The Marry-Me Wish by Alison Roberts Page A

the chaos in front ofher. The big mahogany table in the dining room was covered with plans for things like an en suite going into the master bedroom and a makeover for the other bathrooms. Sketches of ideas for the garden and paint colour cards were scattered amongst pictures cut from house and garden type magazines. Fabric samples draped the back of chairs and rolls of wallpaper were open and anchored with books on the floor.
    This project had become more than fun. At some stage in the last few days Anne had become hooked. She’d never attempted renovation on anything like this scale but then she’d never had the time or the need for distraction. Or an apparently unlimited budget.
    Her enthusiasm seemed to be contagious. David returned her smile. ‘And I’m enjoying having some company and something happening in the house,’ he said. ‘It felt like a mausoleum when I first came back. Now it’s…’
    â€˜A mess?’
    â€˜Alive.’
    Nothing more had been said about her moving out since then. Day after day went by with the momentum of the renovation project increasing at a pace that mirrored Anne’s returning physical well being. She was regaining her emotional strength as well. So much so, that when the prospect of spending a whole day with David when he had his first day off in more than a week was disturbing, Anne decided it was time to stretch her wings.
    â€˜I’m going to go and visit Jules and Mac and the babies today,’ she informed David when he appeared inthe dining room to get an update on progress, a mug of coffee in his hand. ‘Daily phone calls don’t seem to be enough any more. I’d like to see them all.’
    â€˜They live over the back of Governer’s Bay, don’t they?’
    â€˜Yes. Up on the hill with a fabulous view of the harbour.’
    â€˜That’s quite a drive. You sure you’re up to it?’
    Anne’s nod was confident. ‘My car needs a run. The battery’s probably getting flat by now.’
    â€˜I could drive you over.’ Something in his gaze suggested that he hadn’t been considering the condition of her vehicle.
    â€˜No need,’ Anne said hurriedly. Even if he wasn’t showing a disconcerting comprehension of how difficult it might be for her to see the babies again, being in car with David would be very different to being in his house like this. Here, there were constant reminders that they weren’t alone.
    Right now, hammering sounds came from upstairs where Jim and his team were working in the main bathroom. A conversation between a couple of electricians was taking place in the hallway outside what had become Anne’s office and through the latticed windows Nick, the university student, gave a wave as he walked past, carrying a serious looking hedge clipper under one arm.
    Anne waved back and nodded her approval. The banging overhead got louder.
    â€˜It would be a nice drive,’ David added. ‘I could go for a walk while you were visiting.’ He looked up at the ceiling. ‘Don’t think I’ll get much done around here today.’
    Anne paused in the sorting of the quotes she’d been reviewing. David might be enjoying how lively the house had become but it had to be unsettling when you couldn’t be sure if the water was running or whether a stranger might be in the bathroom you were hoping to use. And maybe it was more to do with him enjoying having company.
    Was David lonely?
    Like she was a lot of the time when she wasn’t at work?
    She was going to see her family today. David didn’t have any family and he’d always been a bit like her in that his devotion to his career hadn’t allowed for the nurturing of close friendships.
    When they’d had each other, it hadn’t mattered.
    â€˜Maybe I’ll go and see if I can give that young lad in the garden a hand with something.’ David turned to leave and Anne felt