What Love Sounds Like Read Online Free Page A

she simply didn’t like him.
    He flexed his shoulders. It shouldn’t matter what one opinionated country girl thought of him. It wasn’t relevant that he could have said he was the head of the United Nations and still approval wouldn’t have softened the set of her lips. He really did have work to do. He glanced toward Tilly as she continued to watch television. And so did Mia.
    ‘Now if all you need to get started are the crates from your car, I’d like to return upstairs to my office,’ he said in his best CEO tone. ‘I believe we both have things to do.’
    The sound of Kade’s firm steps faded from the drawing room. Mia released a deep breath. One minute she was doing all she could to not laugh out loud. She’d hadn’t ever heard anything more ridiculous than Kade comparing Tilly’s learning to speak to the handling of middle management. The next, she had to seal her mouth shut to stop words escaping before they’d been sanctioned by her inner editor. She’d never been so close to saying something unprofessional.
    She ran a quick hand over her hairspray-cemented hair and checked all her blouse buttons were secure. Physically, every crease and curl had been ironed flat. Her speech pathologist hat was wedged in place. Unlike in her office, her composure wasn’t supposed to be rattled. Her frustration at the uncle of her small client wasn’t supposed to undermine her professionalism.
    She lifted the crate from the floor and placed it onto the floral tablecloth-covered table. So much for any doubts that her first impression of Kade may have been wrong. Every impatient inflexion of his voice had confirmed he hailed from a world she’d long ago forsaken. Her hands stilled on the top of the plastic crate. A world that favoured wealth and success over people and especially over family.
    She glanced toward Tilly. The little girl’s pale lips were rounded with wonder as animated ponies danced across the television screen. Just like at their first appointment, a sense of connection plucked at Mia’s heart-strings. Thanks to her own speech struggles she always bonded with her clients, but with Tilly her empathy ran much deeper. The common denominator between them was far more than unintelligible words and the loss of a mother as a child. They both occupied the same position on the bottom rung of the priority ladder. Emotion formed a wedge in Mia’s throat. She had to do all that she could to help Tilly survive the inevitable hurt associated with having an emotionally unavailable care-giver. And she’d start now.
    Mia selected a folded white cloth from the items in the crate and walked over to Tilly. ‘My rumbling tummy’s telling me it will be morning tea time soon. How about we make some popcorn?’
    Tilly’s answering smile shone sunflower bright. She clambered off the lounge, the television show forgotten. Mia shook the white cloth open into a child-sized chef’s hat. Kade could disapprove all he wanted but she wasn’t sentencing Tilly to a clutter-free classroom. She had a far cosier place planned for Tilly’s introductory lesson.
    ‘Great. Well, the first thing we’ll need is this.’ She popped the chef’s hat onto Tilly’s head. ‘And the second thing…is this.’ Mia returned to the crate on the table to collect a pink and green striped apron. Tilly’s excited giggles failed to drown out the masculine footsteps re-entering the drawing room.
    ‘I’ve taken the liberty of putting the toy crates in the music room…’ Kade’s voice trailed off.
    Mia looked up, the apron dangling from her fingers. ‘Thank you.’
    He showed no sign he’d heard her. Instead he looked at Tilly as she skipped around the room, the chef’s hat bobbing upon her head. He took a step away as she neared him. Then his gaze collided with Mia’s. Slate-blue. Arctic-cold.
    Not a happy camper.
Her chin angled up.
Too bad.
    ‘Before you unpack everything…’ He glared at the apron in Mia’s hands as if it concealed a