First Love, Last Love

‘Carly told me. She wanted to know if you were ill. She said something about you not seeming yourself this morning. When you didn’t go back after lunch she became concerned and called me. Naturally I telephoned here, and when I got no answer I decided to come home and check that you hadn’t collapsed or something. Mr Blair wasn’t in this afternoon, so at least I didn’t have to explain to him that my niece had done a disappearing act and I had to go and look for her.’

Lauri took off her jacket, turning to hang it up to give herself time to collect her thoughts. ‘I didn’t think my taking the afternoon off would cause such a fuss,’ she said lightly. ‘I suppose that’s what comes of working in the same place as the rest of my family.’

Jane’s brown eyes widened. ‘Are you telling me that you just took the afternoon off?’

‘Well—’

‘You just decided not to go back?’ Jane demanded that she answer.

‘It wasn’t quite like that—’

‘I’d be interested to hear what it was like! It was because Steve and I already worked at Blair’s that you found it so easy to get this job. And now you’ve abused that connection by taking time off on a whim!’ her voice rose angrily. ‘You aren’t still at school, you know, you can’t just take time off when you feel like it.’

‘I realise that.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. You’re still in your month’s trial, so I hope you can find a reasonable excuse to give Carly.’

‘I’ll think of something,’ Lauri evaded.

‘Then I hope it’s something good,’ Jane snapped, ‘because she’s been as worried as I have.’

Lauri bowed her head. ‘I’m sorry.’ It wasn’t often that her aunt lost her temper, but when she did it was something to take notice of.

‘Don’t say sorry to me,’ Jane dismissed. ‘It’s Carly you should be apologising to. Needless to say I’m very disappointed in you.’

‘Does Steve know about this too?’ After his suspicions of yesterday he just might put two and two together and come up with

the right answer!

‘No,’ luckily Jane didn’t hear her sigh of relief. ‘And I’m not going to tell him,’ Jane further put her mind at rest. ‘I don’t see why both of us should be upset by your thoughtlessness. You could have been lying dead in a ditch for all we knew,’ she added angrily.

‘I’ve said I’m sorry,’ Lauri looked at her pleadingly. ‘It won’t happen again.’

‘It had better not,’ Jane warned. ‘Carly seemed to be under the impression you were having dental treatment and that perhaps you weren’t feeling well after it. This time off hasn’t happened before, has it?’ she asked suspiciously.

‘No,’ Lauri shook her head vigorously. After all, she had only been a little bit late back yesterday.

‘Then make sure it doesn’t.’

‘I will.’

It seemed that her arguments weren’t over for the day; Daryl was in a terrible mood when he arrived to take her out later that evening.

‘Where were you at lunchtime?’ he demanded angrily, pushing past her to enter the house.

Lauri sighed, knowing she was in for another time of questioning. And all because of a man who seemed to have calmly dismissed her from his life. She wished she could do the same to him. Alex had changed in his attitude towards her some time during the afternoon, and telling her he was meeting Connie Mears had been a deliberate attempt to hurt her.

And it had hurt her, more than she cared to admit. She had thought herself to be merely attracted to him, a mindless attraction that would die as quickly as it had flamed into life. But the thought of him with another woman made her burn with jealousy.

If only she knew what she had done to make him suddenly change towards her. If she could pinpoint when it had happened—She frowned; it had happened as soon as they had met Laurence Daniels at the airport, until then everything had been as normal between them. She knew Laurence Daniels had held her hand too long, that he had kept staring at her, but surely Alex’s attitude couldn’t be due to jealousy of his brother-in-law? It didn’t seem possible that Alex could imagine meeting Laurence Daniels had meant anything to her, pleasant as he might have seemed, and yet she could think of no other explanation.

‘Lauri!’ Daryl cut into her thoughts impatiently. ‘You aren’t even listening to me!’ he accused.

She bit her lip. ‘Sorry, I—I was miles away.’

‘That’s obvious,’ he scowled.

‘Daryl—’