‘Just a bit? Megan, you’re a basket case when it comes to men.’
‘I know.’
‘Just because Hayden couldn’t keep his trousers zipped, it doesn’t mean all men are the same. You need to move on, Megan.’
‘I’ve moved on. I’m living a good life with my child.’ Huddling down inside her coat, Meg watched as Dino switched off the engine and let Jamie play with the wheel for a few minutes, pretending to be a racing driver. ‘Why does Jamie have to be interested in cars? It’s the one thing I know absolutely nothing about.’
‘He’s a little boy.’ Her mother’s face softened. ‘A gorgeous, fantastic boy and you have to help him grow into a gorgeous, fantastic man. That’s your job. Part of that is letting him mix with men.’
‘He does mix with men.’
‘I’m not talking about the mountain rescue team. They treat you as one of the lads. I’m talking about man-woman stuff. He
needs to see men as part of your life. When did you last go on a date?’
‘You know I don’t go on dates.’ She blew on her hands to warm them. ‘And there’s no way I’m introducing a string of men to Jamie. What happens when they dump me? Jamie gets hurt. No way.’
‘Maybe they wouldn’t dump you. Have you thought about that?’
Meg stared straight ahead, her breath forming clouds in the freezing air. Her brain fielded the memories that came rushing forward to swamp her. ‘My job is to protect my child. That’s what mothers are supposed to do.’
‘Are you protecting him? Or are you protecting yourself?’ Her mother’s voice was casual. ‘Talking about protecting yourself, it’s lucky Dino was able to find you and help you out on the mountain today.’
‘I didn’t need his help. I could have managed on my own.’
‘Megan, when are you going to realise that you don’t win awards in this life for managing on your own?’ Her mother looked tired suddenly. ‘You’re a fantastic mum, but Jamie needs a man in his life and, frankly, so do you. It’s time you stopped shutting everyone out. If you can’t bring yourself to trust another man quite yet, at least make a New Year’s resolution to have sex.’
‘Sex?’ Scandalised, Meg shrieked the word just as Dino scooped Jamie out of the car.
It echoed through the silence, the sound somehow magnified by the cold emptiness of the night.
Across the snow Dino’s eyes met hers.
And she knew she was in trouble.
CHAPTER TWO
‘MUMMY, what’s sex?’
Oh, brilliant. Cursing her mother for landing her in such deep water, Meg tucked the duvet around Jamie. ‘Well, sex can mean different things.’ This was one conversation she did not want to have right now—not while memories of Dino’s irresistible dark eyes were still fixed in her brain. ‘It can mean the same thing as gender—whether someone is male or female.’
‘So Rambo is male sex.’
‘That’s right.’
‘And you’re female sex.’
‘Right again.’
Jamie reached for his drink of water. ‘So what else does it mean?’
Meg wondered whether to simply change the subject and then decided that wouldn’t be right. This was part of being a single parent, wasn’t it? You dealt with these things on your own. ‘When a male and a female come together to make a baby, that’s called sex, too.’ She decided that was enough detail for a seven-year-old, at least for the time being.
‘Grandma thinks you should make a baby.’
Meg gulped. ‘No, Jamie, that’s not what Grandma thinks.’
‘Yes, she does. She’s told me loads of times she thinks you should get married and have more babies. She’s always talking about it.’