Suddenly Single Sophie. Leonie Knight
to the mark. But I didn’t mean to—’
‘No need to apologise. If he’s anything like my exfiancé …’
The words stuck in her throat and her cheerfulness drained away as rapidly as the healthy colour in her cheeks.
Will felt totally at sea. Talking about problems on a personal level, especially with a woman, wasn’t something he did. At least, not outside his consulting room. What was the point? It wouldn’t make what had happened all those years ago go away.
But Sophie looked so dejected, as if she carried deep sadness inside. He couldn’t just jump into his car and drive away without showing he cared. And, much to his surprise, he did care. A lot.
‘Andrew and I haven’t got much in common now. Our career paths diverged years ago and I guess we’re both busy with all our commitments.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Er … what was it about Andrew that reminded you of your boyfriend?’
They were approaching Sophie’s flat and Will rummaged in his pocket for the keys. He stopped on the doorstep and waited for Sophie’s reply.
‘Um … it’s difficult to explain.’ Her eyes lost focus for a moment but then she continued. ‘I thought he loved me but it turned out …’ She swung her gaze back. The pain was there in her eyes, hot and cruel. ‘It turned out he was a first-class bastard.’
It only took a moment for a rampant blush to flood her face and she began to stutter. ‘N-not that … um … It’s not that I think your friend …’
There was no way Will would use the word ‘friendship’ in the same sentence as Andrew Fletcher after what he’d done. But Sophie didn’t need to know that. She had her own demons to deal with.
‘I mean, Andrew might be a nice guy … It was just a gut feeling … I’m sorry.’
Will felt awkward, not quite sure what to say. He wanted desperately to comfort her, offer reassurance, but he’d been out of the social scene for so long … Giving her a hug was probably totally inappropriate, and he certainly didn’t want her to think he was cast in the same mould as Andrew. He respected his women friends and had decided long ago if he ever embarked on a serious relationship again it would be for life. And that certainly wasn’t going to happen any time soon. The baggage he carried was too heavy to share.
To disguise his discomfort he unlocked the door, and the heaviness of Sophie’s mood lifted.
‘There you go,’ he said, stepping aside. ‘Furniture’s basic, but you should have everything you need. I’ve left some supplies that I hope will keep you going until you have a chance to go shopping. There’s a deli—you probably saw it as we turned in from the main road …’
He still stood on the threshold, but Sophie had waltzed in and in two short minutes claimed the place as her own. She’d opened the kitchen blind and exclaimed at the quaintness of the small private garden on her back doorstep. She’d sat on the couch and plumped the cushions before smelling the small spray of freesias he’d put in a sauce bottle on the tiny gate-leg table in the corner.
‘Did you do this?’ she exclaimed as she opened the cupboards and then the fridge.
Youth and happiness, untarnished by life’s encumbrances, glowed on her face. The mood was contagious and Will wanted the moment to go on for ever.
‘I guessed what you might need. Don’t worry about throwing things away. Just give the non-perishables back to me if they’re unwanted.’
‘No. Everything’s perfect. I love it.’
She was back in the doorway, reaching out for his hand again, but this time like an excited child. ‘What are you standing outside for? Come in. The least I can do is make coffee.’
Damn, he had a meeting with a builder.
‘No. I have to go. I—’
Her expression changed. Was it disappointment?
‘Oh, of course. You’re a busy man and you must have commitments on the weekends.’ Her eyes were questioning. He was sorry how quickly Sophie’s mood had changed. ‘I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your precious leisure time. I’m sure your family …’
What leisure time? What family?
Lately nearly all Will’s time away from the clinic had been consumed by his efforts to get his pet project off the ground. Any sort of social life was out of the question and he had no family demanding his attention. Will’s heart clenched shut at the memory of the family he’d once had.
The family he’d lost, the family he’d failed … the family he’d destroyed.
And now … The residents of the Springs had infiltrated his life to become his kin. He’d long been aware that the older generation who had known his grandparents kept a watchful eye on him. And the young—the children of his adopted extended family—were the driving force behind his desire to do everything he could to give them the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
Could he ever repay his family?
He’d long ago realised the neighbourhood he’d been brought up in was the only place he felt truly at home. He’d be asking too much to expect Sophie to understand, her background being so different from his.
‘No need to worry about family commitments. I’m unattached—no rug rats keeping me awake at night.’ He feigned cheerfulness to disguise his loneliness.
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