Page 15 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 1-4

The way Quin had looked at her last night did not bode well. He’d tolerated her presence and that had been about it. She supposed she should be glad that he was even allowing her to come and eat with them. Not confining her to the guesthouse.

She’d come up to the house early this morning, hoping that she might get to continue her aborted conversation with Quin. Give him the explanation of why she’d left. But she’d found Roberto clearing up after breakfast. He’d told her that Quin was in the home office, making calls, and that Sol was getting ready for school. He’d looked at her quizzically when she’d told him she was going to fill in for Sara, but he’d said nothing—just told her that he’d go over her duties once Sol had left for school. Then he’d insisted on her having breakfast, and had made her a delicious plate of scrambled eggs, ham and chives.

Sadie felt pathetically grateful that Roberto and Lena didn’t seem to be judging her for her absence.

She’d just closed the lid on the Tupperware lunchbox when Sol appeared in front of her, as if conjured out of her imagination. He looked smart in his shorts and school T-shirt. Hair smoothed.

He smiled. ‘You’re still here.’

Her heart squeezed again. ‘Yes.’

He touched a tooth in his mouth. ‘I have a loose tooth.’

Sadie came around the table and bent down. She could see it wobble. ‘If it comes out you’ll have to leave it under your pillow for the tooth fairy.’

Sol frowned. ‘What’s a tooth fairy? We leave it out for the bird, and the bird leaves a gift. Your tooth has to be really clean, so I cleaned extra-hard today, but it still didn’t come out.’

Sadie bit back a smile and stood up. ‘Ah...where I came from the tooth fairy takes the tooth from under your pillow and leaves a surprise, but I like the sound of a special bird.’

‘Wheredidyou come from?’

That question hadn’t come from Sol. It had come from someone much more adult.

Sadie looked up to see Quin. She couldn’t find her breath for a moment...he was so stupendously gorgeous. Clean-shaven. Hair still damp from the shower. Dressed in a shirt open at the neck, sleeves rolled up. Faded jeans.

It had only been around thirty-six hours since they’d met again, and yet it felt all at once like years and no time at all. Apart from that reference to a grandmother last night, Quin hadn’t yet mentioned her memory loss, or asked about it, but was he ready to hear what she had to say now? Wassheready?

‘Don’t you know where Sadie comes from, Papa?’

But Quin didn’t look at Sol. Sadie swallowed. Did he really want to do this here? Now? In front of their son?

She was about to answer, but then Quin broke the intense eye contact and said, ‘We’d better get moving, Sol. I’m going to drop you to school today.’

‘Yay! I’ll get my bag.’

‘See you out front in five minutes.’

Sol disappeared again, and now it was just Quin and Sadie. He arched a brow. Clearly waiting for an answer.

Sadie said in a husky voice, ‘I was born and brought up in England, just outside London.’

Something flashed across his face. ‘So your memory came back...or was it ever really gone?’

Sadie gulped. She’d never considered that he might doubt she’d really lost her memory. ‘Yes, it came back.’

‘So, you’re not Irish, then?’

‘Well...my father was Irish. But I never lived there.’

‘But you had an Irish passport?’

Yes, she had. But she hadn’t grown up with an Irish passport. She’d actually grown up withnopassport. She’d only got her first passport to come to Brazil.

She opened her mouth again but Sol reappeared, trailing a small bag. ‘Okay, Papa, I’m ready.’

Quin’s jaw clenched. But then he said, ‘Okay, let’s go.’ And then to Sadie he said, ‘Lena and Roberto will show you the ropes. I’ll be out at a function later, and Sol is going to a sleepover, so we’ll see you tomorrow.’

Sol was already running out through the door. ‘Bye, Sadie!’

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