But despite the heartache pulsating through her, she surprised herself by not going straight to punishment. Nick could certainly entertain a toddler elsewhere, but did that leave him open to Jess intercepting him? Libby had the girls to consider too. They needed to be protected and she could already hear them pleading for Leo to come and play at Burrunan like he’d so often done in the past.

Tension stiffened her spine. “Thursday afternoons and no sleepovers.”

“Your long day?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

But she didn’t want his thanks. She wanted his acknowledgement that he understood her position. “Let me be absolutely clear, Nick. He’s one hundred per cent your responsibility, not mine. I’ll come home after he’s left.”

Despite the dismay on Nick’s face, he didn’t argue. “I get it.”

“Good.”

“And I’ll book us into the next available course.” He kissed her cheek. “I love you, tesoro mio.”

But as much as she wanted to say it back, something about the unevenness of the compromise stopped her.

Chapter Fifteen

July

“You’re gorgeous.”

“Um, thank you.” Alice withdrew her hand from the table in the corner of the coffee shop and placed it in her lap as Killian tried to grab it.

“As soon as you’ve finished that coffee, let’s take a selfie by the river. Together, we’ll make an amazing photo.”

Alice kicked herself. She’d seen Killian’s Instagram feed—handsome guy in stunning places—but she’d allowed herself to be seduced by his banter, convincing herself there was more to him than just looking beautiful. Wrong again, Alice! A selfie of them together would be the equivalent of the old notch on a belt. Although Alice wasn’t against sex, she already had that base covered with Dan. Dating was supposed to be all about meeting a life partner, not attaching herself to a self-obsessed man.

“Actually, Killian, I think I’ll pass on the photo.” And the rest of this coffee date.

A wrinkle creased his brow. “Never pass up the perfect photo op, Alice.”

She could see he was struggling to absorb her message. “That’s the thing, Killian. There’s more to my life than a photo op.”

He shrugged and to Alice’s relief he stood and left, saving her from having to say, “This isn’t going to work.” Sadly, she was becoming very good at that statement.

“Another dud?” Zadie, the waitress, cleared the table.

“It’s a numbers game.”

Zadie glanced at the door. “Oh, is this your next one? He’s cute in a shaggy dog sort of a way. He could be a project.”

“I don’t want a project! I want a fully functional man.”