Daffodils in March (3 page)

David pulled over outside her parent's house. “Hanna wants me to pick you up on Sunday with all your stuff. I'll be over at four.”

Eden struggled with the seatbelt again. “I'll be ready.”

David's hand touched hers briefly as he released the belt. His dark, cold gaze raked over her and she shivered. “Don't be late. I have somewhere I need to be at five.”

“OK. Thank you for the lift.”

He jerked his head in response as Eden got out of the car. She'd barely closed the door and stepped away, before David sped off into the darkness.

She watched the tail lights vanish. What had happened to the boy she knew, to make David the man he'd become?

2

Sunday came too quickly. David had spent the rest of the week making his feelings plain, but Hanna would not be swayed. She could be as stubborn as he was and then some; that was one of the reasons he loved her. Her stubbornness had kept her going in the difficult days and months since Eric died, but he wished she'd listen to reason just this once. He couldn't have another woman in the house.

The house wasn't safe.

His job wasn't safe.

He
wasn't safe, come to that.

It was bad enough having Hanna and the baby around. If his parents knew what he was doing, they'd turn in their graves. His current assignment was so at odds with his Christian faith, he'd been tempted to jack in the job on more than one occasion. But he hadn't. There was too much at stake for that. God must want him here, because why else would he have gotten the assignment? He'd spent too long establishing his cover to fail now.

He stopped at a red light.

Why did Hanna have to employ Eden? Why did Eden have to accept? He knew what the girls had planned as kids, and honestly, the thought of marrying Eden hadn't been that repulsive, and he'd gone along with the whole double dating idea with enthusiasm. When Eric proposed to Hanna, David had been on the brink of proposing to Eden. He'd even gone out and bought the ring.

But things had changed. He'd been promoted.

He'd changed.

Eden didn't need to be in an unsafe environment. Just like Hanna was meant to be safe with Eric, living miles away in army housing. Then, Eric was killed; ironically, by a falling tree branch and not by a bomb he was trying to defuse in the Middle East somewhere.

The lights changed and David pulled away. It was all he could do to keep Hanna and Marc safe from the dark, dangerous world he inhabited. The last thing he needed was Eden tossed into the mix. A woman he'd once had feelings for.

OK,
still had
feelings for.

Feelings he no longer had any right to.

Perhaps he could persuade her to keep living at home. However, if Hanna wanted her to live in, then that's probably what Eden would end up doing. Maybe when Hanna returned from Manchester, he could work it so Eden moved out.

David pulled up outside Eden's parents' house and engaged the handbrake. He hadn't seen them since the funeral. He sat for a moment and checked his watch. He'd said four. He'd be cutting it fine for this meeting as it was. He honked the horn, long and hard. Still nothing.

At five past four, his impatience got the better of him. He left the car, and strode up the path, his hands curling into fists at his side. He stabbed the doorbell long and hard. But instead of a nice loud impatient ring, strains of “Oh, God, Our Help in Ages Past” rang through the house. He'd forgotten the doorbell played twenty-four hymns in a random order. The child in him wanted to press it again, to see what came next, but he refused to give in to such infantile urges. He didn't have time for that, or to wait for her any longer.

Eden opened the door, a smile on her lips. “Hi.”

He refused to let that smile affect him, despite the way his heart leapt. How long had it been since that smile was reserved just for him? How long since anyone, other than his sister or nephew had smiled at him and been pleased to see him?

He couldn't remember.

David nodded stiffly. “Are you ready?”

“Sure. I just need to say goodbye.”

Hadn't she already done that? “Be quick,” he hissed. “Is that all your stuff?” He indicated the bag and two cases in the hallway.

“Yeah.” The phone chimed. “Oh, let me grab that.”

“OK.” David slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed the cases one in each hand, and returned to the car. He stowed the luggage in the boot and slammed the lid shut. He glared at the front door, and then at his watch. Four fifteen. Really, how long did it take?

His fingers drummed on the side of the car as he climbed inside and shut the door.
Lord, help me find a way out of this mess. Help me find a way to keep them safe. Preferably someplace else for them to live.

Finally, she appeared with her parents and hugged them.

David raised a hand in greeting to them as he checked his watch again. Four thirty. No way would he make the meeting on time.

He sighed and leaned across, opening the door for Eden as she ran down the path to the car. He straightened and fastened his seatbelt.

Eden climbed in, struggling with the belt again. “Sorry.”

David snatched the belt hook from her hand, fastened it, and ignored the blast of heat that shot through him as he touched her. “Well, you're here now.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.

Breaking at least three laws, he pulled away from the curb without indicating, dialed, and drove while speaking on the phone as the call connected. “Hi, it's Dave.”

“Where are you?”
The irate tone in Granger's voice curdled David's stomach and turned his blood to ice.

“I'm stuck in traffic.” He ignored the look Eden shot him. “Tell the boss I'm sorry.”

“How much longer?”

“I'll be there as soon as I can. Probably not until five-twenty or so.” He hung up and shoved the phone back into his jacket.

Eden's gaze burnt into him without him needing to glance at her.

His conscience twinged. Something it hadn't done in a long time. He hated the fact that lying came so easily to him now. “What?” he demanded.

“Why lie?”

“Would you rather I tell him I'm running late for a meeting because of you?”

Her irritation turned to shock. “Me?”

“I told you to be ready at four because I had a meeting at five on the other side of town. It was almost four-thirty before you left the house.”

“Again, I'm sorry.” Contrition tinged her voice. “Casey rang from the States, and I haven't spoken to her in ages. I lost track of time.”

David jerked his head and nodded. Casey was her older sister from her mother's first marriage. Casey had married a Yank and emigrated several years ago. Despite the ten-year age gap, Eden and Casey had always been close.

Eden turned her face forward to the dark street ahead. “Can I ask you something? But I need an honest answer.”

That depended on what she asked, but he wasn't going to say as much. He jerked his head in response.

“Why don't you want me around?”

“We don't need a nanny. Things work just fine the way they are.”

“Hanna doesn't think so.”

David cleared his throat, changing down a gear to go around the corner. “Well, she's wrong. I'm more than capable of looking after Marc overnight while she's away and taking him to and from the nursery.”

“Really?”

He forced himself not to snap in response. She'd just used the exact same tone Hanna had. “Yes, really. Just because I'm a bloke doesn't mean I can't look after a baby.” He scowled and glared at the road. Maybe not marrying her had been a good thing. Even fortunate perhaps.

“Do you have a problem with nannies in general or me in particular?” she persisted.

David shot her a sideways glare. “Don't make me answer that one.”

“This isn't easy for me either, you know,” Eden muttered. “One minute we're going out and everything's wonderful; the next minute you're barely speaking to me and it's over. I just want to know what I did that was so wrong.”

David brought the car to a sudden halt outside the house. “You didn't do anything, all right?” He got out of the car and walked around to the boot. He dumped the cases and bag on the pavement. “I have to go.” He glanced into the car and sighed. “Why are you still in there?”

Eden shook her head, obviously struggling with the seatbelt.

“For crying out loud. It isn't rocket science.” David moved quickly around the car. “I do
not
have time for this now.” He released the belt and shut the door once Eden was out on the path. He ran around the car, jumped in and drove off without saying goodbye.

****

Eden stood stunned as the car vanished. She wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or scream, because all three emotions tore through her in quick succession. She must have done something to make him turn on her like this. Was it her fault he'd become the man he now was, because he'd certainly changed in the two years since they'd broken up. And why did he still have the ability to hurt her?

She stood there for a moment longer, struggling to rein in her emotions. She didn't want Hanna knowing something was wrong. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder, grabbed the cases, and headed to the house to ring the bell.

Hanna opened the door with Marc in her arms. “Eden.” She hugged her. “Where's David?”

“He dropped me off as he had to be somewhere.” Eden returned the hug. “But I'm here.”

Hanna's eye had a shadowed look. “Of course he did. And I'm glad you're here. Come on in.” She grabbed one of the cases. “Let's get these upstairs, and I'll show you around.”

Eden followed her to the spare room.

“David took over Mum and Dad's room and turned his old room into a huge railway track.” Hanna eased on the bed, Marc still in her arms. “The layout has bridges and tunnels, fields, hedges, the works. Even those tiny little figures you can get to stand on the station. Not that anyone other than him is allowed to touch it, but I will give you a peek while he's out at work tomorrow. He can spend a couple of hours up there in the evenings when he's in.”

“He always did have a thing for steam trains,” Eden said quietly. “Our first proper date was on the Watercress line.” Maybe something about the man she'd fallen in love with was still there.

Hanna nodded and then sighed. “It's just really strange living here without Mum and Dad.”

Eden hung her coat in the wardrobe. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

“Anyway, I shall go and put the kettle on while you unpack. See you downstairs in a few. We can talk properly then.”

Left to herself, Eden stowed her things away in the drawers and put her cases on top of the wardrobe as she pondered the change in David. She'd thought he loved her, the way she did him. How could she have gotten him so wrong? Had he simply strung her along?

Eden returned downstairs and into the kitchen. She took the mug of tea and sat next to Hanna. “So what does David do, in order to work on a Sunday?”

“Lots of stuff,” Hanna said. “You know David. Bit of this, bit of that. He tinkers with cars over at Holly's garage for her sometimes and writes freelance stuff for the paper.”

Her interest piqued, Eden studied her friend over the top of the mug. Why was Hanna being evasive all of a sudden? They'd never kept secrets from each other. No matter what the circumstances, they'd shared everything. “Which paper? I don't remember seeing his byline on anything in the local one.”

“One of the nationals. He goes all over, wherever the work is. He can be gone for days covering one crisis or another. The news doesn't stop on a Sunday, or so he tells me.”

“So this meeting…”

“…is probably one of his contacts.” Hanna paused. “He really does like you, you know. David that is, not one of his contacts.”

Eden smiled. Hanna's sense of comic timing never failed, no matter what was happening around them. “And pigs really do fly. I shall just keep out of David's way as much as it's possible.” Eden glanced at the clock.

“I figured we could stream the church service tonight, like I usually do. There's a new link which lets you see the screen, so we now get the hymns and sermon points like those in the church building do.”

“That's neat. Saves having to search up the hymns really fast on the Internet.”

Hanna grinned and grabbed the muslin to wipe Marc's chin. “Exactly. And I think he might have a tooth coming. He's been dribbling constantly for two or three days now.”

“Did you want to go to the evening service? I don't mind babysitting.”

Hanna's eyes lit up. “Really? I haven't been to an evening service in months. Not since Marc was born.”

“Then go. We can catch up when you get back.” She winked and did the ta-da gesture with her hands. “I'll be here all week.”

Hanna laughed. “If you're sure. I mean, I don't start paying you until tomorrow.”

“You can have this one on the house,” Eden teased.

Hanna smiled. “Thank you. In that case, I will. Feel free to explore and work out where stuff is. I meant to get towels out for you and forgot. Airing cupboard, top shelf, the lilac ones. Help yourself and stick them on the rail in the bathroom.”

“Thank you. Do the feeds need doing?”

“Yes. I tend to make up twenty-four hours' feeds in advance and change the sterilizing fluid in the tanks at the same time. All the stuff is in the cupboard in the kitchen. I'll show you.”

“I can find it.”

Hanna put the baby into his bouncing chair in the lounge and set the activity frame in front of him. “He'll be fine here for a few.”

Once Hanna left, Eden wandered around the house, reacquainting herself with where everything was. The one exception was David's room—either where he was sleeping now or his old room. That felt too much like prying.