First Love, Last Love

She sighed. ‘I told you, no.’ She pulled her hand out of his. ‘My aunt would never agree anyway,’ she added, as if that ended the matter. She would never go against Jane, loving and respecting her too much to hurt her.

Daryl scowled. ‘She acts more like your mother than your aunt.’

Daryl and Jane had only met once, one evening when Daryl had returned Lauri home rather late, and her aunt had shown her displeasure with the lateness of the hour. They had taken an instant dislike to each other, and although Jane never tried to influence her in her choice of friends Lauri had been conscious of her aunt’s disapproval of Daryl.

‘In a way she is, she’s brought me up since I was seven,’ Lauri bristled angrily on behalf of her aunt. ‘And we were late that night. She had a right to be cross with us.’

‘It was a Saturday, Lauri. You didn’t have to go to work in the morning. And we’d been to a party.’

‘It was three o’clock in the morning!’

He smiled. ‘Some of the parties I go to back home go on until morning.’

‘They do here too, and I’ve been to a couple of them, but not without telling Jane first.’

‘She isn’t your keeper!’ he said resentfully.

Lauri sighed. ‘I’m not going to argue with you, Daryl, not at this late date in our friendship. We’ll just have to agree to differ about the loyalty and respect I owe my aunt.’

‘We weren’t talking about respect. I was just—’

‘Let’s forget it, Daryl! Please. I’m not going to Ireland or anywhere else with you, and it’s my decision. Now, where are you taking me tonight?’

‘Are you sure you still want to go anywhere with me?’ he said moodily.

‘Don’t be a bad loser,’ she chided, aware that his usual good humour and bland good looks had made him some easy conquests on his travels. She just didn’t intend being one of them. ‘Now eat your food, we have to be back in a few minutes.’

‘I don’t want it.’ He obviously still hadn’t got over his sulk.

‘Moody,’ she teased. ‘Hey, I know, we could go to the cinema this evening. There’s a good film on at the Odeon.’

‘If you want to.’ They moved to pay their bill before going outside.

Lauri looked up at him. ‘Don’t you want to know what the film is?’

‘Not particularly.’

‘Now look,’ she snapped, ‘we can finish this right now if you’re going to continue behaving childishly. And it is childish to sulk just because you can’t have your own way.’

‘You would like Ireland, I know you would.’

‘I’m sure I would,’ she agreed. ‘But I’m still not going. I have no desire to travel. Maybe one day I will have, but not right now.’

‘I’m going to miss you.’

She grinned. ‘I’ll bet—for the first five minutes. Just think of all those Irish colleens and I’m sure you’ll soon cheer up.’

A reluctant smile lightened his features. ‘Aren’t you ever serious?’

‘Not if I can help it,’ she admitted. ‘Steve is the same. We have some lovely arguments.’

‘But not with Jane.’

‘No one argues with Jane. She’s always cool and calm. Perhaps that’s why she gets on with our bossy Mr Blair,’ she mused. ‘She’d just soothe his temper away.’

‘Bossy? Temper?’ Daryl frowned. ‘You speak like one who knows, and yet I thought your aunt never discussed him with you.’

‘He’s back, you know.’