Always(Time for Love Book 4)(28)

“Oh, Darren,” she whispered, filled with compassion and sadness for both son and mother—two people who had been a big part of her life in the past.

“Please, Bren. We only need to pretend while we’re around her. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Brenna dropped her head back against the headrest and squeezed her eyes shut, unsure of what to do. “I need time to think about this, Darren. And I need to talk to Ash first.”

“Ash? Amanda’s brother Ash?”

“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.”

Darren snorted in disbelief. “He finally told you, did he?”

She stared at Darren. “You knew too?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t tell me,” she murmured, surprised that even Darren had noticed.

Darren snickered. “You know full well that Ash and I don’t get along, Bren. Besides, I was going out with you then. Why would I point out to you that Ash fancied you? It was funny how you never noticed, though.”

She flushed, her heart going out to Ash again. “Well, I have to talk to him about this first. I’m having lunch with him tomorrow. I’ll tell him then.”

Darren grasped her hand. “Bren, for me this is a matter of life and death. Sometimes Mum says that it wouldn’t be so bad if she died soon, because then she’d be with Dad and she wouldn’t be a burden to me and the rest of the family. When she’s in those moods she refuses to eat. I really need your help with this, Bren. For Mum. Please.”

She nodded, hearing the desperation and helplessness in Darren’s voice. Ash would understand, wouldn’t he?

*****

“What?”

“You should have seen Patty, Ash,” Brenna said, pleading with her eyes for Ash to understand. “She looked really ill. But she was so pleased to see me. Darren said that most of the time she feels anxious and depressed. That’s not good when someone’s trying to prepare for a major operation, is it? And you know how close I used to be to her. Making her feel happy is the only way I know how to help her.”

Ash stared at her with a pained expression before rubbing his face.

Brenna’s heart sank. She had hoped that Ash would wholeheartedly agree with her arrangement with Darren. But instead he was upset. “Ash,” she whispered, willing him to see it from her point of view.

“What exactly does pretending to be Darren’s girlfriend again entail?”

“Nothing much! Sometimes I’ll go with Darren to Patty’s. Then we’ll have lunch or dinner with her and spend a bit of time chatting, or maybe watching a DVD or something. That’s it really. It’s only my time that’s involved.”

“What about... kissing and all that?” he asked with a big scowl on his face.

“No. No kissing,” she said definitively. “The most we’ll do is hold hands when we need to—like when she watches us leave the house.”

“Wouldn’t it seem strange if you don’t kiss? You guys didn’t have a problem being lovey-dovey around people before,” Ash said, almost pouting.

She reached for his leg under the table and gave it a comforting rub.

“We only acted like that in front of friends. We were different in front of parents. We almost never kissed in front of our folks.”

Ash was silent for a long moment.

“Do what you feel is right, Bren,” he finally said.

“We’re only gonna be pretending,” she reminded him gently. “And only while we’re around Patty.”

Ash nodded and she let out a little sigh of relief.

“Do you want to have dinner tonight?” she asked, keen to steer the conversation to something else.

“I can’t,” he answered. “I’m going through a patient case file tonight with a group of colleagues. Then tomorrow night, Mum wants me and Amanda to have dinner with her new boyfriend. She doesn’t want to make it look like a big deal, so she asked that only me and Amanda go. Then on Saturday night, I have a quarterly meeting with my fellow association board members.”

“So I won’t see you again for a few days?” she asked, more than disappointed.

“We can still see each other on Saturday day. I can pick you up early and we can do whatever you want. We can even start sorting through those boxes in my garage, if you like.”

“Oh, uh, I can’t,” she said, flushing a little. “Patty’s expecting me to turn up for lunch at her place. It’s her sister’s birthday—the one who’s looking after her full time.”

“Right,” Ash said tightly, frowning at his plate.

“What about Sunday?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he answered, his tone flat. “Depends on what comes up at the board meeting on Saturday night. I’m fully booked with patients for next week, so I might have to work on a few things on Sunday. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay. Just don’t overwork yourself,” she said.

Ash’s lips curved, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Oh, damn. She could tell he was trying not to look hurt, but he clearly was.

“Ash, please try to understand,” she said, desperate for him to be okay with her decision.

“I do understand, Bren,” he said softly, squeezing her hand. This time his smile was genuine, but oh, she wished there wasn’t a tinge of sadness in it.