As much as I love animals, though, I’m feeling tired again, so I decide to head back to my suite. Jules has gone somewhere so I don’t see her, and I go into the suite, go straight up to bed, and crash out there, lying fully clothed under the duvet.
When I wake, I get a sense that a long time has passed, but I feel disoriented and a little dizzy—jet lag again, I guess. What woke me? Then I hear it—my phone, buzzing on the bedside table. I reach over for it and pick it up. The screen states it’s Rawiri.
It’s one p.m. here, so it must be around midnight there. I answer the phone. “Hello?”
“Stefan? It’s Rawiri.”
“Hey.” I push up onto the pillows, looking out at the wintry landscape. “You’re late. How’s things? Anything to report?”
There’s a short silence. For a moment, I think we’ve been disconnected. Then he says, “Um, yeah. Stefan, I’ve got something to tell you… I’m so sorry…”
My heart leaps into my mouth, and I sit bolt upright. “What’s happened?”
“It’s Fred,” he says. “I let him out for a last-minute pee before we went to bed tonight, and he ran across the lawn and just leaped over the fence.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
“It was unbelievable; he climbed the fence and he was over it and off before I could move. I got in the car and raced after him. I was sure he’d be heading for your house, so I took the state highway, and then I saw him… Stef, he’d been hit by a car.”
I clench my jaw tight. “Is he…”
“No. But he’s badly hurt. I think he’s broken at least one of his back legs. The guy who hit him was there with him; he was distraught. He said Fred came out of the undergrowth and ran straight into the side of his car. I rang Ed and he came out with the ambulance, and we took Fred down to Coastal Vets.” It’s the surgery who are covering the area while we’re away. “Jim’s going to operate shortly. I’ll know more in a couple of hours. But I thought you should know. I’m so sorry, man. I feel awful.”
“It’s okay.” The words come automatically. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have watched him more carefully, after when he escaped before…”
“No, you couldn’t have known. Look, will you ring me when he comes around from the surgery?”
“Of course. What time is it there?”
“One p.m.”
“All right. I’ll ring as soon as I know anything.”
“Okay. Speak to you later.”
I hang up.
I look down at my hand and open it, and the phone tumbles onto the duvet.
Fred. Oh my God, Fred. My throat is so tight I can barely breathe. My heart is pounding fit to burst. My lovely, beautiful dog needs help and I’m not there. I shouldn’t have come here. The whole thing has been a complete disaster.
Oh Jesus. What will I do without him?
Chapter Fifteen
Jules
After the trip on the sleigh through the forest, Clio and I go shopping again. I was worried about keeping her from Ryan, but she said that he, Hal, and Fitz were going to the local bar for a beer while Izzy and Poppy put their feet up for an hour, and she was more than happy to add some dollars to her credit card, so shopping we went.
“I’m definitely going to need to buy another case,” I state as we leave the final shop with yet another bag of purchases. “I can sit on my current one as much as I like, but I’m never going to be able to get it shut with all this stuff.”
“Noah brought two,” she reminds me. “Mainly for Ethan’s stuff, but he said he has some space in it if anyone needs it, so if you’re in trouble, give him a shout.”
“Trust Noah to come to the rescue.”
“Yeah.” She grins.
We make our way slowly through the village toward the path up to the Escape. We stop as we pass a stall selling eggnog, exchange a glance, then mutually decide that yes, we did deserve a treat after the couple of hours we’ve spent on our feet. The woman behind the stall pours it into two takeaway cups, and we sip it as we continue our journey. It’s rich and creamy and fills my mouth with the taste of cinnamon and Christmas.
“Oh, look,” Clio says. “Have you ever seen anything as cute as that?”
It’s a procession through the village headed by the Little Elves Club, who entertain children in the afternoon so their parents can have some time to themselves. The kids are all dressed up in various outfits from princesses to knights in shining armor, clearly excited at being able to show off as they walk through the village. We stand and cheer with the other shoppers as they walk by, and they wave back.
“So,” I say to Clio, “both Izzy and Poppy are pregnant.”
“I know. It’ll be lovely for them to be having their babies so close together. They’ll be able to help each other through it.”
“Are you envious?” I ask her.
Her eyebrows rise. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Kids aren’t really on my radar yet. I know Ryan’s getting on a bit, but I’m only twenty-five.”
I laugh. “Poor Ryan. I bet you tease him mercilessly.”
“I do, and he loves it. What about you? Are you thinking about children?”
“Need a partner first.”
“True. Speaking of which… how’s Operation Polar Fling going?”
“It’s not, really.” I don’t want to tell her about Maia as, even though Stefan didn’t exactly swear me to secrecy, it’s obvious that not many people know, and I’m sure she doesn’t want the news to become common knowledge. “We did sort of talk about it. He’s just really reluctant because I’m Hal’s sister, and he’s afraid that if it didn’t work out it would screw things up between him and Hal, and between our parents.”
She blows a raspberry. “Seems a poor excuse not to go into a relationship—because you’re afraid what will happen when you break up. You gotta have a little faith it’s going to work out.”
“I suppose.”
“You still up for it?”
“I’m always up for it,” I say, somewhat fervently. “I’ve been celibate for… God… eleven months and, what, thirty days? That’s an eternity.”
“Tell him you need to get your leg over or you’re going to explode.”
I give a short laugh. “I know you said all men can be seduced, but I presumed you wanted me to be a bit more subtle than that.”
“Subtle, shmuttle. Some guys need to be hit over the head with it. Stefan’s got too many principles, and he’s too proud, too superior. He thinks he’s in charge of the world, and it’s going to come crumbling down if he relaxes. He’s so straitlaced. He needs to let go a little.”
I smile, but I don’t see him the same way she does. I don’t think he’s straitlaced at all. And I don’t think he’s superior. He does have principles, and he is proud, but to be honest, I think he’s terrified of losing the things he has—his career, his friends, and his family. He’s an incredibly clever guy, but it doesn’t come quite as naturally to him as it does to Hal, and I think he’s had to work much harder not only to achieve the things he had, but to keep them.
“Well, I’m not giving up,” I tell her, “but I’m not sure if—”
“Jules!”
We stop and turn as someone shouts behind us. My brothers are walking toward us with Fitz. They all look serious; something’s happened.
“What’s going on?” Clio asks as Ryan slides an arm around her.
“I’ve just had a call from Stefan,” Hal tells us. “Fred’s been in an accident.”
Our jaws drop. “Oh no,” we both say.
“Is he…” I can’t bring myself to say it.
“No, but he’s badly injured and currently in surgery.” Hal starts walking back to the Escape, and we all follow him. “Stef’s beside himself, understandably. I can’t imagine how awful it must be to be away from home at a time like this. I’d be going spare if it was Miss Daisy.”
“What happened?” I ask. My heart’s racing, and I feel a little sick. Poor
Stefan. After everything that happened last night and this morning, too. I bet he’s heartily pissed off that he ever came to Finland.
“Rawiri let him out for a pee before bed and he leaped over the fence.”
“The fence at the Ark? The one around the kennels? It’s six feet high, isn’t it?”
“It’s about five-and-a-half feet,” Fitz says. “We thought that would be enough, and I was reluctant to go much higher because it can get so windy at the Ark.”
“Anyway,” Hal says, “Fred leaped over, sprinted down the state highway, and promptly got hit by a car. He’s broken at least one of his back legs, and the vet’s worried he has internal bleeding. Stef will know that ain’t good.”
“Legs can be fixed though, right?” I ask. “And if they can’t, there’s always a wheelchair, like the one Noah’s Spike’s in?”
“Yeah.” He kicks at the snow as he walks. “I’m more worried about the bleeding. Worst case scenario, he’s ruptured an organ or two. Fred’s not old, he’s only four, which is good, but it’s a tough call to ask any dog to recover from a violent car accident. We’ve just got to hope that Jim can work a miracle.”
I swallow hard, fighting against tears. I feel terribly upset. I love Fred with all my heart. He’s spirited and yet soppy at the same time. Stefan has him pretty well trained, and he sits, stays, lies down, and rolls over on command, but he has a rebel streak in his nature, and I love that he adores cake, and is always looking to steal mine.
We approach the Escape, go around the common room, and head for the suites. “I’m going to see him,” Hal says.
“Let him know we’re thinking of him, and let us know when he hears something,” Fitz says.
“Us too,” Ryan states. Clio gives me a hug and a sorrowful look, and they all go off to their suites.
Hal and I walk slowly along the snow-covered path toward the end of the row.
“Will you come in with me?” he says.
“Er… I’m not sure I’m the best person to comfort him,” I reply.
“He’s going to be a mess until he hears from Jim. He needs someone to stay with him. And he likes you, Jules, whatever you think.”
“We had a big talk about it,” I confess. “And he told me a bit about why he doesn’t want to date me.”
“Is this about Maia?”
I stare at him in surprise. “You know what happened?”
He blows out a breath. “Not in so many words, but I guessed, and you’ve just confirmed it. What did Mason do?”
“He raped her.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
“I know. And of course it’s driven a wedge right through Nikau and Elise’s friendship with Mason’s parents. Stefan’s devastated, and he’s absolutely terrified that if he dates me, and it goes wrong, the same thing will happen to our family. He doesn’t want to lose you, Hal.”
We stop outside my suite. “That’s a dumb reason not to date you,” he snaps. “He’s hardly going to assault you. And if you dated and then decided it wasn’t going to work, it wouldn’t have any effect on our friendship.”
“He’s not thinking logically,” I point out. “He’s thinking with his heart, not his head.”
“He’s an idiot.”
“I know.”
“Come with me.”
I hesitate. “Hal…”
“I know this guy better than almost anyone else. He needs you. He wants you. It’s a simple question, Jules. Do you want him?”
My lips part to argue with him, but his stare is direct, firm. In the end, I nod meekly.
“Then put your shopping inside, and come with me.”
Normally, I’d have scolded him for bossing me about, but this time I do as he says, leave my shopping inside the door, and follow him across to Stefan’s place.
He knocks on the door. Ten seconds later, Stefan opens it.
“Hey.” Hal goes in and immediately puts his arms around him. “Dude, I’m so sorry,” Hal says as they exchange a big hug.
I go in and close the door behind me, standing to one side awkwardly. I’m still not sure that Stefan is going to want me here. He’s a proud man, and proud guys often don’t like to show emotion, as they feel it’s a weakness.
But when Hal releases him, and Stefan turns to me, all I can see in his face is pain. I go up to him and slide my arms around his waist, and he puts his arms around me.
“I’m so, so sorry,” I whisper.
He buries his face in my hair. “I feel so guilty, not being there.”
“Jim’s a great vet,” Hal says. “I have every faith he’ll give it one hundred percent.”
I notice that Hal doesn’t say, “Fred will be fine,” or, “Everything’s going to be all right.” He’s done this before. Operating on animals is always dangerous. Fred really is in trouble, and he knows not to give false hope. I bite my lip hard to try to stop the tears falling.
Stefan moves back and clears his throat. “Rawiri’s going to call as soon as he hears from Jim. I’m expecting it won’t be for a couple of hours.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I keep telling myself Fred’s just a dog, but…”
“Christ,” Hal says, “this is me you’re talking to. I’ve cried buckets over about ten different dogs over the years. Now, what can I do? You want me to stay?”
“No, no, of course not. You go and be with Izzy. I won’t come to dinner, though,” Stefan says. “I won’t be any use to anyone, and it’ll be better if I wait until I hear something.”
“No worries,” Hal says. “I’ll let everyone know what’s going on.” He moves to the door, then looks at me. “You’re staying, though.” It’s a statement, not a question.
I look at Stefan awkwardly. “I… um…”
“You don’t have to—” he begins.
Hal holds up a hand, then points at me. “You’re staying,” he says. He looks at Stefan. “She’s staying. For Christ’s sake, take comfort where you can, Stef, and stop all this foolishness. Nothing’s written in stone, and anyway, we’re all adults who are perfectly able to cope with whatever the future brings. You can’t surely think what happened between Maia and Mason is going to happen between you and Jules? That’s ridiculous.”
Stefan stares at him.
“He guessed,” I say.
“It wasn’t difficult to deduce,” Hal adds. “What happened with Mason was an aberration, and it’s not going to happen to us, okay?”
“You don’t know that,” Stefan says hoarsely. “You can’t say that, Hal. I never expected things to end like that with Mason. It… it nearly broke me. And I couldn’t lose you like that as well.”
“Be nice to her,” Hal says. “Treat her like a princess. Do your best, and all will be fine. And stop fucking worrying so much. You’re doing my head in.” He opens the door. “Ring me when you know something,” he says to me, and then he goes out and closes the door behind him.
My gaze slides to Stefan. He looks nonplussed.
“Cup of tea?” I ask him.
His lips curve up a very tiny bit. “Sure.”
I go into the kitchen and put the kettle on. I’m still not sure he wants me here, but Hal’s probably right—it’s best he has someone with him. I want to help. I can only imagine how terrified he is that he’s going to lose Fred, and how guilty he feels that he can’t be there with him to help.
And maybe, just maybe, something of what Hal said will sink in, and he’ll realize that our future isn’t already written, and the sparkle of Christmas magic I’ve been hoping is here will stretch to not one but two wishes for me.
Chapter Sixteen
Stefan
My first thought is that I don’t want Jules to stay. I want to be on my own, and I don’t want to have to make conversation.
But she makes me tea, and then we curl up on my sofa the way we both did early this morning. She smiles and says do I remember the time when Fred pinched not just a slice of cake but a whole birthday cake off a table and ran off with it, and that makes me
laugh, and before long we’re talking about all the crazy things he’s done.
“Do you think he was looking for you when he escaped?” she asks.
“Yeah. He’s done it before—not climbed the fence, but he did run off a few months ago, and ran all the way to my house. I feel bad,” I tell her. “If I hadn’t gone away, this wouldn’t have happened. I know everyone will say I’m not, but I feel I’m to blame.”
“Well, technically you are,” she says, surprising me that she doesn’t try to fob me off with platitudes. “If you hadn’t gone, he wouldn’t have tried to find you. But that doesn’t mean you should have done anything differently. Bad things happen in life, Stef, and terrible as they are, we can’t and we shouldn’t avoid them all.”
“I shouldn’t have come, though. I’ve just made you miserable,” I tell her, “and now I’m miserable as well. I wish I’d stayed behind.”
“Yeah, I know. But at least we managed to clear things up between us. I feel better about that.”
We don’t say anything for a while, and sip our tea. It’s growing slightly darker outside, although it’s still not snowing. The only light in the room comes from the fire, and Jules’s face is a warm peach, glowing in the semi-darkness.
“Aren’t you going to dinner?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “I’d like to stay here.”
“You don’t have to just because Hal asked you.”
“I know. I want to stay.”
I leave it at that. Actually, it’s nice having her here. I find her presence comforting.
“How long will the operation take?” she asks.
“Depends on what damage he finds in the x-ray. Hopefully Fred doesn’t have any internal bleeding. And it’ll take time for him to come around afterward… if he does come around…” My throat tightens. I can’t bear to think about how I’m going to feel if he doesn’t.
Jules puts her mug on the table. She moves up the sofa so she’s sitting next to me. Then, to my surprise, she cuddles up to me, resting her head on my shoulder as automatically I put my arm around her, and her arm slides around my waist.
My Christmas Billionaire (The Billionaire Kings Book 7) Page 11