Page 43 of All Yours

‘All good,’ he said, an image of Robyn and the boys flashing through his head. ‘Life, in fact, is ticking along nicely.’

The girls both nodded at each other, with a secretive shared look, before moving to surround him, one each side.

‘Right then, we think it’s time we get you a date, Fox,’ Amber said, nudging him. ‘To even up the numbers.’

‘We think that between us, we must know a gorgeous woman who would be perfect for you,’ Isabella said. Fox glanced at Etienne and Alex who both rolled their eyes. ‘We just need your say-so to start hooking you up.’

‘The girls seem to think that you’re a bit of a catch,’ Etienne said. ‘Although I can’t see the appeal myself . . .’

‘Well, he’s not bad looking, is he?’ Isabella teased.

‘And he’s rolling in cash . . .’ Amber added.

‘Which makes you the new eligible bachelor of Honeybridge, apparently,’ Alex said. ‘You’ve taken our crown.’

Fox laughed and shook his head. ‘Honestly, don’t worry about me. I don’t mind being the odd one out. You don’t have to fix me up.’

Amber stared at him with her big blue eyes. ‘Maybe you’re fixing yourself up?’ she asked slyly. She had everyone’s attention now. ‘I saw you and Robyn in the restaurant the other day.’

Isabella’s mouth dropped open. ‘What did you see?’

‘She didn’t see anything at all.’ Fox laughed, thinking that if Amber had been just a moment later, she probably would have seen a whole lot more.

‘You might not have been doing anything, but you were definitely thinking about it.’ Amber poked him in the chest. ‘You both looked guilty as hell when I came in.’

Fox laughed again.

‘You’ve got an overactive imagination, Amber. Nothing was happening.’

‘Looked like a whole heap of nothing to me. And you both jumped like you’d been electrocuted!’

They peered at him, as if waiting for him to crack, and he knew he had to say something to put them off the scent. However attracted he was to Robyn, he wasn’t going to tell this lot and make it uncomfortable for her to work for him.

‘Honestly, it was nothing. But there is a little something happening with a woman at work,’ he teased and they both leaned closer. Amber went so far as to hold on to his arm so that he couldn’t get away.

‘Spill, now,’ Isabella said.

‘Tell all, mister,’ Amber said.

Shit, he hadn’t expected that much interest. He blew onto his hands and rubbed them briskly together. But it might throw them off track, so he might as well use what he had.

‘She’s called Erin,’ he said. ‘She’s one of the new designers.’ Both women nodded in anticipation.

‘So, you have some things in common then.’ Isabella nodded along.

‘What’s she like?’ Amber asked.

Fox considered for a minute, then shrugged. She was pretty in a brunette swishy hair kind of way. But she didn’t have any freckles.

‘Nice,’ he said, eventually.

‘Well, invite her out sometime!’ Amber encouraged. ‘We promise to play nicely.’

‘Maybe,’ Fox conceded, but without any intention of doing so. As Amber opened her mouth to speak again, the fireworks show started with a literal bang and they all turned to watch. George appeared by his side and Fox lifted him onto his shoulders to get a better view.

Noisy rockets seared across the sky, exploding into stardust waterfalls and neon bursts of colour. The clouds were lit with sparkles and bangs, and he felt the noise vibrate through his chest. George bent from his viewpoint and shouted towards Fox’s face, pointing.

‘Look, Daddy, there’s Robyn.’