In the Market for Love - By Nina Blake Page 0,21
never wealthy, her parents had a loving relationship, one on which she and her sister had modelled their own marriages. At least for her sister things had turned out.
Conversation flowed as their antipasto arrived and they nibbled on prosciutto, cheeses and stuffed olives. Rachel dipped a chunk of crusty Italian bread into a bowl of golden olive oil and bit into it.
“You were right,” she said between mouthfuls. “This is good.”
“Ah, a woman who enjoys wholesome food without worrying about the calorie count of each mouthful. Now that’s something you don’t see a lot nowadays.”
“I hope you’re not suggesting I need to watch my weight.”
He wasn’t trying to impress her by taking her to one of Sydney’s famed fine dining restaurants. Mancini’s was an expression of one side of his personality and his enjoyment of honest, earthy things. The restaurant served simple Italian fare in unpretentious, down to earth surroundings.
Two bowls of steaming pasta arrived at their table, complete with slivers of fresh Parmesan cheese. She decided to take the opportunity to find out more about the elusive Jake Austin.
“So what do you do when you’re not working?” she asked.
“I used to do all kinds of things – skiing and surfing – but now I concentrate on doing things with Connor. He’s still young.”
Rachel was intrigued. “Skiing and surfing. Sounds like fun.”
“I used to go skiing every winter, either at Thredbo or Perisher in New South Wales. I went to Canada a few times too. I’m waiting until Connor’s a bit older until I take that up again. And I used to drive up and down the coast to get a bit of surf. A couple of trips to Hawaii. That sort of thing.”
No, Rachel didn’t know that sort of thing. This was well outside the bounds of her personal experience.
“Now I take Connor to my holiday house at Bateman’s Bay,” he said. “It’s only a few hours south of here. The house backs onto the rainforest and from the front door, it’s a short walk to the beach. Connor loves it down there. We go swimming and fishing.”
Rachel thought of her two young nieces and how she loved having them for the occasional sleep over and taking them for an early morning walk on Coogee Beach. She thought about Jake and how fondly he spoke about Connor. How obvious it was that his son was the most important thing in the world to him.
And she thought how different Jake’s life was from hers.
“So what do you do for your holidays?” he asked.
“Not much really,” she replied vaguely. She tilted her head and considered Jake carefully. Would the truth shock him?
“When Nick died he left me with a lot of debt. I had to sell our house. We hadn’t had it for long and it ended up costing me money. I’m only just getting back on my feet. Now I’m flush and I’ve got a little flat in Coogee but I couldn’t tell you the last time I went on a holiday.”
She’d said too much already. She couldn’t possibly tell Jake how a young man like her husband raked up large debts, all the time keeping it hidden from her. After he passed away, she found out he’d sold his share of the architecture business to his partner, as well as amassed remarkable credit card bills.
For a moment, she thought Jake appeared to be considering what she’d said and that he might ask her about her husband’s debts but instead he changed the subject.
“And what’s your dream holiday?” he asked.
“I don’t need to think about that one. Paris. It has to be Paris.”
Jake’s hand inched across the table.
“Paris,” he said.
He covered her hand with his. It sent a sensual ripple through her. His gaze dropped to their hands, then slowly along her breasts up to her eyes as if he were drinking her in.
She had to think straight. She was drawn to him. She couldn’t deny it. Yet their lives were so different.
Jake tilted his head and leaned across the table.
“I hope you aren’t thinking of kissing me?” she said, teasing him. “Such a shame you promised not to.”
“Are you sure that’s what I said?”
She glanced at her watch. “Actually, the real shame is the time.”
With an early afternoon appointment at work, Rachel had to race off so she made her apologies. She had to keep a level head around Jake and couldn’t afford to be late for her next meeting. As she rose to leave, he pulled some notes