It was with a sense of relief Elle pulled out of the driveway the next morning. She glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw Harry, James, Mitch, and Maya watching them drive off. The kids waved goodbye with smiles on their faces. Elle felt a stab in her heart. Was this what Harry wanted? The four of them as family, and Elle out of the picture? The sudden mix of envy, hatred, and yearning lassoed her heart, and she turned her focus back on the road, to Bonnie's sing-along and to the week ahead.

An hour later, after countless loops trying to figure out where Dean's apartment was, Elle felt exhausted and pulled into a fifteen-minute parking spot.

"What's the point of having bloody GPS if they keep telling you to turn right into a No Right Turn road?" She clutched angrily at the steering wheel, wanting to hurl the stupid machine out the window into oncoming traffic.

"Just call Dean. Maybe he can come out and stand on the road or something," Bonnie suggested.

"Should have never come back," Elle muttered. She fished out her mobile phone and tried Dean's number. She hung up the phone, her frustration mounting.

"Try the home line."

What would I do without you, Bonnie?! Elle thought, bringing up Dean's contact again. Her nerves felt all prickly as the phone connected and started to ring.

"For the last time, Kim! I can't talk right now," Dean's stern voice jarred Elle. Not because he was almost shouting, but because on some crude level she was surprised by her jealousy. Why was Kim calling him incessantly?

"It's me... Ellenor," she managed, trying not to sound riled up.

"Elle. I'm so sorry. I thought you were..."

"Kim."

He chuckled. "She's been pestering me all morning."

"Shall I call back?"

"God, no," came his urgent reply. "I'm glad it's you. Are you on your way?" he asked with eagerness he hoped Elle wouldn't find offensive.

"We can't find your place."

"You're already here?"

"We are somewhere in the city. Close to your place or not, I can't tell," she answered. "We're slightly lost."

"Tell me where you are and I'll pop down." He sounded so much like James that it caught Elle off guard.

"Have you girls had breakfast?" His voice broke into her thought.

"Yes, but we could do with a snack," she replied. She had barely touched the toast Harry had made earlier that morning. "It was too early for proper breakfast."

"Which road did you say you were on?"

"I didn't," Elle said, peering into the tiny screen of the GPS. "Sussex Street in front of a big building."

Dean laughed. Obviously, Elle didn't know where she was exactly beside Sussex Street. "Right, I'll come find you. Be there soon."

Elle turned to Bonnie, who was ogling passers by. "They dress so much better in the city, don't they?" Bonnie breathed dreamily.

"Who?"

"The men."

"Bonnie!" Elle lightly smacked the younger woman's arm.

"What? I'm just saying." Bonnie winked. "Anyway, what did he say?"

"Who?"

"Dean."

Suddenly, a knock sounded on Elle's window, making her jump. As she wound down the window, she could barely contain her smile.

"You two aren't planning on spending all day on the side of the road arguing, are you?" The crooked smile lifted a corner of Dean's mouth.

"Oh, thank God it's you!" Bonnie piped. "Elle got us completely lost."

"I did not get us lost."

"You did too! That thing was telling you where to go."

"That thing was wrong. It doesn't realise some roads are one way. Not my fault the system's crap."

"Lachlan loves that thing!" Bonnie breathed, offended.

"Lachlan can take it back," Elle fired back.

"Hate to crash the conversation ladies, but you're going to have to remove either the car or yourselves from the car at any moment now."

Elle turned back. "What'd you mean?"

"This is a no-parking zone, so get out of the car, Elle, and give me the key."

The two women stared at him.

"I'll park it in the garage under my building."

Elle killed the engine and handed over the key.

"Out you get." He opened her door and waited.

Fifteen minutes later they sat in a posh cafe poring over the even posher menu.

"What do you fancy?"

Besides you? Elle thought. "A coffee."

"Thought you said you were hungry."

"Elle barely ate this morning," Bonnie said.

"Why?"

"She's upset," Bonnie offered before Elle could speak.

"Upset?" He put down his menu. "Anything to do with us?"

Elle's gaze was on him faster than she could say Dean, and she read too much into the word 'us'.

"With the wedding and travels, I mean," he added.

"She had a fight with her sister-in-law last night." Bonnie poured herself a glass of water.

"Bonnie, I don't think Dean needs to know that." Elle hid behind her menu, embarrassed.

"Everything's good though?"

I think I lit a fire under that bridge. Elle shook her head. "Everything's fine."

"And you?"

She shrugged dismissively. "Fine."

Dean picked up the menu again and tried not to look offended by Elle's dismissal. Within seconds, a waiter approached them, eyeing Dean like he was an eye candy she'd love to take home.

Bonnie cleared her throat, calling attention to herself, no doubt finding the young waiter cute. "I'll just get a cappuccino and a ham and cheese sandwich, grilled."

He smiled at her and turned to Elle.

"Just a latte, please." She handed the menu back to him.

"And get her a chicken mushroom omelette, minus the toast, please," Dean added.

Once the waiter left, Elle turned to him. "I'm not hungry," she stated flatly.

Dean ignored her. "Bonnie, how was the drive down?"

Bonnie was delighted. She didn't care what his reason was for ignoring Elle, but she loved it. His beautiful blue eyes were on her. "It was long, but I loved it," she started, highly excited, flicking her long red hair off her face. "The view was beautiful."

"Did you hear what I said?" Elle interrupted. She wanted to know why he ordered something she had no intention of touching with a ten-foot pole.

"Yes, I heard you," he said, his gaze still riveted on Bonnie.

"Then what did I say?" Elle asked, peeved at being ignored.

"That you didn't have a proper breakfast this morning," Dean replied.

"I don't feel like eating."

"And I don't feel like sitting here arguing with you, but we can't always have what we want. No one can work on an empty stomach."

"I'm not a child."

"I didn't say you were." He turned back to Bonnie. "What time's the fitting?"

Bonnie waved a hand. "Not till two. We've got plenty of time."

"We need to get back soon. Charge batteries, etcetera." Elle mustered as much zeal as she could. As much as she fancied Dean, she didn't fancy his attempt to take care of her aggressively. She didn't need another overbearing person in her life right now, not after the incident with Harry.

Dean held the apartment door open as the women walked over the threshold.

"Nice place," Bonnie awed.

"Hold the praise till you see the room I'm putting you up in. You might not like it." He closed the door behind him.

Elle had spoken little since the omelette incident and it seemed Dean was happy enough to concentrate on Bonnie, which suited her just fine.

"I hope you'll like yours too," he whispered as he walked past her down the corridor and into the open living space. She said nothing, but followed him into the apartment. He showed Bonnie a lovely little room with a cozy double bed and luscious drapes. Bonnie almost melted into the bed with delight.

"Love the decor," she squeaked. "You've got a great eye for décor, Dean!"

"Kimberly did the decor. I only supplied the revenue."

Elle was slow off the mark to recognise that the Kimberly he was referring to was the same Kim who'd practically thrown herself at him both at the Van Belt's wedding and Chloe and Peter's housewarming.

"From Van Belt's wedding?" Bonnie asked.

He nodded. "I was one of her first guinea pigs when she started her interior decorating business. We're almost family, so I had little choice in the matter."

Bonnie looked around the room. "She's good."

"Yes, but don't tell her, will you? She already has a colossal head. I'm afraid she'll topple one day."

Elle knew what Bonnie was doing. Elle was already half head over heels in love, with the other half still trying to play the lonely widow. Bonnie was well aware of how jealous Elle got every time the touchy-feely, openly flirtatious Kim got a mention.

Dean placed Bonnie's bag at the foot of the bed. "If you need anything else."

Elle glared at Bonnie, who smiled ear to ear and nodded. "Is Kimberly your girlfriend?"

"Absolutely not," he said, feeling Elle get a lot more hostile.

"An old flame then?" Bonnie winked.

"Do I give that vibe?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, but she does. Elle and I even thought at one point that you two were a thing."

Dean suddenly turned serious and Elle felt like she wanted to crawl under the bed and hide in shame. "Let's just say, to Kim, I'm the hurdle she hasn't been able to jump over. Neither do I wish to be."

Something almost clicked in place in Elle's heart. She thought she felt it 'fit'. Dean fit. As he continued, Elle knew she was done. There was no more resistance on her part anymore. He'd just done away with all her walls and the funny thing was he hadn't realised it. And perhaps he never will, not if she could all but stay professional on the job.

"Kim's not really for me."

"Why?" Elle felt her lips move, but she wasn't sure if any sound had come out.

He'd heard her. She knew it from the way his eyes narrowed for the briefest moment. "I'll show you to your room." And with that, he stepped around her and out the door.

Elle followed him down the short, sun-drenched corridor that made Dean look like he was walking into a molten gold light. He waited for her in front of a room and watched her enter through the door. "Anything I forgot?" he asked uncertainly.

In the middle of the room was a king-size bed with crisp white linen with the faintest of embossing. The drapes were a deep burgundy. Huge designer lamps hung on both sides of the bed where traditional side tables would have been. On the opposite wall from the bed was a fireplace mantle around an electrical heater. Next to it sat what looked like a large bean bag. She could imagine him sitting in its hold with a book in hand, a wine glass next to him on the floor, with the fake fire crackling at his feet.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"It's perfect." She shook her head. "I don't know how to thank you..."

Dean shook his head, stopping her short. "I'll show you where the bathroom is." For a moment, Elle stood stunned. All the walls were white enamel panels. She couldn't see a door that could lead to the bathroom.

Dean pressed a round white button the size of a five-cent coin in a recess next to the fireplace and a panel in the wall opened automatically to reveal a walk-in-wardrobe and through it, a spacious bathroom which was easily as big as Elle's bedroom back home.

"It's huge!" She stared at the sprawling bathroom before noticing the length and breadth of an entire wall composed of glass, and she turned in utter shock. She could not, and would not, use the bathroom even if her life depended on it.

"It's a one-way glass," he said, reading her mind. "At night you can tint the window if you wish, though, at this height, I'm sure it's safe."

"How do I tint the window?"

He pointed at another recess in the wall near the door. "It's a bit hermit-like of me to have all I need in one room, but I guess you can tell I barely entertain," he was saying as he pulled open a drawer near the door for her.

"I cleared what I could for you and some hanger space." He pointed up. "If you need anything else, let me know." He left for the bedroom. "And if you enjoy reading or watching TV, then the remote near the bed is your friend."

"What about you?"

Dean gave a wry smile. "Not to worry, I'll be out of your hair from here on in."

"I didn't mean that," she gasped, wanting to grab her bag, apologise for having inconvenienced him, gather Bonnie, and leave. Alas, she couldn't reach her back without going through him first. "Bonnie and I can share. We don't need the entire apartment to ourselves and leave you homeless."

"I'm staying with my mother, Elle," he interrupted her. "And since I asked you to travel so far, it is only fitting for me to accommodate the two of you and know that you're safe."

"Mi Casa, Tu casa?" Bonnie's vibrant voice came into the room. "Oh, wow." She bounded in. "You have a grand casa, Dean."

"You're welcome to anything," he said.

"How about a drink?" she asked.

Dean nodded and was about to leave when Bonnie held him back. "Just point me to it."

Once again, when Bonnie left her alone with Dean, he stepped closer. "I want you to stay."

"It still doesn't feel right."

"Fine. You and I will share." He smiled, causing her to blush and shake her head. "Then it's settled. I'll leave and give you some space." He slid the key into her palm and headed for the door.

"Dean!"

He turned, his look so tender it made Elle want to pull him into the room and shut the world out. "Thank you."

He nodded wordlessly, and she watched him head out. Moments later, the apartment door shut behind him with an announcing thud.