approached them. Eleanor took one of Pippaâs hands between her own and squeezed it gently. âOf course. I kept you in the sun too long. Thank you for coming. I look forward to seeing you again soon.â
Pippa said her goodbyes, received a brief hug from Justin under his brotherâs frosty glare and hurried to her ute. Heart heavy, she forced herself to think of other things; to not replay the scene in the Mason home over and over; to not allow herself to feel again the thrill of being in Mattâs presence, a strange blend of apprehension, anticipation, desire and regret; to not worry if her gardening contract with Eleanor, so important to the future of her business, was still possible.
There was no point worrying about it. If Matt had anything to do with it, sheâd never see Eleanor or any other member of his family again.
***
âWhatâs going on, Matt?â
He knew he hadnât avoided the sharp gaze of his mother; knew the questions would have to be answered. From the moment heâd walked in and stopped dead at the sight of that treacherous bitch curled up in his brotherâs arms, Eleanor had been watching him. She knew him too well, read him too easily. He was a master at controlling his expressionsâhis profession demanded itâbut somehow Eleanor always knew when he was angry or upset. Heâd escaped to the kitchen, ostensibly to stack the dishwasher, but sheâd followed him like a terrier after a rabbit. At least sheâd waited until Georgia and Marissa had left to commence the inquisition. Still, he prevaricated.
âThe merger between the two insurance companies I told you about is taking up quite a bit of time. The securities commission is sniffing around it becauseââ
âMatthew, you know thatâs not what I meant. Whatâs going on with you and Justin? And Philippa?â
Matt bit back a sigh of frustration. âLeave it alone, Eleanor. Iâm sorting it out. He might have invited her here to dinner, but thereâs no future for Justin and Philippa and the faster they both work that out the better.â
âJustin didnât invite Philippa to dinner. I did.â
Matt stared at his mother as if sheâd gone mad. â You did? How the hell did you come to be inviting her to dinner? How the hell do you even know her?â
Her eldest sonâs angry incredulity didnât intimidate Eleanor in the slightest. She finished rinsing the coffeepot and left it to drain before turning to face him.
âI saw her work at the kindergarten. She did a wonderful job there, and Iâve commissioned her to makeover the garden here.â
âNo way. Thereâs no bloody way that woman is going to be working here on our garden.â
âMatthew, this is your home and it always will be. But itâs my house. And Iâll decide what work is done here, and by whom.â
âFor godâs sake!â Matt thrust his hand through his hair in frustration. âIâm spending half my waking hours trying to keep Philippa Lloyd away from your middle son so he can patch things up with Lucy. You can see heâs interested in Philippa; why would you give her entree to the house and our family?â
âIs that what Iâm doing? I thought all Iâd done was offer her a work contract.â
âBut canât you see? Sheâs going to be under Justinâs nose for weeks, with her butter-wouldnât-melt face and her skimpy little singlets and those horrendous boots. Canât you see sheâs wrangling her way in here? Sheâs doing everything she can to set herself up as the next Mrs Mason, and youâre aiding and abetting her.â
âMatthew, you need to calm down. And stop using that lawyer language on me. I didnât even know Justin and Philippa had met until Justin came home this evening. I hadnât made the connection between Philippa the marriage celebrant and Philippa
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