Hugh sat in the taxi staring out at the kaleidoscope of lights whirling past his window. Everyone was out and about on a Friday night. He wasn’t, or hadn’t been. James was home but it was an aberration. He was out almost every other night and would be tomorrow.
Hugh sighed and gripped the seatbelt as the taxi swerved round a bus and changed lanes with a sickening lurch and sway. The driver had a penchant for braking and accelerating with alarming and inconsistent rapidity. Thank goodness the trip to the city was short. He wasn’t a good sailor and this was having the same nausea inducing effect as a boat ride.
Not for the first time he asked himself why he was doing this? Wasn’t it taking neighbourliness to an extreme? He didn’t know Annie, he didn’t know her children. Why should he care? He amended that to why would he bother? She could have been in this taxi fighting a rising desire to throw up. It wasn’t his business; he’d done more than enough to assist her.
The taxi roared around another corner and Hugh lurched across the seat. When he recovered he pressed the button to drop the window for fresh air, shoving his face out and breathing deeply. Annie was very, very attractive. No denying he liked the feel of her softly rounded body when he hugged her and the direct way she looked at him through those grey eyes, but she had far too much in the way of baggage to consider pursuing that line of thought. A whole container load of baggage. Children were the biggest turn-off he could think of.
Overwhelming responsibility plus untold messiness dealing with a husband she wasn’t on good terms with. He shuddered. No, Annie was in the ‘pretty but no-go’ area. And apart from anything else he might be inclined to feel she wasn’t remotely interested in men at the moment. He didn’t need any professional training to know that and what a relief it was.
The taxi roared down a side street and stopped. Hugh peered out and saw The Basement sign. He debated the wisdom of riding home in the same taxi but wasn’t certain of picking up another one quickly.
He leaned forward. ‘Would you wait here for me, please? I’ll only be a few minutes.’
‘Okay, mate.’
Hugh jumped out of the taxi and stood on the pavement breathing deeply and trying to ignore his roiling stomach while he dialled Leonie’s number.
‘OK,’ she texted.
The street level bar was packed. Infectious Latin music pulsed from speakers. Stairs led down to the basement lower level where the live music must be. Presumably what he was hearing came from the show. A very good band. No wonder Leonie didn’t want to leave, he wouldn’t mind staying. He took a brochure of coming events from a stand where two smartly dressed bouncers vetted incoming patrons.
‘Ticket?’
‘I’m not going in, I’m meeting someone.’
A blonde woman, displaying a generous cleavage packaged in a white blouse, with a slim grey skirt emphasising her neat hips, came up the stairs. Somehow she made the businesslike attire look provocative. She flipped a lock of hair from her face and smiled. ‘Hugh?’
‘Leonie?’ He held out his hand and she shook it firmly. Clear blue eyes studied him with unconcealed interest. The smile broadened.
‘Yes. Very nice to meet you, neighbour. Thanks so much for doing this for us.’
‘It’s no problem. I wasn’t doing anything special.’ A burst of applause came from downstairs. ‘The band sounds good.’
‘They’re great. Why don’t you send the keys home to Annie in a taxi and stay? There’s room at my table.’ She tilted her head with a small flirtatious pout of red lips.
‘It’s tempting but I’d better not. Annie’s rather upset.’
Leonie grimaced. ‘I can imagine. She’d die if anything happened to those kids.’ She handed him a key. ‘Tell her to leave the door unlocked.’ Another suggestive little grin. ‘I’m not sure when I’ll be home tonight.’
Her eyes locked with his. Hugh smiled. Now this female was available, unencumbered and ready for a good time. Could be worth following up. But not now. Leonie was predatory and would demand a man’s complete wits and attention or disaster could ensue.
‘I’d better go. Thanks, Leonie.’ He had to move, couldn’t stand here making small talk to a sexy woman while poor Annie anguished. Leonie lived in the same apartment block, he had her number in his phone — no problem.
‘No. Thank you, Hugh. I’ll see you around.’
‘No doubt you will. Goodnight.’
Fifteen minutes and a re-churned stomach later he clambered out of the taxi and strode to the door. Annie darted across and pressed the release button before he could flap the security tag across the beam.
‘Did you get it?’ He held up the key and she pounced. ‘Thank you, thank you.’ Relief flowed off her in waves and for the first time he was treated to the full force of her smile. Radiantly beautiful. Like the sun bursting from behind clouds and bathing everyone in sudden warmth. Far more attractive than Leonie’s come-on pout. She gripped his shoulders and stretched up to kiss his cheek. Her lips were soft, her breasts pressed against his chest just long enough to disable his faculties.
He swallowed, blinked and blurted, ‘Any problems? Did they wake up?’
‘No. I’ve been up and down about five times since you left but I knew they wouldn’t wake up.’ Said blithely, unconcerned now disaster was averted.
Hugh firmed his mouth. She didn’t know that. Couldn’t. Anything can happen in a split second. ‘Okay. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight. Thanks so much, Hugh. I’ll bring the taxi fare down as soon as I…no, why don’t you come up and I can pay you back right now?’ She walked over to the lift and pressed the button. The door opened immediately. ‘How much was it?’
‘Forty dollars but it doesn’t matter, any time will do.’
‘I have the cash now so you’d better take it while it’s on offer.’ She laughed and flashed that smile at him again, all sparkling eyes, white teeth and a dimple, hand holding the door. Waiting.
The sensation of warm body pressed against his, lips caressing his cheek, fingers gripping his shoulders, pulling him close. Hugh stepped in beside her on legs working all by themselves and brain justifying this unnecessary extension of time in her company. He could do with the cash himself, not having planned on an extra taxi fare this weekend. No, he didn’t need the money. He could use a cash machine. What was he doing? He didn’t want her to make assumptions about anything. Too late, the lift was rumbling upward.
‘Leonie said to leave the door unlocked.’
‘Right. I was going to do that anyway. I’m certainly not staying up till she comes home.’
‘Does she often stay out late?’
‘Yes, she has a very full social life.’ Annie slid him a wry smile which he took to mean she had a lot of men friends. Did Annie?
‘The Basement has a really good band playing.’
‘Do you like jazz?’
‘I do. This one was Brazilian.’ He pulled the crumpled flyer from his pocket. ‘They’re on tomorrow as well.’
‘You should go.’
The lift stopped. Hugh stepped aside so Annie could precede him.
‘I might. Do you go out much?’
She stuck the key in the door and looked back over her shoulder. ‘You’re kidding. With two small children? Hardly. I take them to the movies sometimes. We see animated kid’s things.’
Hugh followed her in and walked across to the big floor to ceiling windows while Annie disappeared down the short hallway to the bedrooms. A door opened softly, then after a moment closed again. Another door opened.
The apartment had the most stupendous view. He could see that even at night, with lights twinkling on the far shore and back towards the city.
A moment later Annie reappeared with a handful of notes. ‘Thanks again. I don’t know what I would have done without you.’
‘As I said, I’m pleased I could help.’ He slipped the money into his wallet.
‘Would you like to sit down, have a glass of wine? Coffee, tea? ‘
Hugh rubbed his lips together. Should he stay? He hadn’t had much of that red downstairs. James was deep in his movie and it would be half over by now. Why not? No harm in having a neighbourly chat and she seemed keen for the company.
‘Wine would be nice. Thank you.’
‘Sit down.’ Annie darted into the kitchen area and opened a cupboard. ‘Red?’
‘Yes, please.’ Hugh sat on the sofa facing the window. ‘Great view.’
‘Yes.’
‘We don’t get much of a view downstairs. Not high enough.’
Annie put a bottle on the coffee table and handed him a glass of wine. She sat on an easychair at right angles to him. ‘Cheers.’ She raised her glass.
He raised his. ‘Cheers.’
She drank then flopped back against the cushion, released a long slow breath. ‘For a while there I thought I’d never get back in.’
‘You could have climbed up the balconies.’
‘Of course!’ She snickered. ‘Except I locked the balcony door specifically so Spiderman couldn’t get in and abduct my kids.’
‘Good thinking.’ He raised his glass to her. ‘So you and Leonie are friends?’ They seemed an unlikely couple but you never knew with friendships. They sprang up between the most unusual people sometimes.
‘We work at the same place. She’s been very kind to us.’ Annie licked her lips. The unconscious sexiness of the movement slammed into him like a wrecker’s ball. He forced himself not to fixate on her mouth. ‘Leonie’s a very smart woman. She’s a lawyer. She does claims assessing for our clients. We work for an insurance company which insures the shipping industry. I’m in the accounts department. Not nearly as high-powered as she is. Leonie travels a lot which is why this situation works, I guess.’
Hugh nodded. ‘But you want to move.’
‘Yes, I have to eventually but it’s so hard to find a place I can afford. What I’d really like to do is buy, but even though I could do repayments I can’t scrape up a deposit.’ She took another mouthful of wine and sighed. ‘I started my MBA last year but had to defer. If I can ever finish it I could get a better paying job.’ Her defeated expression showed just how unlikely that prospect was.
‘Tough position to be in.’
‘It is what it is. No use complaining. We’re managing.’ She flashed that bone-melting smile again and straightened her back. ‘Enough about me. What about you? What’s your life like?’
Hugh tore his eyes from her smiling mouth and concentrated on the question. ‘I’ve just taken up a position at St John’s Hospital. I haven’t been there long so I’m settling in and finding my way. I like it so far.’
‘Where are you from exactly?’
‘London.’
‘And James is your cousin.’
‘Yes. Luckily his flatmate moved out just in time for me to move in. It’s perfect.’
‘Lucky. So no strings attached?’
He caught her eye and shook his head firmly. ‘No, not yet. I’d quite like to marry but I have no desire for children at all. In my experience women want marriage and children.’
Annie smirked. ‘No need to give me that warning look, Hugh. Relax. I’ve been there and done that and when this one is over I’m not marrying again in a hurry. Not after that experience.’ She gave a theatrical shudder, reached over and refilled his glass then her own. ‘I’m hanging out for the year’s separation to be up so I can lodge divorce papers. We can be friends.’
‘Sounds good.’ Hugh returned her smile with genuine warmth. It did sound good. He’d very much like to be her friend, to see her again. ‘I don’t have many friends here yet.’
‘I’m sure you’ll collect plenty very quickly. Especially women.’ She put her glass down and ticked off on her fingers. ‘Professional, good income, good-looking, young, unattached, nice accent.’
‘I don’t have an accent.’
‘You do. You sound posh to us.’
‘Hah. And you think I’m good-looking, do you?’ He raised an eyebrow. So she wasn’t as anti-men as she sounded. That was encouraging. He didn’t want a relationship with her but he didn’t want a rabid, bitter man-hater as a friend either.
‘You know you are. Don’t be modest.’ Annie grinned. ‘You’ll have more friends than you can poke a stick at in no time. What made you move to Sydney?’
The wine slowed down his reactions and the change of tack threw him for a moment.
‘I lived in Australia when I was a teenager. I stayed with my uncle and aunt, James’ parents, for a few years. They live in Adelaide.’
Annie frowned. ‘Where were your parents?’ Hugh hesitated. She said, ‘Sorry. I’m prying. None of my business.’
‘No, it’s okay.’ He took a sip of wine. ‘My father died when I was young and my mother remarried. I never got on with my stepfather. Life was…difficult.’
‘So you lived with your aunt and uncle instead.’ Annie had filled in the gap. Partially but it would do. ‘It must have been hard to come all this way by yourself. How old were you?’
‘Fourteen. I stayed until I left school then went back to England to university.’
‘Did you see your mother in all that time? I don’t know how she could bear not seeing her child for years. I couldn’t.’ Her eyes filled with horror at the thought.
‘She visited once and I went back once for Christmas but it didn’t work very well.’ Hideous. Strained silences, polite conversation between mother and son grown strangers, and always the hovering black shadow that was his stepfather. Never forgiving, never accepting. Bitter and hard towards the boy he believed had wilfully destroyed his family.
Now the sympathetic grey eyes swam with tears. ‘Oh, Hugh that’s awful. So sad.’
‘Yes, it was awful at the time but I’m a big boy now. All grown up.’ He forced a smile.
Annie sat back in her chair, kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. ‘Does being a doctor help? I suppose it would. Help you understand and cope, I mean.’
Hugh nodded. ‘I’m not a psychiatrist but I have read a bit which has certainly helped me understand the situation with my stepfather. It’s a common enough problem.’ Common didn’t reduce the pain for the individual; it just meant more people suffered the same way.
‘Your aunt and uncle must be wonderful people taking in a troubled teenager. James must be like a brother.’
Now his smile was genuine. ‘Yes. And his big sister is terrific, too. Harriet. She’s married and expecting.’
‘Good for her. Babies are very exciting even if you don’t want any of your own.’
‘That’s true.’
Annie topped up their glasses and studied the bottle whose contents had dropped dramatically. She put it down and picked up her glass. ‘Here’s to babies.’
Before Hugh could respond a voice wailed, ‘M-u-u-m-m-y-y-y.’
Annie leapt to her feet and headed for the bedrooms. Hugh sprang up and followed, heart pounding with irrational fear. That cry had sounded distressed. Thank God Annie was home. She so nearly hadn’t been.
Her voice sounded softly but he couldn’t hear the words. He waited outside the door, ears straining. Was the child ill? A nightmare?
She came out and nearly walked into him.
‘Oh!’
‘Sorry. Is everything all right?’
‘Mattie has a sore throat. I’ll get him a lozenge to suck on.’ She went into another room and came back a moment later.
Hugh said, ‘I’ll go, Annie. You need to take care of him.’
‘I’ll only be a minute. You don’t have to go.’
‘I should. It’s getting on a bit. Thanks for the wine. Goodnight.’
Annie bit her lip, glanced at the child’s darkened room, then up at Hugh. ‘Okay. Goodnight. See you later.’
Hugh nodded and headed for the door.
Leonie arrived home from the shops on Saturday brandishing a cardboard tube as well as the shopping and said, ‘Where are the kids?’
‘In their room playing with Lego.’
‘Look what I bought.’
She pulled out a rolled up poster and unfurled it on the table. It was a children’s alphabet chart with big coloured capital letters on a white background.
‘What’s that for?’
‘Men from A–Z. And I got these as well.’ She produced two thick felt-tipped pens. One red, one blue.
‘Let me guess. Red for good, blue for bad, or the reverse.’
‘Got it in one. Red for hot.’
‘Are you serious?’ Annie groaned and began putting groceries away.
‘It was your idea.’ Leonie slapped a few items in the fridge then spread the chart out on the table and held it in place with a vase and Annie’s and the kids’ library books which were waiting to go back to the shelves that afternoon. ‘I never would have thought of it.’ She uncapped a pen with a flourish.
‘I was drunk.’ She hadn’t been; she was a responsible single parent, she never drank to excess any more. Except on Friday night with Hugh. But that had been relief. All the same, she studied the additions Leonie made in careful ornamental script. ‘For heaven’s sake don’t let the kids see it.’
‘Of course not! Are you mad? I won’t count the Aussie’s unless they’re not citizens yet. Too easy. I’ll start with Russ the Yank.’
A — America. Russ, in red. ‘Met him last year on that trip to Vegas. A very hairy man.’
‘I don’t mind a hairy chest. Very masculine.’
‘Within reason. This guy was like a yeti but it was too late to back out by the time his shirt was off.’
‘If he’s scored red it clearly didn’t matter.’
‘He was a caveman.’
B — blank.
C — Croatia. Drago, in blue.
‘I thought you said C for Canada, before.’
‘Oh that’s right. Neil. Never mind. Drago will do.’
‘Not good?’
‘The less said the better.’
D — blank.
E — blank.
Here she paused. ‘E may not be blank for long. Hugh is one very dishy Englishman. Good work finding him, Annie.’
‘I didn’t exactly find him. He lives downstairs.’ Her stomach sagged. Would Hugh succumb? Leonie was insatiable.
‘With his cousin who is also very good-looking. But Australian,’ she added. ‘At least I assume he is. He grew up here so one parent must be.’
‘Pity.’
F — blank.
G — Germany. Otto, in blue. ‘Equipment kaput, unfortunately.’
H — blank.
I — blank.
J — Japan. Toshi, in red. ‘Mad but tremendously inventive, and what stamina.’
Annie said, ‘While you do that, fascinating as it is, I need to go down and find my keys. Can you keep an eye on the kids, please?’
‘Yep. No worries.’
K — Korea. Yen, in blue. ‘Very serious.’
Annie went to the bedroom and said to the intent Lego builders, ‘I’m just popping out for a few minutes. Leonie’s here to mind you.’
On her way to the kitchen for rubber gloves she glanced at the chart.
L — blank.
M — Malaysia. Trang, in blue.
N — New Zealand. Paul, in red.
‘The pilot?’
Leonie paused. ‘Yes, he was gorgeous. Married though, unfortunately.’
Unfortunately for whom? The wife, for one. ‘That’s…’ Annie shook her head. ‘That’s shameful. Aren’t you ashamed?’
‘Why? I’m not the one cheating, he was, and probably still is. It says something about the marriage, doesn’t it? Marriage full stop.’
‘It says something about you. And him. What a bastard.’
Leonie pursed her mouth into a tight little bundle. ‘Don’t be so sanctimonious, Annie. Don’t tell me you’re big on marriage after what your ex did to you, and when did you last get laid?’
‘None of your business. Just because I made a mistake when I was young and stupid doesn’t mean I’m anti-marriage. I’m surprised. I never thought you’d do that.’
Leonie laid the pen down with a clunk. ‘Look, just because we share this place doesn’t mean you can start moralising about the way I live my life. Who I sleep with is none of your business.’
Annie laughed and waved her hand at the chart. ‘Oh yeah. What’s with this then? You’re making it everyone’s business.’
‘It’s just for a laugh. You don’t have to approve and I don’t care if you do or not.’
O — blank.
P — blank.
Q — blank.
R — Russia. Igor, in blue. ‘Really sweet but inept,’ she muttered.
S — Sweden. Simon, in blue. ‘Too young.’
T — blank. ‘Very nearly Thailand.’
Annie sighed and held up her hands in surrender. ‘I’m sorry. U for Uruguay?’
‘Uzbekistan?’ Leonie grinned and shook her head. ‘Blank so far.’
V — Venezuela. Federico, in red. ‘Mmm. He was hot, hot, hot.’
‘Where do you meet all these people?’
Leonie shrugged. ‘I travel a lot and I meet most of them through work. I met Yen when he worked at the office for a while. Remember him?’
‘No and I can’t think of anyone at work I’d want a one-night stand with, or anything else.’
‘But you’re hardly in the market, are you? Not with two little kids.’
Right. And won’t be for the foreseeable future. Hugh agreed with her. Hugh was very relieved when she agreed with him. Which on examination was more than just a tad disappointing, if understandable.
W — Wales. David, in blue.
‘Are you counting Wales as a separate country?’
‘You think of another one starting with W.’
‘Western Samoa.’
‘Oh yes. But I’ve already written it now.’
‘You’ve still got more gaps than not and more blue than red. Where are you going to find an X and a Y?’
‘Not sure. Yemen?’
‘Xanadu?’
‘Z’s easy. There are plenty of Zimbabweans around.’
‘Are there?’
‘Sure to be.’
Leonie gave her chart one last satisfied look and carefully rolled it up. ‘I’ll keep it in my wardrobe. Don’t want one of my gentlemen friends to see it.’
‘Or one of my children.’
‘Go and find your keys.’
Annie took the rubber gloves from the sink. As she left she heard Leonie say, ‘Ooh Lego. I love Lego, can I play, please?’ and two sweet little voices clamour, ‘Yes, yes. We can share. Leonie, you sit there.’
The oleander garden looked deceptively innocent in daylight. Annie pulled the gloves on, hoisted herself into the thicket and crouched for a minute studying the leaf-strewn surface for keys before she plunged in to search. A glint of sunlight bounced off silver up against the fence. She clung to a trunk, stretched and clutched with a cry of delight. So easy! Light — daylight — made all the difference. None of the drama of last night would have happened and she’d be a forty dollar taxi fare better off if she’d been able to see properly.
Crossing the foyer she glanced at Hugh’s door. Should she pop in and tell him she’d found the keys? No. She rode up in the lift jingling them in her hand, smiling.
What a lovely man he was. A good friend to have. What was that all about with his parents? Highly intelligent he may be but something was clearly festering in his past and possibly in his present. She didn’t need to be a professional anything to see that. Love the accent. She’d always fancied that posh, slightly reserved, slightly shy Pommy manner. Totally charming and very handsome. Good-looking didn’t nearly cover it. What a catch.
English.
Oh good grief! Leonie would have him for breakfast. She’d already sized him up and put him on the menu.
Annie stepped out of the lift, mind whirring. But was it her business? No, of course not. Everyone involved was an adult. No-one had any claims or rights over anyone else. Hugh and Leonie had very similar outlooks on children if not marriage.
Annie and Hugh were friends. Newly minted friends but that was all and all they would ever be and for whatever length of time.
But if his name ended up on the wall chart would it be in red or blue? And she couldn’t pretend she wouldn’t care.