Christmas With The Single Dad. Sarah Morgan

She glanced down at her hands. ‘Christmas lunch with my mother and aunt is an ordeal. They spend at least an hour picking over my myriad flaws and the perceived mistakes I’ve made for the year. Given my start in life and all … Yadda yadda yadda. You get the picture.’

      ‘I do.’ His voice was grim.

      ‘And this year I just couldn’t face it. Normally I only survive that lunch with my mother because of the promise of a rollicking good party with my friends in the evening—my Christmas highlight.’

      ‘And that’s not happening this year?’

      Oh, it was happening all right. She just wouldn’t be a part of it.

      ‘Nicola?’

      She hadn’t meant to reveal her troubles to anyone while she was here at Waminda Downs. She’d promised herself that she was through with being an object of pity. And she was. ‘I don’t want this going any further. I don’t want you telling your family or Harry or Jack or anyone about this.’

      ‘That always went without saying. But you have my word of honour.’

      Even now she knew she could pull back—plead a headache and retire to her room. Flee to her room. But she suddenly found she didn’t want to. She wanted to lance some of the poison that blackened her thoughts until she could taste the bitterness in her mouth. She wanted to hurl it into the darkness where the night could swallow it and hopefully destroy it.

      She pulled in a breath that made her whole frame shake. ‘Right now I should be in the middle of wedding preparations. My wedding preparations.’

      His head snapped back. ‘You’re engaged?’

      ‘Was. Past tense.’

      ‘Hell, I’m sorry. I …’

      He trailed off like so many of her friends had when they’d heard the news.

      ‘He dumped me for another woman and, yes, before you say it, I agree it’s better to have found that out now than after we were married.’

      ‘It’s still a tough blow and a lot to deal with, but …’

      She glanced up. ‘Yes?’

      ‘I’d have thought being with your friends at a time like this would’ve been the best thing. You could’ve blown your mother off with some excuse or other.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I mean, I can just imagine her comments on a broken engagement, but having the support and understanding of your friends would’ve been invaluable, wouldn’t it?’

      She laughed and the bitterness of it cut deep into her. ‘I’m sorry I left out one tiny detail. My fiancé dumped me for my best friend.’

       CHAPTER FOUR

      NICOLA couldn’t look at Cade after she’d uttered those words. His shocked intake of breath told her all she needed to know.

      Along with the silence.

      She hated that kind of silence. She’d dealt with too much of it these past three months. ‘We’re all still friends. Brad and Diane didn’t mean for it to happen. They didn’t mean to hurt me.’

      ‘How very adult of you,’ he ground out wryly.

      She grimaced. He was right. She sounded like a B-grade actor in some corny nineteen-eighties telemovie.

      When she glanced at him she recognised the flare of anger in his eyes and she knew it was directed at Brad and Diane, not at her. And God forgive her, but it made her feel good.

      The thing was, they hadn’t meant to hurt her. She knew that.

      But they had.

      They’d crushed something vital inside her and she didn’t know how to get it back.

      ‘They announced their engagement last month and that’s when I realised I couldn’t spend Christmas in Melbourne this year. Without meaning to, I’d ruin it for everyone. A lot of our set are angry with them, but are following my lead because I’ve asked them to. If I’d stayed I wouldn’t have been able to keep the brave face up. It would’ve created a division in the group and I don’t want that. It’s not fair to force people to take sides.’

      ‘So you applied for a job and came out here.’

      Her lips twisted and an apology welled inside her. ‘With all my Christmas spirit, I’m afraid.’ And that had hardly been fair either, had it? She glanced down at her hands. ‘When I arrived you asked me if I was running away from something. I’m not running away. I’m just taking a break and gathering my resources before I have to face it all again.’

      He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

      She bit back a sigh. ‘I’m sorry. I can see now that was hardly fair of me. I thought I’d be in the background out here and not of much consequence.’ Her actions suddenly seemed horribly selfish and self absorbed.

      Cade still didn’t say anything.

      She winced. ‘Do you want me to leave?’

      He didn’t answer that either. Her heart started to pound. She glanced at him. He glared back at her. ‘So what the hell is with the getting fit and losing weight thing?’

      Oh.

      She swallowed and stared out into the night, unable to look at him. The glory of the stars still awed her. She wanted to reach out and touch one, clasp it in her hand and make a wish.

      A childish fantasy, but no more childish than believing she could’ve built a life with Brad.

      ‘Nicola?’

      She bit back a sigh. ‘I’ve come up with a plan to make myself over and improve myself.’

      He shifted on his seat. ‘You’ve what?’

      She was proud she didn’t flinch at his incredulity. She kept her eyes fixed on the brightest star. ‘Strong in body, strong in mind. At least, that’s the idea.’

      ‘What are you hoping to achieve?’

      He spoke those words much quieter and it took an effort to keep her focus on the starlit sky and not turn to him. ‘I want to look better, I want to feel better, and I want people to stop looking at me like I’m a victim. I want to develop some smarts. I didn’t see the Brad and Diane thing coming at all. It was a bolt from the blue.’ She straightened. ‘And I want to develop some … some poise and self-possession. That way everybody will stop feeling sorry for me, they’ll respect me, and I’ll be able to … move on.’

      ‘Nicola?’

      She gave in and looked at him.

      ‘Change is fine, but don’t take it too far. Making sure you’re not taken for granted doesn’t have to translate into being unfriendly.’

      Her jaw dropped. ‘Is that how I’ve come across?’

      One of those broad shoulders of his lifted. She went back over all their earlier encounters. She considered the way she’d kept everyone here at arm’s length and her cheeks started to burn. ‘I’m not getting the balance right, am I?’

      ‘It could use some work.’

      Changing was proving a whole lot harder than she’d initially envisaged. ‘What I need is a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand or a genie to grant me three wishes,’ she sighed.

      ‘And what would you wish for?’

      ‘To be fit and healthy.’ Which translated to thin, but that seemed far too shallow to say out loud. ‘To have the poise and chutzpah to carry myself with confidence,’ regardless of how she was actually feeling. ‘And … and to stop burying my head in the sand, to realise what’s right