Page 11 of Such a Sweet Girl

Silence was my companion for the rest of the grocery shopping, guilt warring with anger.

I might not be able to speak sense into Nick, but perhaps I could let Francesca know that she’s wasting her time on him.

Even if that meant she’d no longer end up in my home.

The air-con ruffled my hair as we drove along the lakeside road, the conversation dead as can be. Nick stared at his phone screen for the duration of the journey, EarPods in. I may as well have been one of those driverless cars. A robot.

By the minute, it had become clearer that our summers together had come to a close. Nick had no interest in them past it being a free place to crash and play video games for a few weeks, and I had to admit that spending my expendable vacation time and money was no longer worth it.

You can only maintain a relationship if it goes both ways. Trying to do it from one side, alone, was flogging a dead horse.

Beyond the smattering of trees that hugged the gently lapping lake, a flash of white caught my eye. Dark hair twisting in the warm breeze.

Francesca.

Stealing a glance at Nick to check if he’d noticed her, I bit my lower lip. Nick wouldn’t notice if she sat in his bloody lap, far less sat hidden amongst tree trunks.

Minutes later, we pulled up to the lake house, and I tossed my keys at my son.

‘Unload the bags for me. Make sure you put the frozen food in the freezer before it melts.’

‘But Dad—’ Nick started, before taking one look at my expression and opting not to fight it. Instead, he sighed like a teenager impatiently waiting for a call from her crush.

‘I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back soon.’

Walking as if headed in the opposite direction to where Francesca sat, I looped back through the trees once out of sight. My pulse quickened with each step closer, inspiring a level of giddiness I’d long since felt.

Francesca’s feet swirled in the water, sending soft swishing noises into the air to mingle with the low tone of her voice. But to whom did she speak?

A tress of dark hair skims her tanned shoulder, making me desire to trace its path over her skin.

No.

You’re here to warn her off, Alex. Not to seduce her.

Liar.

‘I don’t disagree,’ she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Stopping at the end of the wooden jetty, I search around her for the recipient of her conversation. No one to be seen.

Her head snapped to me the moment I set foot on the rough wooden boards.

‘Alexander.’ The smile she gave sent bolts of lightning to my chest.

‘Francesca,’ I reply, stopping short of her. ‘May I join you?’

With a nudge of her hips, she shimmied to the left, making room for me beside her. Removing my shoes and socks before rolling up my jeans, I took a seat.

‘Who were you talking to?’ I asked, dipping my feet into the cold water and letting the refreshing wave wash over me.

‘Oh.’ A pink blush crept into her cheeks, dancing high amongst her freckles. ‘You heard that?’

‘A little.’

‘The frog and I were just chatting about the weather.’ With a flick of her wrist, she pointed to a black-eyed frog sitting nearby. ‘Sorry, that’s weird, right?’

Weird. Charming. Delightful.

‘Not at all.’ I tipped my head to the amphibian. ‘Morning, good Sir.’

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