The Final Seduction

by Sharon Kendrick

  He made it in five, letting himself in with his own key to find Shelley standing white-faced in the middle of the sitting room while Ellie continued to cry fretfully against her shoulder.

  He ran his eyes over the two of them, before swiftly crossing the room to put the back of his hand over Ellie’s forehead. ‘How is she?’ He scowled as he touched the baby’s skin. ‘Hell! The child’s burning up!’ he exclaimed urgently.

  ‘What do we do?’

  ‘We need to cool her down,’ he said. ‘Strip her off and put her on a towel first—I’ll go upstairs and run a tepid bath.’

  Shelley’s hands were shaking as she struggled to get the vest over the child’s head. She could hear Drew moving around upstairs and could have wept with relief when he came back down.

  ‘We mustn’t panic,’ he said calmly as he took the naked child from her and cradled her in his arms.

  ‘No. We mustn’t.’ Kind of him to say ‘we’ when he clearly meant ‘you’. He seemed so cool-headed, acting as if he was used to dealing with an emergency like this every day of his life.

  ‘Do you know where Jennie’s gone?’

  Shelley licked her lips nervously as she tried to remember. ‘I think she said she was going to the Smugglers first—yes, I’m sure she did, but she mentioned going dancing, too!’

  ‘Damn!’ he swore. ‘That means they’ve probably driven into Southchester.’ He frowned and then nodded, as though he had made his mind up about something. ‘Can you go and put Ellie in the bath? It’s already run. Just lower her in slowly and dabble the water over her, so that her skin gets cooler. I’m going to ring for the doctor. Even if it is a false alarm.’

  Shelley nodded. ‘Yes, do.’ She thought of Dr Milne who had seen her through every childhood ailment in the book. He didn’t just know his stuff—he made you feel safe, too.

  She carried Ellie upstairs and put her in the bath, remembering from something she’d read that you could lose a lot of heat through the surface of the head. She splashed some water over the baby’s flushed face and Ellie kicked her legs, though whether it was in appreciation or in protest Shelley couldn’t tell.

  She heard someone coming up the stairs and suddenly there was Drew standing by the open door of the bathroom, too dark and too tall to do anything other than completely dominate the small room.

  He looked down at the baby, and his face softened with concern. ‘How is she?’

  ‘The water seems to have quietened her down. Maybe we called the doctor too hastily?’

  He shook his head. ‘I don’t care! Imagine if it was—’ He seemed to swallow one word down and substitute another. ‘Your baby. Or mine.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said, trying to imagine Drew’s baby. A baby he might very well have some day. With somebody else. Shelley was horrified to feel jealousy ripping through her like a sharp knife. ‘I expect you’re right.’

  His eyes were trained on her. ‘You’re covered in baby-sick,’ he observed. ‘Do you want to—?’ He paused delicately, and Shelley found it ironic that the presence of the baby seemed to have turned him into some kind of gallant. And as unlike the man who had made all kind of crude suggestions to her last week as was possible to imagine. ‘Take something off?’

  Shelley carried on calmly splashing the baby. At least that kept her occupied. ‘It’s only my sweatshirt. I’ll wait until the doctor arrives—’

  But then their eyes did meet as if some outside force had compelled them to, and she dared him, just dared him to make some cheap crack about taking her clothes off at a time like this.

  But he didn’t.

  ‘Okay,’ he agreed. ‘He should be here any minute. I’ll go downstairs and phone the pub to see if Jennie is still there.’

  A few minutes later she heard the front door open and close and Drew called up to her.

  ‘Shelley? Can you bring her down?’

  She wrapped the baby loosely in a big towel and carried her downstairs, startled when she saw that it wasn’t the familiar family doctor who stood next to Drew at all, but a distinctly good-looking man of about forty who was just drying his hands.

  His eyes flickered over Shelley with interest as she put the towel and the baby down on the floor of the sitting room, and he rolled his sleeves up to examine her.

  He poked and prodded and gave a little grunt as he listened to Ellie’s chest through his stethoscope.

  ‘How is she?’ asked Shelley and Drew at exactly the same moment and the doctor smiled.

  ‘I can’t hear anything on her chest. It’s just a temperature at the moment—we’ll have to keep an eye on her to check that she doesn’t develop anything else—like spots or a rash. In the meantime, I’ll give you something which will bring her temperature down.’ He began taking something from his bag. ‘If you turned the central heating down, it would help. And try to get as much clear, sweet fluid into her as you can. Hopefully, it will all blow over by the morning.’ He looked at Drew. ‘But tell Jennie to call me at any time if she’s worried. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. Understand?’

  ‘Okay. I will.’ Drew nodded. ‘Thanks, Jack.’

  ‘Don’t mention it.’ The doctor glanced at Shelley and his eyes crinkled. ‘Who are you, then? I’m Jack Simpson.’

  ‘Shelley Turner,’ she smiled. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Jack!’

  ‘Oh, so you’re Shelley!’ Jack nodded, his eyes twinkling. He looked from Drew to Shelley as he stood up and picked up his bag. ‘Maybe I should get my wife to invite you both over to dinner?’

  Or maybe not, thought Shelley, watching Drew shrug his shoulders with a wry smile.

  ‘I’m here out of necessity, Jack,’ he murmured. ‘Shelley and I weren’t actually spending a cosy evening babysitting together.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  Once Jack had gone she felt…redundant…ill at ease. And not just because her top was all sticky. With the doctor there, the room had seemed a little crowded to start removing her clothes. But now he had gone—and she only needed to take her sweatshirt off. It wasn’t as if she was about to strip down to lace panties and bra—for heaven’s sake!

  She quickly peeled the top off and wrinkled up her nose. ‘Ugh!’ she said, and ran upstairs to put it in the laundry. But when she came slowly back downstairs it was to find his eyes fixed on every step she took. ‘That’s better,’ she said awkwardly.

  ‘You look…cooler,’ he commented, but his voice was husky.

  Never had a simple white T-shirt felt more indecent. She felt it moulding itself to the contours of her body, outlining the sudden thrusting swell of her breasts. The small room felt even more crowded and even Drew had started to look distinctly agitated. ‘Let’s give Ellie this medicine,’ he said roughly.

  Shelley spooned the sticky mixture into the baby’s mouth while Drew held her.

  ‘Good girl,’ he whispered to the baby.

  Shelley held up one of the sachets which Jack had given them. ‘I’ll go and mix this up in a bottle for her.’

  ‘Good girl,’ he said absently.

  ‘Are you talking to me this time, or talking to Ellie?’

  He looked up and smiled. ‘Sorry. But “good woman” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.’

  Yes, it does, thought Shelley fiercely as she sterilised one of Ellie’s bottles. Oh, yes, it does!

  The baby glugged contentedly on Drew’s knee and gradually she dozed off in his arms.

  ‘Want me to take her?’ she whispered, but he shook his head with a smile.

  ‘I’m happy like this.’

  ‘How about some coffee?’

  He gave a murmur of approval. ‘Kitten—you’re a mind-reader!’

  She wished she was! Then she might have some idea what was going on in that head of his. She went out into the kitchen and hunted around. ‘I can only find instant!’ she called back, after a minute.

  ‘Instant’s fine!’

  She stuck her head round the door. ‘Are you hungry?’

&n
bsp; Drew made himself stare at her face, deliberately keeping his gaze as far from those amazing breasts as possible. He thought he’d rather have her in the dirty sweatshirt than in that outrageous white T-shirt. He had been just about to eat supper when she’d rung, but suddenly his appetite had deserted him.

  ‘No,’ he answered shortly, in case his voice betrayed him.

  ‘Okay,’ she shrugged.

  She made the coffee and brought crackers and cheese in with it, noticing his eyes light up. Funny, she’d known he was hungry!

  ‘I’ll take her for a bit,’ she said softly. ‘Put her in my arms and try not to wake her.’

  ‘What about your coffee?’

  ‘It can wait.’

  He carried the child over with infinite care and placed her in the waiting cradle of Shelley’s arms. Ellie barely stirred, just wriggled her body luxuriously and sighed.

  Drew picked up his coffee. ‘Nice life being a baby,’ he observed, glancing over at the contented picture they made.

  ‘Easy,’ she agreed.

  There was a pause.

  He sliced some cheese off the wedge. ‘And how would you describe your life in Italy?’ he found himself asking. ‘Was that easy?’

  She smiled, recognising the truce for what it was. You couldn’t really continue waging a battle when you had a dependent little baby in your care. ‘It’s a myth that life is radically different in another country,’ she mused. ‘You still eat, sleep and go shopping just the same. Of course, the climate there is wonderful—and so is the food—but I wouldn’t say that life was necessarily easier. Just different. I saw a lot of lovely things, had some fantastic experiences—like you must have done when you went travelling.’

  ‘You must miss it,’ he observed, wondering how much she missed him. Marco.

  Shelley hesitated and he must have seen it, because he said, ‘Don’t worry—I won’t storm out of here feeling wounded on behalf of myself and everyone else in Milmouth if you tell me that yes, you miss it madly!’

  ‘But I don’t! I miss it much less than I imagined I would,’ she told him, watching the strong hands as they cupped his mug of coffee. She wondered—hoped—that he wouldn’t ask her about Marco. Not now. For wouldn’t it spoil this strange feeling of contentment which had stolen over her? And Drew felt it, too—she could tell that from the way he had relaxed back into the chair, his face thoughtful as he drank his coffee.

  He saw her watching. ‘Quite like old times,’ he observed.

  She glanced down at the sleeping baby on her lap. ‘Well, not quite!’

  ‘No.’ His smile was rueful. ‘I guess not.’

  It certainly had some of the ease of old times, but with an edge of uncertainty which added an unmistakable tension to the atmosphere. Shelley kissed the baby’s head, thinking what a bizarre little trio they would make to someone who didn’t know the true situation. Why, to an outside observer, they could almost be a family unit. If only she had gone with the flow of things, this could be them—only Ellie could be their baby. It was almost too poignant to bear.

  ‘Do you want to go?’ she asked him suddenly. ‘It’s late. Jennie said they might not get back until one.’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head and frowned. ‘You go. I’ll stay.’

  ‘But Jennie will be expecting me, won’t she?’

  ‘She’ll be expecting a responsible, caring adult and I think we both fit that category, don’t you?’

  ‘Why, thank you, Drew!’ she murmured.

  ‘Anyway, I’m staying,’ he put in obstinately. ‘I’m her uncle and I’m perfectly capable of looking after her. What you do is up to you.’ He narrowed his eyes and shot her a look of deepest blue. ‘But you look dead beat, Shelley. Why don’t you go to…?’ A pulse flickered at his temple as he seemed to have trouble getting the word out without making it sound like an invitation. As he’d done in the restaurant. ‘Bed…’ he finished, wondering why certain words could sound so explicit. He stared at Shelley. It depended on who you said them to, of course.

  ‘Maybe I will,’ she said, hoping that if he noticed the pinkness of her cheeks he would put it down to the central heating. Except that they’d turned it right down…

  ‘Of course—’ his voice deepened ‘—you could always stay here and keep me company?’

  As if! She remembered the sleepiness in his voice when he’d answered the phone, the voice in the background. She knew she had no right at all to ask and that asking might make her appear vulnerable, but her need to know overrode everything right then, including her judgement.

  ‘Won’t anyone be expecting you back home?’

  ‘What makes you ask that?’

  There seemed little point in beating around the bush. ‘Because I heard someone speaking to you when I telephoned.’

  ‘So you did.’ He gave her a shrewd stare. ‘And you want to know who it was, is that it? Whether somebody is keeping my bed warm for me, back home?’

  ‘That wasn’t what I asked you, Drew.’

  ‘Liar!’ The glitter in his eyes intensified. ‘Not in so many words, maybe—but that was the point behind your question. You wanted to know if I was with a woman.’ His voice was husky. ‘And the answer is yes, I was.’

  She felt the blood drain from her face and wondered if it showed. She stood up carefully and carried the baby over to him, but at least it distracted her from the thump of pain she felt at the thought of somebody—anybody—in his bed. Bar her.

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘Perfectly.’ She swallowed. ‘And it’s time I was going.’

  His blue eyes were fixed unwaveringly on her face, wishing that she’d come straight out and ask him. Except that he still hadn’t asked her about the Italian. Had he? ‘Her name is Amanda and she’s a friend.’

  ‘A friend?’

  ‘Sure. I have lots of friends of the opposite sex—don’t you? Want to meet her?’ he questioned. ‘You could wait until Jennie gets back and I’ll take you home with me.’

  ‘I think I’ll pass.’

  ‘Another time, maybe?’

  ‘We’ll see.’ Because she wasn’t sure what part he was suggesting she play in his life—as another friend of the opposite sex, perhaps? And it wasn’t the kind of question you could come straight out and ask a man. Even a man you’d once been engaged to—no, especially a man you’d once been engaged to.

  She picked up her keys and both he and the baby looked up at her as they started to jangle like Christmas bells. ‘I’m sorry if I disturbed your evening,’ she said stiffly.

  He smiled, but it was an empty smile. ‘That’s probably the most insincere thing you’ve ever said to me, kitten,’ came the soft reply.

  CHAPTER NINE

  JENNIE came round the following morning to inform Shelley that Ellie had been suffering from a twelve-hour bug which she had quickly shrugged off in the way that only babies and children could.

  ‘So she’s okay?’ asked Shelley.

  ‘She’s fine.’ Jennie’s eyes were like saucers. ‘I couldn’t believe it when I came back to find Drew there!’ She pulled a face. ‘Jamie wasn’t very happy about it.’

  ‘I wasn’t ecstatic about it myself,’ said Shelley. ‘We don’t have the easiest relationship in the world, as you know—but he was the first person I thought of calling when I saw she wasn’t well.’ She sighed. ‘I have to say, though, that he was absolutely brilliant—though I sort of knew he would be!’

  Jennie smiled. ‘Funny—that’s exactly what he said about you!’

  ‘Did he?’ Shelley clamped down her enthusiasm. ‘What time did you get back?’

  Jennie looked slightly sheepish. ‘Er—about two.’

  ‘And didn’t Drew mind?’

  ‘Well, he had a bit of a moan—but it was more on the lines of whether I had told you that I was going to be so late. And of course I hadn’t. Sorry about that, Shelley.’

  ‘Honestly—it doesn’t matter.’ She hesitated. ‘How was your eveni
ng?’

  ‘It was blissful—really blissful. And if Jamie weren’t so worried about money all the time it would have been quite perfect.’

  Shelley nodded but wondered just how realistic Jennie was being. It was all very well thinking that an injection of cash would make everything in her world wonderful, but life wasn’t as simple as that. Wasn’t that a bit like someone thinking that losing weight would solve every problem they had?

  She broke into Jennie’s distracted air with a question. ‘How much does he actually need to buy the boat?’

  Jennie shrugged and mentioned an amount which didn’t seem particularly vast—not to Shelley, anyway. But then she was used to Marco’s world, where enormous sums were made as profit on a single painting.

  ‘And has he spoken to his bank manager?’

  Jennie gave a cynical laugh. ‘Oh, he’s spoken to him, all right—but banks only seem to lend money to people who are already earning huge amounts of it—which makes you wonder why they want to borrow it in the first place!’

  ‘Well, that’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.’

  She set about giving the house a proper face-lift, and hired a steamer to take off all the wallpaper in the hall then painted it bright blue. The modern walls were in good enough condition to take such a vivid colour and Shelley bought a huge mirror and hung it next to the door—so that the smallish space looked twice the size. She found a deep blue vase to stand on the floor and filled it with tall twigs which looked dramatic against the intense colour.

  Decorating was hard work, but it meant that she slept well at night, after an indulgent evening of reading or television, with supper on a tray. Early each morning she would walk along the pebbly beach—sometimes taking Ellie with her. It had always been her favourite time of day, when the sky and the sea were both at their purest.

  But she resisted the urge to follow the small track down through the sand-dunes to take another look at the coastguard’s cottage, even though she was tempted. She didn’t want to be seen hanging around Drew’s place like a groupie!