Читать книгу Project: Parenthood - Trish Wylie - Страница 9

‘YOU can’t do this to me now!’

Eimear lowered her voice and blinked shimmering eyes at her. ‘Teagan, I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t really important. It could be make or break for us. I need this time with Mac to sort it out or we could be through.’

‘I get that, Eimear. I do. But I can’t look after them now.’ She glanced over at the three small faces blinking at her from the doorway, guilt rising up in her throat like bile that they were having to hear her turn them away, rejecting them. ‘Maybe next weekend some time. I have this massive deal in work and—’

‘This is my life we’re talking about! I can’t lose him, Teagan. I really can’t.’

And now she was crying. Teagan couldn’t take it when Eimear cried. And she especially couldn’t take it when it was happening in front of her nephew and nieces. Even though technically their mother’s back was to them. Teagan really couldn’t put them through any of the stuff she remembered from her own childhood. It would be too cruel.

But surely it wasn’t unreasonable to have asked for a little warning? A phone call to discuss it? A text message to say they were on their way over? Not a carload of them outside of her house when she got home from work…

‘Eimear—’

‘Please. I’m begging you.’

It had been a long time since Teagan had really felt that Eimear needed her. Things just hadn’t been the same between them over the years since Eimear’s first marriage. A marriage that Teagan had felt never should have happened to begin with. She’d said so. Loudly and at length, in fact. And Eimear had never really forgiven her for it, so their relationship had changed.

But seeing Eimear so desperate now was like looking back in time. And it brought out Teagan’s old need to soothe and to make things better.

Her eyes moved again to the three children. The eldest, Johnnie, was looking at her with eyes the same colour as his mother’s. He almost looked as if he was examining her, sizing her up. And even while she stood contemplating how to get out of looking after them she felt as if she was falling short of his expectations.

She took a long breath. ‘How long for?’

‘Thank you!’ Eimear engulfed her in a swift, tight hug, her tears gone. ‘I knew I could rely on you.’

Teagan scowled, suddenly feeling she’d just been hoodwinked. ‘They’ll need—’

‘They have everything they need right there. It’s all pretty self-explanatory. And Meggie is potty trained now, so she just needs a nappy on at night. It’s a pull-on, so you’ll be grand.’

She was still scowling while her sister became a hurricane around the room, hugging and kissing the children and moving towards the door. ‘We’ll only be a few days. Mac has booked some lovely country hideaway for us.’

‘How will I—?’

‘Thanks, Teagan. You really are a star.’

And she was gone.

Teagan blinked at the closed door. What had just happened? Not half an hour ago she’d had a bubble bath, scented candles and a glass of good Chardonnay planned for her evening. Now she was staring at three small faces that looked as bewildered as she felt.

She pinned a bright smile on her face as she approached them. But it took about thirty seconds for the smallest one to crumple.

‘Oh, no, honey. Don’t do that.’

And then the second one began to sniffle. Only Johnnie remained impassive.

It was Teagan’s worst nightmare.

Brendan hated moving days. This time would definitely be the last one for a few dozen years if he had his way.

He lugged a box from his rental van and made his sixth trip into the house before rolling up his sleeves and heading out to repeat the trip.

At least his life wasn’t as chaotic as it looked for the poor woman across the street.

She was making her third trip from the house to the car. This time with a screaming toddler in her arms. And from the way she was moving he could tell she wasn’t having much fun. No sign of a dad to help out either. Maybe he’d had sense enough to head out for work earlier, before the chaos kicked in.

If it had been Brendan, he’d have relished that kind of chaos.

He shook his head. He should have bought a damn apartment in some new complex filled with single people. People who didn’t make up perfect little family units in a hive of houses filled with similar perfect family units.

Hell, he’d have been better off with a paper cut and some nice lemon juice to pour on it.

But the house was a good investment.

The woman leaned in through the car door and soothed the screaming child until there was silence. Then, running her hands back through her dark hair to tame it, she closed the door and started around to the driver’s side. But halfway around the car she stopped, and there was a frustrated scream and a stamp of one high heel. Her hands rose for a moment and then dropped to her sides. ‘No, not this morning! Don’t do this to me!’

He stepped away from the van and looked where she was looking. A flat tyre. That sucked.

Well, he shrugged to himself, that was one way to get to meet the neighbours. And Lord knew she looked as if she could do with being rescued.

So he did the decent thing and jogged across the street. ‘Hi. Do you need a hand?’

She jumped when he spoke, and swung to face him, her hair swinging across her face. ‘I have a flat tyre.’

Brendan looked down at the offending object and nodded wisely. ‘Yep, I’d say you do, all right.’

‘I can’t fix a flat tyre in this outfit.’ There was a brief pause while she joined him in looking at the tyre. Then she took a breath and her voice changed. ‘I don’t suppose I could possibly ask you—?’

The male in him noted the shift in her vocal tone immediately. How it had changed from annoyed to beguiling in the space of one sentence. She was trying to flirt with him to get him to change the tyre. Typical woman. Obviously some ditzy housewife who had never learned how to change a tyre because her husband always did it for her.

He smiled and looked at her as she brushed her hair back from her face. And his breath caught.

‘Teagan.’

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, then widened. ‘Brendan.’

Blond brows quirked at the guarded way she said his name. He tried a wider smile. ‘Well, this is a surprise.’

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I’m moving in across the road.’

‘You bought the house across from me?’ Her eyes moved to look at the half-unloaded van. ‘When did that happen?’

‘Got the keys the day before yesterday. I have to say if I’d been given a list of people I might bump into when I got here—’

‘Mine would have been the last?’ Her chin rose as she looked back at him, a small, tight smile on her lips. ‘That’s nice.’

Her cool stare brought his back up. Okay, so she was having a bad morning—obviously—but that really was no excuse to be rude. After all, he’d come over to help.

‘Well, it’s been a while.’ He folded his arms across his broad chest and nodded.

‘Yes, it has.’

He made another attempt at lightening the mood. Not that she really deserved it. One long finger pointed towards the car, where at least the crying hadn’t started up again. ‘About three of those ago, apparently.’

Teagan snorted out a brief laugh. ‘Oh, they’re not mine. They’re my sister’s kids.’

‘You stole them?’

The smile she gave him was a little more relaxed. ‘Nope. Why would a person do that, exactly?’

‘Well, they’re cute.’ He waved through the window.

‘Yes, they are that.’ She waved herself, and was rewarded by three smiles. ‘But they’re also really hard work.’

‘I’d heard that rumour.’

She glanced at him in the reflection of the glass, seemed to take a moment or two to think and then asked, ‘Look, I’m sorry to ask you this, but is there any chance you could give me a hand with the tyre? I’m going to be really late to work at this rate.’

‘You’re taking them with you to work?’

‘No.’ She laughed again. ‘There’s a daycare centre nearby, and they’ve said they can take them today for me to help out. After that I’m on my own.’

Brendan took a breath as he turned to look at her. He blinked as he thought, his eyes moving over her profile while his mind remembered what she’d looked like the last time he had seen her. Nine years hadn’t done her any harm. She looked great, if a little on the harassed side.

When she turned her face to his she blinked up at him with her large green eyes and he remembered more about the last time he had seen her. The night he had kissed her and she’d told him to get over himself before she ran. He’d never had a chance to see her again, to talk it out. She’d given him no choice.

And now she was his neighbour. Well…

He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll help with the tyre. No problem. It’s what I came over here to do.’

There was a brief pause, then, ‘Thanks.’

Another smile was attempted. ‘You’re welcome.’

Teagan hesitated for a brief moment. Then she answered the smile with one of her own. After all, he was being helpful.

She followed him around as he pulled the spare wheel from the boot and gathered the tools he needed. It gave her a few moments to think of some conversation to make. After all, a big part of her work every day was talking to people. It shouldn’t be so difficult.

But all she could think of was, Well, hell—of all the people!

‘So.’ His voice sounded out from her knee height. ‘No kids of your own, then?’

‘No, no kids of my own.’ For some completely unknown reason she felt she had to justify that. ‘I’m too busy with my career.’

‘Not for as long as you have these three, you’re not.’

Well, thank you, Brendan, for stating the obvious. She scowled at his back as he finished jacking up the car and reached for the wrench. ‘No, the busy part is still there. This wasn’t a booked visit.’

His voice came out with a slight grunt as he worked on the first wheelnut. ‘How are you going to manage, then? Will your husband help?’

Subtle one.

‘I’m too busy with my career for a husband.’

‘You must be doing great in work, then.’

‘As a matter of fact I am. Thanks.’ Her scowl promoted itself to a frown.

He nodded as he freed the last nut and wrenched the tyre off. ‘Well, good for you.’

If she’d been a dog she’d have growled at him. In the space of a few sentences he’d made her feel as if the years since she’d parted company with him had been achievement-free. Just because his goals were different from hers, it didn’t mean hers were any less fulfilling!

After all, she owned her house—along with the bank. She almost completely owned her car. Her bank balance was healthy enough to allow a shopping spree at least once a month, and she paid every one of her bills before the ink turned red. She thought she was doing pretty well for someone her age.

Who was he to waltz in and criticise?

‘I suppose you’re moving a nice wee wife and twelve kids in across the road, then?’

He rose and turned round, lifting the spare tyre with one hand as he grinned at her. ‘Nope. Just me.’

Damn it, he’d caught her, hadn’t he? He hadn’t been trying to criticise her life; he’d been fishing for information. And he’d got it. And now he was grinning at her with a sparkle in his eyes that said, Gotcha.

Teagan shook her head with a small smile of resignation. She should have remembered how smart he was. Lord alone knew she was remembering plenty of other things while he kept on looking at her like that.

Still grinning, he turned round and popped the tyre into place, then reached a large hand out for the nuts. ‘I could help if you’re stuck.’

Like hell. ‘I can manage. Thanks.’

‘Well, if you’re stuck.’ He tightened the last nuts and then stood up, wiping his hands carelessly along the sides of his jeans before he lifted the flat. As he walked past her he glanced from the corner of his eye. ‘I’m great with kids. I have dozens of nieces and nephews, so I’ve had loads of practice.’

Well, bully for him. Though for the briefest moment she allowed herself to wonder why he hadn’t had any of his own. What had happened to his great plan for life? But she couldn’t wonder about that kind of thing. Because wondering would lead to questioning. And questioning would lead to a friendship of some kind. Which would be a massive mistake.

She was mature enough to know that now.

‘Thanks.’ She straightened her hair again, then glanced at her watch as he stowed away the tyre. ‘But, really, we’ll be fine.’

Brendan closed the boot and studied her for a long time, his dark blond lashes blinking slowly. Then he merely shrugged his broad shoulders and pushed his hands into his pockets. ‘Well, you know where I am.’

Indeed she did. But she would need to be in critical condition before she’d follow the broad shoulders that swayed as he walked back across the road.

C-r-i-t-i-c-a-l.