Page 46 of Only You

Andrew raised an eyebrow but bless the man. He said nothing other than, “I’ll leave you to get ready then.”

Ana swore he was smirking when he left the room. That man was really getting under her skin. She wasn’t sure when she had stopped seeing him as Olivia’s dad or Eva’s ex-husband. Instead, seeing him as ‘all male’ with a smoking-hot body, she couldn’t get out of her mind.

To make matters worse, he was also kind and caring towards friends and family and a first-class father to Olivia. The guy had no flaws. Ana flopped back on the bed and ran a hand over her face. She needed to pull herself together. Andrew Dennison was off-limits where she was concerned. He shouldn’t even be a blip on her radar. It must be the proximity they were living in. Or the fact Millie was constantly talking about ‘gorgeous’ men and had pointed out to Ana, having seen Andrew on breakfast television, how incredibly ‘yummy’ her ex-brother-in-law was.

Damn Millie! She’d set her mind racing. Maybe this crush was nothing more than Andrew being the perfect dad, something she had never seen or experienced herself. His relationship with Olivia was enviable. She needed to get a grip! Andrew had been out on a date last night, so he was clearly not interested in her in that way.

Ana darted out of bed and into the bathroom. She needed to get ready before they sent a search party out. She had pancakes to make and a day to begin.

Ana got washed and dressed in record time. Olivia was already sitting on the island waiting for her.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Olivia said, grinning and looking so like her father.

It took Ana’s breath away.

“Morning, Missy. You can’t talk. You fell asleep on me last night,” Ana said, grinning back at Olivia.

“You were both sound asleep on the sofa when I got back,” Andrew said, entering the kitchen behind her.

Andrew looked over at Ana, who felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

Andrew said nothing more. He directed his attention to Olivia, ruffling her hair affectionately.

“How was your date, Daddy?” Olivia asked her father.

Ana’s heart stuttered in her chest, and she turned towards the fridge, not wanting Andrew to see her listening, not wanting to know yet desperate to hear.

“It was lovely,” Andrew said.

Ana felt her heart sink further into her chest. She couldn’t listen to any more, or she might need to leave, so she turned round.

“Pancakes,” Ana said, clapping her hands. “Come on, Olivia, I need your help.”

Ana supervised Olivia cracking the eggs into the bowl and using the hand whisk to whisk them up. She then had her measure out the flour and add enough until the eggs were dry before adding some of the milk they had also measured out. Ana showed Olivia how mixing the ingredients together, a bit at a time, it stopped the mixture from forming lumps.

Andrew sat on the stool, watching them both. Ana tried to ignore the feeling of his eyes on her, but she felt super sensitive like they were burning holes into her skin.

Once the mixture was made, Olivia cheered as Ana flipped the pancakes in the pan.

“What do you want on your pancakes?” Ana asked Olivia.

Olivia looked at her dad and then at Ana. “Maple syrup,” she answered.

“Ok, well, get the maple syrup out of the fridge and the lemon as well,” Ana said, directing her. You can also lay the table.

Olivia jumped down and ran to do Ana’s bidding. They had developed quite the relationship over the past month and a half. Ana found she loved hanging around with her niece. She was an absolute joy.

“What are you doing today?” Ana jumped at Andrew’s question, nearly dropping the pan.

“Err, nothing. I was just going to relax,” Ana heard herself answer. Millie and George were with their families this weekend, so socialising was a non-starter. Not that Ana minded. She had been out nearly every weekend recently.

“Daddy and I are going Christmas shopping,” Olivia chipped in. “Do you want to come with us?”

Ana found her gaze drifting away from Olivia and to Andrew. “You are more than welcome to join us,” he added. “And about Christmas, I’ve been meaning to ask you.” It was Andrews’ turn to look awkward. “I take it you won’t be going home this Christmas.”

Ana swallowed. No, she was definitely not going home this Christmas. It surprised her she hadn’t heard from her parents. She had left in June, and it was now mid-December. When they had said they wanted nothing to do with her, they had obviously meant it.

“No,” Ana said, shaking her head.

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