CHAPTER 1
Every weekday morning for three weeks Nick Collins had seen the young woman sitting at the bus stop, looking forlorn and not looking up at the passing traffic. He left for work late one morning and saw her boarding a bus. That upset his latest theory that perhaps the bus never came and she went home around 5:00 tired and hungry from sitting alone and being totally unoccupied all day.
Patricia his wife had a drinking problem and had become bitchy and virtually uncommunicative at other times unless she wanted something. Nick being an attorney wasn't keen about divorce; news of that could place a black tick on his career path. That also ruled out abandoning her because that act could rebound and leave him publicly ostracized and he could lose his job and become unemployable if accusations against him got into the newspaper. Patricia's problem was she consumed more liquor than he did, three to four times more. Although she now disliked him at least she retained her mothering instincts and practices.
His wife refused absolutely to have her alcohol problem medically treated. Once, on separate occasions, Patricia's two married sisters stayed with the family. The idea of that was some company might perk her up and encourage her to keep off the bottle during the evenings. Cynthia and later Vivienne left after Patricia accused them of sleeping with Nick. Those outbursts had been rather upsetting for the family and of course left Nick ashamed and guilty. He kept confiscating the gin bottle every time he saw one but Patricia became cunning and hid them in peculiar places and screamed to accuse her husband of spying whenever he found her new cache. She then began rebottling the gin in jam jars and whatever so Nick virtually gave up on her and shifted into the guest room.
Nick then decided he needed a distraction apart from the kids, aged four, six and seven. Remarkably Patricia still managed to care for the kids without his help and maintained their long-standing arrangement: she'd agreed to looking after the children and prepare and cook the meals in return for him doing the dishes and putting out the trash. They hired a woman to clean the house and do the washing which had been a mistake because once the older two kids were off to school and young Meg was put down Patricia had nothing to do except to ensure she wasn't in the room bossy Mrs York wanted to clean. So as soon as Mrs York left mid afternoon Patricia relaxed with her first gin of the day.
One morning Nick found his distraction. It was raining heavily. The young woman at the bus top had her umbrella up but it was virtually ineffective against the driving rain.
Nick stopped the car and rolled down the window. "Want a lift?"
"No thank you."
:"Look I'm Nick Collins of 33 Mayfair Drive, an attorney."
"I know who you are," she shouted against the wind. "You got my friend off running a red light on a technicality."
"Well get in."
"No thank you."
The diversion he wanted wasn't working and realizing that he saw red. "Get in the fucking car you stupid bitch," Nick roared.
She practically hurled herself in as he opened the door.
"Thank you very much."
"Let's look at you. Where's your umbrella?"
"The wind took it but don't bother going after it. It was blown inside out and I heard the clips holding the ribs pinging.
That was a relief for Nick because he wanted a diversion, not pneumonia from going out in the rain to retrieved an umbrella.
"Look I have a rug in the trunk. Take off all your clothes and I'll put the rug over you."
"And then what?"
"Um, well I don't know."
The woman scowled and said she didn't think he would.
"Let me feel your legs."
"No!"
"What, do you think I want to have sex with you?"
"Don't be stupid. You feeling my thighs to find how wet they are won't make them any drier."
"Er, you have a point there."
Blaring air horns almost made Nick jump through the roof. "What was that?"
"The bus. You are parked on a bus stop."
"Well the driver had no need to stop; no one is waiting."
The woman said try telling that to the driver.
Nick rolled down his window but at that moment the bus continued on its way, horns blaring. Nick turned his hand over and gesticulated rudely.
"It's symbolically even ruder if you use only one finger," she grinned.
That diversion made Nick grin. He called his office and made up a yarn saying there was floodwater over the road and he'd be in late.
The woman beside him made no comment.
"Come on, I want to get your out of those clothes. Make a suggestion."
"Drive forward ten yards, turn left, drive for 220 yards to my house and I'll have a hot shower and change."
"While I sit in the car?"
"No you come in and make coffee. My parents are holidaying in South Africa so won't mind you being in to house because you rescued their precious daughter."
"I think I see the logic."
"This is the house. Turn in and drive right up."
"It's very large and expensive looking."
"It's okay. How old are you?"
Nick sighed. "Thirty-three and a near failure. How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
"Christ, is that all? Look, I apologize for making sexual remarks that may have come close to causing offence."
"Very close I'd say. However I don't mind if you think you want to fuck me. You can't help what you think."
"Miss, that's a very mature comment."
"Well here we are... I'm Lexi."
"Okay out Lexi and into the shower quickly."
"Do you wish to undress me in the bathroom?"
"No," Nick laughed. "Off you go you nymphomaniac."
Lexi giggled and ran off.
Nick hunted around the kitchen and found a can of chicken soup so split it between two plates and microwaved them separately.
"Oh goodie," Lexi said coming in wearing thick black leggings and a long thick jersey over he didn't know what.
"Feel better?"
