Читать книгу The One Winter Collection - Rebecca Winters - Страница 24

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE NEXT DAY Lizzie was so nervous about the upcoming confrontation with Philippe she felt nauseous. She had organised extra help in the kitchen so she could spend the day with Amy. That also allowed her time for a private meeting with her ex-husband. Dread that he might try to take Amy away from her put her so on edge she wasn’t fit to work anyway.

In the fairy tale her life in Dolphin Bay with Jesse had become, she cast Philippe in the role of the ogre who could take her happiness away. She was ready with sword and shield to fight him. She had given up her career and moved to Dolphin Bay for Amy’s sake. She could give her daughter a good life here. She would never, ever let her go.

The reunion with Amy had been ecstatic, as it always was when they’d been apart for any length of time. She’d held her darling girl tightly to her, breathed in the apple shampoo freshness of her, laughed and pretended to squirm at Amy’s exuberant hugs and kisses.

As usual after Amy had been with her father and his family it had taken her a few minutes to adjust to speaking English, to being a little Australian girl again. But after Lizzie had shown her the café—where the staff had made a huge fuss of her—and her new home upstairs, Amy had happily gone off with Maura. No doubt she would be introduced to little Alfie and then the begging and pleading to keep him would start. Lizzie decided to keep an open mind on that one.

Maura had so much grandmotherly love to give—and Amy was the only child in their family she had to lavish it on. Lizzie was aware of the thread of sadness underlying Maura’s warmth, stemming from the tragic loss of Ben’s little son.

With Amy settled with Maura, now it would be just her and Philippe, squaring up against each other as adversaries with their child the spoils of battle. She hadn’t seen her ex-husband for more than a year. Sometimes she liked to imagine he didn’t exist. But he was here in Dolphin Bay. She took a deep steadying breath to centre herself and headed to the Hotel Harbourside. Let the battle begin.

She’d chosen neutral territory, a quiet corner of the guest lounge. At this time of day, during the week, there should be no one to disturb them. She regretted the hurt that had flashed across Jesse’s face when she had declined his offer to accompany her. But this was something she had to do by herself.

She cast a quick eye around the room. Jesse had said he would be nearby in case he needed to rush in to her defence—like a true Prince Charming would. She couldn’t see him anywhere, but she trusted he was there. Jesse was true to his word. Although she knew the confrontation with Philippe wouldn’t get physical—unless he’d changed out of sight—it was reassuring to know that Jesse was close.

Then Philippe was there, greeting her with his accented English that had charmed her years ago. She braced herself and looked up at her ex, his handsome face with his prominent nose and Amy’s eyes, his dark blond hair. He had once been so dear to her; they had started off with such high hopes, now he meant nothing. There was an element of sadness—of failure—to her thoughts but no regret. If it wasn’t for Amy, she would be happy never to have to see him again.

* * *

Jesse knew the layout of the Hotel Harbourside very well. It had not been difficult to find a spot where, with the help of a large wall mirror, he could sit in a large, high-backed lounge chair and keep an eye on Lizzie without her—or her ex-husband—seeing him. He held an open newspaper in front of him and flicked through its pages without seeing a word. It was like a stake-out. Cloak and dagger stuff. Only this was a game where the stakes were very high.

Lizzie had come into the guest lounge by herself. She was dressed more formally than he had seen her, wearing narrow black trousers and a tight cropped jacket with the sleeves pushed up. Her hair was pulled back in a thick plait that hung in pale contrast down the back of the black jacket. She looked elegant, stylish and so unfamiliar it disconcerted him.

He could tell by the way Lizzie squared her shoulders and measured her stride that she was nervous. Was that why she had dressed like that? As armour? The ugly thought intruded. Or to look good for her ex?

She only had seconds to pace the floor by herself before she was joined by a tall guy wearing grey trousers and a lightweight sweater. Lizzie had always said her cheater of an ex was a good-looking guy. Yeah. He could see that. The Frenchman was big with broad shoulders and a powerful body.

The first thing they did was kiss each other. Twice. Once on each cheek. Jesse knew that was the European way, but still he gripped tight onto the arms of the chair at the sight of Lizzie in an embrace with another guy. Not just another guy. The man she’d married, had intended to spend her life with, the father of her child. Someone she’d loved.

Ex-husband and ex-wife started to talk. Jesse hadn’t hidden close enough to hear their actual words, just the sound of their voices. The conversation seemed to be more intense than angry with Philippe doing a lot of the talking. They were switching between English and French.

It was a shock to see Lizzie speaking French. She looked different—her mouth, her face—and she gesticulated with her hands in a Gallic way. This was a Lizzie who seemed to slip right back into a different persona altogether. It made him wonder how well he actually knew her.

He wished he’d sat closer so he could hear but he would have risked exposure. Was Philippe laying down terms for custody of Amy? Or was he putting his argument for his family to return to him in France? If the dude got angry with Lizzie, Jesse would be up there like a shot to protect her.

But, far from being an angry confrontation with her ex, Lizzie’s meeting seemed amicable. Very amicable. Too amicable.

Lizzie smiled. She laughed. She hugged the guy who she’d told Jesse had made her life hell. The ex smiled too. He seemed too damn happy for a man who was being told his ex-wife would not give him custody of their daughter. Any sense of fun Jesse had felt in staking out Lizzie and her ex was quickly replaced by bitter disbelief.

There was too much laughter and goodwill going on. Lizzie had said she dreaded the meeting but it looked to Jesse as if she was enjoying every minute of it.

Lizzie had problems with jealousy? Jesse had never before been bothered by it, had never understood the emotion. He sure as hell understood it now. Violent jealousy flamed through him at the sight of Lizzie with her ex-husband.

He felt excluded and it wasn’t a feeling he liked. All the foundations he’d been building around Lizzie felt threatened.

They hugged again. Then they walked out to the lobby and towards the exit, chatting as they went.

Jesse got up from his lounge chair, slammed the newspaper on the table and headed towards the side door that led to the terrace. From there he would actually be able to hear their farewells unless Lizzie walked her ex to his rental car.

But no. They stayed put and did the one-kiss, two-kiss thing again. Then Lizzie looked up into her handsome ex-husband’s face and said very clearly in English. ‘I will see you in Lyon. For the start of a new life.’

Then she watched him get into the car and waved as he pulled out of the hotel driveway and headed north to Sydney.

Those final words reverberated through Jesse’s mind. I will see you in Lyon. For the start of a new life.

What the hell had that meant? It was difficult not to draw the obvious conclusion.

He’d been played for a fool again.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake he’d made with Camilla. He was in deep with Lizzie, but he had an out. The job in Houston.

But first he’d give her a chance to explain herself. If she didn’t come clean then he’d know he had been lied to again. That Lizzie intended to have her fun with him until it was time to go back to her other man. Like Camilla had.

His hands fisted by his sides, he stepped out from the terrace so Lizzie could see him as she approached.

Her face lit up when she saw him and she hastened her steps to get to him quicker. It made his gut churn at how much he had come to care for her.

‘So there you are,’ she said. ‘I’ve been looking for you. I’ve got good news.’

‘Fire away,’ he said gruffly.

‘Philippe has dropped his plans to sue for sole custody. He flew all the way here to apologise about the way he behaved during our time together and to tell me—and to tell me...’ She spluttered to a halt.

‘To tell you what?’ He felt choked by a grim foreboding.

‘To...uh...to tell me how much he cared for Amy and how she would always be his first priority.’

She was lying. He couldn’t fail to notice how she’d pulled herself up. No way would her ex come to the other side of the world just to tell her he was sorry for his behaviour of years ago. He believed the guy had apologised. But what had come next? Reconciliation? There’d been a lot of smiling and hugging. What the hell had that been about?

‘That’s good,’ he muttered.

‘You were a big hit with Amy, by the way, Uncle Jesse.’ Lizzie chattered on, seemingly oblivious to his dark change of mood.

‘Yeah, she’s a great kid.’ He’d been working at the café, educating Nikki in the finer aspects of pulling espresso shots, when Lizzie had brought Amy in to show her the café. Her little face had lit up when she’d seen him and she’d come tearing up to him to hurtle herself at him with a squeal of delight. ‘Uncle Jesse!’

Laughing, he’d swept her up into his arms. It had taken him a long time after the fire to be comfortable around kids. He’d loved Ben’s little boy Liam. It had seemed disloyal to pay attention to other children when his nephew had gone. He had taken his role as uncle very seriously. What role in his life might Amy play?

‘Be flattered,’ Lizzie had said. ‘She doesn’t take to everyone.’

‘I wanted to introduce you to Philippe,’ Lizzie said now.

He frowned. ‘Why would you do that?’

So he’d be friendly to him when they got back together?

He thought back to one of the reasons he’d resisted pursuing Lizzie—if things went wrong he’d still have to see her at every family gathering. Her and her current man—perhaps her reconciled husband.

Not if he was in Houston, he wouldn’t.

‘Because, well, because he was here and because he’s Amy’s father I—’

‘You told me how this guy cheated on you and made your life hell. Why would I want to shake his hand?’ He paused. ‘Unless things have changed between you.’

She looked confused. ‘Well, yes, they have changed.’

Here it came—the confession.

‘What I meant is, he’s changed. Grown up at last. Admitted his mistakes.’

‘And?’

She frowned. ‘What do you mean “and”? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Haven’t you got something to tell me?’

She flushed. ‘Well, yes. I do.’ She looked around her. ‘But this isn’t the time or the place to talk to you about it. What it means for us.’

He cursed inwardly. So he hadn’t misunderstood those overheard words.

‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ he said, unable to meet her eyes. ‘The company in Houston contacted me this morning. They want a decision by close of business today and a start date of Monday if I accept. I’d have to leave Dolphin Bay tomorrow.’

The blood drained from her face. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Wh-what will you do?’

‘I’m going to take it.’

‘Wh-what about your shoulder?’

‘It’s healed enough for desk duties.’

He hadn’t meant to be so harsh about it. Hadn’t wanted to wound her. But hell, she had dealt him a body blow. Just like Camilla had.

‘You’ll be gone tomorrow?’ Her voice was so faint he had to strain to hear it.

He nodded, unable to find the words that would take that stricken look off her face. Yet she still wouldn’t admit she was going back to her husband. Or give him an explanation of why she’d lied. Why she had no explanation for those words he’d overheard.

He wanted to tell her he loved her. That he wanted to make decisions based on their future, not just his.

But she wasn’t giving anything away. Not a word about her plans for going back to France to take up a new life with her old husband. Or why she was going to Lyon if it wasn’t for that.

‘So,’ she said, with that familiar tilting of her chin. ‘You’ll be leaving Dolphin Bay?’

‘Looks like it,’ he said.

‘Wh-what does that mean for us?’ She turned her face away.

‘You still don’t have anything you want to tell me?’ Anger and frustration and disbelief that he’d been caught again raged through him.

‘It’s not anything you’d want to hear,’ she said in a very small voice.

That sealed it.

Then she met his gaze straight on. ‘You’d better go make that phone call.’

She turned and he let her go.