“First, to thank you for allowing me in. I know I don’t deserve it.”
“That’s down to your sister.”
“Zoe?”
“Yes, she came around yesterday and I went to see her this morning. She filled me in on you.”
It was a strange, disorienting thought that Zoe and Amber had been talking about him behind his back.
“It’s the only reason I’ve let you in,” Amber continued.
He could guess what Zoe had told Amber. “My family history is no excuse for what I did to you. And I’ve come here tonight for one reason only.” He stood up, relieved from the discomfort of being squashed in a bean bag in damp trousers.
She rose, too, meeting his gaze with a steadiness and strength which unnerved him. He realized exactly how much he’d underestimated this woman. “And what’s that?”
“To tell you that I’ve changed. That I’ve moved my business practice here and intend to run it from Akaroa.”
“I know. Your sister told me.” She folded her arms. “What I don’t know is why.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Because you’re here. And wherever you are, I must be close.”
“But I’ve told you I don’t want you.”
“And I respect that. Don’t worry, I won’t stalk you. I won’t even come near you from now on unless you invite me to. But I want you to see me around, and know that it’s not only words, but I’m putting my words into practice. I’m changing, Amber, and that’s down to you.”
“Well, good for you, David. But it’s nothing to do with me. We don’t have a relationship anymore, if ever we did.”
It struck at the heart of him. He hadn’t known it would be this painful to allow himself to feel again. But he also knew how precious this feeling was and that he’d never turn back.
He nodded. “Of course. Whatever you want. But, please, can we be friends at least?”
She didn’t say anything immediately, and it was as if his life hung in the balance. Then she nodded. “Okay. Friends.” She stuck out her hand, and he took it, full of intense relief.
“Thank you.”
Too quickly, she slid her hand from his and opened the door. Before he knew it, he was back out in the wet street.
“Goodnight, then,” he said.
“Goodnight,” she said quietly, before closing the door.
But, as he walked back to his car, he remembered the look in her eye as she’d closed the door. That bright anger had gone, replaced by a warmth in which he found hope. It was enough for him to cling to for now.
11
“Glad to see you back in the land of the living,” said Maddy, looking up from her laptop and plucking one of Gabe’s invoices from the antiquated spike on which he placed them.
“I only took one day off work,” said Amber, automatically turning on the coffee maker which Maddy had introduced into Gabe’s otherwise basic kitchen. She hooked her bag on the back of a spindle-backed chair and sat down opposite Maddy. She looked at the cool beauty and, not for the first time, wished she possessed a tiny bit of Maddy’s composure. Even if she knew that, beneath it, Maddy was every bit as emotional as the rest of them.
It was four in the afternoon and the early spring light was beginning to shift to a rich glow which shone through the front door and down the wooden-floored hall. If Belendroit was Amber’s second home, then Gabe and Maddy’s place—which doubled as Gabe’s surgery—was her third home. Ever since the day Maddy had arrived in Akaroa with only a backpack and a secret, they’d been fast friends.
The coffee machine light shone steadily and Amber rose and made three cups of coffee. Gabe’s surgery would be finishing soon and there was no one in the waiting room which she’d passed. She brought two cups to the table and glanced over Maddy’s shoulder at the spreadsheet, which looked incomprehensible to her. She placed a cup of coffee beside Maddy and took her seat once more.
“It’s amazing how you can use spreadsheets.”
Maddy looked up with a smile in her eyes. “No more amazing than how you create your art.” She glanced back down at the screen and rapidly typed some entries. “Lucky that we’re all types of amazing.”
“Yes, it is,” said Amber, cradling her coffee.
