“He hasn’t attempted to find me or check on me, so I don’t think he’s bothered.” I take a long drink of the wine, emptying my glass. The heat of the alcohol buzzes in my belly, warming me up from the inside.
“He isn’t allowed anywhere near their property. Plus the Bennetts have hunting rifles. Kane knows they’re just waiting for a hunting accident to happen. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill him on their land and say it was self defence. Gareth wasn’t there that night, but he’ll never forgive or forget what happened to his brother. They were like two peas in a pod and did everything together.”
My body relaxes a little, knowing Kane won’t show up at the house. I’ve been on edge ever since I left. Each time a car pulls onto their drive, my body tenses and when I’m at their cafe and boat hire, I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t even know why. Kane won’t hurt me. As much as I’m mad at him, I don’t want him to get hurt or killed. Maybe that’s what has me on edge.
“I should get going now before it gets late. They’ll be expecting me home.”
“Stay for dinner. There’s plenty of pasta.”
“All right.” Her cooking has to be better than rustling up something at Jesse’s. I’ve gone from cooking and cleaning at Kane’s to doing the same at their place. The boys keep things tidy, but their cooking left a lot to be desired. Linda hasn’t been around much which is a shame as she seemed nice.
“Do you want another glass of red?” Lilly asks as she sets the plates on the table.
“I have to drive home, so best not.”
“Where’s your car?” Shane asks.
“I left it at the store.” I fork the creamy pasta into my mouth, savouring the taste of a home cooked meal. Shane and Lilly chat about their day and Lilly talks about work at the hospital. It’s clear now why she has a caring nature. She’s a nurse.
“Did you know my mum?” I ask Shane.
He swallows and clears his throat. “Not very well, but I went out with her and Kane a few times, to the cinema and stuff.”
“Where were you Lilly?”
“Lilly was…what were you then, about six?”
“seven.”
Shane laughs again. “She was this annoying little kid that would barge into her sister’s room every time I came over. Always causing trouble.” He smiles, then clears the plates.
I help load the dishwasher. “Thank you for dinner.”
“You can come here anytime.” Lilly opens her handbag and slides her thumb over the screen on her phone. “Take my number and if you ever need anything, call me.”
Shane does the same. “He’d want to make sure you’re taken care of. If you’re in trouble, you call me or the station. Got it?”
I nod, tapping their numbers into my phone. Though I don’t know what sort of trouble, they think I’m going to get into. It’s Kane that needs looking out for, if anyone.
“I’ll take you back to your car if you’re ready.” Shane stands and grabs the keys from the sideboard. He kisses Lilly’s cheek. “Thanks for dinner.”
“It’s the least I could do to thank you for fixing stuff around here.”
“Thank you.” I hug Lilly before getting into Shane’s Mitsubishi Shogun and buckle my seatbelt. “Nice car.”
“Thanks.” He slips into the driving seat and starts the engine.
The only sound is the purr from the car as we drive through the town. The roads are quiet at this time of night.
Shane clears his throat. “How was he? Kane I mean.”
I hold my bag on my lap, twisting the handle in my palms. “Sad. Guilty. I don’t know.” A long breath leaves my lungs. “We were…” How do I tell him we were together? Should I tell him? “Close.”
“You don’t need to be a genius to see the effect you had on him.”
“Will you check on him?” I don’t want to see Kane, but I don’t want him to do anything stupid either and cause more drama.
“I will.” He drives into the car park for the supermarket. It’s almost closing time and my pink mini sits alone at one end of the car park. Shane pulls up at the side of it.
