1514642093 (R) (24 page)

There. Done.

Because we didn’t need to say it, not really. I think, deep down, we both just knew.

“Please,” she said. “Don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want anyone to know, not yet.”

I didn’t even think twice about promising her that. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until we could find out for sure.
If
we could find out. I wasn’t even sure that was possible, but we had to try.

I’d been right, and so had Bridget. She
was
lost, but she’d also lost someone. She’d lost everyone – even herself.

YOUR BODY IS GOVERNED
by rules. What it needs, when it needs it. If you ignore the rules, you pay the price. But there are times when your body ceases to follow the rules. For example, when you first fall in love. The endorphins rushing through your bloodstream can keep you going for days. It’s a natural high, one of the most pleasurable things you can experience. Sleep is irrelevant, a luxury. Food seems superfluous, your appetite dries up. Your body ignores the rules and sustains itself, for a time at least.

It was a similar phenomenon when I was surfing, when the waves were particularly great, when your mind and body seem alert and working in perfect harmony. But nothing beats the feeling of falling in love.

I should be exhausted. After staying up half the night with Maia, I could count the number of hours sleep I got last night on one hand. Between the scene at Bridget’s and Maia’s revelation afterwards, there was no way on God’s green earth that I should be feeling this good. And yet I was.

Part of me felt guilty. I should be worried about how Bridget was doing. And I was, but probably not nearly as much as I should’ve been. What occupied my thoughts now – and what had been all day – was Maia.

Could it be possible that she really was Emily? Could I be that lucky? We didn’t know for sure, but to me at least, it seemed a very real likelihood. There were a lot of similarities, now that I thought back on it. They seemed like small things, but isn’t that what it boiled down to? Who were we but a series of preferences? Likes and dislikes, big things and small. I hadn’t mentioned any of this to Maia because I didn’t want to freak her out. I could tell that she was reluctant to get her hopes up, but I could also tell that she wanted answers.

If she
was
Emily, that meant I got to keep her – forever this time.

If she wasn’t, then we had another voyage of discovery to embark upon. She must have family out there, friends, people who were looking for her. Perhaps I could help her discover the missing pieces of her past. If we couldn’t have a happy ending with Em, maybe I could help Maia get hers. She sure as hell deserved one.

I finished work and made my way into town. I went to the café’s front door this time, hoping I could get a few minutes alone with Bridget. I saw her through the window, and she spotted me right away. She opened the door to me, smiling wearily.

“Hello love, come in,” she said, waving me inside. “Come to pick up Maia, have you?”

“Yes, and no. How are you?”

She closed the door behind me. “I’m fine. Thanks again for last night.”

The bruise on her cheek was just beginning to come out, although she had tried her best to cover it with make-up. I couldn’t blame her. I was sure there would’ve been a few questions and second glances today.

I pulled her into my arms. “Have you seen him?”

“He came in earlier, to get his keys,” she mumbled into my shoulder, rubbing my back a couple of times and then letting me go. “He apologised, too.”

Of course he had. “Did he remember what happened last night?”

“I don’t really know. He was cagey. You know how he is,” she smiled tightly.

Unfortunately, I did know. I was less inclined to call him ‘cagey’ and more inclined to say he was suffering from an alcohol-induced blackout, but I didn’t push it. She had suffered enough already.

“Let me know if he gives you any trouble, okay? I can be over there in minutes.”

“Thanks, love. I’m sorry I had to drag you into it last night, I know how nasty he can be.”

“Don’t worry about it, I can handle it – honestly. But this pushing you around shit has to stop.”

“I know. I’m going to try and talk to him about it again. I hope you managed to get a good sleep?”

“I slept fine,” I lied. “What about you? How’s your cheek? It looks pretty sore.”

She touched her cheekbone with her fingertips. “It’s fine. Icing it last night helped with the swelling and the bruising. It’s still a bit tender, but I’m sure it’ll be okay in a couple of days.”

I was sure it would be too, but that was hardly the point. I was about to suggest we look into some kind of residential drug and alcohol programme for Alex, when she completely blind-sided me.

“Maia told me she moved in with you.”

I nodded, panicking slightly. It was hardly a secret, but I had wanted to tell her myself, although I hadn’t exactly told Maia that. I wasn’t sure what she would think. I wasn’t sure what anyone would think. I’d only known Maia a week, after all. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried.

She smiled up at me, tears gathering in her eyes. “I think it’s wonderful. You two really seem to have hit it off. You make each other happy, and that makes me happy, too.”

I nodded. She had no idea how much I had needed her to say that. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I pulled her into another hug, holding on tight.

“Thank you,” I whispered over the top of her head.

“You deserve to be happy, love.”

God, I hoped so.

I looked up to see Maia standing in the kitchen doorway, hands clasped behind her back.

Bridget pulled away gently, wiping her eyes. “Let me get your coffee and the eclairs ready for you. I believe you have a hot date.” She glanced over her shoulder at Maia, then turned back to me with a smile. “He’s really looking forward to meeting her.”

“I know. I’m kinda looking forward to him meeting her, too,” I admitted.

“She’s a bit nervous,” she whispered, winking. “You might want to reassure her while I get everything together for you. I’ll leave you two alone.”

I could feel myself blushing. Damn it. I saw Bridget squeeze Maia’s hand as she walked through the back, into the kitchen. As soon as she disappeared, I held out my hand to Maia. She smiled, walking towards me and straight into my arms.

Sometimes I had to pinch myself. There was no hesitation, no reluctance on her part, not anymore. She came to me willingly, openly, seeking me out. Did she know how deliriously happy that made me? We had entrusted ourselves to each other, letting our souls guide us. It was a revelation for me, and I’m sure, considering her past – or lack of one – it was for her, too.

She settled into my embrace as if she belonged there. Hand, meet glove.

“He’s gonna love you,” I murmured, kissing the top of her head and pulling her closer. “But not as much as I do.”

I WAS RIGHT. HE DID
love her. From the moment Henry laid eyes on Maia – recovering quickly, thanks to my previous conversation with him about how much she looked like Em – I could tell he was under her spell.

He got the side plates out of the cupboard. In all of my Thursday afternoon visits, we had never once used plates. We usually ate straight from the paper bags, on the kitchen table. But not today. Today, we ate from delicately patterned china that I couldn’t even remember seeing before. The Good China, no doubt. Glenda would’ve approved.

“So, Heath tells me you’ve been doing some travelling around,” Henry said, pouring her a cup of tea from the china teapot that matched the plates.

Another thing I didn’t realise he had. His everyday teapot was an aluminium one, all dinged up from years of use. God knew where he’d been hiding this one, but it looked pristine. I smiled to myself. He was bringing out the big guns for her.

Maia glanced over at me, and I could tell she was uncomfortable about lying to him. I wanted to squeeze her hand or otherwise show her some moral support, but we were sitting opposite each other. Instead, I smiled, silently encouraging her.

“That’s right,” she said hesitantly, doing her best to look relaxed.

Henry didn’t seem to notice, intent as he was on pouring tea for the two of them and generally fussing around after both of us. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him so attentive. He was like an old woman. I took a quick swallow of coffee from my takeaway cup, trying not to choke. He’d have killed me if I’d said that out loud. It made me feel like a rebel.

“Have you seen much of this beautiful country of ours?” Maia asked, deftly turning the conversation around to him. She certainly had a knack for it. Watching her now, as an outsider looking in, I was full of admiration, although the reason she was so good at this made my heart ache.

“I was born and bred here,” he said proudly, sitting down at the table finally. “I spent four years overseas during the war, and when I came back home, I didn’t want to leave ever again.”

Maia smiled, glancing over at me. She was enjoying his company, that much was obvious.

“When I got back, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I toyed with the idea of going into my father’s business,” he continued.

“What business was that?” Maia asked, taking a sip of her tea.

“He was a mechanic, he had a small firm here. I fancied myself as a mechanic – I was good with machinery.”

I’d never heard this story before. I took a bite of my éclair as Henry continued.

“Dad was looking at expanding, opening a workshop in Auckland, where his brother was. He offered me a job there, helping to set it up.” He took a sip of tea and sat back in his chair. “But then I met my Glenda. A real beauty she was – swept me off my feet. She was happy here, and she didn’t fancy living in the big smoke. It came down to a choice – the business in Auckland, or stay here with Glenda. So I stayed here, and instead of being a mechanic, I got a job selling farm machinery.” He winked at Maia. “At least my hands weren’t greasy. Women don’t like greasy mechanic’s hands.”

Maia laughed and Henry looked like he was actually glowing. I’d never seen him this way before. The gruff exterior was gone, replaced by a charming tongue and a peaceful countenance that really surprised me. Maybe it was talking about Glenda. I know he missed her, but he didn’t talk about her, and I never felt comfortable bringing her up, in case it was too painful. Maybe I should’ve.

After we’d finished our tea and chocolate eclairs, Maia asked Henry for a tour around his garden. He was only too happy to oblige. I watched her with him, attentive and interested. Henry was in his element, explaining about the roses, the camellias, the hibiscus and the abundance of fruit trees planted in neat rows in the yard behind the house.

Henry wasn’t the only one glowing. Maia looked the most relaxed I’d seen her in days. They seemed to click, and it made my heart soar to see it. He was completely enamoured with her, and it was clear the feeling was mutual. Her skin glowed, she smiled almost continually, and when he gave her a plum off his tree near the back door, she shined it on her shirt and bit into it immediately. Eyes closed in ecstasy, the juice dribbled off her chin and it was all I could do to stop myself from licking it off. When she told him it was the best plum she’d ever had, I thought he was going to burst with pride.

She probably thought I was lying about his gruff exterior. It certainly wasn’t evident today. What was evident was that they got on like a house on fire. It was incredible to see his whole demeanour change, but at the same time, it raised so many questions. He and Em had been so close. Was he connecting with Maia because she reminded him of Em, because she
was
Em, or because he was charmed by Maia?

I suppose I could ask the same questions of myself.

When we left a couple of hours later, it was with a bag of fresh fruit and a promise to come back and visit soon. Just as I was backing out of his driveway, Henry waved me back.

“Hang on, I’ll just be a minute – he probably forgot to give us a tonne of mandarins or something,” I smiled, getting out of the car and jogging barefoot up the driveway towards him.