Second Chance Lane (Brockenridge #2) - Nicola Marsh Page 0,46

your dating exploits.’

‘But we’re not dating,’ Tash pointed out, a sliver of something akin to excitement shimmering through her at the thought.

‘Tell me. Pretty please.’

‘I should’ve never mentioned it.’

‘But you did, so spill.’ Alisha waggled a finger in her face and Tash swatted it away.

‘Not much to tell. When we got back from the hospital yesterday I offered to make him something to eat because he was struggling on the crutches. He needed a bath and when I went into the bathroom to cover the plaster with plastic bags, he was sitting there in his jocks.’

Alisha gaped a little, before a mischievous twinkle lit her big, brown eyes. ‘Let me get this straight. He knew you were coming back into the bathroom but he stripped down regardless?’

‘He had to. How else would I get the plastic bags over the plaster, and how would he take his pants off after it?’

‘You could’ve left the bags for him. Then he could’ve undressed after you’d left and put the bags on himself. Instead, he strips off, which means he wanted you to see him in all his bare-chested glory. Pity he left the jocks on.’ She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. ‘So how was it?’

Heat burned Tash’s cheeks. ‘The bod?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Phenomenal.’ A soft sigh escaped Tash’s lips. ‘I mean, I know it’s been a while since my last shag but wow …’ She fanned her face and Alisha wolf-whistled.

‘That good, huh?’

‘Better,’ Tash admitted, wishing she could erase the image from her mind.

Alisha’s smirk faded. ‘I’m going to ask a tough question, honey, and I want you to be honest with me.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you want something to happen between the two of you?’

Tash wanted to refuse but she’d always been upfront, most of all with herself.

Predictably, Alisha took her hesitancy as a yes.

‘Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see you hurt.’ Alisha reached across and squeezed her hand. ‘Rock stars aren’t keepers, and after he leaves, you’ll always be in contact because of Isla—that could pose a problem for you.’

‘I’m not the pining type,’ Tash said, hating how her heart leapt at the thought of any kind of relationship with Kody beyond a parental one.

‘You’re also not the wham-bam type, so any kind of fling with your old flame, who happens to be the father of your child, may end badly if you can’t separate your emotions from the physical stuff.’

‘Thanks for the advice, mama bear.’ Tash tempered her words with a smile. ‘But my priority right now is helping Isla adjust to the idea of having a father in her life. Anything else doesn’t enter the equation.’

Alisha’s lips compressed in a stubborn line and she knew her friend wouldn’t let this go. ‘What if Hot Stuff wants to start something up with you? What then?’

‘I’m the last woman he’d want to get involved with,’ she scoffed. ‘He hates my guts and is masking it with a veneer of polite indifference.’ Discounting those few sizzling looks they’d shared when neither of them had been prepared …

‘There’s a fine line between hatred and love, that’s all I’m saying. And I know you. I know why you walked away from him in Melbourne all those years ago: you put his needs above your own. You loved him but you didn’t want to tie him down, not when his star was taking off. So you deliberately pushed him away, shelved your dreams, and came back here to do the right thing for your child.’ Alisha made a soft tut-tutting sound. ‘By some twist of fate your past is back, and if I’m correct, neither of you are prepared for it.’

Alisha’s words only served to exacerbate Tash’s regrets. What if she’d told Kody the truth back then? What if she’d given him a choice? What if she hadn’t walked away?

But she had and if she’d learned one thing over the years it was to never look back.

‘I’ll be okay, honest.’ Tash stood and leaned down to hug Alisha. ‘And I appreciate your concern, but let’s focus on sourcing a phallic-shaped cake, okay?’

Alisha laughed as Tash intended but it didn’t detract from the concern in her eyes.

Tash knew the feeling. All she’d done since discovering Kody had lobbed next door was worry, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t let up anytime soon.

CHAPTER

19

Kody couldn’t believe how well the morning had gone with Isla and was surprised to discover it was almost lunchtime when his stomach growled. ‘Are you hungry?’

She stared at him with those all-seeing eyes and nodded. ‘I can