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‘Someone like you wouldn’t understand that.’
    ‘Try me.’
    ‘Look at you.’ His eyes did just that. Ellie wanted to curl up and die at the derision in them. ‘Everything about you screams class. Look at that ring you wear. Did you ever consider suckers like me have to work their butts off to provide it all.’
    * * * *
    Patrick was being unfair. The fact that she’d grown up in comparative luxury had nothing to do with anything. Sure she had good clothes. She’d learned that a couple of good outfits when mixed and matched were more economical and stylish than several cheaper ones.
    Most of her clothes were bought from a recycling boutique run by her house-mate. Anne specialized in designer garments, knew her taste, and brought home any likely garment that came into the shop. These Ellie altered in some way. It wasn’t often she indulged in something new. Her smoky purple Liz Davenport had been an exception. Ellie had practically starved for a fortnight to pay for it.
    ‘Since when have you provided my clothes?’ Blazing with anger at the implied slight she shot to her feet. ‘Anyone would think you’re the only one who works around here. If someone relieved you of your money whose fault is that?’
    ‘Mine I guess.’  Patrick’s hand thumped on the table, making the crockery rattle. He looked totally frustrated as he gazed, tight-lipped across the table. ‘I started to get big ideas and came a cropper. That’s what comes of associating with the moneyed pack.’
    ‘So you’re a capitalist at heart.’ She smiled at the surprise in his eyes. ‘Tell me about it.’ She didn’t really want to know, and didn’t expect an answer. It was her turn to be surprised.
    ‘I took a contract to redecorate a couple of high-rise buildings in Melbourne and hired a team. The company that owned it went bust just as we finished. I never got paid.’
    ‘Oh.’  She thought about it for a moment. ‘Did you apply to the auditor assigned to the company for payment?’
    ‘Of course.’
    Exasperated by the ensuing silence she drummed her fingers on the table. ‘What happened?’
    ‘They intimated I was a small fish in a big pond, and would be advised in due course.’  He sounded angry rather than self-pitying which was a point in his favor.
    An element of sympathy crept into her voice. ‘These things take time. Did you lose much?’
    ‘Not by your standards.’
    Why did he have to make everything so personal? Her only investment was her trust fund. Although it was sizable she intended to keep it safely invested. She might just need it one day.
    ‘I had to sell my home to pay my crew off. My capital just covered the bank loan. I was left with the caravan to live in, and the truck.’
    ‘You and Todd live in the caravan?’
    ‘Isn’t that what I just said?’
    They were staring at each other across the table when he suddenly smiled. Two fascinating dimples appeared in his cheeks. His face was rather interesting up close if one disregarded the battle scars he’d collected of late. The little dent on his otherwise straight nose was an old scar.
    She touched it gently with her finger. ‘How did you get that?’
    ‘A magpie.’
    ‘A magpie?’ She couldn’t keep the laughter from her eyes as she remembered her flight of fancy regarding his disposal earlier on.
    ‘I was after its egg.’ Patrick laughed and Ellie found herself laughing with him. ‘That damned magpie never forgot. It swooped me for years afterwards.’
     ‘Did it ever get you again?’
    His glance dropped to her mouth. ‘Once. Right in the middle of my lip.’ His finger found her bottom lip and caressed it. ‘I was fifteen then, in love with the most popular girl in my class. She dropped me when I couldn’t kiss her.’
    ‘Poor you,’ she murmured, her mouth becoming dry.
    ‘She had lips like yours.’ His voice had a husky sound. ‘Sort of crumpled on the bottom and curvy on the top.’ Ellie shivered as his fingers ran along her