Chapter Nine

As Daniel collected up the equipment from the evening’s coaching session, he noticed Simon and William hanging back, waiting for him.

‘What’s up? Haven’t you got homes to go to?’

They darted looks at each other and he experienced a twinge of unease. What were they cooking up now?

‘Go on, ask him.’ Simon jabbed William in the ribs.

William looked quickly up at Daniel, flushed to his hairline, then scooted his eyes down to the ground, shaking his head.

Daniel’s heart went out to him. He couldn’t remember ever being shy, but it didn’t stop him empathising. ‘Simon, why don’t you go and find your mum?’ Silently he indicated to his nephew to beat it. When he did, Daniel crouched down in front of William. ‘What is it you wanted to ask me? I’m sure whatever it is, I won’t mind you asking. Can’t promise I’ll do anything about it, mind.’

William bit his lip and glanced shyly up at him. ‘Can I go in your Ferrari one day. Please. Sir?’

Daniel laughed out his relief. He’d worried William might ask something about his interest in his mother – he didn’t have a clue how perceptive seven year old boys were – but a question about his car he could easily handle. ‘Sure you can. In fact, I’ve got it with me today. Why don’t we have a word with your mum and see if I can give you a ride home now?’

A huge smile spread across his often far too serious little face. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, really, though you have to promise to stop with the Sir.’

He watched as William raced off towards Melissa, pulling on her arm to get her attention. After a few glances in his direction, they both walked over towards him.

‘It looks like my lift home isn’t good enough,’ she remarked, her smile taking the edge off her words.

‘What can I say? Boys and their toys.’ He glanced over at the balls and cones still on the court. ‘I’ve just got to finish up here. Why don’t you go home and William and I will follow you back in a short while.’

Melissa put an arm around her son. ‘Is that okay with you, sweetie?’

William nodded vigorously.

‘Do you want to wait for me in reception, buddy? I’ll be with you in a minute.’

William scampered off to where Simon and Alice were still standing. Daniel grinned as he watched the boys high five each other.

‘Okay then, I guess I’ll see you at home.’

The quiet voice drew his attention back the woman he’d not stopped thinking about since the award ceremony two days ago. ‘I guess you will.’

She chewed awkwardly on her bottom lip. ‘Daniel, I know I don’t have to say this, but you will …’

‘Drive carefully? Make sure he’s strapped in?’ Daniel finished for her as he collected all his bits together, stuffing them into his holdall.

She gave him an embarrassed smile. ‘Sorry, yes, I know you will. It’s just … it feels odd leaving him with someone else.’

‘Do you ask Alice to drive carefully?’

Her eyes flashed guiltily. ‘No. But she doesn’t drive a Ferrari and, well, she’s not a man.’

‘I see. So it’s the male species you don’t trust, and not me in particular?’ They both knew he wasn’t just talking about looking after William now.

‘It’s not specific to you, no. William has always been so shy with men,’ she continued, ignoring his underlying question. ‘It’s a big step for him to willingly go home with you on his own.’

‘I suspect it has more to do with the car than me.’ Together they walked up to the reception area where William was now sitting by himself, swinging his legs.

‘The car is a big draw, yes, but he wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t like and trust you.’

‘And I’m not about to abuse that trust,’ he reassured, coming to a stop next to William. ‘I’ll drive with the utmost care, obeying the speed limit at all times.’ He glanced over at his young charge, who pulled a face. ‘We might have to race a few cars off at the lights though, just to make sure he gets the proper Ferrari experience.’

William giggled and his mother shook her head. ‘Okay, okay. I’ll leave you to it.’ With only a slight flicker of unease in her eyes, she waved goodbye. ‘See you at home.’

Daniel rummaged around in his sports jacket and found his keys, handing them over to William. ‘There you go. You can open her up for me.’

The car was parked in the first space just outside the entrance. There had to be some perks to being the boss.

‘How do you know she’s a girl?’

‘Because she’s gorgeous to look at but expensive to run.’

William nodded sagely, though Daniel doubted he really understood.

‘Do you fancy a car like this one day?’ he asked as they settled inside, checking William was securely strapped in. Something he’d have done regardless of the reminder. He pressed the start button and the engine roared.

Next to him, William beamed. ‘Yes.’

‘Perhaps when you’re older you can put it on that Christmas list of yours.’ And wasn’t that a neat lead in. ‘Have you sent it off yet? Christmas is only a few weeks away.’

‘I’m doing it tonight.’

Daniel threaded the Ferrari out of the car park and onto the road. ‘Are you asking for the racket?’

‘The racket and one other thing.’

Bugger. ‘Are you going to tell me what the other thing is?’ he enquired as casually as he could.

William just shot him a sly smile. ‘That’s between me and Father Christmas.’

‘I see.’ It looked like his famed McCormack charm was fading. ‘How’s school? Is it all parties and games as you wind down for Christmas?’

He shook his head. ‘We’ve got to do the nativity.’

‘Ah yes, I’d forgotten about that.’ He slid the boy a glance. ‘Have you got a good part?’

‘It’s okay. But I have to drive a car made out of cardboard.’

Daniel fought to hide his laughter. ‘Oh dear. What do you do in this car?’

‘Take Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.’

‘Wow. That’s quite a journey in a cardboard car.’

‘It’d be quicker in a Ferrari.’

Daniel burst into laughter. ‘True. And then there would still be spaces left in the inn and they wouldn’t have to sleep in a stable.’

William giggled and Daniel smiled back, his mind flickering through a possibility. ‘Simon’s in this nativity too, yes?’

‘He’s Joseph.’

‘So he also has to go in the back of the cardboard car huh?’

‘Yeah,’ William replied disgustedly.

‘Well I’d better make sure I get myself a ticket to watch.’

‘You’re going to come?’

At William’s look of utter surprise Daniel found himself laughing again. ‘Hey, don’t sound so surprised. Adults like to watch kids nativity plays. It’s all part of the build-up to Christmas.’

‘It’ll mostly be rubbish.’

Daniel shook his head, chuckling to himself. God, the boy cracked him up. At last he was coming out of his shell. And it seemed the real William had a pretty wicked sense of humour.

Forty minutes after she’d got home, Melissa finally heard the deep rumble of the Ferrari. It had been just long enough for her to begin to worry, but just short enough to prevent her from reaching for the phone to call Daniel. Wouldn’t that have been an embarrassing conversation? The poor guy was already irked that she didn’t trust him, even though he’d done nothing to suggest he wasn’t a thoroughly decent, honourable guy. One she couldn’t only trust with her son but perhaps, if she ever felt brave enough, herself.

William launched himself into the house, words he’d obviously just learnt, like acceleration and horse power flying out of his mouth with the confidence of a boy who thought he knew what he was talking about.

‘Sorry we’re late.’ Daniel followed behind, shoving his keys into his pocket. ‘I thought it was a bit dull going the usual route home, so we made a diversion onto the motorway. It let William feel a bit of speed.’ At her slightly alarmed look, he raised his eyebrows. ‘All very legal, honest.’

‘Mum,’ William pulled at her arm. ‘Daniel says he’s going to come and watch the school play.’

‘He is?’ She felt a spike of unwanted panic. Nativity plays were for families, not friends. Not even friends who’d shared a kiss.

‘If you or Alice wouldn’t mind getting me at ticket,’ Daniel added quickly.

Her fear slowly deflated. Of course. Daniel was going to watch his nephew. ‘I can get you one. They restrict it to two per family.’ She shrugged. ‘I only need one.’

Daniel leant nonchalantly against the front door, the hint of a smile on his face. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind me coming?’

‘Of course I don’t.’

‘At least not now you’ve remembered my nephew is in the play, too.’

She smiled guiltily. ‘Okay, yes. That makes it … easier.’

‘He wants to see the cardboard car,’ William interrupted. ‘I’ve told him it’s going to be rubbish.’

Daniel let out one of his lazy, infinitely sexy chuckles. ‘It’s hard to turn down a billing like that.’

William smiled shyly back at him. Melissa knew he didn’t really understand why Daniel was laughing, but she also knew to her son the why didn’t really matter. It was enough that he was.

‘Come on Mr Cardboard Taxi driver,’ she said, hugging his shoulders. ‘It’s time for you to get your pyjamas on. I’ll be up there in a minute.’

The moment William was out of sight, Daniel took a deliberate step towards her. Recognising the gleam in his eyes, her pulse rocketed and she took a deliberate step back.

Daniel merely grinned and closed the space between them.

She could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as his lips descended. Swallowing her gasp, she tasted his hunger. And her answering need.

As abruptly as it had begun, the kiss ended. She was still coming to terms with her reaction to it when Daniel let himself out.

The following morning she bumped into Alice at the school gates.

‘Just the lady I wanted to see,’ Alice remarked, giving her a quick hug.

‘Oh?’

‘Two things. Firstly, I’m planning a New Year’s Eve party this year and I want you to come. William is invited too, so there’s no excuse.’

The look she gave her reminded Melissa of her brother. Fiercely determined. ‘It would appear I’m coming then.’

‘Excellent.’ Obviously satisfied that she’d won so easily, Alice linked arms with her as they walked back to the car park together. ‘Secondly, I wanted to check you’re okay with what Daniel’s trying to do at the school play.’

‘Yes, he told me he wants to come and watch. I’m happy to get him a ticket so it doesn’t come out of your allocation.’

She hesitated a moment. ‘That’s all he’s told you?’

‘Yes. Why, is there something else I should know?’

Alice squeezed her arm. ‘No. Though watching the boys isn’t the only reason Daniel wants to go to the play, and you know it.’

‘Do I?’

‘Yes, you do. My brother is smitten with you. Even you have to admit that.’

With Alice hanging on to her arm, Melissa was unable to hide from her piercing, all- knowing, look. ‘What do you mean, even me?’ she asked, in a bid to deflect the conversation from Daniel.

‘Melissa the ice maiden. Guaranteed to scare off any man who dares to approach her. Except, it seems, my brother.’ Alice halted and turned to face her, eyes full of blatant curiosity.

‘That simply isn’t true. We’re just friends.’

Melissa raised an eyebrow. ‘Forgive me if I admit to a degree of scepticism at the thought of my brother in a purely platonic friendship with a beautiful woman.’

‘No, you don’t understand. It has to be that way. We can only be friends.’ She heard, and hated, the desperation in her voice.

‘Oh, Melissa.’ Alice sighed and wrapped an arm around her. ‘Have you got time to come back with me for a quick drink? I think we need to talk.’

She considered the mountain of work waiting for her back at her studio. Also the Christmas cards waiting to be written and the decorations still in her loft. But there was no doubt she was getting herself into a bit of a state about Daniel. ‘A drink and a chat sounds good. I’ll follow you back. I’ve got an interview with a fashion editor at eleven, but other than that I can bunk off for a while.’ She smiled. ‘I love being my own boss.’

Melissa followed Alice the short distance to her elegant town house. She had to give her friend her due; she actually waited until they’d settled down in the large sitting room, coffee in hand, before starting her inquisition.

‘Why are you so scared of Daniel?’ she asked outright, just as Melissa took her first sip.

The question was direct enough to make her jerk, almost spilling her coffee. ‘Don’t I get a gentle lead in question?’

‘You never get to the truth if you pussy foot around the problem,’ Alice replied smugly. ‘Come on, no evasion. Talk to me.’

Sighing, Melissa accepted the inevitable. ‘You know why. I’m scared of getting hurt again. I know he turned out to be a bastard, but I loved Lawrence. I put a lot of effort into our marriage and I failed.’ She looked down at her cup. ‘If I’d only let myself down it wouldn’t be so bad, but I let William down as well.’

Alice snorted. ‘I love you to bits, but you couldn’t be more wrong about this. For a start, the only person who let William down was Lawrence. Secondly, you didn’t fail. You married Lawrence in good faith. How were you to know he’d change once you were together?’

‘I should have seen it. If I hadn’t been so giddy with love, I would have seen through him.’

‘Okay, so you made a mistake. An entirely understandable mistake, considering your background. And the fact that you were only seventeen, for goodness sake. You were inexperienced, perhaps a bit naïve, but women in love make mistakes all the time. Look at me. I’m onto my third marriage.’ She smiled, but then her face turned serious. ‘The first two lasted barely a year. Like you, I was young and probably foolish. But if I’d done what you’re doing and never risked another relationship, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Blissfully happy with Richard. Who, I might add, I married when I was twenty-nine. Not dissimilar from your age now, I believe.’

Melissa twisted the coffee cup in her hands, taking comfort from the warmth. ‘I understand what you’re saying, but you didn’t have children when you divorced the other times. It makes a difference. Especially when I see how much it affected William.’

‘It wasn’t the divorce that affected William, it was his father,’ Alice corrected. ‘Lawrence intimidated him. You’re older and wiser now and you’ve learnt from that mistake. You’ll never fall in love with another man like Lawrence.’ Alice put down her cup and fixed her with one of her no-nonsense stares. ‘I know I’m biased, but Daniel is a good man. No, he’s far more than that, he’s an exceptional man. He won’t hurt you. Not you, or William. Have you ever heard any bad press about him?’

Melissa paused to think. ‘No, I haven’t.’

‘That isn’t just a lucky accident. It’s because he treats people properly. Particularly women.’ Warming to her theme, Alice sat forward on the sofa. ‘Yes, he’s had several relationships, and yes I know he ended them when they became too serious for him, but he treated them all with respect. Nobody ever got hurt.’

It wasn’t hard for Melissa to imagine Daniel letting a woman down gently. He might be a big bear of a man but he wasn’t afraid to show his compassionate side. ‘I can see he’s a good man,’ she replied honestly. ‘And of course I’m attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? Handsome, charming, rich. He even drives the flash car.’

‘Don’t tell me you judge a man by the car he drives. That I won’t believe.’

Melissa laughed. ‘I don’t, though it helped him pass William’s test.’ Putting down her cup, she rose to her feet. ‘It’s because I like Daniel so much, both what I can see on the outside and on the inside, that I’m so wary.’ Taking in a deep breath, she admitted the truth to both of them. ‘He’s a man I could easily lose my heart to Alice, and that scares the living daylights out of me.’

She wasn’t aware of how much she needed the hug until Alice supplied it. ‘Okay, I hear what you’re saying, but love shouldn’t be something you fear. It should be something you cherish. If you spend the rest of your life never allowing yourself to fall in love again, it will only be half a life.’

Tears pooled in her eyes and Melissa frantically blinked them away. ‘Maybe.’

The conversation gave Melissa plenty to think about on the way back to her studio. She couldn’t help but feel that the McCormack siblings were, however charmingly, ganging up on her.