The Wrong Sister(40)
“Who?” he asked, his expression innocent.
“You called me Blondie.”
“Did I?”
Blondie. He has a special name for me.
Christian drew up close to the clinic’s entrance and insisted on helping her from the car and making sure she was steady on her crutches. He went to re-park as soon as he’d seen her safely seated in the waiting room.
Her injuries were checked, stitches inspected, dressings replaced, and her concussion discussed.
When they peeled away the pad above her eye she asked, “Can I see what I’ve done there?”
The nurse produced a mirror. “Don’t worry—it won’t look anything like that in a few weeks.”
Fiona grimaced at the stitched-up gash, yellow with iodine.
“What a mess,” she murmured. No wonder Christian had been so concerned.
“At least you didn’t damage any teeth or endanger your eyesight. You’re healing beautifully. We can cover that with something smaller now. Stitches out on Tuesday. Make the appointment with reception as you leave please, Miss Delaporte.” Fiona hobbled out and Christian went to retrieve the car.
Once they’d pulled onto the main road again he said, “I think I’ll drop you back to the house and go to work for the afternoon.”
“That’ll take care of our little problem,” she agreed.
“It’s good to see a bit more of you, anyway.” He looked pointedly at the wound above her eye, now covered with a much smaller dressing.
“They’ve taken the big one off my knee, too.” She slid her skirt aside to reveal her much smaller patch.
“Don’t tempt me!” he growled, directing his attention back to his driving.
They proceeded across the city and swooped up the steep roads on Mt Victoria again until they were home. From the street frontage, the garage damage was very obvious.
“Poor lovely house,” Fiona said as they slowed for the gates to swing aside.
“I’ve got plans for it.”
“You’re not selling it?”
He shook his head. “No way. But I want the security upgraded after this. The best there is. I’m not leaving my daughter and a nanny here without upgrading the system to the very latest. They wouldn’t stand a chance if any more thugs decided to break in.”
Fiona shivered at the thought. “Good idea then.”
“I expect it’ll mean ripping pieces of the interior apart to get cables through,” he continued. “But the place is almost six years old now. Once it’s done, I’ll have it redecorated.”
“Everything?”
“It’s probably time. Have a think about colors for me. What should be updated and so on.”
“I wouldn’t feel right changing Jan’s choices.”
“It’s mostly the original architect’s choices. Jan chose the shade to re-paint Nic’s room, but that was about all.”
Fiona nodded, picturing the upheaval. “It’ll be awful to live in while the work’s being done.”
“Part two of the plan. I should be able to get things started a couple of weeks into the New Year. Amy Houndsworth’s planning to go and visit her sister in Melbourne. I’ll take Kathy and Nic out to the Lodge for a while. Do some fishing. Recharge the batteries. See if I can get my brain back to where it should be.”
“You’d better grab some paint charts then. Unless you want to get an interior decorator’s advice?”
She opened the car door and hauled herself out before he could offer help.
The rest of her day slid by pleasantly enough. Christian went straight to his study and reappeared soon after, shaved, suited and sensational. He grabbed a coffee and departed.
Nicola played sandpit games while Fiona lounged nearby, reading. Kathy brought a picnic lunch outside and then asked Fiona if she could watch Nicky for a while. There was ‘a really, really great sale’ on at one of the city stores and she wanted to nip down the hill for a look during her lunch break. Nicky was in a happy mood—Fiona foresaw no problems. Kathy returned in good time with a tiny blue bikini, which she insisted on modeling for them.
“Had a nice time without me, Blondie?”
Fiona jumped from her half-doze under the sun-umbrella. Christian squatted beside her, flipping through a professional-looking swatch of paint colors.
“Just the thing for the front entrance,” he added, tapping a particularly bilious bright green.
He’d exchanged his business clothing for racy swim-briefs. Beads of moisture dotted his golden skin, and his hair was slicked close to his head. The scene in the en suite rushed back to taunt her.
From the side of the house she heard squeals and splashing as Nicky and Kathy continued to enjoy the big outdoor pool. No doubt Kathy wore her new purchase. She pictured the perky nanny showing off in the tiny blue bikini. Trying her luck with her new employer, maybe? Fiona’s teeth practically curled at the thought.