“A second chance?” she asked, echoing the words because she wasn’t able to summon up any original ones of her own.
“I do understand that my idiot brother doesn’t deserve a second chance. What he did was unforgivable but”—his sister scrunched up her lovely face in what could only be described as an adorable, charming manner—“I love him and would do anything to make him happy.”
“I understand that. I’m the same with my brothers, but…” Amber shrugged. How could she tell this woman that there was nothing she could say that would make Amber change her mind? That David had been the rat of the highest order, and nothing Zoe could ever say would change that?
“Please, Amber? Just a few minutes?”
Amber never had been good at standing her ground. She sighed and gestured helplessly with her hands. “Okay, but you’d better come in.”
“Thank you! I appreciate it.”
Amber squeezed around the chair and tilted it up—it was surprisingly light—to raise it over the threshold and into the narrow hall. “I see what you mean,” said Amber. “They didn’t make these old cottages with wheelchairs in mind.”
“At least your cottage has an excuse—it must be over a hundred years old. The same can’t be said for more recent buildings which I can’t get into.”
“That must be frustrating,” said Amber, wheeling her into the lounge. From there Zoe took control and spun the chair around, rucking up one of the rugs a little.
“What a lovely place you have here.” She shone that hundred-watt smile on Amber once more. “David’s description didn’t do it justice.”
Amber felt her own smile fade. Had David told his sister absolutely everything about her? Her own discomfort at the thought must have shown. Either that or what Zoe lacked in physical ability, she more than made up for in empathy and understanding.
“David doesn’t tell me everything. It’s just that”—she grimaced a little—“I don’t get out much and so I ask him a lot of questions.”
“Why don’t you get out much? You seem pretty mobile.”
“My decision. After my accident, I became a bit reclusive. It wasn’t the life I had imagined for myself, you see. A million miles from what I wanted. It’s only recently that I’ve emerged from that pit of despair.”
Amber perched on the edge of her seat and wrung her hands in sympathy. “It must have been awful. What happened?”
“The Christchurch earthquake is what happened.”
“Oh no! Were you trapped?”
Zoe nodded. “Yep. I shouldn’t even have been there. I should have been in London doing a fashion shoot for Burberry, but at the last minute they’d postponed a few days and I shot home to see some friends. Then one of them called and left a message for David to give him a lift. But David wasn’t there, so I went instead. Our friend worked on the top floor of a hundred-year-old building.” Zoe looked into the mid-distance, lost in her memories. “Charming, totally charming.” Then she re-focused on Amber. “A totally charming deathtrap, as it turned out. Our friend died that day under the rubble. And for a while I wished it had been me. It was selfish. Stupid of me, I know. But there it is. I couldn’t see a future without the use of my legs.”
“But you do now?”
“Yes. And there’s only one reason for that. David. He’s been everything to me these past few years. He’s kept me company to hell and back and made sure that Ididcome back. But it’s affected him too, and that’s what I wanted to come here to tell you, because there’s no way on this earth that he’s ever going to stick up for himself and tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s too damned proud. He wanted to use you, Amber, to help him get rid of the opposition to demolish that old building you loved so much. But he wanted to use you for one reason only. And that was because he’d vowed never to let anything like what happened to me, happen to anyone else. He sees it as his personal mission to make sure that there’s not a building in all of Christchurch which would collapse like a pack of cards like the one I was in did. And I suspect there’s an element of guilt involved, too.”
Tears sprang to Amber’s eyes. Damn him. David was using her to make sure everyone else was safe. Damn him. She shook her head. “He used me, Zoe. From the first moment I saw him, while I was believing all sorts of other things, which he let me do, he was scheming to use our… friendship, for his own purposes. How can I ever trust him again?”
“He did a stupid thing, Amber. There’s no getting around that. It was mean, and it was stupid, but he did it for all the right reasons. He did it to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. Now, I’m pretty sure there are all sorts of ethical dilemmas and reasoning which would both speak for and against David as being a good or bad man.” She shrugged. “But I’m no academic, no theologian. All I know is that he’s agoodman, and he did something stupid in the act of trying to do something good, and he now regrets it with all his heart.”
The heart which she’d accused him of not having, Amber thought. “I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me this.”
“Maybe because he doesn’t think it should excuse him. Maybe that now he reflects upon what he’s done, he agrees with you. He doesn’t think he’s good enough for you. Yes, he did tell me that that’s what you told him. He’s placed you high on a pedestal and doesn’t believe you can do any wrong, and he equally doesn’t believe you should be with anyone as flawed as he is. But he’s my brother, and I know him inside and out, and, while he might be flawed, he’s a good man, with a kind heart. He’d do anything for the people he loves. Anything. And I’m just hoping that you might find it in your heart to see him again.”
“You want me to forgive him.”
“I didn’t say that. Just see him again. He’s so upset about what’s happened. Look, there’s much more to his story, and mine, than I’ve told you, so if you ever want to hear more, give me a call. In the meantime, please, just see him?”
Amber moved her head, but it didn’t form a straight nod or a no. And it obviously didn’t convey a straight answer to Zoe either, who shrugged.
“Well, I’ve said my piece and it’s over to you. I’ll leave you now.”
