One Night On The Virgin's Terms - Melanie Milburne Page 0,44

keep working in antiques, but I want to have a family one day, and running a business is hard work and very time-consuming.’ She lowered her hand from the table and glanced at him. ‘And I certainly don’t have the money to buy Mr Thornley’s business. Not with Mum needing financial top-ups all the time.’

A frown settled on his brow. ‘Your mother’s financial problems are not your responsibility.’

She gave him an ironic look. ‘And nor are they yours, but you still bail her out from time to time.’

He gave a crooked smile. ‘Touché.’ His smile faded and he continued, ‘But it’s hard not to feel sorry for her. She’s never really got over your father leaving, has she?’

Ivy shook her head and sighed. ‘No. They were childhood sweethearts. He was her first lover. She thought they’d be together forever and then he traded her in for someone half her age.’

‘Marriage doesn’t suit all men.’

Ivy had come to realise, since sleeping with Louis, how much her mother’s lifestyle choices had affected her while growing up. The fear of being rejected by someone you thought loved you was too terrifying.

‘Remember how I told you how my mother was so out of control with her drinking and flings with men she’d met at the pub? Well, it embarrassed me so much, and I think it’s why I locked down my own budding sexuality. Mum was so open about sex that it made me all the more uncomfortable. She would talk about her latest lover and what they’d got up to and I’d cringe with embarrassment. I became the disapproving, prudish parent rather than the young teenage girl I really was.

‘And I couldn’t talk to Dad about it, because it might have made him fight for full custody, and no way did I want to live with him and his younger girlfriend. I’d then have to watch him acting like a born-again teenager with her every day instead of only the occasional weekend. And I didn’t want to worry Ronan because he was having enough trouble dealing with his own issues. I’m sure he would have come out about his sexuality a whole lot sooner if it hadn’t been for my parents breaking up and carrying on the way they did.’

Louis squeezed both her hands. ‘You’ve both done an amazing job of surviving what was and still is a difficult time. Parents can be so annoying when they let us down. But we let them down too, I guess. And those of us who choose to be parents will one day do the same to their children.’

Ivy tilted her head at him. ‘Have you ever been unfaithful to a partner?’

‘I’m never with them long enough to think of straying.’

‘But would you, if you were?’

‘No.’ There was a firm edge of finality about his tone. ‘An affair hurts everyone in the end. No one wins. I admire people who can move on from it but I’m not sure I could.’

‘Nor me. It’s a deal breaker for me. One of my flatmates, Zoey, was cheated on by a long-term boyfriend over a year ago. She’s still not over it.’

Louis picked up their bags from where he’d left them on the floor. ‘I’ll take these upstairs. Have you got to be somewhere by a certain time?’

‘This afternoon I have to meet with the daughter of the man who died at the villa in Montmartre, where the deceased estate is being housed. Mr Thornley wants me to check the quality and authenticity of the Victorian china before we commit to buying anything.’

‘Have you got time for a quick lunch?’

Ivy glanced at her watch. ‘Sure. But don’t you have meetings too?’

‘They can wait.’

A short time later, Louis took Ivy to one of the cafés nearby. He watched her work her way through a crispy baguette and soft, creamy cheese, marinated olives and a glass of white wine, her enjoyment obvious with the little ‘Mmm’ sounds she made. She caught him looking at her and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. ‘Why are you looking at me like that? Haven’t you seen a woman eat before?’

Louis smiled and reached for his barely touched wine. ‘It is indeed a rare occurrence for me to be with a woman who really enjoys her food.’

‘That’ll teach you for dating supermodels all the time.’ She picked up another olive and popped it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed, then added, ‘I forgot to ask you how your mother’s birthday dinner went.’

He