She could sense both Jack and Lily watching her and her smile felt forced, her voice too. It was one thing enjoying her time with the McGregors, but it was another to merge her fantasy life with the real.
She embraced Samantha and gave her a kiss to the cheek, ruffling Noah’s hair too. ‘You’ve come to enjoy the park?’
‘Yeah,’ Noah said, his blond hair escaping from beneath his knitted beanie so like his mum’s; his grin was wide and showed off the gap in his front teeth.
‘Gotta get out while the sun is shining,’ Samantha added, her head tilted towards the swings, her eyes wide and gesturing. It was obvious Sophia was with them. Why else would she be standing there watching them like some oddball? She was going to have to introduce them; the alternative was even more awkward. She only had herself to blame too—bringing them to this park, her local park.
She brushed her hands down her coat and took a breath, looking over to Jack and Lily, who were clearly waiting on her to say something. Jack looked mildly curious but Lily looked strangely apprehensive.
‘Jack, Lily, come and meet my friends...’ she called out, trying to relax her smile and her voice, both of which were supremely difficult with Sam making goo-goo eyes at a grinning Jack. Sophia nudged her subtly in the side, saying between her teeth, ‘You’re married.’
‘Nothing wrong with looking, Soph,’ she returned under her breath.
Lily hopped off the swing with a leap but soon shied away behind the legs of her father as they approached, her usual confidence non-existent.
‘This is my friend, Samantha, and her son, Noah.’
‘Nice to meet you, Samantha.’
Jack held out his hand and her friend was quick to shake it.
‘Oh, Sam, please.’
Her friend giggled and the sound had Sophia’s cheeks flushing deeper, even more so when Sam’s eyes flitted from Jack to Sophia and back again. She was so in for it next time Sam had her alone.
‘Jack is a guest at my hotel.’
‘A guest, you say?’ Sam’s voice was drawn out with various other possibilities running rife through her gossip-charged brain.
‘Yes,’ Jack confirmed as Sophia’s brain screamed at her friend to quit whatever she was thinking. ‘My Lily has taken quite a shine to her.’
And speaking of Lily, the girl was still hiding behind Jack’s legs. Sophia ignored her internal panic and crouched down to the girl’s level, wishing to put her at ease. ‘Hey, Lily, you and Noah are the same age, you know.’
She edged out just enough to look at Noah beneath her lashes.
‘Hi, Lily.’ Noah grinned at her, all confident and a total contrast to the shrinking violet Lily had become. ‘When’s your birthday?’
‘The twenty-eighth of February.’
‘Oh, cool. Mine’s next weekend. You having a party?’
She looked up at her father and Sophia caught the faint grimace on his face.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, her eyes back on Noah.
‘Do you want a go on my scooter?’ He pushed it out towards her. ‘I can show you some tricks if you like?’
; She bit her lip and looked from Jack to Sophia, before looking back to Noah. ‘I don’t think I’d be very good on one.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ve never been on a scooter before.’
Noah’s brows disappeared into his hat. ‘You’re kidding, right?’
Lily turned the colour of her wellies. ‘No.’