Читать книгу A Risk Worth Taking - Zana Bell - Страница 12

ADAM NOTICED CRESSA’S EYES widen, and she hesitated before rising to hug the man. Then they stepped apart and the guy glanced at him with curiosity before extending his hand to Alicia.

“I’m Brian McKenzie. I hope you don’t mind me intruding.” He smiled at Cressa. “I haven’t seen Cressa for a while and wanted to catch up.”

Ex-boyfriend or wannabe?

“I’m delighted you did,” said his mother. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Alicia.”

“And I’m Adam.” He rose and shook Brian’s hand. “Just passing, were you?”

Aroha Bay was the end of the road, thirty minutes out of Whangarimu. Brian’s rueful smile acknowledged Adam’s dig. “Not exactly. Mike and I flew in this morning and Juliet mentioned Cressa was staying here. It’s been a long time since I was up this way so I thought I’d use Cressa as an excuse to visit Northland again.”

Cressa smiled, but her shoulders were rigid and she didn’t say anything. Ex, Adam decided, and wondered why that was. Brian was good-looking in that Harvard kind of way that comes from generations of wealth interbreeding with beauty. His clothes were expensive and his manners seemed nice. All in all, he appeared the perfect package for a woman.

Adam, this isn’t easy to write, but I’m leaving you for someone else. He’s rich and successful and really nice. You’d like him. I promise he’ll make a wonderful father for Stella. You needn’t worry. Please don’t try to find us. It’s better for everyone if you let us go.

Crystal, as usual, had been wrong. He hated that unknown bastard who, all these years later, still made him feel inferior. Since then, Adam had also found it hard dealing with men who were like him—Brian, for instance.

“You’ll stay for dinner, of course,” said Alicia.

“I couldn’t impose—”

“You aren’t imposing. We’d love to have you.”

“Well, if you are sure…?” Brian looked at Cressa, who shrugged, but this time her smile appeared genuine.

“Of course. I’ll lay another place.”

Wannabe, Adam decided, noting the expression in the poor sap’s eyes. Poor, successful, rich, nice sap. Not that any of this was his business, of course. He’d woken this morning with the brain he’d misplaced somewhere in transit lodged firmly back in place. Cressa’s presence in the house needn’t be the disaster he’d foreseen last night. She’d be out all day working, and he’d be in his room at night, studying. They’d hardly run into each other at all. And mealtimes would be fine. She’d be a buffer between him and his mother, and his mother would be a buffer between him and Cressa. Simple.

He still writhed to think about Deirdre’s suit, but thank heavens he’d noticed her and been prevented from taking things too far with her daughter. Now nothing more than a dance—a close one, granted—lay between him and Cressa. If she mentioned anything, he would apologize, blaming jet lag and champagne. Which was true.

At least, it had all made sense when he’d been lying in bed with only a ceiling to stare at. Now that he had Cressa in front of him, he realized things weren’t going to be quite so easy. Her tight jeans and T-shirt showed off her curves. Her hair was in a long braid down her back and he remembered how it had felt sliding through his fingers. Outside the window, her bike sat parked next to his, and they looked pretty good together.

But if he’d required reminding that Cressa was a complication he didn’t need in his life right now, Brian’s arrival certainly helped to slap his resolve into shape. As Adam struggled to carve the chicken his mom had done her best to kill a second time, Brian produced two bottles of white wine. “I hope you like them. The wine is a new varietal.”

“Brian’s parents own a vineyard,” Cressa explained.

Why was Adam not surprised?

“None for me, thanks,” said Alicia, busy serving up the vegetables. “I don’t drink.”

Adam felt a flare of pride. It would be coming up five months since she’d stopped. Maybe Sass was right and she had changed. Then he watched the way the potatoes bounced as she tipped them into a serving bowl. Her cooking skills, it seemed, were the same as ever.

As Brian poured the wine into the other three glasses, he said with elaborate unconcern, “So, Cressa, I hear you’re seeing a French archaeologist?”

“Danish, and no, we finished a few weeks back. The French guy was a tour leader.”

“Ah. And wasn’t there a skier?”

Adam wondered why Brian would torture himself in this way but supposed it was like having a bad tooth—you just couldn’t help prodding it to see if it still hurt.

“Canadian.” Cressa smiled. “He was cool, into all that freestyle stuff. You’d have liked him, Adam.”

She certainly thought she had him pegged, he decided grimly. People always did. “I’ve never been skiing.” He’d never had the money for it.

“Really?” Both she and Brian spoke together, and exchanged equally surprised looks.

“I’m sure you’d enjoy it,” said Brian. “Cressa and I have had some wonderful times together on the slopes.”

Nice one. He might have polished manners and a vineyard, but Brian wasn’t above getting in the odd jab. It made him a bit more real. But Brian didn’t need to concern himself about Adam. For years after his divorce, Adam had kept all his relationships clean and easy and short. These days he was hanging out for something deeper, more permanent. Right at this moment, with his MCAT exam just weeks away, any sort of involvement was out of the question. Whichever way you looked at it, Cressa was a no-go zone.

They settled down to the meal. The extra setting cramped the table and the dinner was past saving, but the wine was excellent, as far as Adam could tell. His budget kept him well out of range of top wines. Alicia stuck to orange juice, and though he saw her glance at the bottle, she showed nothing of the cravings she might be fighting. She was gentle and soft, but she also had a tough core. Funny, he’d forgotten that.

When Brian tried to top up Adam’s glass, he covered it. “It’s great, but that’s enough for me.”

“So, Adam, I heard you used to do motorbike stunts, too. How did you get into it?” Brian looked interested, and tried to spear a potato with his fork. Now, how had he heard that? Cressa’s family? That would explain his unexpected appearance. The fork pinged off the potato. Surprised, Brian eyed the potato as though seeking a way to break into it. Hammer and chisel, Adam felt tempted to suggest.

“A misspent youth.”

“He bought his first motorcycle when he was thirteen,” said Alicia, covering for his abrupt answer. “I had no idea, but he got himself a job walking dogs and saved all his money under his mattress. I was appalled when he said he’d bought a bike off his friend’s brother.”

Cressa looked at him. “Only thirteen? You were a determined little chap.”

He could see admiration kindling in her gray-green eyes and for a second he felt tempted, cursing his exam.

“Nothing stops Adam,” said Alicia, “once he’s got an idea in his head. He’d visit Calvin, his friend, and ride that bike around and around their farm. Bert, Calvin’s father, assured me Adam had more natural instincts than any other kid he’d ever met. He knew what he was talking about, having four sons of his own.”

She still sounded proud of his riding skills, even though for years they’d caused her nothing but anxiety.

“Yeah, Bert was great. Took me and Cal to all the dirt bike events.” Adam laughed. “Now Cal drives an SUV with baby seats in the back.”

What had he said? Cressa’s face didn’t change at all, and neither did Brian’s, but Alicia must have felt the sudden stillness because she immediately chimed in. “What do you do, Brian?”

“I’m a doctor.”

Adam choked. Then patted his chest and peered reproachfully at the potato on his plate. He so should have guessed! Not content with movie star looks and being rich and nice, he had to go be a damn doctor, as well.

“Really,” said Alicia. “What branch are you in?”

“I’m a GP, but I’m thinking of specializing in pediatrics. There was this speaker at the conference I’ve just been at….” And Brian went on to talk about new discoveries in child cancer. Alicia was interested, but Cressa seemed to tune out of the conversation. Was it medicine or children she didn’t like? Adam noticed her glancing at her phone several times. Was she waiting for the skier or the archaeologist? Not that it was any of his business.

“Where did you two meet?” Alicia asked after a few minutes, turning to include Cressa.

“Brian is Juliet’s husband’s best friend.”

She said it so offhandedly that Brian looked as if she’d just slapped him.

“I’ve known Cressa since she was eighteen,” he added, staring into her eyes as though daring her to repudiate the fact. He wore his heart on his sleeve as if it were a fashion accessory. Adam couldn’t work out whether Brian was the bravest guy he’d met or the stupidest—despite being a doctor.

“Yeah, we went out for a few years, nearly married, but realized the folly of our ways.” Cressa was obviously making a big effort to keep her voice light. Against his will, Adam felt a tiny pull of sympathy for Brian. It appeared he wasn’t over his folly at all.

“So, Adam.” Brian focused on him again. “What line of work are you in these days?”

“Construction.”

“Really?” Brian sounded as though he hadn’t known, but if the family had talked about Adam’s stuntwork, he felt sure Deirdre would have mentioned his current occupation. “Was it hard to get leave to fly out here?”

“I quit the project.”

“Hmm. Anything lined up for when you return?” Brian sipped his wine, his eyes on Adam. What was he actually trying to find out?

“Nothing definite.” Whatever it was, Adam wasn’t going to supply the answer.

Cressa nodded. “Adam’s like me. He takes things as they come.”

She smiled at him across the table and Adam smiled back. His bad-boy smile that always worked. But he was relying on it for all the wrong reasons and he knew it. Part of him just wanted to rattle Brian’s cage. Which wasn’t fair—his beef wasn’t with this guy at all.

“More potatoes, Adam?” Brian smiled blandly as he passed the dish. Mom’s potatoes, a new weapon of war. “I’ve always had a sneaking envy of anyone with a Peter Pan complex—you know, no commitments, no steady job.”

Adam rose to the challenge and put another two potatoes—God help him—on his plate. Equally blandly, he replied, “Well, you only live once.” Steam still rose from the bowl as he set it on a mat between them.

“I’m curious, though,” Brian said. “Have you never wanted anything a little more permanent, now that you are getting older?”

Cressa rolled her eyes. “Oh, Brian, everything for you always comes down to making things safe and secure, doesn’t it?”

He looked at her. “As it turns out, not all my choices prove to be safe.”

Her eyes glittered with annoyance, but at that moment the phone in the living room rang, saving him from a sharp-tongued rebuke.

“That’ll be Sass,” said Alicia, beginning to rise. “She said she’d call when they arrived.”

Adam, though, wasn’t about to be deserted in the battle zone, and he pushed his chair back. “I’ll get it.”

He picked up the receiver, ready to give his sister an earful for catapulting him into this situation. “Hello.”

“Adam? It’s Deirdre.”

He slumped against the wall. “Hey, Deirdre. Look, I am so sorry about the suit. I’ll pay for—”

“Not at all. These things happen.” He’d never heard someone manage to sound both brisk and glacial. “Is Cressa there?”

“Yeah, we’re having dinner with Brian.”

“Brian?” Her voice warmed by ten degrees. “Juliet said he might drive up. What a nice gesture, especially as he must be tired after the conference.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Adam offered. He knew Brian’s hackles were up only because there was a stray in his territory.

“He is.” A slight pause followed, then her voice changed. “He’s part of the family. We all adore him.”

Adam straightened the picture hanging beside him. “Oh.”

“When Cressa comes to her senses, she’ll realize they are perfectly suited. Until then, Brian’s proving to have the patience of a saint.”

She sounded confiding, but Adam could tell when he was being warned off.

“Would you like me to get Cressa?”

“That would be lovely. Thank you, Adam.”

Class dismissed, he thought, and went back into the dining room. “Your mom’s on the phone.”

Cressa rolled her eyes, then glared at Brian as she pointed her finger. “This is your fault. I bet Juliet told her you’d be here. She really wants to talk to you and is only talking to me first to be polite.”

Brian laughed. “Rubbish. Your mother is devoted to you all. Now, go. Don’t keep her waiting.”

He shooed her off and Cressa, mimicking teenage surliness, pushed back her chair with an exaggerated sigh and went through to the other room with slumped shoulders and dragging feet. They all laughed at the performance.

“Perfected by her and her sisters over the years,” Brian said.

As is your closeness with Cressa and her family, Adam thought. If he hadn’t already decided Cressa was off-limits, if her mother hadn’t made it clear he wasn’t welcome, he might have felt jealous.

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind. I’d love some more of that wine, thanks, Brian.”

Cressa was back in just a few minutes. “I was right. She really wants to speak to you.”

As Brian left the room, her cell phone rang and she pounced on it. “Sorry, Alicia, but I’ve been waiting for this call.”

She exited into the hallway. Adam looked at his mother, who smiled and leaned forward to pat his hand. “I’m so glad you came, Adam. It’s lovely to see you again. I’ve loved being in New Zealand, but I’ve missed you.”

Funny, but he’d missed her and Sass, too, after they’d gone to New Zealand. Following years of seldom seeing one another, the three of them had gotten close while Alicia had been hospitalized with pneumonia and then had entered rehab for her alcoholism. Cole had been supportive, as well, sending letters and sketches from prison to entertain their mom.

“It’s great to see you, too,” he said, and was surprised at how truly he meant it. She’d fought amazing battles to get this far. He felt a flush of chivalric duty and again silently vowed to look after her any way he could over the next four weeks.

Brian and Cressa arrived back in the kitchen at the same time and took their seats. She was brimming with excitement and turned to Adam.

“You’ll never guess.”

He was beginning to learn surprises weren’t good in New Zealand, and couldn’t keep the suspicion out of his voice. “What?”

“I’ve got you some work on the set for the next few days. It’s only a bit part, but it may turn into more. Be ready for an early start tomorrow.”

He dropped his knife on the floor with a clatter and, in the few seconds required to retrieve it, tried to gather his scattered wits.

“I don’t need any work.” It was the best he could think of to say when he straightened.

Cressa leaned forward, eyes dancing. “I know you don’t need it, but Sass said you’d like it. It’ll save you from getting bored. She asked me to see what I could do. So I made a couple of phone calls and the powers that be were really pleased. We’re a warrior short because one of the stuntmen had to return to the States for a couple of weeks for his father’s funeral.” She leaned back, her triumph tangible. “You’ll get to meet lots of people and they’ll just love you! Isn’t that great?”

The same spacey sensation he’d suffered the day before descended on him, the feeling that everything was just out of focus, not quite real. “But,” he said, “I’m going to be busy.”

Cressa appeared surprised. “Doing what?”

Adam sensed Brian’s eyes on him. After their recent skirmishes, no way in hell did he want to admit in front of this guy that he was studying to get into medical school. He glanced at his mother, who appeared curious, a crease of worry between her eyebrows. This was so not the time or the place to tell her, either. Their relationship was too complicated and too fragile at this stage for offhand disclosure. It would kick up old history. So much best left unsaid.

Trapped, Adam uttered the first thing that came into his head. “I’ve got stuff to do.”

He could have kicked himself. Of all the lame excuses available, he’d managed to pick the lamest. Cressa was watching him and he could see questions backing up behind her lips, could feel the ground opening under his feet, so he said the one thing that would make the tense moment go away. “But hey, if it’s only a few days, then great. Yeah. Count me in.”

The brilliant smile Cressa beamed at him almost made the lie worthwhile, but Adam was too busy wondering how many grooms became widowers within their first month of marriage. Just wait till he got his hands on his well-meaning sister. Damn pain-in-the-Sass.