Mary looked pleased, while Lucas harrumphed again.
“Fine, fine. So how is that gorgeous little girl of yours?”
Star spent the next half an hour telling them the story of the Tudor House, the grand burning, and Skylar’s new best friend. Lucas chuckled and Mary cooed.
“So, Star, how are things going with Damian?” Lucas finally asked. Star froze as Lucas and Mary glanced at each other. “You two always did have enough chemistry to light up the room,” Lucas said with a laugh and Star blushed.
“That was a long time ago …” Star said.
“So he’s not asked you out yet?” Lucas pushed.
The look of horror that passed over Star’s face had Lucas sitting up straighter. “Damian will never ask me out again. I would be shocked if he did. We have a purely professional relationship now.”
Lucas gave her a sceptical look. “But something’s happened,” he stated. Star felt the colour rise in her cheeks and Lucas clapped his hands. “I knew it! I told you, Mary!”
Mary came forwards and rested her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Enough! You’re embarrassing Star, Lucas. Think about your blood pressure!”
“Well, he wouldn’t tell me anything, but I knew something had happened. Now they’re both acting suspicious.”
Star shuddered to think of the third degree that Damian had obviously undergone at the hands of his father. Feeling the need to rescue him from future interrogation, she said, “Damian has been a great help. When Damian left for the US, you know I hurt him badly. There is no going back for us … I’m sorry if that disappoints you.”
“Listen to Star, Dad.” Star froze at the sound of the new voice that had entered the room, colour flooding her cheeks at having been heard talking about him. “I’m surprised to see you here,” Damian said, addressing Star this time.
“I invited her,” Mary said, closing down any further argument.
Star stood awkwardly. She moved forwards and grasped Lucas’s hand. “It’s time I left and got back to Skylar anyway. You take care of yourself. We miss you. You need to listen to your doctors!” Leaning down, she kissed him on the cheek before collecting her bag.
“I’ll walk you down,” Mary said before Star could object.
“Good evening, Damian,” Star said as she left the room.
Damian refused to look at her, his eyes firmly on his father.
Mary stayed quiet until they entered the lift and descended down to the ground floor, “Have you got time for a coffee before you head off?” she asked.
Startled back into the present, Star said, “Of course, but don’t you want to go back up to Lucas?”
Mary laughed. “Nope, they can bicker among themselves for a while. Damian won’t take it too far with Lucas recovering, but they need to get a few things out of their system, and I could do with the break. They’re two peas in a pod.”
“I’d love a coffee, then,” Star said. She’d left the office early, so still had time before she needed to collect Skylar.
∞∞∞
They decided on the hospital coffee shop, which, according to Mary, made a pretty amazing cup of coffee for the fact it was in a hospital. But then again, the price this hospital charged, it should be.
Once the Barista had brought their coffees, Star looked at Mary, waiting for the older woman to share her thoughts. Although her hair was now silver, Mary was still a beautiful woman. Her skin was soft and supple, with a natural glow, and the fine lines around her eyes were the only giveaway that showed she’d lived a full life.
“I want you to listen, take what I say on board, and not comment until I’m finished. Can you do that?”
Star nodded. It wasn’t often that Mary wanted to be heard, so it must be important.
“Good. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman.” She held up her hand before Star could open her mouth. “As such, you are always going to come across men like Jackson Brown. You need to be ahead of them. This is a dog-eat-dog world, and there are lots of useless people who want to ride on the coattails of others. What you did was brave and strong. Don’t let anyone say anything different, and ignore Lucas when he said you should have gone to him – that’s rubbish. That’s just the alpha male in him wanting to be protective. His generation struggles to understand that we women are not damsels in distress! You were handling it and would have, if the weasel hadn’t gone to Damian.” Mary huffed. “It reminded me of the girl you once were, the one I was worried had disappeared. The years have been tough. You lost Lily, Damian, you took in Skylar, you got your Bachelor and Master’s, all while working. You are not afraid of hard work. Lucas didn’t just give you that promotion; he wouldn’t. You earned it. You need to believe in yourself.”
Star looked down at her coffee, unsure how to respond, a lump forming in her throat.
“Damian has told me how impressed he was with what he saw. What you had pulled together.”
Star looked up and swallowed before Mary continued, “Don’t get me wrong, he was very angry with his father and me for keeping our relationship with you a secret, but I told him it was none of his business whom we were friends with. With Lucas being ill, he’s let it drop for now.”