When Harry drove her home, he’d surprised her by walking her to the front door of Pelican House. Peter had whipped it open the moment their feet hit the veranda, insisting Harry come in for a nightcap. Alice had wanted to die on the spot, and not only because her father was channeling 1950. Harry had been a formal stranger all evening and she anticipated the following twenty minutes would be excruciating. But for the first time since he’d arrived to pick her up, the Harry whose company she enjoyed so much appeared and they chatted easily.
When he’d said goodnight, neither of them had suggested another date.
“You ready, Alice?” Lionel was levering the lid off the can of clear coat. “It’s just the wife’s got wine club tonight and I need to get two coats done and get home for the kids.”
“I guess so.” Her hands itched to keep working on the mural.
“It’s awesome, Alice,” Holly said.
“It really is,” Harry added. “Glad to see my sea cucumber suggestion got a thumb’s up.”
“So, you all think it’s ready?”
“Yes,” four voices said.
“Okay, then.” Alice signed it with a flourish and prepared to stand.
Two familiar hands belonging to two different men dangled in front of her. Momentarily discombobulated, she hesitated for a second before sliding one hand into Dan’s and the other into Harry’s, allowing them to pull her to her feet.
Standing between them, with her hands resting lightly on Hunter’s shoulders—mostly with affection but with some cautious restraint—she watched Lionel expertly roll on the clear coat and seal her art into a bay fixture.
“Alice and Holly’s first piece of public art,” Harry said proudly. “This calls for a celebration. You up for dinner at the Thai, Alice?”
“Can you come, Mr. Van?” Holly asked breathlessly.
Surprise flitted across Harry’s face but he reiterated Holly’s invitation. “You’re welcome.”
Dan looked at Alice. “It’s Thursday.”
“Is that a problem?” Harry asked.
“Alice and I usually—”
“We’d love to come to dinner, wouldn’t we, Dan?” Alice said quickly. She wasn’t certain if her insistence they go was because she really wanted to celebrate with the Waxmans or to prevent Dan from outing their arrangement to Harry. Or both.
Harry was now looking straight at Dan, his face a study of concentration as if he was trying to work out exactly what was going on. “Totally understand if you can’t make it, Dan.”
“I’d love to come. We have to eat first anyway, don’t we, Al?” Dan’s arm dropped casually across Alice’s shoulders.
What was he doing? Flustered, Alice stepped forward and busied herself packing up her gear.
“Do you like satay, Mr. Van?” Holly asked.
As Dan told Holly about eating satay in the streets of Malacca, Alice risked a glance at Harry. His previously open face was closed and his body radiated a new wariness. With a stomach dropping thud, she realized she’d foolishly intersected two of her three very separate worlds.
Alice spent the first part of the dinner feeling like she was a referee. In the end, she gave up trying to find topics that both Dan and Harry would find interesting. It didn’t take long to realize that Holly had little interest in talking to her while Dan was in the room and he didn’t disappoint. For a man who professed not to want children, he was great with them and he drew Holly out to the point she was almost gregarious. Alice focused on Hunter, doing the back-of-the-menu quiz with him while Harry seemed to move between the two conversations with a distracted air.
The moment Hunter finished his last mouthful of deep fried ice-cream, Harry said, “Righto, you two, time to go.”
“Aw, Dad!”
“School night.”
“I know for a fact Holly’s got math homework,” Dan added with a smile.
“Can we give you a ride, Alice?” Harry asked.
“You’re in the opposite direction, aren’t you?” Dan said before adding firmly, “I can drop you home, Al.”
Harry faced her. “You sure?”
For a second, Alice wondered if he was asking her about more than just the ride home. “It’s probably easier,” she said lamely. It felt like no matter the answer, she was letting one of them down.
“Can you come to cricket on Saturday, Alice?” Hunter asked.
“I’ll try.”
“Alice is probably busy.” Harry dropped cash on the table and ushered the kids toward the door.
Alice picked up the money, quickly working out he’d paid for all of them. “Harry!” But the door was closing and if he heard her, he didn’t look back.
“Nice kids,” Dan said later as they walked back to his place. “Harry divorced?”
“Widower. His wife died a couple of years ago. Cancer.”
Dan shuddered. “There’s too much of it about.”
They were quiet for a while and then Dan broke the silence. “About Saturday. It’s my last free weekend until the end of January. I was hoping we might walk to Talbot’s Gap.”
“Surf school starts that soon?”
“School camps are headed my way first. I’m sure Hunter will be fine if you turn up another week.” Dan opened the front door and marched straight to the fridge. “Champagne?”
“Ah … sure. But why?”
“Your mural.”
As Dan grabbed the bottle from the door, she caught sight of a seafood platter on the second shelf. Flabbergasted, she realized he’d planned a much fancier dinner than their usual Thursday stir-fry or risotto.
She pointed to the food. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because then it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
Dan didn’t do surprises. “But if I’d known you’d planned …” She trailed off as his brows rose, reminding her they’d eaten dinner together every Thursday night for months and he hadn’t expected tonight to be any different. Neither had she until Harry had suggested dinner, Holly had
