Page 44 of Dance With Me
“I’d better go,” he said, standing. “Thanks for a lovely meal, and I hope I haven’t disappointed you too much.”
Jayne stood too. “You could never disappoint me, Joe. I just want what’s best for you. Come here, I think we both need a hug.”
He hugged them both, and after a drawn-out goodbye with promises to let them know how he got on, he drove home.
With a bit of luck, Clare would be asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Seb
Saturday arrived with no more incidents from his stalker, but it didn’t stop him worrying, not just for himself, but for Dom too. He was, after all, spending most of his time with him. He just hoped that he didn’t become a target too.
Every time his phone rang, or there was a notification, he was on high alert. He didn’t want to see who was calling him, afraid that another set of photos would come through or some more creepy messages. He’d considered asking Dom to check his phone each time, but he couldn’t chance him seeing anything from Joe and teasing him any more than he was already doing.
Joe…. He was due to see him today, and he was still undecided whether or not he was going to go through with it. On one hand, he could get his taxes done, and once the wedding was over and done with, he wouldn’t need to see him again. On the other hand, if he didn’t go now, he might still have to see him, even after they were married. He supposed he could ask someone else to deal with it, but he couldn’t afford the fees his company charged and Joe was offering to do it for nothing.
Ah, hell. Who was he kidding? He was going, and then he was drawing a line under it and hopefully moving on.
It was one o’clock, and the children were collecting their belongings, ready to go. Dom was there, joking with some of the younger children. He was doing really well, considering he hadn’t done a lot of teaching before.
As the last child left, they closed up the studio and Dom rode home with him. He’d told Dom what Joe had suggested, and he’d agreed with Seb’s reasoning to get all this done and move on with his life after the wedding.
Dom had said he had plans anyway for the afternoon but was being cagey about the whole thing. When this was over, Seb was going to be having a long chat with his friend about what was going on with him.
Seb showered and changed into his jeans and T-shirt, spraying a little aftershave and maybe putting a bit more effort into his hair. He loaded Rocco, his food and bowls into the car.
After saying goodbye to Dom, Seb made his way to Joe’s house. He knew it was somewhere outside of the city, but he wasn’t quite prepared for the house when he actually got there.
It was a beautiful old property with a sweeping, circular driveway. A two-storey, double-fronted house with windows on either side of the front door. Either Joe had a gardener, or he had an incredible green thumb, as the lawns on either side of the drive were well kept.
He briefly wondered if he was at the wrong house, but there was Joe’s car, gleaming in the sun. Seb took a while to take in the grandiose place, imagining what it would be like to live in a home like this.
Before he’d even stepped out of the car, Joe was opening the front door, a beaming smile on his face, those damn dimples making it impossible not to smile back. He wore a pair of grey sweats and a fitted purple T-shirt, a pair of worn trainers on his feet. His blond hair, lightened by the sun, was tousled, and he was sporting a light scruff on his jaw. His blue eyes sparkled in the sunshine.
“Hi, you found it alright then. I wondered if you’d stand me up, but I’m glad you’re here. Is Rocco with you?” Joe stepped out of the front door and walked towards the car.
“Hi, yeah, I’m here.” He was seriously thinking he shouldn’t have come, seeing Joe now. The man was sent to tempt him, that was for sure, and he had to stop himself from jumping him right there and then. “He’s in the back. I’ll get him.”
Seb closed his window and got out of the car, hoping he’d managed to hide the semi he’d sprung from seeing him. He let Rocco out, and he bounded over to Joe, almost knocking him flat.
“Hey, boy. How are you? Fancy a run in the garden? Come on then, let’s go.” Seb watched as Joe led the dog into the house. He turned to look at Seb. “Are you coming in?” He smiled so shyly Seb’s heart melted a little more. This guy was going to be the death of him.
He readjusted himself in his jeans, got his and Rocco’s things out of the car, and followed Joe inside.
The house was gorgeous. He stepped into a spacious hallway with doors to his left and right. He followed to the left into a beautifully decorated lounge area. There were hardwood floors with plush rugs and a huge grey suede sofa, a coffee table in front of it and on the wall facing the sofa, an ornately framed mirror. A large flat-screen TV stood in the corner nearest the window. Stairs to the upper floor ran off to the right of the room.
The room flowed effortlessly into a dining area, which in turn led to a kitchen to make a gourmet chef weep. Bi-fold doors opened from the dining area onto a patio and large garden where he could see Joe and Rocco playing with a football. Rocco was having a great time, and it appeared Joe was too.
Seb walked out and took a seat at the table and simply watched. To him, this was perfection!
Joe spotted him and jogged over, taking a seat next to him.
“Do you think he’s having a good time? I really would love a dog.”
Seb smiled at him; he looked so relaxed here in his own house, boyish even, all signs of the stress he often saw in him gone. The look was very good on him.
“I think he’s loving it. Can I put some water out for him? He’ll be exhausted soon, especially in this heat.” It was a glorious day, with blue skies and a hot June sun beating down.
