‘Clover Loveday.’
‘I love the sound of your voice on the phone.’
Clover didn’t disguise the shudder that ran through her body.
‘Lenny.’
A phone call from Lenny Winter was the last thing she needed. All night in the hospital worrying at her mother’s side and no time to shower made her feel greasy inside and out. She had a splitting headache which, with Lenny’s inclusion into the morning, grew closer to debilitating.
‘Now don’t sound like that, Clover. I may not decide to play as fair as I have and demand all my money back.’
Clover gritted her teeth. If it were just the money her father had borrowed, she would have paid that back a long time ago, but the interest rate Lenny charged made paying the loan off into the realms of impossible.
‘I’ll have your money by the end of next week.’
‘The day after tomorrow. That’s when it’s due.’
If Lenny’s wasn’t such a slime-ball, Clover would have told him where to stick her father’s loan, but Lenny was scary and he knew even scarier friends. Plus he knew where she lived, knew her mother was alone during the day, and knew her café was empty at night. If Lenny wanted to, he could make her life a whole lot more difficult. And he had the morals to do it.
‘I phoned you last week and asked for an extension.’ Clover spoke as calmly as she could, wanting to keep Lenny in a good mood. ‘You agreed.’
‘I’m saying no now. I need the payment. I have my own bills to pay, missy.’
He started to sound pissed off. It didn’t take much to push Lenny over the edge.
‘Okay, Lenny. I’ll have the payment.’
‘That’s what I like to hear. Heard your business is doing well. Words getting around about your muffins. I might have one when I come and pick the cash up. And a coffee.’
‘Sure. Fine.’
The line went dead. The last thing she needed was Lenny in the sanctuary of her café, but there was no way on earth she would turn him away. This was one time when she wished her father was around. There must have been a good reason why he took a loan out with the likes of Lenny Winter. And it would have been a damn good one, but for the life of her, she couldn’t peg it.
If she could, she would go to the bank and borrow the money and pay Lenny back, but the bank wasn’t about to loan her any more money. Not when she’d pushed back the mortgage as much as she could to pay the insane interest rate charged by Lenny.
It was all such a mess. She was a mess. She missed her father, she wished her mother wasn’t going through what she was going through. It wasn’t fair her beautiful mother had such a terrible disease.
All she needed was a busload of about two hundred people every day so she could earn the money to pay Lenny. How was she going to put that money together? Maybe it was time to sell the china dinner set that was carefully placed in the cupboard. She’d rather eat from paper plates than tell Lenny she didn’t have his money.
She closed her eyes, letting the hot wash of tears sting behind her eyelids. She let herself slip into the abyss of misery, allowing herself a few moments of self-pity. Sometimes she just wished she could be a carefree young woman. Just for a day. Hell, she’d settle for a few moments. It would be nice not to feel the weight of the world pressing on your shoulders as it did every waking moment. It would be nice not to have responsibilities, not to have people dependent on you, not to owe so much money you could work two lifetimes and never pay it back.
Just once…
She sniffed, brushing the tears from her cheeks and wiping her wet hands on the material of her skirt. That was just wishing. And wishing never got anything done. She drew in a shaky breath and took out a bowl from beneath the bench. She’d lose herself in the peace of making some brownies. She unwrapped a packet of velvety dark chocolate and popped a square in her mouth. A good dose of chocolate was what she needed.
‘You need to go home.’
Liam’s voice slipped through her like a tonic. It melted her insides, dissolving her well-honed reserve, and because of that, brought anger along for the ride. She spun to face him. He looked like she felt. He still wore the clothes from last night. He’d taken the tie off, but his shirt and pants were crumpled as though he’d slept in them. He wore a day’s worth of stubble. His hair glistened as though he’d just wet it and used his fingers as a brush.
She swallowed. Hard. He was utterly devastating.
‘So do you.’
‘I’ve just come from there.’
‘Where?’
‘Your home. I stayed there last night.’
‘Home? Why were you there? You should have gone to your hotel.’ She wasn’t sure whether to be angry with him for not doing what she told him to do, or happy that he was here, with her, at seven in the morning looking like he did.
Liam stepped close to her. ‘Do people always do what you tell them to?’
‘Well…yes.’ She wrapped her arms around herself, needing to hook onto something, needing some stability. ‘But why…?’ She shook her head. She was finding it hard to think. To reason.
‘Someone needed to help you. I was there.’ He shrugged.
Clover shook her head, confused. ‘Help…’
Liam held up his hand. ‘Before you start about not needing help, because I know you are a fiercely independent woman, all I did was clean up the lounge room and the mess the tradies left yesterday.’
Clover blinked, taking time to assimilate the information. She’d forgotten about the spilt food on her rug when her mother had fallen. She hadn’t been back to the house to know how much mess there was.
‘You…cleaned?’ She looked at him, wordless. She was bombarded with a barrage of emotion, all bound into a tight ball that hit her in the chest. He’d cleaned. For her. Had thought about her enough to do it.
She put her fingers to her mouth, but the pent up emotions erupted with an unladylike howl. Heat rose from her chest to her eyes, and large tears gushed.
Liam wrapped her in his arms and she leant into the strength of them, soaking the comfort he freely offered. He stroked her hair.
‘I only cleaned. Nothing to cry about.’
But no-one had thought to do something so simple for her before. The exhaustion of the situation enveloped her and she gave herself up to the torrent of pain inside, letting it wrack her frame, burning with the need to be finally let loose. She couldn’t stop it if she wanted to. It had been bottled for so long, everything exploded until she was left exhausted. Liam kept her in his arms, not saying a word, just letting her unleash the demons that had been inside her for such a long time.
Finally, she drew a shaky breath, and it wasn’t one that packed everything back onto itself. It was deep and cleansing and calming. Liam handed her a handkerchief.
‘You won’t want this back if I use it,’ she said.
His chuckle reverberated deep in his chest. She listened to it like she hadn’t heard a nicer sound. It was as though the calmness inside was letting in the good things, the things she’d missed because she was filled to the brim with the weight of the world. ‘Go ahead. I’ve got lots.’
Clover blinked back the world. ‘Your shirt is saturated.’
‘I’ve got lots of shirts, too.’
She gazed up at him and her heart lurched so forcefully she almost stumbled with the impact. He caught her gaze, watching her with such patience, such acceptance she knew there was nowhere else in the world she would find a look that affected her with such power.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘You are so beautiful.’
And she believed him. She had never felt so beautiful, even though she knew her eyes were red and puffy and she hadn’t showered for more than a day. She was in an oasis where she could believe anything and it was all because of him.
‘I’m taking you home. Now,’ he said.
She sighed. Caring was fantastic, but it wouldn’t cook the food that was needed today. Or earn the money she needed to find. ‘I need to be here. I haven’t got anyone else to handle the food. But thank you. It’s a nice thought.’
‘I’ve organised the Upper Crust chef to work for you today. You can come home.’
Clover frowned. ‘I can’t…’
‘I don’t want to hear anything about the cost. He works for me whether he is working over the road in my unfinished bakery, or here.’
‘But…’
‘I couldn’t get a hold of Holly, but my chef’s wife is set to waitress for the day too. They’ll be here soon.’
‘I…’
‘She’s good. Helped me out on numerous occasions. I can personally vouch for her.’
‘You’ve already arranged it? But what about…’
‘No more excuses.’ She squealed as Liam swept her off her feet. He broke off another square of chocolate and popped in her mouth.
‘You know I like chocolate!’ she squeaked. ‘But…’
‘So do I.’ Liam pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him.
‘Now, what did you want to say?’ His voice was low and rough and it sent erotic sparks erupting in the pit of her belly.
‘I…I thought you just want to be friends.’
Liam closed his eyes, groaning. ‘Do friends do this?’ He kissed her again, until the sparks built into an erotic pressure between her thighs. It was just as well he was holding her, as her limbs had grown so nerveless she knew they wouldn’t hold her upright.
‘You told my mother we were friends,’ she sighed breathlessly.
‘Of course I told your mother. Last night wasn’t the time or the place to be talking about how I feel about you. I hadn’t spoken to you about how I feel.’
Clover’s mouth fell open. ‘Oh.’
‘Now. Can I take you home?’
‘Whatever we have between us, Liam. I just can’t seem to deny myself from you.’
The heated look in his eyes filled her with need. She wanted him. Badly. And nothing was going to stop this. No matter what the outcome was, she wanted him. Now. She nodded wordlessly. Yes, she would let him take her home. But there was no way either of them were going home to sleep. And she didn’t mind that thought at all.