He huffed and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again he could see she’d noticed him flinch.
‘Are you depressed or something?’ she asked.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His stillness did it for him. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. He spun around.
‘What happened, Dan?’
For a moment — just a brief moment — he considered telling her. Telling her about the woman who’d smiled across candlelit tables, and sworn she’d never wanted children until she’d wanted his. About the ultrasound photo that had lived in his wallet for three weeks. About the engagement ring he’d bought.
About the phone call. The pauses. And about that last night when he’d planned a surprise while she was away. He’d let himself in to her apartment, his arms full of flowers, and learnt the truth. His best friend had returned to Washington to claim the woman and baby Dan had thought were his. Double betrayal.
He patted Lucy’s hand and stood. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’
‘That’s exactly the kind of thing that has me worried. So, what are you going to do while you’re here?’
‘I’m thinking about it.’
‘Right.’ But the doubtful look on her face contradicted her words.
‘You go. You’ll be late otherwise.’
She nodded, the frown still hovering over her eyes. ‘Well, I guess I should. Right,’ she said, suddenly decisive, ‘I’ll let you eat in peace. Stay as long as you like.’
‘Thanks. I won’t be long. I’ll go and see Mum later before I go back to my flat.’
‘You could stay here if I had an extra bedroom.’
‘Lucy. You’re not fooling anyone. We all know the only reason you have one bedroom is because you don’t want to live with anyone. You’re too independent for that.’
He knew that while she, like him, might enjoy sussing other people out, they could be their own worst enemies when it came to understanding themselves.
‘Anyway, get going,’ he said. ‘And enjoy yourself.’
‘Right.’ She picked up her bag and walked to the door, hesitating with her hand on the knob. ‘And Dan? Just know that if you ever want to talk about… whatever it is, I’m here.’
The uncomplicated warmth and love he saw in her eyes — love that wanted nothing in return — nearly undid him. He blinked back the tears. What the hell? He never cried. She turned away.
‘So… what are you going to tell Mum?’
‘That you’re staying longer in New Zealand because you miss the family, home-cooked meals and MacLeod’s Cove.’
‘Perfect. See you soon, Luce.’
‘Love you,’ she said as she closed the door.
And he knew she did. But he also suspected that, because of that love, she wouldn’t give up until she knew everything. She’d decided, for whatever reason, not to press him tonight. Probably through lack of time.
He went back outside onto the balcony and watched Lucy get into her electric car, giving her a brief wave. After she’d driven off he stayed there, looking at the strip of sea between the headland and the distant dark smudge of the South Island.
He didn’t know how long he stood there.
He only knew that for the first time in years, he wasn’t moving towards anything. And his life felt… empty. He was a hollow shell waiting to find himself again. And he didn’t have the first idea how to go about it.
Chapter Two
But one week later Lucy had more on her plate than trying to prise out Dan’s secrets. She had other secrets to discover. Secrets that belonged to the mysterious Oliver who she’d had dinner with — the man who’d tricked her. Watching Lucy now as she moved around the café, a bundle of shining energy, Dan couldn’t do anything but pity this Oliver Perry-Warnes. The man didn’t know who he was dealing with.
Perry-Warnes wanted to demolish the Old Colonial Hotel opposite Lucy’s café, thereby changing the very fabric of MacLeod’s Cove. And Lucy didn’t want it demolished. Dan knew who would win. It was just a question of how to go about it. And it sounded like Lucy had half of MacLeod’s Cove working for her. Including him. At least it had given him a sense of purpose as he contacted old friends — and friends of friends — who had any knowledge of property development or local councils. One old friend in particular, who worked for the Mayor of Wellington, had revealed exactly how calculating Perry-Warnes was. Dan just wished he’d been armed with this knowledge before Lucy had got involved with him.
