A Family This Christmas. Sue MacKay

faced with the real possibility she’d turn him down. Being pushy had worked.

      ‘I guess Havelock is as good a place to be as Blenheim.’

      ‘Better, as far as I’m concerned. More community spirited.’ Something he’d come to appreciate. It had taken time for him to get used to living in such a small place after spending ten years in Wellington. Nowadays he doubted he’d cope with the stress of city living with two young boys to keep a firm hand on.

      ‘Only until I’ve got the hang of these damned things.’ Bang, bang, the crutches slammed down on the floor. ‘A couple of days at the most.’

      ‘Sure.’ The warmth spread. He’d asked out of guilt and yet now he was feeling good about the whole situation. Steady, boy, steady. You might’ve leapt into the deepest part of the pond and have no way of surviving.

      ‘There she is.’

      ‘Hello, Jenny. Are you coming to our house?’ The twins mobbed her, threatening her precarious balance.

      But before Cam got a word out Jenny was laughing with them and saying, ‘How can I refuse that welcome?’

      He hadn’t got a laugh, or even a thank you. Did he need to take lessons from his sons on how to get onside with a pretty woman?

      ‘Boys, wait here with Jenny while I bring the car to the door. Mind those crutches, will you?’

      As he stepped out into the sunshine he heard Marcus asking, ‘Can we have a go on the crutches later? They’re cool.’

      Unfortunately the doors slid shut before he heard Jenny’s reply, but something told him she’d have agreed. She got on with the boys so easily. As long as she didn’t get too close and they got hurt when she left. He’d knew too well the devastation their mother had caused them when she’d walked away. But what were the odds Jenny would stay more than a night, two at the most? How attached could Marcus and Andrew get in that short time?

      How attached would he get? He so wasn’t ready to trust his heart again. Doubted he ever would be.

      No getting away from the fact this had definitely been the dumbest idea he’d ever come up with. Not once had he factored the boys’ hearts into the equation, let alone his own. Blast you, Margaret, for doing this to us. How long did it take for youngsters to truly understand what being abandoned by their mother meant? Or did they already get it and this searching for her was just part of the acceptance process?

      Note to self: go see a shrink and get my head space tidied up so I understand my boys and don’t make stupid mistakes about a woman with beautiful eyes that I could drown in.