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‘Good idea. How about I join you for dinner? We could do some catching up. I haven’t seen Dan yet.’
‘He won’t be home until late.’
‘Still the same old party animal. Why aren’t you with him? No babysitter?’
‘Are you offering?’
‘By all means. I suppose normally my parents babysit when you go out on the town.’
Fat chance. ‘Dan is with Thackery. I usually stay with the children when he’s out. We play board games and watch kid’s movies. It’s family time.’
She wished she hadn’t added the last bit when his brows drew together in a frown. He was family. ‘If you want, you can stay. But it’s only pizza.’
‘Pizza sounds great.’ He actually looked excited, his pale eyes brightening. ‘So, what is it tonight, board games or movie?’
‘Scrabble.’
His grin broadened, showing his perfectly straight teeth courtesy of the best orthodontist in Bialga. It always made her conscious of the slight crookedness of her own teeth.
‘So, you finish here in the garden while I bring in your containers.’
‘Do you know which ones?’
‘The cupcake ones are all labelled. Since when do we have a Hot Bread Shop?’
‘About three years. A lot of new shops opened up along the creek when we became a bona fide tourist destination.’
‘Near the park?’
‘Mostly. A few in the main drag down the other end close to the bridge.’
‘I’ll have to do a tour. Do you want to be my guide?’
Her look must have said everything because he only smiled and headed for the car. She watched him go, liking the easy lope as his long legs covered the ground quickly. Before he reached the car, she turned back to her task, trimming some silver beet leaves for the pizza.
Chapter 6
It had been close to thirteen years since Morgan had last entered Becca’s home. The old caravan behind the house that had been home to Dan and his mother was gone. He’d been to a few parties there with Dan, but once they included drugs, he’d backed off. By then he preferred to spend his time with Becca anyway, usually at his place.
The stairs up to the back door were still wobbly. A brick was placed under one end of the bottom step to replace the rotted timber. Carefully balancing the plastic containers, he opened the door and stepped into the kitchen closing the door behind him.
A muffled sob sent him spinning and he almost lost the containers, managing to dump them on the table before they scattered. A brown dog shot out from under the nearest chair, ears flattened, and vanished through the doggy door and down the back stairs.
Edward was seated at the far end of the old Laminex table, hastily wiping tears from flushed cheeks. ‘What are you doing here?’
Morgan ignored the belligerent tone and straightened the pile of containers. ‘Dropping these off. I wanted to see Gabby too.’
‘She’s asleep.’
‘Your mum said it’s okay to go check on her.’
His slight shoulders hunched as he kept his face averted. ‘Through the hall, second on the right.’
Leaving the boy to recover himself, Morgan entered the hall, passing the bathroom and a closed door on the left. There were photographs on the walls, not professional portraits. Grouped casual shots of the children, separately and together, in cheap frames. He dragged himself away, promising himself a better look another time.
Gabby must share with her brother, if the twin beds and airplane models hanging from the ceiling and ships and cars on the desk were any indication. Gabby was under her bright pink and purple doona, her red hair loose on the pillow. The mark on her cheek was turning into a bruise but it had stopped bleeding. He did the usual checks for concussion, disturbing her briefly, but she turned away with a mutter when he’d thought she might wake up.
He knew there were three bedrooms, so it surprised him the children still shared. Not his business but it explained why Edward was doing his model building on the kitchen table today. With a last look at the sleeping girl, he went back to the kitchen, intending to re-join Becca in the garden.
