‘Oh, I think he does!’ Mali said, grinning broadly.
Marcus’s gaze flickered over her in interest, and Hattie was sure he was noticing how gorgeous Mali looked in the orange top and colourful trousers that contrasted so vibrantly with her dark skin, and the beaded braids emphasising her soft brown eyes. Mali was so pretty she always turned heads, but her nature was as beautiful as her looks so it was impossible not to like her. If you upset her, though, you knew it. She didn’t suffer fools gladly. Actually, she didn’t suffer anyone gladly, which is why she and Ricki had split up. Ricki was a bit of a lad and Mali said she had one child to look after and didn’t need another, bigger one. Ricki adored Lou, though, and willingly shared parenting. In fact, as Lou said herself, she and Ricki were better as friends than as partners.
‘You might be right, he’s a clever old bird.’ Marcus grinned back at Mali. ‘Are you down for a visit?’
‘Yep, making the most of half term.’ Mali shifted the box a little in her hands. ‘I’m Mali, and this is my daughter Lou. I couldn’t come down earlier because Lou’s been staying at her dad’s.’
She fancies him, Hattie thought with a smile, admiring how neatly Mali had slipped into the conversation that she was single. And from the way Marcus was looking at her, he fancied her too. Hattie wondered if his lady friend knew what a flirt he was.
‘Pleased to meet you, Mali and –’ he bent down face level with Lou – ‘Lou. Enjoy your stay.’
Mali watched admiringly as Marcus walked over to his back gate, opened it and went in. Then she let out a low whistle. ‘He’s your neighbour? Another reason you should think about staying here. He’s so hot he’s on fire.’
‘He’s easy on the eye but he’s not so easy to get on with,’ Hattie told her as they walked across to her gate, which they’d left open. ‘I’ve had a couple of run-ins with him.’ She stood back to let Mali and Lou in first.
‘What about?’
Hattie kicked the gate shut behind her. She’d lock it in a minute. ‘He thought I was a money-grabbing gold-digger. I’ll explain it all to you at the beach.’
‘Can’t wait. Shame hunky neighbour isn’t coming to the beach too.’
‘You might see him there one of the days, he surfs.’ Hattie put her box down and opened the back door.
‘Now that I would like to see,’ Mali told her.
Lou gave her a stern look. ‘No more boyfriends, remember?’
Mali giggled. ‘She thinks she’s my mother.’
Lou raised her eyebrows. ‘She’s man-mad but she never likes any of them after a couple of weeks.’
Lou was worldly for a six-year-old, and she certainly had her mum’s number, Hattie thought with a smile. This was going to be an entertaining few days. Mali and Lou were just what she needed to cheer herself up.
Later, as they sat on the beach, keeping an eye on Lou who was collecting shells, Hattie told Mali all about her spats with Marcus. Mali grinned widely when Hattie confessed that the first time they’d met, Marcus had walked in on her naked in the kitchen.
‘Now that’s the way to make a first impression!’ she remarked.
‘Well, I don’t think it impressed him, and he certainly didn’t impress me,’ Hattie retorted. ‘We’ve called a sort of truce now.’
‘I can’t believe you don’t fancy him,’ Mali said. ‘How can you not?’
‘Yeah, he’s a looker, but he’s also a player. You should see the woman who stopped over the other night. Talk about a cougar. And he was making eyes at you. I had enough of all that with Adam. If I do get with a guy again – and right now I’m happy on my own, thanks – then I want someone who’s got a good heart more than good looks.’
Mali winked. ‘See now me, I want both!’
They both laughed. It was good to have Mali here, Hattie thought. She was her oldest friend and was always so full of life.
Apart from the dark days when Mali had just had Lou and suffered from post-natal depression. Hattie had barely recognised her fun-loving friend then, and knew that it had put a terrible strain on her relationship with Ricki. Still, she had bounced back, thank goodness.
A lot of people kept their struggles to themselves, she and Mali were like that, and she had an idea Uncle Albert had been too. He had never reached out to contact his family; if he had, he wouldn’t have been left to spend his final years alone.
He’d had Marcus, she reminded herself. No matter how much the man annoyed her, she was grateful that he had looked after her uncle.
Chapter Eleven
When Hattie got up the next morning, Lou was sitting at the table drawing a picture of Buddy, who was climbing up the bars of the cage squawking at her.
‘I think Buddy wants to come out of the cage,’ Lou said, looking up at Hattie.
‘He probably does, but I’m scared he’ll fly off.’ Hattie looked around. There was no sign of Mali but the back door was slightly open. ‘Where’s your Mum?’
‘Hanging out the washing.’ Lou nibbled at the end of her pencil as she studied Buddy.
Hanging out the washing? It was barely eight o’clock – and they’d only arrived yesterday, what washing could they have?
‘Have you been up long?’ Hattie asked.
‘Ages. The seagulls woke us. They’re really noisy.’ Lou had started drawing again now.
Hattie padded over, barefoot, to the back door and peered out. The costumes and towels they’d used on the beach yesterday were hanging on the line and Mali was standing by the wall, looking gorgeous in white shorts and a bright-lemon top, talking to Marcus, who was wearing his wetsuit, pulled up to his waist, revealing his tanned chest. Hattie refused to stare at him or to feel self-conscious about
