for breakfast, to make sure he has a decent start on the day. Otherwise he’ll eat junk and that’s not good for him.”
Him? Rey bolted upright, pain lancing his chest. “You have a husband? Boyfriend? You said you were single?”
“Simmer down, I am single.” She shook her head, looking angry, but not sounding it. There was laughter there. They hadn’t done much of that tonight—it had been too intense—but he’d make up for that another night. Geez, there he was planning already. He never planned. “What kind of woman do you think I am, Mr Casino King?”
The kind with secrets. “So do you have a son? What? You can’t possibly have someone old enough to be left on their own?”
“A brother. After mum died I put my hand up to be his guardian. He was nine at the time, I was just about eighteen. They couldn’t say no, I was legally old enough, or would have been by the time they’d dragged it through the courts. We’ve had our ups and downs but we’re getting there.”
“It must have been hard on you?”
She shrugged, clearly trying to brush off something that still caused her pain. “It was. I nursed mum through cancer; losing her was hard. Losing my anchor was one thing, but taking on another person’s life, being his one and only has been the single most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It’s not easy being a nag and trying to be a friend at the same time.”
“He doesn’t like being told what to do?” Rey couldn’t hide his smile. “A family trait?”
That raised a smile. “He’s definitely a handful at times.”
“I’ll bet, if he’s anything like his sister.” He thought back to the mouthy street kid, to that gangly broken kid Ted had let in to the fight club who just wouldn’t give up even when he was beat, and he remembered being a teenager himself. “Kids that age think they can rule the world. They’re stroppy, testing the boundaries. It’s a lot to take on. And now you’re studying too?”
Tears filled her eyes unexpectedly. “Look, I lied to you, Rey. I’m not a nursing student. I made that up on the spot when you asked me. I wasn’t expecting you to even glance in my direction, never mind talk to me. But I just didn’t want you to know anything about the real me. I didn’t know you then, like I do now.”
“And now? More lies?” He felt the tension coil through him, starting in his chest. Trust no one . It had held him in good stead for years. Why he’d suddenly changed his stance now he didn’t know. But it had clearly been a mistake. He knew all about the sugar-coated smiles, the reality simmering underneath. Lies again and again. I love you, son. I’m sorry. So sorry. It won’t happen again. Until it did. “How about the truth? I told you I don’t like being taken for a ride.”
She sat back on the bed and covered his hand with hers, and he had to admit she did look genuinely sorry and contrite. But then they always did. “Whatever I’ve said to you in the past, I want you to know that what we just did was real. From the heart.”
“From the heart? Those are lofty words, Kate. Straight after you’ve admitted a lie.”
“Yes, utterly from the heart, straight after we’ve had sex … made love, whatever you want to call it. Don’t you think there’s something happening here?” She bent forward and trapped his gaze. “If you think … if you think that what we’ve just done was ordinary then that’s okay too. I understand.”
Ordinary? “Whoa, you’re mixing lies up with making love and tying everything in knots. Let’s separate it out, one step at a time. I thought I was spilling my guts to a totally different person, making love to a nurse, for God’s sake. Turns out you had an agenda.”
“Doesn’t everyone have some kind of an agenda, Rey? On day one I didn’t know you, I misjudged you. I had preconceived ideas about you, about casino life, about everything … but can you really say you were up front about everything too?
Him? Rey bolted upright, pain lancing his chest. “You have a husband? Boyfriend? You said you were single?”
“Simmer down, I am single.” She shook her head, looking angry, but not sounding it. There was laughter there. They hadn’t done much of that tonight—it had been too intense—but he’d make up for that another night. Geez, there he was planning already. He never planned. “What kind of woman do you think I am, Mr Casino King?”
The kind with secrets. “So do you have a son? What? You can’t possibly have someone old enough to be left on their own?”
“A brother. After mum died I put my hand up to be his guardian. He was nine at the time, I was just about eighteen. They couldn’t say no, I was legally old enough, or would have been by the time they’d dragged it through the courts. We’ve had our ups and downs but we’re getting there.”
“It must have been hard on you?”
She shrugged, clearly trying to brush off something that still caused her pain. “It was. I nursed mum through cancer; losing her was hard. Losing my anchor was one thing, but taking on another person’s life, being his one and only has been the single most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It’s not easy being a nag and trying to be a friend at the same time.”
“He doesn’t like being told what to do?” Rey couldn’t hide his smile. “A family trait?”
That raised a smile. “He’s definitely a handful at times.”
“I’ll bet, if he’s anything like his sister.” He thought back to the mouthy street kid, to that gangly broken kid Ted had let in to the fight club who just wouldn’t give up even when he was beat, and he remembered being a teenager himself. “Kids that age think they can rule the world. They’re stroppy, testing the boundaries. It’s a lot to take on. And now you’re studying too?”
Tears filled her eyes unexpectedly. “Look, I lied to you, Rey. I’m not a nursing student. I made that up on the spot when you asked me. I wasn’t expecting you to even glance in my direction, never mind talk to me. But I just didn’t want you to know anything about the real me. I didn’t know you then, like I do now.”
“And now? More lies?” He felt the tension coil through him, starting in his chest. Trust no one . It had held him in good stead for years. Why he’d suddenly changed his stance now he didn’t know. But it had clearly been a mistake. He knew all about the sugar-coated smiles, the reality simmering underneath. Lies again and again. I love you, son. I’m sorry. So sorry. It won’t happen again. Until it did. “How about the truth? I told you I don’t like being taken for a ride.”
She sat back on the bed and covered his hand with hers, and he had to admit she did look genuinely sorry and contrite. But then they always did. “Whatever I’ve said to you in the past, I want you to know that what we just did was real. From the heart.”
“From the heart? Those are lofty words, Kate. Straight after you’ve admitted a lie.”
“Yes, utterly from the heart, straight after we’ve had sex … made love, whatever you want to call it. Don’t you think there’s something happening here?” She bent forward and trapped his gaze. “If you think … if you think that what we’ve just done was ordinary then that’s okay too. I understand.”
Ordinary? “Whoa, you’re mixing lies up with making love and tying everything in knots. Let’s separate it out, one step at a time. I thought I was spilling my guts to a totally different person, making love to a nurse, for God’s sake. Turns out you had an agenda.”
“Doesn’t everyone have some kind of an agenda, Rey? On day one I didn’t know you, I misjudged you. I had preconceived ideas about you, about casino life, about everything … but can you really say you were up front about everything too?
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