Andy wasn’t one to believe in things happening for a reason, but he was starting to.
“And you haven’t spoken to her since that night in Bali?” Tabby asked.
“No, it was just a one-night thing.” Andy hated how shallow that sounded, but it was the truth.
“And you don’t know her last name?” Tabby continued.
“No.”
“I wonder…” she trailed off and bit her bottom lip.
“Wonder what, honey?” Steve questioned his wife.
“You remember what you did when I was in hospital. Could Andy do the same?”
Andy knew exactly what Tabby was suggesting. Steve had barged in, announcing that he was Tabby’s fiancée, when they hadn’t even been on a date. The difference between their situation and the one Andy found him in, was Tabby had been aware of Steve by her side while she’d been getting treatment before being transferred to the hospital. And he knew her last name.
“Sadly, I don’t think so,” Andy said. “The staff at the front desk are aware that I’m not related to Narelle. When I asked about her, I couldn’t even tell them her full name. I’m just waiting here like a schmuck knowing that I’m, more than likely, not going to find anything out.”
Tabby looked up at Steve as if he could solve it all, but in this situation, Andy didn’t think he could.
Why hadn’t he thought to ask for Narelle’s last name when she walked out of his hotel room? Or followed through with asking Wilt to see if he could find out information on her?
Because you didn’t want to spoil the memory. Didn’t want to meet up again and find out that the magic you’d felt with her in Bali was because of the location, and not because of anything mutual between you.
Part of that was true, but the other part was that he’d been scared. He could face down the evils of theworld, but when it came to accepting feelings he had for a stranger, he couldn’t face it.
Yet, when he’d seen Narelle, bleeding and injured, his heart had skipped a beat, and he hadn’t been able to move the second he touched her.
“It’s okay,” Andy said, trying to appease Tabby.
“It’s not, but I won’t push it.” Tabby didn’t say anything else as another couple came in. Their faces were white, and they clutched each other’s hands as if fearing letting go would bring bad news down upon them. There was something familiar about the woman, but Andy didn’t dwell on it because his mind was on other things. The couple were upset, and he hoped whoever they were waiting to hear news about was going to be okay.
For the next hour, he sat with Steve and Tabby, not saying much, but his gaze kept drifting to the couple who hadn’t moved since they’d walked in. Feeling the need to do something, because sitting was aggravating him, he got up and went over to them. “Can I get you something to drink?”
The woman looked up at him, and the reason for why she seemed familiar fell into place. It was as if he was looking into the future and seeing Narelle in thirty years. There was no mistaking the resemblance. It wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him. Ormaking him see what he wanted to see. “Thank you, but I don’t think I could stomach anything. Do you want anything, Mike?”
The older man shook his head.
Knowing he was either about to make a fool of himself, or believe, that once again, fate was playing with him, he asked the question he’d wanted to know since he saw the woman’s face up close. “I hope you don’t find this intrusive, but are you here for Narelle?”
He hoped they didn’t pick up on the fact he didn’t say her last name.
Both of them looked at him in surprise, as if they didn’t quite know what to do with his question.
“Who are you?” the man asked, looking protective and worried at the same time.
There was no way Andy was going to tell him how intimately he knew the man’s daughter, but he was going to let him know that they were friends. “My name’s Andy Grimshaw, sir. I saw the accident happen. I also met Narelle when she was in Bali a few months ago.”
“And you just happened to be at the same place when the accident occurred?” The disbelief in Narelle’s father’s voice didn’t surprise Andy. If hewas the one being told the same information, he’d have trouble believing it too.
“I know it sounds farfetched, but yes, I was there, and I was shocked when I saw the driver was Narelle.”
“She’s never mentioned knowing you,” her mum piped up.
As weird as it was, Andy was pleased they were skeptical about him. It meant they cared about their daughter and would do whatever was necessary to protect her. But how did he answer that question without revealing the nature of his and Narelle’s interactions? “We met on the last night we were both there and got chatting. I’m going to be honest and say that I didn’t know she lived in Perth, and she doesn’t know I do as well.”
If that didn’t give her parents a big hint as to what went on between the two of them, he didn’t know what would.
