Bill wasn’t
serious when he offered.”

“Bill isn’t a
heart-to-heart man.”

“That he
isn’t.” Harly took another sip, the warmth of the hot coffee
slipping through her, and she could swear she felt every tense
muscle in her body ease. “Ah man, that hits the spot.”

“So?” Maryanne
waited, her eyebrows raised.

“So nothing.
It’s just a few personal things I need to sort out. I’m fine,
honestly.”

“I worry about
you.”

Surprised,
Harly glanced up. “What for?”

“Alone in that
house outside town with nothing but your dog and cats. You need a
man.”

Harly nearly
choked on the mouthful of coffee she’d just taken. Spluttering, she
managed to gasp out, “What?”

“A man. You
need a man.”

“A man?”

Maryanne
nodded. “A male of the species. A bloke. A human with a donger
between his legs.”

Harly’s mouth
fell open. “What brought this on?”

Picking up the
to-go cups, Maryanne started to fill them from the espresso
machine. “Bernice was talking about Alex Lawson being back in
town.”

“Well, for a
visit.”

“She said he’s
one hot hunk. You ought to nab him before she tries to match him up
with her niece.”

“Nab him?”

“Yeah. You
know, a woman has needs, Harly. You have needs.”

“I can’t
believe I’m hearing this.”

“It’s nothing
to be ashamed of.” Maryanne filled another to-go cup. “I have
needs.”

“So you go
after Alex.”

“You know my
husband would have something to say about that and besides, he
takes care of all my needs.” Maryanne winked. “Really well, if you
get my meaning.”

“I really
wanted to know that.” Harly shook her head, grinning.

“So, it’s about
time you get a man.”

“Honey, the
eligible men in town aren’t into me.”

“Have you given
them a try?”

“Offered myself
around as a motorbike, be the local ride? No, I can’t say that I
have.”

“I don’t mean
whore yourself. Geez.” Maryanne rolled her eyes. “What about Jack
or Will?”

“What about
them?”

“I know they’d
be happy to take you out.”

“Together? I’m
not really into ménages.”

“No, you idiot.
Separately.”

“Not my style,
not my type. And I’m not their type.”

“Says who?”

“Maryanne, Jack
is dating a slim bird from the dress shop, and Will hangs out at
the local bar where he’s lusting after the delicate barmaid,
Tiffany.”

“Tiffany?”
Maryanne laughed. “Seriously? A barmaid called Tiffany?”

“A slim
barmaid,” Harly stated. “Dainty, pretty, and wears short
shorts.”

“Fine. What
about-”

“No.”

“Geez, Harly,
what are you gonna do if you get an itch you can’t scratch?”

“I take it
you’re meaning if I get all hot and bothered?”

“Yeah. What,
you have a vibrator in your bedside drawer?”

“No. I tell you
what…”

“Yes?” Maryanne
asked eagerly, capping the last cup and pulling out a small
cardboard box.

“If I need sex,
I’ll phone a man.”

“Phone?”

“Yeah. From the
personal section of the papers. Someone called Steve promises hot
delights and my fantasy dreams answered, all with one dial.”

Her friend got
a funny look on her face. “Is he expensive?”

“I don’t know.”
Harly winked. “Maybe I’ll give him a call and find out.”

“Okay.”
Fascinated for some strange reason, Maryanne added, “Why a male
prostitute?”

Harly flung up
her hands. “Not like there’s a lot of choice in a town like this
for me, is there? I’m not a delicate, slim slip of a girl who can
catch men’s attention. I’ve never met a man who thinks big women
are hot. When was the last time you saw any bloke stare at me?”

“Uh…” Maryanne
pointed behind her.

Expecting to
see Bill, Harly laughed as she turned around, only to almost drop
her half empty cup of espresso when she found herself face-to-face
with Alex.

Deftly catching
the cup, he straightened to hand it back to her with one eyebrow
raised.

“Umm…hi.” Harly
looked helplessly up at him, feeling her cheeks burn.

His gaze slid
past her to Maryanne. “Paul sent me for the coffee.”

“Sure.” Turning
back to the to-go cups, Maryanne started placing them in the
cardboard box.

“Um - I’ve got
to go and check that Bill’s all right,” Harly mumbled, making her
escape by sidling past Alex, who stood aside to allow her through
the door.

Once in the
safety of the kitchen, she covered her face with one hand and
groaned.
Oh God, how much had he heard?
She was going to
kill
her friend!

Bill cast her a
curious glance. “You all right?”