Cathy Kelly 6-Book Collection: Someone Like You, What She Wants, Just Between Us, Best of Friends, Always and Forever, Past Secrets

Those last two sentences clarified matters for Leonie. It was obvious that Hugh hadn’t told his kids who she was or that they were going to meet her today. Either that, or Jane was determined not to acknowledge the existence of any woman in her father’s life and was therefore casting Leonie in the role of an unattractive colleague her father took pity on and brought out occasionally. And calling him ‘Daddy’! Most kids got over the Daddy stage when they went to big school and moved on to a bored-sounding Dad.

Leonie smiled at Hugh.

He was gazing at her hopefully, hope-you’ll-lie-fully she reckoned.

‘I’m a veterinary nurse. And I’m not one of your father’s colleagues,’ she said pleasantly, ‘I’m a friend.’

‘Oh.’ Jane’s mouth pursed into a little moue of disapproval.

‘Your father has been telling me all about you,’ Leonie went on gamely. ‘He says you’re getting on brilliantly in work and are up for promotion. Well done.’

‘Daddy!’ hissed Jane furiously. ‘That’s private.’

‘Oh, look,’ said Hugh in desperation. ‘Here’s Stephen.’

Tall and solid like his father, Stephen had a smiling face, wore clothes that looked as if he’d dressed in a hurry, and seemed to know who Leonie was.

‘Nice to meet you at last,’ he said, throwing himself into a chair. ‘About time the old lad found himself someone. Has anyone ordered? They do great cakes here.’

Jane glared at him instead of her father. ‘You might have told me,’ she said fiercely. ‘I feel as if I’ve been hijacked.’

It was Hugh and Stephen’s turn to exchange meaningful looks. What a family! Leonie wished they’d talk instead of staring intensely at each other. People said what they thought in the Delaney house, especially Mel, who’d be the person most likely to feel put out by Hugh’s existence.

At least with Mel, you’d hear how she felt, normally at eighty decibels. She wouldn’t have just sat there simmering in silence and glaring at people.

‘Don’t be daft, Sis,’ said Stephen. ‘What’s the fuss? I told you. You’re here to meet Leonie. What’s the big deal?’ He turned to Leonie. ‘Will I go up and order us something? I’m ravenous. Would you like coffee or cakes?’

He was sweet, she decided. Aware that his sister was furious, he was doing his best to defuse the situation.

‘I’d love some,’ she said. ‘I’ll come up with you and carry a tray. Coffee, Hugh?’ she asked pleasantly, determined not to let her expression betray the fact that she thought Hugh was acting foolishly by kowtowing to the awful Jane.

‘Yes,’ he said, looking her straight in the face for the first time in ages.

Leonie and Stephen examined the cake counter with interest. Normally, Leonie wouldn’t have allowed herself anything. But today, she wasn’t in the mood to deny herself.

‘I could murder some of that carrot cake,’ she said to Stephen, pointing out some fabulously succulent cake that probably contained the exact amount of calories a marathon runner needed in an entire week.

‘Me too,’ he agreed. ‘I bet Jane would love it too. She’s on this no-fat diet, but I can usually persuade her to give it up when she’s with me.’

Leonie wasn’t sure she could imagine anyone persuading Jane to do anything she didn’t want to.

‘She’ll be fine,’ Stephen said as if he could read her thoughts. ‘She’s a bit possessive about Dad. She’s his favourite and she doesn’t really get it that he needs someone in his life.’

‘I understand,’ Leonie lied. ‘But your mum has a new partner, doesn’t she? Isn’t that hard on Jane too?’

Stephen put three fat slices of cake on his tray. ‘Yeah, but Jane isn’t the same with Mum. They are, like, exactly the same. That’s why Jane doesn’t live at home any more. They kill each other. She’s cool about Kevin – he’s Mum’s boyfriend.’ They moved slowly along the queue towards the coffee machines. Stephen put a chocolate bar on his plate as well.

‘I worry about the old boy. He gets lonely. He’s happier since meeting you.’

‘Thank you,’ Leonie said sincerely. ‘It’s lovely of you to say that. I’m so very fond of your father and I wanted you both to know that. It’s hard that Jane seems set against me.’

‘It’s ’cos you’ve got kids,’ Stephen said sagely. ‘She’s terrified Dad’ll end up liking them more than us, or end up leaving them something in his will if you two get married.’

‘How do you know this? Jane didn’t seem to have heard anything about me before today.’

‘I know Jane,’ he said simply. ‘And she does know about you. I knew Dad would bottle out of telling her about you, so I did it for him. She’s pretending not to know just to get at him. Don’t be hard on her,’ he said suddenly. ‘She’s a bit…’

Spoilt, Leonie wanted to say.

‘…insecure,’ Stephen finished. ‘She adores Dad and he adores her back. If you were on the scene, it’d be a different ball game.’

‘Well, thanks for being so honest with me,’ she said. ‘Should I simply go home now?’

Stephen laughed. ‘Don’t be daft. Jane will be fine, eventually.’

They arrived back at the table with trays laden down with goodies. Jane and Hugh had been talking animatedly until they arrived, whereupon all conversation ceased. They all drank their coffee in stony silence. Leonie could hear her own jaw clicking as she ate her carrot cake.

Finally, she couldn’t take the silence any more.

‘I was thinking we could go to the cinema later,’ Leonie said brightly. ‘Why don’t you two come?’ Did I say that? she asked herself in horror. Please say no.

‘Why not? I’ve nothing else on tonight,’ Jane said ungraciously.

Leonie, Hugh and Stephen all wanted to see the new Bond movie but Jane wanted to see the latest art-house sensation, a grim, black-and-white production about youngsters getting involved in the murky world of international drug-smuggling. Leonie would rather have cut her front lawn with nail scissors than watch that type of film. However, it was Jane’s choice and, as Leonie was discovering, Jane liked to get her own way.

At least they had something to talk about afterwards, when they shared a pizza in Temple Bar. Stephen chatted happily about the film while Jane, who’d forced them to sit through it, decided she hadn’t liked it much at all.

Leonie’s palm itched with the desire to slap Jane’s sulky little face.

After an hour, when it became plain that Jane had no intention of leaving before Leonie did, Leonie gave in and announced that she had to go home.

‘I’ll walk you back to your car,’ Hugh said. She shot him a grateful look. Free from the horrid Jane at last.

‘Dad,’ Jane said in a childish voice, ‘can I ask you a favour?’

‘Yes, darling,’ he said fondly.

‘Could I use your credit card to book my holiday? Mine is maxed out and if I don’t book on Monday, I’ll lose my place. I’ll pay you back, of course,’ she added, giving him a beseeching, big-eyed look.

Leonie’s right hand clenched up into a fist.

Hugh ruffled Jane’s hair. ‘You don’t have to ask, pet, you know that.’

For the first five minutes, Leonie and Hugh walked in silence.

As they reached Nassau Street, Hugh took her hand in his.

‘Well,’ he said tentatively, ‘how do you think it went?’