And Alex
And Alex
She lifted her chin and pushed al thoughts of Alex aside for a moment. He was out of contact for the next three weeks and she wasn’t going to let thoughts of him darken her day or dim her joy. He might not do happy families but she did!
She reached for the phone and dial ed her mother’s number in Brisbane. Today was for joy.
‘Mum, I have some wonderful news.’
‘Ooh, do tel , darling.’
She heard her mother’s grin down the line. It widened hers. ‘Mum, I’m going to have a baby!’
She held the phone away from her ear as her mother squealed her delight. ‘Darling, I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to be a grandma. When are you due?’
Kit counted six months off on her fingers. Was that how one did it? She shrugged. ‘Some time in March, I think.’
‘I’l take holidays,’ her mother vowed. ‘I want to be there for you.’ There was a slight pause. ‘And the daddy?’
‘He doesn’t know yet…and he’s not going to be thril ed. I…um…got him al wrong.’
‘Oh, darling.’
Kit’s eyes fil ed at the sympathy in her mother’s voice. ‘Do you real y think I have to tel him?’
Keeping it from him, would that be so bad?
‘Yes, darling, you must.’
Kit knew her mother was right.
‘Are you quite sure you got him so wrong?’
‘Quote: I don’t do long-term. I don’t do happy families. End quote. I don’t think he could’ve made it any plainer, do you?’
Her mother exhaled one indignant breath.
She shook her head at the remembered pain of his words. It didn’t matter. Not any more. ‘It was a learning experience. The baby and I wil be just fine.
We’l be better off without him.’
‘I’m sure you wil be,’ her mother agreed, ‘but what about him? Wil he be better off without you and the baby?’
She snorted. ‘Of course not. But, as you and Grandma have always said, you can lead a horse to water…’ Stil , if Alex did want to be involved…
‘I see.’ A pause. ‘Not al men are like your father, Kitty-Kat.’
She smiled at the childhood nickname. ‘I know, Mum. And I wil tel him about the baby. Just as soon as he gets back from Africa next month.’ And who knew, maybe Alex would surprise her.
‘Good. So tel me…’
She had a vision of her mother settling into her favourite armchair, feet tucked beneath her.
‘What are your plans? Do you mean to stay in Sydney?’
What was she going to do? Kit wriggled around until she lay on her back. She propped an ankle on the arm of the sofa. She’d never envisaged raising children in the city. She’d always thought…
She gave a sudden laugh as she realized exactly what she was going to do. ‘I’m going to go home, Mum. I’m going to raise my child in Tuncurry. It was a wonderful place to grow up.’
‘Your grandmother wil be thril ed!’
Kit started mental y writing her resignation letter.
She’d give two weeks’ notice on Monday.
visit free books
www.dpgroup.org
CHAPTER TWO
‘GOOD morning, Mr Hal am.’
‘Phil ip.’ Alex inclined his head as he exited the elevator on the top floor of Hal am Enterprises’
Sydney office. He told himself that eventual y he’d get used to seeing Phil ip rather than Kit behind that desk.
‘It’s good to have you back, sir.’
‘Thank you.’ Alex walked through to his office. He closed the door behind him and glanced around.
Everything was neat, tidy and shining. Outside the window, the harbour sparkled in the early spring sunlight.
Nothing had changed.
Except Kit no longer sat at that desk in the foyer.
It had been almost four months since he and Kit had…
He dragged a hand down his face to try and dispel images that were stil far too vivid.
