Starting Over (New Beginnings #1) Read online

  "Thanks Connor, that would be great."

  "So what brought you out here? Who are you trying to hide from? The girls? Or just the noise in general?"

  Ash laughed. "Scott, actually. He struggles with the idea that I don't date."

  "Really?"

  "Really what? Really I don't date? Or really he struggled with the idea?"

  "Well both actually."

  "Why is it so hard to believe I don't date?"

  "It's not hard to believe, just unusual for a more mature woman, usually by your age women want to settle down with a husband."

  "Been there done that, trust me it's not all it's cracked up to be. And what exactly do you mean by "more mature woman”? I'll have you know Scott thought I was a lot younger than I am."

  Connor stammered for a second, realising his faux pas. "I'm sorry; I assumed you are at least in your late twenties, and usually by that age women are looking to settle down."

  "Late twenties? Oh my god, you guys are all awesome. Obviously Hayden hasn't shared with anyone here that I am actually closer to forty than I am to thirty. Not that I'm complaining, so far this place has been great for my ego."

  "Really?" Connor questioned, "Closer to forty? I was erring on the side of caution when I said late twenties, but an honest guess, would have been very early thirties?"

  Ash shook her head. "Thirty-seven." She clarified.

  "Wow, I can't believe you're a year older than me. That's insane."

  Ash chuckled. "What is insane about it?"

  Connor looked perplexed for a minute. "Well nothing really. A silly remark, is all." He wasn't going to tell her that he couldn't believe she was that old, because for over ten years he hadn't even been remotely interested in a woman who was any less than five years younger than himself. And he was very interested in her. Connor decided it was time to get out and clear his head.

  "Anyway Ash, I was going to take off for a run. I'll catch up with you for that canoe ride later."

  Oh, you run?" she asked, realizing based on his physique that, that was a pretty silly question.

  "Yeah, do you?"

  "Not as often as I'd like. I run while the girls’ ride their bikes but more often than not it’s too difficult to find time."

  "Do you want to come?" Connor asked, without even thinking. He was thankful for an opportunity to spend time alone with her, while needing to get away from her at the same time.

  "Ooh no, I can't leave the girls."

  "Why not? Where are they now?"

  "They were eating breakfast with your sister’s kids when I left. But I haven't left them really, they're just on the other side of that door and they know I'm just out here. "

  "I'm sure Deb would be happy to keep an eye on them for half an hour or so if you wanted to come."

  "No, it is okay. I wouldn't want to slow you down."

  "I'm only going for a jog; I'm not trying to better my personal record."

  "You almost sound desperate for me to come Connor?" she meant it as a statement but it came across more as a question.

  "Not desperate, but I would enjoy the company. Why do you sound desperate not to come?" Connor leant closer to her. "Are you afraid to be alone with me?"

  "What? No, I have kids to think about, is all." Ash answered backing into the railing of the deck.

  "I'll sort out the girls’ so you can come running with me, we'll go for half an hour." he stated.

  Ash chuckled with a shake off her head "Sure, OKAY then." she conceded. She was looking forward to a run.

  Connor saw Deb as soon as he walked back inside and went straight up to her.

  "Hey sis," he said quietly, "Would you mind keeping an eye on Beth and Sarah so Ash could come for a run with me, we'll only be about half an hour?"

  Deb glanced across at Ash who was now leaning over the girls’ making sure they ate all their breakfast.

  "Connor, please don’t tell me you're not putting the moves on Hayden's new girlfriend."

  "She's not his girlfriend, and we're only going for a run."

  "Connor." She said warningly.

  "What? Will you help out our not?" He asked in frustration.

  Deb nodded.

  "Thanks Sis." he said, and crossed back to Ash.

  "Go and get changed! I'll meet you at the front door in five." he said to her as he raced out.

  "Hey are you girls’ okay if Mummy goes for a run? Adam's mum will keep an eye on you while I'm gone."

  "Sure thing Mummy..." Sarah said.

  "…Have fun." Beth finished off the end of Sarah's sentence.

  Ash detoured to Deb on her way out to change.

  "Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

  "Not at all. But I do have a question if that's okay?"

  "I guess, what about?"

  "You and Hayden."

  "What about me and Hayden?"

  "What's the relationship there? I thought you two were dating?"

  "What? No. Hayden and I are friends, and work colleagues."

  "Does he know that Ash?"

  "Well considering the last time we discussed it was earlier this week, if he doesn't, that's his problem. I don't date Deb. It's just me and my girls’. That's the way I like it and that's the way it's going to stay. Hayden knows that. He had the option and he chose friendship."

  "Damn, is that how blunt you were when you laid it out for him?"

  "Even more so," Ash confirmed.

  "Alright then, so long as he knows where he stands that's all I care about. Enjoy your run; I hope Connor doesn't tire you out too much."

  “Thanks Deb." Ash said before she left to go and change.

  "Ash, hold up a sec." Hayden called as she was about to walk through the door. "Where are you off to?" he asked.

  "Apparently I'm going for a run."

  "Apparently?"

  "Yeah, Connor talked me into it."

  "He did, did he?"

  "Yeah, he organised for Deb to watch the girls’, so we're going for a run."

  Hayden reached out and placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, be careful with my cousin."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I've seen the way you look at him, but he's a rock star Ash, and he's a heartbreaker and I don't want to see you get hurt."

  "Hayden, me telling you I don't date isn't a line. It's the honest truth. I don't date, so there's no way he could break my heart. He might come in handy for scratching that itch though." She said, before turning away quickly and going to change before he could reply.

  Hayden really wasn't happy about the prospect of her using Connor for her sexual relief. He'd much rather volunteer himself for that job. But since he knew that wasn't going to happen, he had to try to take comfort in the fact that, if she was thinking about sex with Connor, she didn't think of him as a friend, and she wouldn't see him again beyond this weekend.

  ****

  Chapter 6

  Connor was starting to wonder if Ash had stood him up when she finally showed up in a pair of sexy running shorts and a bright blue singlet top. He wondered briefly if this was going to be a mistake as he stood admiring her legs.

  "You ready?" he asked, pulling himself out of the daydream he was about to lose himself into if he stood watching her any longer.

  "Sure, let's go." Ash replied.

  "Do you want to set the pace?" He asked.

  "No. This is your run, I'll manage, and if you go too fast I'll just turn and head back."

  "All right then, let's head off down the hill as a warm up. Then we'll head back up it on our way back. "

  "Okay." Ash answered with a smile. Personally she would have preferred to tackle the hill first, get the pain over and done with quickly and then cool down on the downhill run back. But as she said, this was Connor’s run, so she would go along with whatever he wanted to do.

  The downhill run was easy and Ash was surprised at how slow Connor was taking it. She wanted a run not a walk, she wanted to feel her lungs burn and her legs
ache.

  "Are you holding back on my behalf?” She asked about ten minutes later. They had been making idle chit chat and she was holding up her end of the conversation without any problems at all, she needed to step it up a notch.

  "Am I going too slow for you?" Connor asked. "I thought you wanted me to set the pace?"

  "Yeah, but not at a walking pace, you’re no more out of breath than I am, so I know you've got more in the tank."

  "All right then, let's sprint the next five before we turn around and head back up the hill."

  "Let's go!" Ash said as she took off at about twice the pace they were currently going. Connor got left behind for the first few seconds as his brain caught onto the fact that she had taken off and he ran even harder to catch up. Once he was alongside her again though, he comfortably matched pace, surprised at how fast she could keep at their current pace.

  Five minutes later Connor pulled up, comfortably out of breath now.

  "Now we tackle that hill." He said.

  "Argh...." groaned Ash. "I hope you realise I hate hills right? I'll meet you at the top if I fall behind, don't hold back for me."

  After watching her sprint for the last five minutes Connor didn't think she would fall too far behind on the uphill run. He figured if anyone, he would be the one who fell behind. He pulled his shirt off over his head and used it to wipe the excess sweat off his forehead before tucking it into the back of his pants.

  "All right, you ready?" he asked turning back to see Ash staring at him. He gave her a cheeky smile before deciding to tease her a bit.

  "Something you like?" he asked, feeling pleased with himself as he elicited a blush onto her already pink cheeks.

  "I'm just jealous." she answered, quickly gaining back her composure.

  "Of these fine abs?" he asked.

  "No, I've got some of those." she answered, patting herself on the ribs. "Just of the fact that you can remove your shirt and cool off a bit; it's so hot."

  "Hey I'm not stopping you," he replied with a huge grin. "But I might have to learn to run backwards if you were to do that."

  Ash laughed and took off at a quick run towards the hill. Neither of them spoke a word on the climb uphill and by the time they got back to the front lawn, Ash definitely felt like she'd been running. Even though she still hated hills, she made note to keep it in mind next time she was short on time.

  She collapsed onto the grass, on her back with her arm across her eyes protecting them from the already warm morning sun.

  "You okay?" Connor asked, he seriously wanted to collapse beside her but knew that if he did that he would struggle to get back up again.

  Ash nodded. "Fan...tastic." she said breathlessly. "But... I... still... hate... hills."

  "That's okay, so do I. I've got to go back in and get something sorted for lunch, are you good?"

  "Yeah go. I'll lay here for five minutes until I can breathe again."

  Connor took the opportunity to tease her again.

  "Do you need CPR? Because if you do, you should know I am fully qualified to administer it."

  He loved watching her already bright pink cheeks turn an even brighter shade. It was so cute the way she blushed, and it was so easy to get her to blush.

  Ash uncovered her eyes and squinted up at his body looming over her. There was a light sheen of sweat on his chest and damn if she didn't want to just lick it off him, she couldn't understand why that thought was such a turn on when it should have been really gross.

  "I think if you tried that I really would need CPR." She answered cautiously, unsure of what his reaction might be.

  The only answer she got from Connor though was his stunning smile as he turned and walked away.

  ****

  Ash found the girls in the games room playing pool with Adam and Bianca, Deb was sitting off to the side with Zoe on her knee reading her a story.

  "Oh no Deb, you haven't been stuck with all of the kids for all this time have you? I wouldn't have gone if I'd realized that."

  "No, it's all good, it really hasn't been all that long in anyway, they're only just on their second game, and Jenny only just left to go to the loo. So if you want to go and grab a quick shower...?"

  "Are you trying to tell me I stink?"

  Deb laughed. "Not at all. But you still have sweat patches on your tummy and between your boobs, and that's only what I can see."

  Ash looked down "Damn, I guess I should have showered before I came back in here." She was still laughing when she got back to the room to shower.

  Ash spent the rest of the morning with the kids. She lost in a game of pool against the girls’ and against Adam and Bianca after that. Then they put a movie on to keep them all quiet until lunchtime. Finding a movie to keep them all happy proved a challenge, the girls were leaning towards one of the movies in the Barbie collection Bianca had brought with her, while Adam wouldn't watch anything so girly. Eventually Ash found a copy of Home Alone in the main collection and managed to convince the kids they would all enjoy it, and enjoy it they did. Ash and Deb sat in with the kids during the movie and talked quietly while listening to the kids giggling.

  "How was the run? You certainly came back looking all hot and bothered."

  "Exhausting. I thought Connor was taking it easy because I was there to begin with, but then we started the uphill climb. So not good, so, so, so not good."

  Deb laughed. "You two seem to be getting along really well. He hasn't stopped watching you all morning. Between him and Hayden," she laughed again, "It's really sad."

  Ash looked at her in confusion. "Deb, there is absolutely nothing between Hayden and me other than friendship, and there never will be. I love him to death, but not in that way, and even if I did, there still wouldn't be anything between us because I wouldn't let it. As for Connor, I don't even know him, but damn he's hot." She chuckled. "Don't you dare tell him I said that though."

  "Never. His ego is big enough as it is. Be careful with Connor though, he doesn't have a great track record with women, I think he'll always be the confirmed bachelor because that's how he likes it. I get the feeling you've been hurt in the past, and I already like you so I'd hate to see him hurt you too, and my brother knows how to woo a woman. He can charm a woman’s socks off; he makes them fall in love and then leaves them hanging. Ariane is the only relationship he's had that lasted more than a month and even that fizzled after about six."

  "My husband walked out on me two years ago. But it was more of a relief than anything, so no, I haven't been hurt, but I have been let down. The only one I will rely on is me. I don't need to be wooed, and I won't be falling in love again, ever."

  "Well then Ash, it sounds like Connor is your man. If all you are after is some great sex, then go for it. But do me a favour if you do decide to go for it," Ash looked at Deb enquiringly. "Make him work for it. It's obvious he's interested in you, and I love to see my brother squirm."

  Ash laughed, "All right then, if I decide to go for it. I will make him squirm."

  Ash considered Deb's comments during lunch, she wasn't sure she would be able to make Connor squirm, and she definitely didn't know how to make him work for it. All she knew was that she really wanted to spend the night with him, and she only had two nights left.

  ****

  Hayden's sister arrived as they were finishing up lunch and after saying a very quick hello to everyone she knew, she bee lined straight to Ash.

  "Oh my god, I am so excited to actually meet you," she said. "I'm Hayden's sister, Ruby. I have heard so much about you Ash, I feel like I already know you. Are these the girls?” She asked, referring to Beth and Sarah. “Which is which?”

  Ash introduced Ruby to the two girls.

  "And I'm guessing this is Mitch." Ash said, looking down at the baby still sleeping in Ruby's arms. "I've certainly heard all about him, and seen about a million photos too."

  Ruby smiled. "Yeah, Hayden is definitely the doting uncle."

  "He was like that when Adam w
as born too," Deb added. "He'll make a great father one day, him and Connor both would, but I don't think either of them will ever settle down."

  "I'm sure you're right about Connor, Deb, but I'm convinced that Hayden is looking to settle down one of these days. Don't you agree Ash?"

  "What? I don't know. It isn’t something he and I have ever discussed."

  "Isn't that why you're here?" Ruby asked.

  "No." Ash answered, chuckling and shaking her head. "I don't know how many times I have to repeat it this weekend, but Hayden and I are just friends."

  "Yeah I know, but I'm pretty sure he's after more. And you have to admit, my brother is pretty sexy."

  Ash was bordering on utter frustration as she explained, yet again, that she had definitely made it abundantly clear to Hayden where they stood.

  Ruby shook her head as Deb sat silently watching Connor watch Ash. He was so enthralled he hadn't even noticed her watching him.

  "Well, I vote we dump these kids with their dad's for the afternoon and head into town for a serious pamper session. What do you think Audrey? Are you in?" Ruby asked, calling David's wife over to join them.

  "Sorry, what am I missing?" Audrey asked.

  "Ladies afternoon in town: Mani's, pedi's and lots of coffee, no kids allowed." Deb clarified.

  "Sounds amazing."

  "Are you in Ash?" Deb asked.

  "I really can't, no dad here to dump the kids with. And I'd be lucky to stretch the budget to a coffee this week. A long weekend equals a short pay for me so I need every cent."

  "Really?" Audrey asked incredulously. "Aren't they designer?" indicating Ash's shoes and shorts.

  "Long story." Ash answered.

  "Well then, we really need girl time so I can hear all the gossip." Ruby stated.

  "Come on Ash, my treat." Deb added.

  "Thanks, but no, that doesn't help with someone to look after the girls, plus Connor promised to take me canoeing on the lake this afternoon."

  "All right, I'm going to sort this out right now; we're all going sometime this afternoon, and you're coming."

  "Deb." Ash called, but Deb raised her hand in a shush motion and walked off towards Connor.

  Ash shook her head and Ruby laughed.

  "Don't bother arguing with her, once that girl makes up her mind there is no arguing."