The Return of Her Past

He stared at her for a long moment, then he started to laugh and Mia felt her heart pound because she’d gone for so long without Carlos, without his laugh, without his arms around her…

‘I don’t know what you expect me to do,’ he said wryly.

‘I don’t care what you do, but if you don’t come and do something, Carlos,’ she threatened through her teeth, suddenly furious although she had no idea if it was with him or with herself, or the situation, ‘I’ll scream blue murder!’

CHAPTER TWO

‘FEELING BETTER?’

Mia took another sip of brandy and looked around. Everyone had gone. The bridal party, the guests, the caterers, they’d all gone. The presents had all been loaded carefully into a station wagon and driven away.

Gail had gone home in seventh heaven because she’d not only seen Carlos, she’d spoken to him. And the wedding had been a success. It had livened up miraculously as soon as Carlos had made his speech and Juanita had thrown her arms around Mia and Gail and thanked them profusely for their contribution to her special day as she’d left.

Carlos had driven away in his metallic yellow car and Mia had kicked off her shoes and changed her Thai silk dress for a smock but, rather than doing any work, she’d sunk into an armchair in the foyer. Her hat sat on a chair beside her. She was perfectly dry-eyed but she felt as if she’d been run over by a bus.

It was quite normal to feel a bit flattened after a function—she put so much into each and every one of them—but this was different; this was an emotional flat liner of epic proportions. This was all to do with Carlos and the fact that she’d been kidding herself for years if she’d thought she’d gotten over him.

All to do with the fact that the feel of his hands on her hips and waist had awoken sensations throughout her body that had thrilled her, the fact that to think he hadn’t recognised her had been like a knife through her heart.

That was when someone said her name and she looked up and moved convulsively to see him standing there only a foot or so away.

‘But…but,’ she stammered, ‘you left. I saw you drive off.’

‘I came back. I’m staying with friends just down the road. And you need a drink. Point me in the right direction.’

Mia hesitated, then gestured. He came back a few minutes later with a drinks trolley, poured a couple of brandies and now he was sitting opposite her in an armchair. He’d changed into khaki cargo trousers and a grey sweatshirt.

‘Feeling better?’ he asked again.

She nodded. ‘Thanks.’

He frowned. ‘Are you sure you’re in the right job if it takes so much out of you, Mia?’

‘It doesn’t usually—’ She stopped and bit her lip.

‘Doesn’t usually affect you like this?’ he hazarded.

She looked down and pleated the material of her smock. ‘Well, no.’

‘So what was different about this one?’

‘I don’t know.’ Mia shrugged. ‘I suppose I didn’t think any of you would recognise me.’

‘Why the hell wouldn’t we?’ he countered.

She shrugged. ‘I’ve changed.’

‘Not that much.’

She bridled and looked daggers at him before swiftly veiling her eyes. ‘That’s what your mother tried to tell me. I’m just a souped-up version of the housekeeper’s daughter, in other words.’

‘I didn’t say that,’ he retorted. ‘Since when did you get so thin-skinned, Mia?’

She took a very deep breath. ‘I’m not,’ she said stiffly.

‘I can’t work out whether you want us to think you have changed or not.’

‘Don’t worry about it, Carlos,’ she advised coolly. ‘In fact, thank you for getting me a drink but I’d be happy if you went back to your friends. I have a lot to do still.’

‘Short of throwing me out,’ he replied casually, ‘which I doubt you could do, you’re going to have to put up with me, Mia, until I’m ready to go. So, why don’t you fill me in on the missing years? I’m talking about the years between the time you kissed me with considerable ardour then waltzed off to uni, and now.’ His grey gaze rested on her sardonically.

Mia went white.

‘I’m waiting,’ he remarked.

She said something supremely uncomplimentary beneath her breath but she knew from the autocratic set of his jaw that he wouldn’t let up until he got the answers he wanted.

‘All right!’ She said it through her teeth but he intervened.

‘Hang on a moment.’ He reached over and took her glass. ‘Let’s have another one.’

With the deepest reluctance, she told him about the intervening years. How her mother and father had retired and were living in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales. How they’d started a small tea shop in a country town that was becoming well known, not only for the cakes her mother baked but the honey her father produced and the herbs he grew.

How she’d finished university, spent some months overseas; how a series of catering jobs had finally led her to taking the plunge and starting her own business.

‘And that’s me up to date,’ she said bleakly and added with irony, ‘how about you?’

He avoided the question. ‘No romantic involvement?’

‘Me?’ Mia drew her finger around the rim of her glass. ‘Not really. Not seriously. I haven’t had the time. How about you?’ she asked again.

‘I’m…’ He paused and grimaced. ‘Actually, I’m currently unattached. Nina—I don’t know if you’ve heard of Nina French?’ He raised a dark eyebrow at her.

‘Who hasn’t?’ Mia murmured impatiently. ‘Top model, utterly gorgeous, daughter of an ambassador,’ she added.

‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘We had a relationship. It fell through. Today, as a matter of fact.’

Mia choked on a sip of her drink. ‘Today?’

He nodded.

‘Is that why you were late?’ she asked incredulously.

He nodded. ‘We had a monumental row just before we were due to set out—to be here on time.’ He shrugged. ‘About fifty per cent of our relationship consisted of monumental rows, now I come to think of it.’

‘Oh. I’m sorry,’ Mia said. ‘But that probably means a…a grand reunion.’

‘Not this time,’ he replied perfectly coolly, so coolly it sent a little shiver down Mia’s spine.