Matilda Next Door - Kelly Hunter Page 0,30

roused by her stomach and the growling noises it was making. She’d showered as soon as she reached the hotel room, grateful to be back on home soil with her luggage right beside her, and then she lay down for a quick nap. She reached for her phone now to check the time. A quick nap that had lasted half the day, apparently. Probably not the best move she could have made, but it was done now, and she would deal with it.

She’d left Rowan with Henry and his grandfather in the apartment right next door, and the fact that she hadn’t been woken by a screaming baby seemed like good news. Checking in with them seemed like the obvious thing to do. Given all that had transpired, there was no need to feel tense as she stood in the grey apartment hallway feeling uncharacteristically nervous in her pretty pale blue cotton dress, the fancy blue scarf her mother had gifted her, and a pair of blue shoes with a two-inch heel that she’d purchased from a little boutique in Soho.

She figured she’d go for a walk, find somewhere to eat, but would check in with next door before she did so, just in case they wanted her to bring them back some takeaway dinner.

There was also the slight chance she wanted to see how Rowan was faring. And find out how Bethany was too. And fuss over Joe and drink in the sight of Henry, which was what she tended to do whenever she got within range of him.

She should have been expecting the sight of Rowan in Henry’s arms as he opened the door to her. She should have girded her loins and steeled her resolve to not lust after the man, but there was something about him standing there with the sleeves of his blue chambray shirt rolled to his forearms and a sleeping baby nestled into his shoulder that tugged at her soul.

‘If you wake her I will unravel,’ he murmured with just enough hint of panic in his voice to make her grin. She’d been there. Done that. And lived to tell the tale.

‘I’m heading out to find something to eat. Want me to bring you anything back?’

He stepped back, motioned her in, and she walked through the narrow entrance hall and saw Joe Church already tucking in to takeaway pizza. ‘I won’t tell Henry about my cholesterol problem if you don’t,’ Joe said by way of greeting.

The pizza looked like a good one, loaded with cheese and toppings and fragrant with the smell of garlic and basil. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it. How’s Beth?’

‘They tell me come morning she’ll be out of intensive care.’

‘They also told him to go home and get some sleep,’ offered Henry. ‘Pizza and beer seemed like a good way to make that happen and to hell with cholesterol.’

It was such a perfectly guy thing to do.

Henry inclined his head towards the table. ‘Want to join us? There’s plenty here.’

‘Well I would. Never let it be said that carbs, oil, pepperoni and cheese isn’t an excellent way to go, but I’ve my heart set on eating at this little Japanese restaurant not far from here and seeing as I’ll be heading off in the morning, tonight’s the night.’

‘You’re leaving so soon?’ asked Joe. ‘Why? The room’s paid for.’ He turned to Henry. ‘Isn’t it?’

Henry nodded, very, very carefully and wooed her without realising he did so when he began gently shifting his weight from one foot to the other in a gentle swaying motion. ‘You could pretend Melbourne is a holiday destination and go exploring. I hear they have some good rooftop bars here. You might meet a chimney sweep who’ll take you dancing.’

‘In these shoes? I can barely walk in them.’

‘You look very nice, Matilda.’ Since when did Henry pay her compliments? Or call her Matilda …

‘You should put the baby down, Henry, and take Tilly to dinner,’ said Joe. ‘I can hold the fort here. Not as if I haven’t dealt with a baby before.’

A long silence followed, in which it seemed as if plenty was being said that Tilly couldn’t hear.

‘I’d like to help.’ Careful words from Joe. ‘Your mother was a fussy baby. I’ve had a lot of practice.’

‘My mother.’ Henry’s voice was harder than Tilly had ever heard it.

‘Ruth,’ Joe offered quietly, and silence descended again.

And then Joe seemed to rally, his shoulders squaring and his eyes steady on his grandson. ‘Young Rowan’s fed, clean, and