“Jesus, Julia,” Ryan snapped.
“Where’s the popcorn?” Maggie asked the room at large. “This is better than a movie.”
“Shush,” Connor whispered to his wife. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
Julia glowered at both of her friends and received unrepentant grins in return. “Well? Are you going to answer my question?”
“The truth?” a low, gravelly voice asked.
“Of course.” She wanted to learn the truth, didn’t she? The pit of her stomach seemed to fall away in the few moments she waited for Neil to speak again.
“Before this last tour, Ryan used to have a lot of women. Women are always throwing themselves at him. This tour was different. He still attended the parties, but he didn’t leave with anyone. He didn’t let any of the women drape themselves over him unless it was a publicity shot. Nothing too personal during the parties either, even before the mugging.”
“What mugging?” Julia asked.
Ryan reached for his cell phone. “Satisfied?” He studied her, silently enforcing his will. “Thanks, man. Yeah, I’ll explain when you get back to Auckland.” He ended the call.
Julia stared at him for an instant longer. “Who was mugged?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Christina said, nosy interest in her tone.
“I have never cheated on you. Do you believe me?” Ryan’s face was devoid of his normal humor, his eyes darker and more intense. She studied him, taking in the details she hadn’t noted due to her initial shock on seeing him. He’d lost weight, his skin bearing a pallor that was in stark contrast to Caleb’s healthy tan. When she studied him more closely, she noticed his jeans hung on him and the corners of his eyes bore lines she was sure hadn’t been present during their last meeting.
“What about the woman who answered your phone?”
“Ryan was mugged and someone stole his phone and wallet,” Caleb said. “Maybe the thief answered your call.”
The excuse seemed too easy, too pat, yet a streak of worry jumped into her mind. He’d been hurt? “When? What happened?”
Ryan grimaced. “It happened about a month after we got to Europe.”
A burst of emotion choked her throat. Around about the same time she’d lost the baby. She’d cursed him because he hadn’t been there for her when she needed him.
Could he be telling the truth?
Julia firmed her resolve and straightened. “As riveting as this conversation is, I need to check on my mother before we hit the club.” She turned away from Ryan, needing space to order her thoughts. Her mind had bounced in twenty directions all day. Now Ryan—well he’d taken center stage in typical lead singer fashion.
Someone thumped on the front door. “Probably some of the staff,” she said to Connor. “If it’s Stan, our security man, ask him if he’d mind keeping an eye on the door and letting in the rest of the staff as they arrive.”
“No problem.” Connor ambled away, giving Julia one less thing to worry about.
Julia continued to ignore Ryan and Caleb, paid no heed to the curiosity bubbling through her friends. They’d have questions. Hell, she did, but right now she had to focus. “Susan, I’ve calculated the wages.” She pulled a heavy book out of the bag she’d lugged around all day. “Here’s the wage book and the wage packets I did this afternoon. Can you pay everyone as they arrive? Get them to sign for their wages and ask them if they’d mind waiting for a few minutes. I’ll speak with them and run through my plans as soon as I’ve checked on my mother.”
Susan wrinkled her freckled nose as she accepted the book and wages. “Your mother runs a manual wage system?” The horror lacing her tone pulled a bark of amusement from Julia.
“We need to get a computer program sorted. It’s one of the many things on my list. Tell the staff we’re going to pay wages by direct credit once we reopen.”
Susan nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What do you want me to do?” Maggie asked.
Christina grabbed Maggie’s arm. “We’ll take measurements and work out what we need in the way of materials. The chairs need recovering. The tables are awful.”
“Thank you.” With a grateful nod, Julia started toward her mother’s apartment. Footsteps behind her jerked her to an abrupt halt, and she turned to nail the culprit—Ryan—with a glare. “Where are you going?”
“I want to meet your mother.” Ryan’s brows drew together while his mouth grew tight-lipped. “The miracle mother who has mysteriously returned from the dead.”
An uncharacteristic flush suffused her cheeks, and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it while she avoided Ryan’s gaze. No wonder their marriage hadn’t worked. They’d both had secrets, parts of their lives they kept private. That was the trouble with a short courtship and a hurried marriage. Stuff got put off until later.
