“That she’s brave and tough. She made a difficult decision.”
“Was it the choice you’d have made if you’d known?”
“I don’t know. I can’t say how I would’ve felt at the time. I probably would’ve stayed and done my MBA if we hadn’t split up, regardless of a baby. But that’s in the past now.” It was. We’d talked about it a little more, especially about when we got to March and what would’ve been her due date. But there was no blame or regret, just an acceptance.
Nick nodded. “Sounds like you’ve got it sorted.”
I laughed. “I’m living with a woman, Nick. It’s a fucking minefield. You never know what comment is going to set off some sort of explosion. Especially Claire.”
“At least you know where you stand with her, kind of.”
“Yeah, in a fucking bomb shelter. She mentioned about changing the safe room to a shoe closet or a dressing room for her, but I’m keeping it as my safe place,” I said, trying to make him laugh.
Nick shook his head. “Funny. Somehow I think you’re about as scared of her as the twins are of me.”
“That’s probably right.” I folded my arms and eyed him. “Katie.”
“What about her?”
“How long is she nannying for?”
“She’s not the girls’ nanny,” Nick said.
“What is she then, because they fucking adore her.”
“When she moves out she’ll still see them.”
“In what capacity?”
“Fuck off, Killian.”
I shook my head. “No, Nick. You’re both dancing round each other like you’re in a fucking ballroom. What’s happening with the pair of you?”
He looked up at the joists. “This won’t be a problem to convert. Bet we could do it in a couple of weeks if we got Mick and Jamie in to help. It’s structurally sound. How many houses down the road have done the same?”
“Most of them. Nice try at a deflection. Have you been there?”
“Slept with her? No. We stopped.” He shook his head. “Look, Killian, I really don’t want to talk about it but because you’re like the proverbial rabid mutt with a fucking bone, I will. There’s something there; we get along so well and she’s fucking gorgeous but I don’t want the celebrity life near my girls.”
“What if she stopped the modelling and just did her charity work?”
Nick looked back up to the rafters. “Even then. Leave it at that. We’re friends and that’s how it’s going to stay. She can live at mine for as long as she wants. She’s fantastic with the twins.”
“What about her date next week?”
He laughed. “It’s with Julian Nixon. It’s not a date.”
I joined in with his laughter. We both knew Julian who was a nice guy but was completely in the closet and liked to keep up appearances for his parents’ sake, unfortunately for him.
“Come on, bro,” Nick said. “Let’s go get some food. I’m fucking famished.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Claire
Making eye contact was not on my agenda as I almost ran through the reception at Callaghan Green straight into the female bathrooms. There were three cubicles, a large space near the sinks and several mirrors. When we’d renovated the building a year or so ago, Ava had made sure that there was a decent place for the girls to get ready for a night out straight from work. It was light, the mirrors were huge and the sinks had plenty of space to put down your make-up. Not that any of that was a factor right now.
I checked no one was in any of the cubicles and locked the door so I had all the space to myself. If anyone needed to bathroom, they’d have to use the accessible one or the men’s. Or even better, take an early finish and go to Whisky Ginger for a Tuesday night special.
