Susan stared at the gap where Nolan had stood, confusion settling on her shoulders like a heavy bale of hay. All the subtext, the hidden messages. Maybe Tyler would understand because she didn’t know what was going on with Nolan. One minute she thought he knew about her and Tyler and the next she didn’t know what she thought.
The phone rang in the kitchen.
“Susan, the phone is for you,” Lucy called. “Some guy.”
“It’s probably Tyler,” Nolan said when Susan entered the kitchen. “I wonder if Dad caught up with him.”
Susan picked up the phone. “Tyler?”
“Hey, Suzy. Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to take you out. I thought we could go wine tasting and maybe do a little sightseeing in Napier.”
“I’d love to.”
“Good, can you be ready around eleven? I’ll pick you up.”
“Sure, I look forward to it.”
Nolan signaled that he wanted to talk to Tyler and she handed over the phone. She heard Nolan mention their father before she went to her room.
Tyler arrived on time the next day, and with a cheery goodbye to Nolan and Lucy, she slipped outside.
“Did you catch up with your father?” she asked when she jumped into the passenger seat.
“He rang just as I was leaving. I told him I’d visit him tomorrow.”
“You don’t see him often.”
“No, usually only when I go into town or attend a sale. Ask Nolan. The atmosphere at home was always like Antarctica and university was like a warm haven. No more talking about the past.” He sent her a quick smile. “I don’t want to spoil our day.”
“Did Nolan act strange when you spoke to him?”
Tyler scowled. “He told me to make sure I didn’t hurt you, which made no bloody sense. My entire family is acting weird. Eric told me I should keep you out overnight. He practically ordered me to have a sleepover. Not that I dislike the idea…” He trailed off, his dark brows waggling.
She gasped. “They know?”
“I didn’t tell them. They guessed we’re seeing each other.” He shrugged. “No problem. Today, I thought we’ll do the sightseeing part first and have a late lunch. I know a great picnic spot where we can relax if the weather stays fine.”
“Are they going to tell anyone?”
Tyler shot her a surprised glance. “Of course not. They’d never do anything to hurt me and by extension you.” He reached over and placed a hand on her knee. “Don’t worry. Please, just enjoy the day. We have the entire afternoon to have fun, and for once we don’t have to sneak around.”
Tyler was right. Slogging down to the dam, through the mud and rain to meet with him got old, and the worry about someone catching them kept her awake. Score one for a guilty conscience.
Tyler was also right about enjoying the day. “Tell me about the art deco buildings.”
“You know about the earthquake we had down here in 1931. Most of Napier was destroyed in the quake and the resulting fire afterward. When the townsfolk wanted to rebuild, they chose the art deco style because it was cheaper and the buildings were strong. The buildings are cool. I’ve sketched quite a few of them. I’ll show them to you when we get back to Clare.”
Half an hour later, Tyler parked the car. They purchased a local guidebook and started doing a self-guided walk around the blocklike buildings. Susan kept busy with her camera, snapping photos of the art deco designs on the facades, the straight lines of the buildings and some of Tyler, handsome in his light blue shirt and jeans, his black vest cutting the cool air of the winter day.
“This is great. I’ll post some pictures on my blog tomorrow.” The instant she mentioned her blog, Tyler’s smile faded and she silently cursed—she who seldom uttered a naughty word. Instead of driving her to drink, the Penrith family was responsible for coloring her language blue. She reached out, placed her hand on Tyler’s forearm and gave a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry. What say we make a deal—no more talking about anything related to the reality show for the rest of the day?”
She needed to tell him Jennifer had decided to change the filming schedule. Both she and Lucy were going home in a few days. On Tuesday, to be precise. She opened her mouth to tell Tyler but changed her mind. She didn’t want to spoil their day. She’d tell him when he dropped her back at Nolan’s.
“Deal,” he said. “Would you like to have a coffee?”
“Hot chocolate,” she said. “With chili, if possible. I like it hot.”
His gaze went straight to her lips. “Me too.”
