Headstrong (38 page)

Reece had been gone when Colin got home, his room as bare as it had been before he’d moved in. Their mother had been cheerful when Colin returned from the city, and he didn’t breathe a word of the fight. He hoped he and Reece could reach a diplomatic ceasefire and spare her the stress. Colin had been optimistic today. Uncharacteristically so.

All day, thinking of Libby’s arms around him, the memory making him warm. Making him hot, thinking of the other contact they’d shared…

Now the heat was waning. The glow he’d felt the entire day had started to dim as soon as the hour hand hit six. Colin needed her to show up. He needed the reassurance. The confirmation and the proof. He paced in the narrow space behind the bar, feeling caged.

He’d wanted her to show up at six ten. No, at six, sharp. Smiling. Unwilling to wait any longer, unwilling to waste even those few minutes, knowing their time was ultimately limited. But now…nine o’clock?

A torturous pattern set in. Greet a customer. Pour a drink. Stare at the door. Each time it swung in, a sick feeling of hope and dread rose in him, dread always prevailing. Each patron who came in and didn’t end up being Libby… Colin hated each of them a little more than the person before.

Nine thirty.

He wanted to call her, but the desire wasn’t enough—she didn’t own a fucking phone.

Ten o’clock.

Colin wasn’t a proud man. If this were reversed, he’d have been camped out like a dog by five, waiting for her to arrive. But he’d never expect her to do the same. For all her chaotic airs, she was a cautious woman, and she was the sort of woman who
would
make a man wait. Make him sweat. But last night had seemed stripped bare of politics and games. So had that morning in the kitchen.

Ten thirty. What had gone on after he’d left? What could she and Reece have talked about? What terms had they parted on, and what threats could his brother have made? And what if… What if Reece
did
care for her? He’d certainly been pissed to high heaven that morning. What if seeing them together, Colin and Libby, what if that had been the one thing strong enough to get Reece to admit his feelings?

No, that was madness. Or was it?

Fuck, why wasn’t she here?

Colin had known all along this would happen. She didn’t care for him that way. She’d told him exactly that, and he’d been able to accept it for the past month. One night of great sex wasn’t going to change things, not for good.

It had been more than great sex for him, of course. It had been the single most desperately, painfully, heartbreakingly satisfying night of his life, and the closest he’d ever felt to another person. But that was him. Why assume Libby would feel the same? She’d been hoping to feel that too, but with Reece. She wanted his brother as much as Colin wanted her. God, he’d been right. He was a consolation prize. A pity-fuck, even, or a pale facsimile of the lover she’d really been after.

Eleven o’clock.

Midnight.

One.

One thirty, and he had to get the customers out before he risked a visit from the cops for serving past their legal hours. He was tempted to invite people to stay for a lock-in, just for the company. Hell, he was tempted to have a drink himself, for the first time in all these years. How about that. The things that woman could do…

He’d been right, weeks ago—a siren. Luring men to their peril. Smart men like Reece stayed away, far from the waves, safe on shore with their hands clamped over their ears.

Colin clicked the television off.

“All right, everybody get your skates on. Go home to your families.”

Wellington’s infamous wind whipped Reece in the face, threatening to snatch the envelope from his hand as he walked across the sand. Cold seawater pooled around his sneakers. His stomach flipped, and for once it had very little to do with the ocean.

Unmistakable platinum hair flapped above a black wetsuit, thirty yards out. The sun was fading and surfers were starting to come in for the night. Reece stood and watched for twenty minutes. Waited. Rehearsed words in his head but didn’t retain them. When Libby finally came in, he walked down the beach to meet her.

Her face changed when she realized who was approaching. Her board shifted under one arm, like a shield twitching in a warrior’s hand.

“All right, Libby?” Reece offered.

She flipped her dripping hair out of her face, and he noticed, as though seeing her for the first time, that she was beautiful.

“What do you want?” she asked, shifty. Scared. Just the way she’d looked the previous morning.

“I have a letter from your father.”

“Oh.”

“And I owe you an apology,” Reece said.

She tossed her head. “How did you find me?”

“I saw your board was gone, from your boat. I recognized your towel.” He nodded to where it lay a few meters down the beach.

“Clever boy.”

“I’m sorry I was so harsh with you yesterday morning. That wasn’t fair.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“That’s all I wanted to say. And here’s this.” He held the letter out.

She bit her lip, seeming to think. “My hands are all wet. Why don’t you drive me back to the marina, and I’ll take it there.”

“All right.”

They walked and then drove in silence, neither speaking until they were headed down the main dock toward her boat.

Reece swallowed. “How’s Colin?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice sounded hollow. “I haven’t been back yet.”

“Oh.”

“I was supposed to go last night. But I got some bad news yesterday…”

“Oh?”

A tight nod. “My request for a visa extension was denied. I have to pack my bags in ten days.”

“Does he know?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m afraid to see him.” Libby looked close to tears. “I can’t go back there. I’ve fucked everything up so badly. You were right—I should never have gotten involved with you guys. Everything’s so much worse, and now you two are fighting…”

“Libby… That fight, that was a long time coming. That had nothing to do with you.”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, it was. That row was between my brother and me. You just lit the fuse, is all.”

“Sounds like me,” she said in a choked voice. They stopped beside her boat.

“Trust me,” Reece said. “You didn’t break my family. We’ll be okay. We’re never going to see eye to eye, me and Colin. Just like me and my dad never did. And you and your dad. It’s okay.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” Libby asked with an undignified sniff.

“Because I love my brother.”

“Oh.”

Reece waited patiently while Libby processed everything he’d said.

“I love your brother too, you know.”

“I believe you.”

They were quiet for a few moments.

“You should come back,” Reece said. “He’s probably a wreck, now.”

“Yeah, I know. This is going to sound really stupid…”

“That’s fine.”

“I don’t want to have to say goodbye. To him. I’ve never been this attached to anyone. Not in years and years. I don’t know what to do.”

Reece shrugged. “You just…show up. And in ten days, you say goodbye. But you don’t run away. Trust me. I’ve done plenty of that myself.”

Libby nodded.

“You want to come back to Kaiwharawhara with me now?”

She exhaled. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, you do. He needs to see you.” He gave her a clap on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you how my meeting with your father went on the way. You could probably use a laugh.”

Colin heard the pub’s door open a few minutes into his Monday evening shift, felt the early winter breeze that drifted in. Another patron, another beer to pour. He didn’t have it in him offer a cheerful greeting.

“Hey.”

He looked up to find Libby settling herself on a stool. Behind her stood Reece, making no attempt to get comfortable.

Colin nodded at them. He felt nothing, not even pain. Just numb. “Hey, yourselves.”

Reece approached the bar, setting a shopping bag on the wood. Colin glanced inside at his and Libby’s jackets.

“Her dad brought them to our meeting.” Reece cleared his throat. “Why don’t you let me watch the pub for a little while.” Not a question.

Colin looked between them. They’d shown up
together
. They looked cagey and united in some mission. He didn’t know what this meant and it terrified him. He suddenly missed the numbness.

He flipped the bar up and handed Reece his towel. “Yeah, go on, then.”

Libby led him up to the flat and closed the door behind them. His heart was pounding. Hammering. Breaking. Positive what this must mean.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so much stubble,” Libby said nervously, eyeing his chin.

He hadn’t seen the point in shaving that morning. He hadn’t been able to see much point in
anything
.

When he didn’t reply, Libby looked down and added, “I’m so sorry I didn’t come last night.”

“It’s okay, Libby. I think I know what you’re about to say.”

She continued anyway. “My visa got denied. I have to leave in ten days.”

Colin felt a tug in his middle. “Oh. Sorry. That sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.” She stepped forward and put her fingertips on his sides. “I found out after I left here yesterday and I…I just didn’t know what to do. I was scared to see you.”

“Why? Because of what we did?”

“No. Well, yes, but not like that. Because of what I caused between you and Reece. And because of how I feel about you.”

He cleared his throat but the uncertainty lodged there didn’t budge. “How
do
you feel about me?”

Her palms held his hips, thumbs rubbing at his shirt. “I love you,” she said, looking down, then up into his eyes. There were tears stuck in her lashes.

Colin froze. “Do you?”

She smiled and started crying officially—laughing, sobbing, blushing. “Yeah, I do. How about that, huh?” She gave him a sheepish grin, and the tears rolled down, catching in the corners of her mouth.

“Well, that’s…that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.” Colin’s arms, which had been hanging limply by his sides, found they could move once more, and he pulled her hard against him. He felt her shoulders jerking against his chest, and his heart exploding inside it.

Her voice was muffled at his neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t show up.”

“It’s okay. Love’s pretty fucking terrifying.”

“Yeah…”

“Why’s my brother here?”

“He had to give me something from my dad.” She pulled away and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “My dad knows, by the way. Who you are.”

“Oh, fuck
me
.”

“I’ll let Reece tell you about it. He apologized to me. And he talked me into coming back, when I told him what a big frigging coward I’d been after I got the news about my paperwork.” She looked away. “God, I don’t want to go.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to go, either.” Ten days…

“How would you feel about that sham marriage?” She grinned, half-silly, half-desperate.

“I would sham marry you in a heartbeat, but I’d prefer to propose once you’ve had a few weeks to change your mind.”

“I don’t have a few weeks.”

“Can we just focus on the time we do have, then?”

She nodded. “How should we start?”

“Splash some cold water on your face, and we’ll go back downstairs so I can finish my shift.”

“Reece would probably take over for you. He’s not angry anymore.”

He shook his head. “That’s good, but I could use a few hours to process this. And you owe me a night of torturous waiting—of the good variety—after last night.”

“That’s fair.”

“I better go find out how Reece got on with your dad. If we need to come up the cash to pay him back, we’re royally fucked.”

“It’s my fault it got ruined,” Libby said. “Or was shady to begin with. You should let me—”

“Forget it,” Colin said with a stern smile. “I’m not even having that conversation with you.”

She nodded. “I figured. Why don’t you go down first? I’ll get myself composed for a few minutes. You guys can talk.”

Colin took her face in his hands, pressing his mouth to hers before he let her go. “See you in a few.”

He went back to the pub. Reece glanced over as he poured a beer and handed it off to a customer. He raised his eyebrows as Colin approached.

“All right, Reece?”

He nodded. Colin wished Reece was the sort of man who’d step out from behind the bar and hug him, let him know where they stood…but twenty-eight years’ experience told him he shouldn’t hold his breath.

“How did you get on with Tom Prentiss?”

“He won’t be joining your fan club anytime soon,” Reece said. “But believe it or not, he thinks you’re okay. For Libby.”

Colin blinked. “Oh. Well. I meant about the money, really. Are we totally buggered?”

Reece shrugged. “He didn’t ask for anything back. I mean, how could he? He paid in cash, and it’s not the most upstanding arrangement. He said as much himself. That said, I can’t imagine any payments will be showing up for this week’s work.”

Colin clasped the bar, relieved beyond words. “Well, that’s a bloody blessing. At least we’re free to keep dying a slow death over the next few months. Even if we just lost our tourniquet.”

Reece nodded. “That’s not the best news, actually. I was shitting myself, waiting to hear if he was going to ruin my chances with the police. And I don’t reckon he will. I think he just wants it all done and dusted.”

“Since when has our luck decided to change?”

“Since you told him off, I think. Go figure.”

“So,” Colin began. “You’re okay with this whole Libby situation?”

Reece met his eyes and nodded. “I think she and I are square. And Annie set me straight on a few things, after you and I rowed. I’m keeping my nose out.”

Colin suspected this was as close to an apology as he was likely to get and accepted it. “Cheers. And I’m sorry about what I said. About you not being here.”

Reece smiled tightly and Colin left it there. Some wounds were still too fresh even to bandage.

“Move back in, whenever you want,” he added.

Reece shook his head. “I think I’ll find a flat downtown, closer to my future job. This is your place anyway.” He glanced around, seeming to mean the pub as a whole.