I shrugged. She eyed me. I nodded.
“Not every one’s ready for the romance of the century, even if it’s ready for them. Anyway, thank you for helping me out and not stealing my shopping.”
“It wasn’t a problem.”
She raised her brows. “Go home. Get warm. Everything will be okay.”
It wasn’t. I passed Wren in the kitchen and that was it, throwing myself in the end of my practice, avoiding her as much as possible. I knew she was sad and I felt bad because I’d made her sad. I didn’t want to hurt her. Never wanted to hurt her.
* * *
Still didn’t wantto hurt her.
“I don’t think she’s interested in me like that. She knows how much baggage I’ve got.”
“We’ve all got baggage, Cal. Every time I look at Vic I wonder why she hasn’t done a runner yet. Hang on, Dad’s here. He wants a word.”
I felt every muscle in my back freeze to the extent where I figured I’d need chiropractic treatment. We didn’t speak on the phone. I spoke to Marie and she relayed messages. It was better that way.
“How’re you doing, son?”
He’d never called me son.
“Good. In Marrakesh.”
“Take lots of pictures for your mum. I can show them her later.” He sounded tired, exhausted and I had a flash of how he’d be feeling. Marie hadn’t just saved us four when she’d landed from New York, she’d saved him too.
“Max said you saw the lion video.” It was a bone. Throwing him a bone.
“I did. Couldn’t believe it. Can’t imagine why anyone would do that to a creature but you saved him. You did good. I could never have done that.”
“I couldn’t have practised law.”
He laughed. “No. And I had no idea what I was going to help you with when you chose what you did. You stumped me. How could I help you when you were studying something I had no idea about.”
I hadn’t looked at it like that. “I was fine.”
“I know. You were top of your class. With Wren. When do we get to meet her?”
“It isn’t like that, Dad.”
“That doesn’t matter. She’s a friend of yours, we’d like to meet her. Marie would.”
“How is she? Mum?”
He was quiet. “Stubborn. Pig-headed. In far more pain that she ever let on. Bloody chest infection.”
“She’ll be okay.” I knew she would. Because she knew that without her we had no glue. We’d fall apart, or some of us would. Jackson had Vanessa and his little boy; Max had Vic; Payton and Owen were pretty much inseparable when they weren’t at work; Claire had always had Killian, and Ava was quietly crazy in love with Eli. But we still needed Marie. None of us were ready for life without her yet. Especially my father.
“I’ll ask her to come over for a weekend before we start filming the next part.”
“You do that, son. I’m going to get a coffee while we wait. Go enjoy yourself. Take photos.” He sounded old.
“For the first time in your life, please do as he says.” Max huffed out the words. “And Vic mentioned a bloody teapot. Again. Oh, and now something about a rug. For fuck’s sake, we’ll need a bigger house at this rate.” He hung up and left me smiling. My brother knew exactly what he was doing. He always had.
* * *
Wren cameout of her massage and joined me in the steam room with a towel wrapped round her, hair wet and skin glowing. She looked as if she’d just spent a week in heaven, her eyes semi-closed and her body limp. I hoped I had something to do with it, but I had a feeling it was more to do with the massage and the scrub.
