Page 41 of The Wedding Proposal

‘Only because me hanging out with Elle is so obviously not what you want that you’re making me curious.’ After a moment she added, ‘If you’re not being honest with me, I hope that you’re at least being honest with yourself.’

Chapter Eleven

After checking it was OK with Joseph, Elle had arranged for Kayleigh to visit the Nicholas Centre on Thursday afternoon, when she’d be there herself.

She hadn’t realised that Lucas would consider himself invited along.

Although she quickly realised that she had been stupid not to have anticipated him keeping his girlfriend company if he happened to have a day off, her heart jumped to see him waiting in the hallway outside Joseph’s office beside Kayleigh.

But she managed to compose herself to greet them both and make the introductions to Joseph, who provided his usual quiet welcome.

Elle wasn’t sure whether to stay or go as Joseph launched into a tour of the centre, weaving in its history and aims as he began in the games room, bringing in the towering Oscar. She’d just decided to fade away to where she’d left a group of kids in the computer room gathered around Lino, who was battling minotaurs on a level rarely seen in the Nicholas Centre gaming community, when Carmelo appeared behind her.

‘You are not upstairs,’ he declared accusingly. Then he saw Lucas and Kayleigh and peered in at them with his shy smile. ‘You are here as well.’

Lucas, who had been listening to Joseph and Oscar, turned to exchange high fives, making Carmelo’s eyes dance with pleasure. ‘Yup, we’re here.’

Kayleigh grinned. ‘Hey, Carmelo. Maybe you could help Joseph show us around?’

Joseph waved Carmelo forward. ‘Would you like to show your friends where you spend some of your time?’

Soon Carmelo was leading the party from room to room, clicking his fingers when he was struggling to summon the English word for something that he knew better in Maltese. Elle fell to the back of the pack, enjoying the spectacle of Carmelo coming out of his shell.

Oscar moved back to stand beside her. ‘Your boyfriend arrives today with another woman?’

Elle’s stomach dropped unpleasantly. Ah. She’d all but forgotten that Oscar thought Lucas to be her boyfriend. She’d just been relieved that he’d backed off.

‘Kayleigh works with children in England, so she’s interested in the centre,’ she said, as if that explained everything.

‘And she borrows your boyfriend?’ Oscar persisted.

Elle tried to look blank, as if she didn’t understand what Oscar was getting at. ‘She doesn’t need to borrow my boyfriend.’ Which had to be true, as Elle didn’t have a boyfriend, Lucas wasn’t Elle’s to lend and Kayleigh already had him.

A sly grin began to spread over Oscar’s freckly face. ‘This is interesting.’ He watched Kayleigh link arms with Lucas. ‘Very interesting.’ He smiled that irritating smile again as they climbed the stairs to the next floor.

Inwardly, Elle groaned. But as Joseph turned to her at that moment for a presentation on what took place in the computer room she was able to abandon the conversation. Nevertheless, as she poured out her enthusiasm for her role at the Nicholas Centre, she was uncomfortably aware not only of Lucas’s silent contemplation but of Oscar’s grin.

Once her spiel was finished, Elle could have let the tour move on without her. But that would have meant giving Oscar the chance to lurk around in the computer room, too, so she chose to stick with the group as it drifted downstairs to settle around the largest kitchen table. Elle helped Maria hand out drinks, and then waited until Oscar was seated so that she could choose a chair that wasn’t next to him.

Carmelo’s face shone with pleasure from his spot between Kayleigh and Elle. Talking animatedly about school soon ending for the summer, he swung his legs and sucked Pepsi through a blue-striped straw. At the end of the table Lucas and Joseph conversed quietly. Oscar watched Elle.

After twenty minutes, Lucas rose, saying to Joseph, ‘That’s really generous of you. If you’re certain that you don’t mind?’

‘We can look to see what fits you on the way out.’

The pair led the group out of the kitchen. To Elle’s surprise, Joseph took Lucas into the room where the rails of donated clothing hung. Surprise turned to plain astonishment as Lucas selected a pair of jeans in a thirty-two-inch waist.

‘It doesn’t matter if they’re a bit short because I’ll cut them off, anyway.’

‘What are you doing?’ Carmelo demanded.

‘I need a couple of new things. Joseph says that as I’ve offered to help the centre with something, I can take these.’

Carmelo’s quick eyes darted from Lucas’s face, to the jeans, and then to Joseph, who looked on, hands in pockets.

With a rush of understanding, Elle glanced at Lucas with new respect. As he had no need for donated clothing, if he was accepting something he was doing it for a reason. It seemed pretty obvious to Elle what it was.

She adopted a regretful tone. ‘That doesn’t really apply to official volunteers.’ Then, as if struck by a sudden thought. ‘But Carmelo has often helped me in the computer room. Could he choose something, Joseph?’ She was rewarded by a flash of warmth in Lucas’s eyes.

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