Second Chance Lane Page 19

  ‘But I don’t have a guitar.’ Isla slouched in her seat, channelling every moody pre-teen on the planet.

  ‘It’s better to have a few lessons, see if you’re really into it, before investing in an instrument,’ Kody said.

  Tash nodded her agreement.

  ‘I guess.’ Isla shrugged and straightened, eyeing another piece of cake. ‘If I get to take some of that mousse cake home, I’ll go now and get started on my homework.’

  ‘Deal,’ Tash and Kody said in unison, and this time, when Tash joined in Kody’s laughter, she didn’t have to force it.

  ‘There are plastic containers in the cupboard over the sink,’ Kody said, standing to help clear the table. ‘Make sure you leave some for me, though.’

  ‘No worries.’

  To Tash’s surprise, Isla made quick work of dishing the remaining cake and crumble into containers and snaffling one for herself before she picked up her backpack from near the door.

  She waved. ‘Great hanging out with you, Dad. See you at home, Mum.’

  And with that she was gone, a whirlwind in her navy school uniform, jogging across the five hundred metres that separated their houses.

  ‘She’s in an awful hurry to get started on that homework,’ Kody said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Tash said, wondering what Isla was up to and hoping her rush to leave the two of them alone wasn’t some lame attempt to matchmake. Dinner had been fine, but if Isla hoped to make it an ongoing thing she’d be sorely disappointed. Despite Tash’s physical reaction to Kody, he’d be leaving sooner rather than later and no way would she encourage Isla to build false hope where her parents were concerned.

  ‘I’ll help clean up then I’ll leave too,’ she said, bustling around the table, stacking plates and bowls with expertise mastered at the roadhouse.

  Kody smiled. ‘Just how many of those can you carry without the whole lot tumbling to the floor?’

  ‘This is nothing,’ she said, giving a little jiggle that set the crockery clanking. ‘You forget, I’ve been doing this for thirteen years.’

  His lips compressed into a thin line. ‘So you’ve waitressed all that time?’

  ‘Yep,’ she said, as she rinsed off the plates and stacked them in the dishwasher. ‘I got a job at The Watering Hole not long after I returned to town and have been there ever since.’

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘I like having a job that pays the rent, the bills and whatever Isla wants to do.’ She wondered if he heard a hint of resentment in her voice and rushed on: ‘Plus it’s rare to find a job where your co-workers are more like family and that’s what Ruby, Alisha and Harry are.’

  ‘You’re close to them all?’

  For a second Tash thought she glimpsed jealousy, but that probably had more to do with her overactive imagination than any real caring on Kody’s part. Besides, even if she were involved with anyone, it was none of his business.

  ‘Ruby is the new boss—her mum, Clara, gave me the job in the first place, but she died unexpectedly last year. Alisha is my best friend. And then there’s Harry.’ It was wrong of her to torment him but she wanted to see if her suspicions were correct. If his clenched jaw was any indication, she was spot on.

  ‘You two are close?’

  ‘Very.’ She bit back a smile as she entwined her index and middle finger. ‘Like this.’

  ‘Right,’ he said, sounding like it was anything but as he snatched up the salad bowl and stomped towards the sink.

  ‘Then again, we’re all close, considering Harry is Alisha’s fiancé.’

  Kody deliberately bumped her with his hip as he deposited the salad bowl in the sink. ‘You think you’re pretty funny, don’t you?’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I do.’ She pulled an exaggerated frown. ‘With you looking like this, I almost thought you were jealous.’

  He carefully blanked his expression before speaking. ‘Stands to reason I’d be curious if you were dating anyone, considering they’d be in Isla’s life too.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she said, pinning him with a stare that conveyed she didn’t believe his BS about Tash letting a man into Isla’s life for a minute. ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’ve been on tour for the last fifteen months. It doesn’t leave time for relationships.’

  ‘So we’re both single and loving it.’ She rinsed off cutlery and separated the forks, spoons and knives into their respective dishwasher compartments to avoid looking at him in case he saw right through her lie. She may wear her single status like a badge of honour but she didn’t love it. Every time she served happy couples at the roadhouse she experienced a tiny stab of envy, and attending school functions as a single parent drew the inevitable pitying glances. But there were few partner prospects in Brockenridge; none she’d want Isla close to, that is. Though the last thing she wanted was Kody thinking she was a sad spinster.

  ‘Not sure if I love it so much,’ he said, rinsing off the last of the bowls and standing way too close to her at the sink. ‘It gets pretty lonely living on the road.’

  Surprised by his honesty, she said, ‘It’s lonely here too, sometimes, but I keep busy.’

  ‘Busy doesn’t keep you warm at night though.’

  Tash turned to find herself almost toe to toe with him. She could see the widening of his pupils, the flecks of caramel in the chocolate, and the tiniest of scars beneath his right eye that she’d kissed many times before. She shouldn’t have thought about kissing because that drew her focus to his mouth. The full, sexy mouth that could coax the most amazing responses from her, the mouth that crooned soulful rock ballads or belted out bangers, the mouth that had slayed her from their first hello.

  As he moved infinitesimally closer, Tash had a second to put a stop to this madness. To back away. To make a joke. To laugh it off as an awkward moment between two old friends.

  Instead, she stood there, frozen, as Kody’s lips claimed hers.

  CHAPTER

  27

  Kody had always been impulsive. Running away from a foster home for the first time age nine, punching a kid for calling him a snivelling bastard at ten, stealing his first bike at eleven. Stupid, rash decisions.

  Those had nothing on giving in to the impulse to kiss Tash.

  The moment his mouth fused with hers, he wondered how such a foolish action could feel so right. Her soft, pliable lips melded to his, warm and sensual, making him groan deep in his throat. Increasing the pressure, he savoured the way she met him halfway, challenging, demanding, giving as good as she got. Then her lips parted and he was a goner. He cupped the back of her head, raking his fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss until he could barely breathe. Their tongues tangled, slow and sensuous, the sexiest damn thing he’d done in a long time.

  Eager for more, he backed her up against the island bench and plastered his body to hers, leaving her in little doubt of how much he wanted her. But the moment their pelvises aligned, she wrenched her mouth from his and stared over his shoulder, unable to meet his eyes.

  Their ragged breathing echoed in the silence of the kitchen. They didn’t speak. And when she finally raised her eyes to meet his, he knew her confusion and excitement and trepidation matched his.

  ‘Don’t expect me to apologise for that,’ he said, sounding stupidly gruff when all he wanted to do was kiss her senseless again.

  ‘I gave up expecting anything from you a long time ago.’

  He didn’t deserve her retort and the stricken widening of her eyes told him she knew it.

  ‘That was way out of line and I’m sorry,’ she said, placing a hand on his chest directly over his heart. ‘You took me by surprise and I lashed out.’

  ‘Took me by surprise too.’ He couldn’t help but grin. ‘But that kiss was pretty damn amazing.’

  She blushed, the slight upturning at the corners of her mouth making him want to kiss her again. ‘As good as I remember.’

  ‘Not better?’

  ‘Now you’re just fishing for compliments.’
She patted his chest and lowered her hand, leaving him yearning for her touch. ‘Let’s chalk it up to an impulsive gesture at the end of a long day.’

  He understood she didn’t want to talk about it. No way in hell he wanted to analyse what had prompted him to give in to temptation, not when their lives were already complicated enough.

  ‘Are you sure you’re okay? You looked pretty shell-shocked when you first arrived.’

  She ducked her head to close the dishwasher, but not before he glimpsed real sorrow in her eyes. Indignation flared swiftly; he wanted to throttle whoever had hurt her.

  ‘I visited my parents today,’ she said, with the slightest quiver in her voice. ‘At least, that was the plan. But my mum was away so I only saw my dad.’

  ‘And it didn’t go well?’

  She shook her head. ‘I thought after all this time he might’ve softened, that he might even want to get to know his granddaughter …’

  ‘But?’

  She blinked rapidly and he waited until she composed herself, his fingers curling into fists by his sides. He knew if he reached out to comfort her on the heels of that kiss, he might be tempted to do it all over again. That’s the last thing she needed, not when she trusted him enough to offload about her crappy parents.

  ‘He said I was still dead to them, so they didn’t have a granddaughter.’

  She sounded so forlorn he had to hold her. Outrage at her shitty father made him squeeze too tight and she quickly pulled away, casting a quizzical glance at him.

  ‘Sorry. I don’t know your dad but I’m bloody angry he’d treat you that way.’

  ‘I should’ve known …’ She gave a little shake of head and squared her shoulders, as if coming to a decision. ‘At least I tried and it’s their loss. Isla’s an amazing kid and if they don’t want to find that out for themselves, too damn bad.’

  ‘Absolutely.’ He squeezed her arm. ‘Are you okay with me teaching her guitar?’

  ‘Of course.’ A small smile played about her lips. ‘I think it’s great she can share that with you.’

  ‘Have you given much thought to how this coparenting will work after I leave?’ He didn’t want to bring this up, not when they were getting along much better than a week ago, but at some point he’d be leaving and he wanted to get their custody arrangement locked down.

  Predictably, the shutters descended, darkening her eyes, wiping her expression. ‘Not really. We’ve got another month at least?’

  He wanted to call out her blatant lie—as if she wouldn’t be thinking about how custody would work. She loved Isla and, from what he’d seen, was a brilliant mother. Which probably explained her brush-off: she was scared about how sharing custody would work. Rather than push, he backed off a little.

  ‘Yeah, but I don’t want to leave it till the last minute to get something concrete in place.’

  Her heartfelt sigh shot straight through his chest. ‘Logically, I know we’ll need lawyers to draw up some kind of agreement. But the sentimental part of me wants to give it more time to see how things go between you and Isla.’

  He had no idea what she was implying. Did she think he’d turn his back on his daughter once he left? If so, she didn’t know him at all and never had. He wouldn’t have abandoned Isla if he’d known about her back in their dating days and he sure as hell wouldn’t now.

  ‘She’s a part of my life, Tash, and that’s not going to change.’

  She must’ve heard the anger in his tone because she slipped her hand into his. ‘I know, but I’m scared.’

  ‘Of what?’ He wanted to wrench his hand away. He didn’t need her comfort. He needed her to see him as a responsible parent, a good father who’d do anything to make his child happy now he knew of her existence. But he didn’t, because he needed to hear what she had to say, to reassure her that she could depend on him.

  ‘I’m scared of letting Isla travel with you because she’ll find living with you more appealing than staying here with me.’ She swallowed, like the admission stuck in her throat. ‘And I’m afraid of feeling redundant and alone when she’s with you.’

  Hell. He hadn’t expected her to be so blunt but a part of him was glad she’d opened up. It meant they had hope, that they both had Isla’s best interests at heart and would do whatever it took to ensure their daughter came first.

  ‘You’ll always be her mum and this town is her home. Travel will be glamorous for her but I’d never try and sway her to live with me permanently. You have to know that—right?’

  After a long pause, she said, ‘I don’t know anything anymore. The moment you showed up here my life turned upside down and I’m still spinning because of it.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s not because of my kiss? Because I’m damn good at it, apparently.’

  ‘Idiot.’ She whacked him on the arm with her free hand, but at least her eyes had lost their haunted look. ‘So exactly how many recommendations have you had over the years?’

  He released her hand. They were nothing more than friends now. Who’d kissed. Once. And it couldn’t happen again.

  ‘I’m on the road most of the year and I’m the lead singer in a well-known band, so suffice to say I haven’t been a monk.’ He wiggled his eyebrows, determined to make her laugh. ‘Jealous?’

  Her gaze swept him from head to toe. ‘Been there, done that.’

  He laughed. ‘You haven’t lost your sense of humour. I like that.’

  He liked a lot more than that but it wasn’t the time or place to pursue whatever interest he may have in reigniting the spark between them. Because that kiss, and her response to it, suggested it would take little for them to fall into bed together and the last thing he needed was a fling before they’d settled their custody issues.

  ‘I know we’re joking around,’ she said, her expression suddenly guarded, ‘but I worry about Isla being exposed to … uh … the kind of lifestyle you lead.’

  ‘And what kind of lifestyle is that? A healthy sexual relationship where both parties know the score?’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t be parading women through my dressing room right in front of her. And that’s even if I get back to touring.’ His voice had risen and he hated the pity he saw in her eyes. He’d rather have her staring at him with interest, curiosity, even passion, than feeling sorry for him.

  ‘You’re playing guitar again, that’s a start.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have done it for anybody but Isla,’ he said, sounding grouchy and out of sorts and needing to rein it in. ‘But I took your advice, and Yanni’s, and have been chatting to a professional online.’

  ‘That’s great.’

  ‘Anyway, I’m due to check in with the boys—’ He didn’t want to get into a discussion about it and he sensed that’s exactly what she wanted.

  ‘I’ll get out of your way.’

  A flicker of hurt crossed her face but he couldn’t be swayed by it. Tash couldn’t be his confidante, no matter how easy it was to talk to her. She’d always been a good listener and revealing his dreams to be a rock star hadn’t seemed so ludicrous when spoken out loud to her. Ironic that, in telling her the truth about his ambitions, she’d chosen to not tell him the truth about her pregnancy because of how badly he craved success.

  ‘No worries,’ he said. ‘I really enjoyed spending time with Isla today so if she could check her study schedule and squeeze me in more often, that’d be great.’

  ‘Okay.’ She paused. ‘See you later.’

  When she reached the back door, he said, ‘Tash?’

  She turned, hand on the doorknob. ‘Yeah?’

  Here went nothing. ‘I like hanging out with you too. For Isla’s sake, we need to be friends and if you can squeeze me into your busy schedule, I’d like to spend more time with you.’

  ‘As friends.’

  ‘That’s what I said. Friends.’ He winked. ‘Who kiss occasionally.’

  ‘You’ve always been a bad influence on me.’ Her smile warmed his heart. ‘But okay. What’
s the worst that can happen?’

  He didn’t want to contemplate that because he knew deep down spending time with Tash in a friendly capacity had the potential to morph into so much more. And damned if he was ready for it.

  CHAPTER

  28

  ‘I’m really glad you wanted to meet for a coffee.’ Jane raised her latte to Louise. ‘Here’s to many more catch-ups.’

  Louise hesitated, before tapping her mug against Jane’s glass. ‘We’ve got a lot to catch up on.’

  Jane agreed but she didn’t know where to start, which is why she’d asked Louise to meet her at Betty’s Bakery. Here they’d have stuff to talk about, at least, like the work she was doing with the redecoration.

  ‘Shame Bec couldn’t join us but she’s parent helper in the classroom this morning and couldn’t get out of it. She said she’ll join us next time though.’

  ‘That’s great.’ Jane wanted to make a fresh start in this town and what better way than getting reacquainted with her former best friends?

  Louise placed her cup back in its saucer, eyeing her with wariness. ‘You know the last time we bumped into each other at the supermarket and you warned me your mum was inside?’

  Jane dropped the pistachio macaron she’d reached for, her appetite gone. ‘Did you run into her?’

  ‘Yeah. No offence, but your mum’s a bitch.’

  ‘Tell me something I don’t know.’ It had been over a week since Jane had seen her mother. Gladys had capitulated forty-eight hours after their conversation and the sale of the shop to Betty and Mason had proceeded without a hitch. Though Jane still wasn’t clear on why her mother had given in.

  ‘You two haven’t been close since your dad died?’

  Jane nodded. She didn’t want to resurrect bad memories, but Louise was making an effort to reconnect and she couldn’t shut her down immediately without appearing insensitive. ‘Yeah, we had a falling out back then and haven’t been able to patch things up since.’

  ‘Do you want to? I mean, you reached out to me and I think it’s great. And while Gladys seems horrible, maybe she’s lashing out at you because she’s hurt?’