Second Chance Lane (Brockenridge #2) - Nicola Marsh Page 0,42

same deer-in-the-headlights look he was sure he did. ‘How’s your ankle?’

‘Okay.’ He flashed Tash a silent ‘help’ glance and that seemed to wake her up as she followed Isla in. ‘Would you like something to drink?’ Damn, he sounded stilted and formal, but he needn’t have worried, as Isla took charge of the situation with an ease that surprised him.

‘I’ll make us iced chocolates,’ she said, a tiny frown marring her brow. ‘You do have cocoa, right?’

‘Check in the pantry,’ he said, in sudden need of a seat that had nothing to do with his ankle. With his daughter bustling around like she owned the place and Tash subtly wringing her hands, he felt decidedly wobbly.

Tash sat next to him and pulled her chair close. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, she’s a bit of a dynamo.’

‘She’s amazing,’ he said softly, and meant it. He’d expected this first official meeting to be awkward and silent, but Isla had taken charge with aplomb.

‘Will you be okay if I leave you?’

His panicked expression must’ve returned because she chuckled and laid a hand on his forearm. ‘Isla’s really keen to spend time with you alone and I think that’s the only way for you two to really bond.’

‘Yeah, okay,’ he mumbled, so out of his depth something akin to terror gripped his chest. ‘I hate to be a pain but do you think you could give me a lift back to the hospital tomorrow? I’ve got an orthopaedic outpatient appointment at ten.’

‘Sure. I don’t start work until two so that’ll give us plenty of time.’

‘Thanks, I appreciate it.’

Their gazes locked and held, and Kody experienced the same deja vu as he’d had last night in the bathroom. They may not have seen each other for thirteen years and it hadn’t ended well but there was a hint of … something still between them and whatever it was scared him almost as much as the prospect of getting to know his daughter.

‘I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine,’ she said. ‘Isla, I’ll see you later,’ she called as Isla emerged from the huge walk-in pantry brandishing cocoa in one hand and a can of whipped cream in the other.

‘Okay, Mum, bye.’

She didn’t seem at all fazed when Tash let herself out, leaving them alone, and once again he was struck by her self-confidence. However, when she placed the supplies on the bench and turned to face him, he glimpsed a hint of nerves in her eyes.

‘Where are the glasses?’

‘Top cupboard, last on the right.’

‘Thanks.’

She remained silent as she bustled around the kitchen, spooning cocoa and sugar into two glasses, adding a dash of hot water to dissolve it, topping up with milk and stirring vigorously before adding whipped cream and an extra dusting of cocoa. He didn’t particularly like chocolate but if she’d served him outback dust mixed with dam water he would’ve drunk it, that’s how much he wanted to impress her.

‘Here you go,’ she said, placing a glass in front of him before sitting on the chair Tash had vacated. She didn’t seem fazed it was a tad too close. Instead, she held up her glass and waited for him to pick his up before clinking it. ‘I’m making a toast to us, because I think it’s really cool I have a dad.’

She stared at him wide-eyed and with so much hope that his throat tightened. ‘And I think it’s even cooler I have a daughter,’ he said, clinking his glass to hers.

She seemed satisfied by his lame response and drank half her chocolate milk before placing the glass on the table, regarding him through slightly narrowed eyes because he hadn’t touched his. To make her happy, he drank the whole thing, and was surprised when she giggled—an innocent sound that warmed his heart.

‘What’s so funny?’

She pointed at his top lip. ‘You have a milk moustache.’

‘Oh.’ He swiped at it with the back of his hand, glad he’d made her laugh without intending to.

An awkward silence descended as he racked his brains for something to say.

Isla saved the day by asking, ‘Do you want to know stuff about me?’

‘I want to know everything,’ he said, meaning it.

It irked that Tash had deprived him of so much but he’d come to a decision in the wee small hours of the morning; regretting the past thirteen years and blaming Tash wouldn’t be conducive to moving forwards with Isla. He had to stop lamenting all he’d lost and focus on gaining so much: a relationship