Valentine's Dates by Rhian Cahill Page B

faces were only inches apart, she let him have it.
    “Don’t ever use me like this again. I have no idea what you’re playing at, but I can tell you now, Edward, I will squash you like a bug if you ever try it again.” Satisfied, Vee sat back and picked up her menu.
    “I, I…” His face flushed and a fine shine of sweat coated his forehead and upper lip. “I don’t know what you mean, Valentine.”
    She eyed him closely. Edward had seemed harmless, if a bit of a social climber, but she hadn’t thought he had the brains – or the balls – to use her to elevate himself higher. He turned his gaze away and picked up his menu. To anyone watching them, he appeared an average man perusing the list of meal options, and Vee had a niggle of doubt about her suspicions.
    Deciding to leave it for now, she concentrated on the menu in her hand. It didn’t take her long to make up her mind. She couldn’t deny herself the Lobster Mornay. Vee put the menu on the table edge and reached for her water glass. Glancing around, she noticed quite a few of her acquaintances and wondered what they must be thinking. The last man she’d dated seriously had been from Melbourne, so being seen out with him had been infrequent and no gossip had ever made the rounds. Before that she’d kept her dates limited to single evenings at public functions. Until this evening the only men she’d been seen with in an intimate setting in public were her brother and Brent.
    She sighed. Accepting Edward’s invitation had been a monumental mistake. And she had no one to blame but herself. She’d let her anger and frustration at another man goad her into proving she didn’t need him or his approval. Another sigh left her chest as Vee resigned herself to suffering the consequences of her actions.
    They remained silent until Jennifer returned to take their orders. With that out of the way, neither of them spoke and Vee realised she’d pegged Edward right. He had used her to advance his social standing. She wasn’t a fool; she knew she was one of Sydney’s most eligible single women. There were so many obstacles to her dating that avoiding it had been easy.
    Of course she knew where Mr Right was; she just didn’t have the courage to catch him. Again. The last time she’d connected with Brent had nearly destroyed her and she wasn’t prepared to go another round with him. Pulled from her depressing thoughts by the appearance of Morgan, Vee smiled and stood to offer him a hug.
    “You okay?” he whispered in her ear.
    His concern caused her eyes to sting, but Vee refused to let this mess of a date get her down. Morgan cooked the most sublime food and she planned to enjoy it even if she couldn’t enjoy the company she ate it with. Letting go, she stepped back. “I’m good. Better now that I know I’m having your wonderful Lobster Mornay for dinner.”
    “I’ll allow your praise to soothe the wound left by your lack of attention in recent months.” Morgan smiled and, reaching over, tilted her chin up so their gazes locked. “Don’t be neglecting me anymore.”
    “Oh, stop it.” She brushed his hand away. “It’s been hectic lately, what with moving into Wade’s and organising the refurb of my house. And then there’s little Davie. He’s the biggest time waster on the planet.”
    “Emily and Wade brought him in to meet everyone last month. I hadn’t seen him since the week he was born. He’s grown so big.”
    Vee’s heart swelled with love for her nephew. “He seems to grow bigger every day. Did Wade tell you he’s trying to crawl?”
    Morgan laughed. “It would be simpler to ask what your brother didn’t tell me about that boy.”
    She smiled. “I know. He’s the proudest father I’ve ever seen.”
    “And he’s happy. Truly happy,” Morgan added.
    “That’s Emily’s doing.” Vee retook her seat. “She’s brought back the old Wade, only better.”
    Morgan nodded. “Agreed. Now, I know you ordered the cheesecake for