she thinks I've got some, she'll never look at me twice.’
‘So you do like her?’ Rob could barely contain his delight. ‘I knew it. I knew I could get you over Sam.’
‘I'm not, as you put it, necessarily over Sam,’ said Mark, ‘but let's just say that meeting Emily has made me see I can keep my options open.’
‘So long as you don't tell her you have children,’ added Rob.
‘There is that, of course,’ said Mark, suddenly spotting a pair of Gemma's shoes in the corner. Honestly. It wasn't even as if the kids were with him all the time. How on earth did they manage to leave all their junk behind? He grabbed the shoes and shoved them in the kids' bedroom, slamming the door firmly shut. He toyed with locking it and then thought, no, that's paranoid. He flitted quickly into the bathroom to check that it was devoid of teen paraphernalia, but luckily, as Gemma could never go anywhere without a complete grooming kit, she tended to carry everything she needed with her.
Mark felt vaguely guilty about the subterfuge. He loved his kids, and didn't want anyone to think he was ashamed of them. But Emily was the first woman he'd been attracted to since Sam. And she had been so adamant about disliking kids, he didn't want to scupper his chances before they'd even got going. There'd be time enough to tell her the truth later. Chances were she wasn't the slightest bit interested anyway …
Emily stood on Mark's doorstep feeling incredibly stupid. It had seemed natural to say earlier in the week that she would come and watch a TV programme with him, but now it seemed a little odd. She liked him, certainly, and he had occupied rather a lot of her thoughts in the last few days, but apart from the fact theywere both crap dancers and they liked
Green Wing
, what exactly did she know about him? He might be a serial killer or something.
Right.
Rob answered the door. Which reassured her. At least she wouldn't be alone with Mark. But as she followed him into the lounge, she had a sudden panicky thought. Oh God, suppose they were into threesomes or something. Had she just walked into the lion's den?
‘What did you just say?’
Shit. She'd done it again. This talking-out-loud thing was becoming a liability.
‘Um, nothing,’ said Emily, embarrassed.
‘Yes, you did,’ said Rob. ‘Mark, you've picked a right nutter here. She talks to herself.’
Emily squirmed.
‘Ignore him,’ shouted Mark from a room upstairs. His bedroom? The thought made Emily go tingly all over. ‘Anyway, I know.’
‘Know what?’
The thunder of footsteps down the stairs heralded Mark's arrival. He poked his head round the door and said, ‘I know Emily talks to herself. I find it endearing.’
Now Emily really wished the ground would swallow her up. She was less blushing and more completely puce.
But,
a little voice whispered in her head,
he thinks you're endearing
. Or mental.
‘Cup of tea?’ Rob asked.
‘Yes, lovely, thanks,’ Emily managed to squeak.
‘Got it,’ Mark said triumphantly, waving aloft a copy of the first series of
Green Wing
as he walked into the room. ‘I was having a last-minute panic as I'd put the DVD somewhere so safe I couldn't find it.’
Emily sat down with a thump on the sofa, spilling the tea Rob had just handed her. Something had to give and it was her knees. Mark, walking in with his casual air and his laidback look, wasutterly gorgeous, she realised. She almost forgot to breathe. Thank God his wife had left him.
‘Well I'm glad someone's pleased about it,’ said Mark, sitting next to her.
‘What?’ Oh God, please don't say she'd done it again? ‘I'm glad someone's pleased my wife left me.’
She had.
Emily gripped the mug of tea for support. If it wasn't for the fact that it would seem rude to leave she'd go right now.
‘And you?’
‘Me what?’
‘You're definitely single?’
Emily gripped the mug harder.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I most definitely am.’ If her heart beat any louder
‘So you do like her?’ Rob could barely contain his delight. ‘I knew it. I knew I could get you over Sam.’
‘I'm not, as you put it, necessarily over Sam,’ said Mark, ‘but let's just say that meeting Emily has made me see I can keep my options open.’
‘So long as you don't tell her you have children,’ added Rob.
‘There is that, of course,’ said Mark, suddenly spotting a pair of Gemma's shoes in the corner. Honestly. It wasn't even as if the kids were with him all the time. How on earth did they manage to leave all their junk behind? He grabbed the shoes and shoved them in the kids' bedroom, slamming the door firmly shut. He toyed with locking it and then thought, no, that's paranoid. He flitted quickly into the bathroom to check that it was devoid of teen paraphernalia, but luckily, as Gemma could never go anywhere without a complete grooming kit, she tended to carry everything she needed with her.
Mark felt vaguely guilty about the subterfuge. He loved his kids, and didn't want anyone to think he was ashamed of them. But Emily was the first woman he'd been attracted to since Sam. And she had been so adamant about disliking kids, he didn't want to scupper his chances before they'd even got going. There'd be time enough to tell her the truth later. Chances were she wasn't the slightest bit interested anyway …
Emily stood on Mark's doorstep feeling incredibly stupid. It had seemed natural to say earlier in the week that she would come and watch a TV programme with him, but now it seemed a little odd. She liked him, certainly, and he had occupied rather a lot of her thoughts in the last few days, but apart from the fact theywere both crap dancers and they liked
Green Wing
, what exactly did she know about him? He might be a serial killer or something.
Right.
Rob answered the door. Which reassured her. At least she wouldn't be alone with Mark. But as she followed him into the lounge, she had a sudden panicky thought. Oh God, suppose they were into threesomes or something. Had she just walked into the lion's den?
‘What did you just say?’
Shit. She'd done it again. This talking-out-loud thing was becoming a liability.
‘Um, nothing,’ said Emily, embarrassed.
‘Yes, you did,’ said Rob. ‘Mark, you've picked a right nutter here. She talks to herself.’
Emily squirmed.
‘Ignore him,’ shouted Mark from a room upstairs. His bedroom? The thought made Emily go tingly all over. ‘Anyway, I know.’
‘Know what?’
The thunder of footsteps down the stairs heralded Mark's arrival. He poked his head round the door and said, ‘I know Emily talks to herself. I find it endearing.’
Now Emily really wished the ground would swallow her up. She was less blushing and more completely puce.
But,
a little voice whispered in her head,
he thinks you're endearing
. Or mental.
‘Cup of tea?’ Rob asked.
‘Yes, lovely, thanks,’ Emily managed to squeak.
‘Got it,’ Mark said triumphantly, waving aloft a copy of the first series of
Green Wing
as he walked into the room. ‘I was having a last-minute panic as I'd put the DVD somewhere so safe I couldn't find it.’
Emily sat down with a thump on the sofa, spilling the tea Rob had just handed her. Something had to give and it was her knees. Mark, walking in with his casual air and his laidback look, wasutterly gorgeous, she realised. She almost forgot to breathe. Thank God his wife had left him.
‘Well I'm glad someone's pleased about it,’ said Mark, sitting next to her.
‘What?’ Oh God, please don't say she'd done it again? ‘I'm glad someone's pleased my wife left me.’
She had.
Emily gripped the mug of tea for support. If it wasn't for the fact that it would seem rude to leave she'd go right now.
‘And you?’
‘Me what?’
‘You're definitely single?’
Emily gripped the mug harder.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I most definitely am.’ If her heart beat any louder
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