In the Australian's Bed: The Passion Price / The Australian's Convenient Bride / The Australian's Marriage Demand

Half an hour later, Angelina made her way slowly along the path that ran from the restaurant and past the cellar door before branching into two paths. One led to the winery, the other followed the driveway that led to the resort proper, a distance of about a hundred metres. She headed for the resort, her shoes crunching on the gravel, her head down in thought as she walked down the gentle incline.

Kevin had advised her to tell Jake the truth as soon as possible, especially since Alex himself wanted to meet his father. He’d said he would want to know if he had a son and would be seriously annoyed if such news was held back from him.

‘And that’s bulldust about this Jake saying he’d be a rotten father,’ Kevin had pronounced. ‘Lots of men talk like that. You wait till he finds out he has a son for real, especially a great kid like Alex. He’ll be falling over himself to be the best father he possibly can.’

Wilomena hadn’t shared Kevin’s optimism. There again, she had more jaundiced views about the opposite sex and their ability to be good fathers.

‘What fantasyland do you live in, Kevin?’ she’d countered tartly. ‘Obviously, you’ve never been a father. From my experience, lots of men these days soon get very bored with the day-to-day responsibilities of fatherhood. Guys like Jake, especially. He admitted to Angelina he was selfish. And damaged, whatever that means. I think Angelina’s right to be careful. I don’t think she should tell him anything for a while. If nothing else, it gives Alex time to grow up some more. It’ll be weeks before this Dorothy lady moves up here. Meanwhile, Arnold’s not going to say anything.’

They’d argued back and forth, with Angelina a bemused onlooker. In the end, Kevin had thrown up his hands and told Wilomena it was no wonder she was still single, if she was so distrusting and contemptuous of men.

Angelina had done her best to smooth things over between them but by the time she’d left, there’d been a chilling silence in the kitchen. She was relieved she wasn’t working there tonight. Or on the reception desk. She’d already planned to take the evening off, to do some female things, like have a long bath, shave her legs, put a treatment in her hair and do her nails. It would be good to be alone, to think.

‘Angelina, Angelina!’

Angelina turned to find Wilomena running after her.

‘Sorry about the ruckus in there,’ Wilomena said on reaching her. ‘Don’t worry about it. Kevin will be fine later tonight. And yes, before you ask, we are sleeping together.’

‘I…I wasn’t going to ask.’

Wilomena frowned. ‘No, you wouldn’t, would you? You’re not like other girls. It almost killed you to tell us what you told us in there, didn’t it? I mean, you’re not one to gossip, or to confide.’

‘No, I…I guess not.’ When you spent the amount of time she had spent alone, you lost the knack of confiding in other people. You tried to solve your problems yourself.

‘Look, I just wanted to say that I think you should go out with Jake, but without telling him about Alex. Aside from having a bit of long-overdue fun, you can go see where Jake lives, and how he lives. See what kind of man he is.’

‘But how did you…?’

‘Yeah, I know, you didn’t tell us he’d asked you out. But I didn’t come down in the last shower, honey, and I watched you two today. Both times. He asked you out all right and you said no, didn’t you?’

‘I haven’t actually given him an answer yet.’

‘What does he want you to do?’

‘Stay at his place when I go to Sydney for the expo next weekend.’

‘Wow. He’s a fast mover all right. It took Kevin two years to ask me out, then two months to get me in the sack.’

‘It took Jake about two minutes the first time,’ Angelina said drily.

‘Ooooh. That good, eh?’

‘His kisses were. The sex itself was not great. I froze, and he just went ahead.’

‘But you wouldn’t freeze this time,’ Wilomena said intuitively.

Angelina stiffened. ‘I have no intention of finding out if I would or I wouldn’t. And I have no intention of staying at his place next weekend.’

‘But why not? I wouldn’t be able to resist, if it were me. The guy’s a hunk of the first order.’

Angelina didn’t need to be told that. Jake, the man, had even more sex appeal than Jake, the bad boy. And he’d had oodles.

‘If it was anyone other than Alex’s father, I would.’

‘If it was anyone other than Alex’s father, you wouldn’t want to,’ Wilomena said. ‘I’ve known girls like you before, Angelina. You’re a one-man woman. And he’s the man.’

‘That’s romantic nonsense!’

‘Is it?’ Wilomena probed softly.

‘Yes,’ Angelina said stubbornly whilst secretly thinking that Wilomena could be right. Why else hadn’t she accepted dates with other men? It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been asked. She couldn’t even claim to be protecting Alex any more, now that he was at boarding school most of the time.

Wilomena shrugged. ‘Have it your way. So, you’re really not going to see Jake next weekend? Not at all?’

‘I…I might go to lunch with him.’

The look on Wilomena’s face was telling.

‘Just lunch!’ Angelina insisted. ‘As you yourself said, I need to find out some more about him.’

‘Sounds like an excuse to gaze at him some more.’

‘I didn’t gaze at him today. I was just shocked at how much he looks like Alex.’

‘Who do you think you’re kidding?’

Angelina groaned. ‘I did stare, didn’t I?’

‘Don’t beat yourself up over it. The man was worth a stare. I ogled myself. So did every other woman in the place.’

‘Which is why I can’t risk being alone with him again. The man’s a right devil where women are concerned. He always was.’

‘Mmm. But aren’t you curious over what it would be like with him now? I mean, he’s sure to be very good in the sack. If what you say about him is true, he’s had plenty of practice.’

‘Too much practice. No, I’m not curious about his lovemaking abilities,’ she lied. ‘Only about his character and whether he’s going to be good for Alex.’

‘You know, Angelina, you’re a woman as well as a mother. Do you ever think of your own needs?’

‘Yes, of course I do.’

‘But I’ve never known you to go out on a date. Not during the time I’ve worked here, anyway.’

‘Dating is seriously overrated. And so is sex.’

‘Don’t knock it till you try it.’

Angelina flushed. ‘Who says I haven’t?’