Page 20 of Take My Hand

I couldn’t say that I always was, because I had a seventeen-year-old daughter to prove otherwise. “I’m just finishing my drink,” I stressed, but Sam laughed and started to round up the rest of our party.

I kept my eyes on the door, watching them leave when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see that it was Maya.

“Okay?” I asked.

She nodded and lifted her rum and coke. “Thanks for this.”

“My pleasure.” I looked around the bar and spotted a booth. “You want to sit down?”

“Yeah, sure.”

As I led Maya to the booth, I knew that I wouldn’t be joining the party again until it was time to go home.

Chapter Eight

Will

“Idon’t normally do stuff like this,” Maya said, her slim fingers circling the rim of her glass. “Ditch my friends for a man I’ve known for a whole five minutes.”

I had to be honest, I liked that she had. Five minutes wasn’t long enough, and if she hadn’t agreed to have a drink with me, I might have camped myself at her table. Admittedly, she was beautiful, but I was desperate to get to knowher.

“I can go and find my mates if you want to go back to your friends,” I offered, hoping she wouldn’t agree.

She frowned and shook her head. “No. In any case, if I did, my friends would go crazy. In Loretta’s words, ‘go and get a piece of that fine arse, girl.’”

I burst out laughing and looked over to her friends, who were sneaking glances at us. “What about your friend who’s getting divorced? Did she warn you off me?”

“That’s rude,” Maya said with a smile. “Assuming she’s a man hater just because she’s getting divorced.”

I looked at her through one eye and groaned. “Yeah, sorry, you’re right it was.”

“It’s fine, she actually jokes about it herself.” She turned to look at her friends who gave her a little wave. “Oh no, they’re going to be grilling me for hours.”

“How long have you been friends?”

“Morgan and I went to nursery school together and we met Loretta in our first year at high school. We just clicked and have been best friends ever since. We were Morgan’s bridesmaids.”

“How long was she married?” I asked, unable to move my gaze off her face. Even in the light of the lamp on the table, I could see that her eyes were a gorgeous shade of green with tiny flecks of brown.

“Five years.” Maya shrugged. “He’s a nice guy, but they should never have married. They are so different.”

“In what way?” I loved her teeth too. That little gap was cute.

“Morgan is a party girl, and Ben likes to stay home. They met at uni, and I think they thought that it was the natural order of things, but as they grew up, they grew apart.”

“Are you all from around here?” Despite it being Winter her skin was a gorgeous bronze colour that glowed, and it was taking every bit of my self-control not to touch her. Just to see if it was as soft as it looked

“Yep, born and bred,” She replied. “Although Loretta is only visiting this weekend. She lives in Newcastle with her fiancé, Matt. What about you? Where are you from?” When she leaned closer, I got a hint of her perfume again and made a mental note to ask what it was.

“I live in a tiny little place called Norford, not far from Manchester. As for growing up, well, it was a few different places. Until a lady called Mrs Powell fostered me and she was from Norford.” Maya’s neck was long and slim, the sort thatlooked good adorned with jewellery, or that you could spend hours kissing.

“No family then?” She caught her bottom lip in her teeth, and two concerned creases appeared between her brows.

“Yeah, I have family.” I smiled feeling my heart expand. “I have a seventeen-year-old daughter. Madeline, although she prefers Maddy.”

“Seventeen? Wow.”

“Yeah, me and her mum were young and careless, but I wouldn’t be without her. She is my world that’s for sure. Her mum died when she was only a few months old.”

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