She could understand that. ‘What’s your mum like?’
He smiled a little. ‘She looks like a prim and proper lady who loves pottering in her garden and getting involved in all the local charity organisations, but she can be as tough as the old man when it comes to running the business. She was his right-hand man for a long time.’
‘Maybe that’s where you got your business genes from,’ she said, trying to lighten the conversation.
‘Yeah, probably. It wasn’t something I thought I’d be getting into.’
‘So why did you?’
He leaned back against the kitchen bench and watched as she wiped down the countertop. ‘The Delsantos gave me anopportunity to try something different and I took it. It wasn’t exactly something I could have turned down, if I’m being honest about it. I wasn’t the kind of man Leo wanted his daughter marrying, so it was his way of keeping an eye on me,’ he explained dryly. ‘But turned out, I liked it. Maybe not the lifestyle so much,’ he added with a small frown. ‘I’m not really into the whole socialite scene. But the experience I gained working for him …’ He shrugged ‘That’s given me experience I would never have got doing anything else. Not that it’s going to do me any good right now. I’m pretty sure he’s blacklisted me from every business on the entire east coast.’
‘He’d really do that?’
‘There was a rather unpleasant phone call that suggested the possibility,’ he said with a surprisingly unperturbed tone.
‘I’m so sorry, Ewan,’ she said, feeling a twinge of guilt for indirectly blowing up his life.
He shrugged. ‘It is what it is.’
How can he be so unperturbed?‘What will you do?’ she asked.
‘Give it time to die down and see what the damage is after, I guess.’
The part of her that needed to have a back-up plan to her back-up plan was horrified.
She was trying to process how someone in that situation didn’t have a meltdown when her mother walked in and asked if anyone wanted a coffee.
Ewan smiled. ‘I’d love one.’
Twelve
After dinner, Kenzie went through the bedtime routine with Poppy and thankfully, due to an extra-long before-dinner play with Jack and Ewan, she was worn out and fell asleep after only a small protest. She went back out to the lounge room and found her mother, Ewan and Jack in easy conversation about travelling.
Taking the only seat available, beside Ewan, she found herself extremely conscious of how close they were sitting. The lounge was spacious, but somehow, Ewan made it feel a lot smaller tonight.
He’d had a shower, judging by the fact he was in different clothes and his short hair was still damp, making it look even darker than usual. She caught the scent of something masculine—clean and crisp—and a little prickle of awareness raised its curious head.
Not a chance in hell, she told it firmly.Look what happened last time.
In retaliation, her mind threw up a few snapshots of a certain man naked in bed, just to make sure she realisedexactlywhat she was saying no to. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
‘Kenzie?’ her mother said, making her head snap up.
‘Sorry?’
‘I was just saying Jack and I are heading to bed.’
‘Oh, okay. Night.’
‘Early start tomorrow,’ Jack said, already standing and waving goodnight.
‘Okay.’ Kenzie nodded, feeling slightly awkward as she realised she and Ewan would be left alone. She wanted to say she was going to turn in as well, but it was still relatively early and she’d feel bad if it made Ewan feel he also had to go to bed. ‘Did you want a coffee … or a drink? I’m pretty sure Jack’s got port, if you’re into that kind of thing?’
‘I could do a coffee,’ he said, and she was relieved she had something to keep her hands busy.
They moved out into the kitchen, and Kenzie took down two cups from the cupboard.
‘How did you get into event planning?’ he asked as she worked.
