She didn’t know the song, but Eli sang to it softly, and his deep voice reverberated through her, reminding her of the time he’d sung to her in the forest glade while making love to her. She had so many nice memories to take with her. She should concentrate on those, she realized, and not on the sadness of parting. He’d given her so many little remembrances to treasure. She’d keep them in a box and take them out, one at a time, to study and smile at when she was alone and missed him.
She swallowed, and his arms tightened and pulled her closer. His hand, where it held hers, was warm.
He kissed her temple. “You had a good evening?” he murmured in her ear.
“Yes, thank you. Especially the intermission.”
He chuckled, stroking her waist with his thumb.
They danced for a bit longer. She nuzzled his neck and kissed above his collar. “You look good in a suit.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kissed her hair. “You look good in a ball gown.”
“Thank you.”
He laughed. “You’re welcome.” He sighed then, a deep, heartfelt sigh, and she looked up to see him studying her, a resigned smile on his face. “What are you doing over the weekend?”
“I need to make some plans. I’m going to visit my parents before I head off to the UK.”
“Doesn’t sound much fun.”
“No.”
“Want to postpone it until Monday?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Mick and Madeleine have booked a beach house in Nelson for a couple of nights. They’re driving down tomorrow. They’ve asked if we’d like to join them.”
Her heart thumped. “As a couple, you mean?”
His lips twitched. “Well, you could sleep in the spare room if you want, but I think that’s what they had in mind.”
“I…” She couldn’t think what to say. No, no, no, her brain said. Yes, yes, yes, her heart yelled. “I shouldn’t…”
“I know,” he said cheerfully. “I shouldn’t, either. Come on, Tabbs, we’ve dug ourselves into a hole. A couple more days in it aren’t going to make it any more difficult to climb out.”
“I suppose not,” she said, lips beginning to curve. “A last hurrah?”
“I guess.”
He didn’t mention it, but she was aware that in a few days she’d be able to find out if she was pregnant. Perhaps he wanted to see the outcome before they parted. Or maybe he just genuinely wanted to spend more time with her before they went their separate ways.
I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t… But of course she was going to. Who was she kidding?
“Okay,” she said. “Two nights.”
“Two nights,” he said, pulling her close again. She thought she heard him murmur “Thank God,” but she might have been mistaken.
At some point, Madeleine and Mick danced by them, and Mick said, “Well?”
“Yeah,” Eli said. “She’s coming.”
“Excellent.” They both looked thrilled, and Tabby laughed. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“It’ll be great fun,” Madeleine said. “We’ll pick you up around nine, okay? Boat goes at ten.”
“Sure.”
They danced for another few songs, and then Tabby decided it was time to call it a night. “I’ll share a taxi with you,” Eli said.
“You don’t have to leave on my account.”
“No point in staying if you’re not here.” Eli smiled.
They said goodnight to Mick and Madeleine and walked down the stairs to the ground floor. Outside, the May air was fresh, the night sky clear of clouds, and she was glad she’d brought a wrap. Eli placed it around her shoulders and walked her over to the taxi.
They slid into the back together, and she gave the driver her address. Then she curled up next to Eli, and he put his arm around her as the taxi moved out into the traffic, wending its way down Courtenay Place, past the evening partygoers spilling onto the streets in their finery.
“Thank you for a nice evening,” she said.
“Thank you.” He kissed her forehead. “This is odd.”
“What?”
“I’m finally going to find out where you live.”
She met his gaze and smiled. She’d told him at some point that she shared an apartment with another girl, but she’d never given him her address, although she had told Madeleine. “Damn. Now you can stalk me properly.”
“Absolutely. I can take photographs and everything.”
She laughed and put her arms around him. He smelled of whisky and warm male, and he looked divine. He’d undone his bow tie, which trailed down his white shirt, but he was still wearing his vest and jacket, and his black hair had rebelled and stuck up at its usual odd angles.
He held her until the car pulled up outside her apartment, and gave her a kiss on the cheek as the driver put the car in Park.
“I’m glad you had a nice evening.”
She hesitated. “Would you…do you want to come up for coffee?” Was she pushing it? Apart from the night in the motel after he’d hit Daniells, they hadn’t spent the night together, carefully refraining from going down that road. But now that they were going away…
He met her gaze, and a smile spread across his face. “Coffee, huh?”
“Of course. What did you expect?”
He grinned. “I’d love to.”
“My roommate’s away for a week, so you won’t have to make excuses in the morning,” she promised.
“So this is an all-night coffee, is it?”
She blushed. “Come on.”
Laughing, he paid the taxi driver and they got out. She took his hand. “This is the first time I’ve ever invited a guy back to my place.”
His fingers tightened on hers. “Then I’m honored.”
Smiling, she led him up the steps and into the building. A new ball gown, sex on a theater stage, and now inviting a man back to her place. Tonight truly was a night for firsts.
…
The Interislander ferry crossed the Cook Strait from Wellington on the North Island to the small town of Picton on the South Island. What an amazing journey, Eli thought as he studied the steeply forested slopes of the Marlborough Sounds. Out on the deck, he jammed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and turned up his collar to keep out the cruel bite of the wind, but he felt extraordinarily happy.
The source of his happiness stirred beside him. “I’m just running to the ladies’ room.” Tabby reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
“Sure.” He watched her walk away, admiring her butt in her tight jeans. He’d stayed the night at her apartment, although he’d left early to pick up his stuff for the weekend. But it had been wonderful waking up next to her.
For the first time in who knew how many years, he hadn’t gone out for a run at the crack of dawn, but instead had lain there next to her. He’d watched her sleep for a while before waking her with gentle strokes and kisses on the white shoulder that peeped out from under the duvet. She’d been sleepy and content, and he’d made love to her slowly, wanting to draw the moment out.
The thought of never seeing her again when they drove back into Wellington on Monday had prompted him to come up with a desperate plan. His hand slipped into his jeans pocket to find the item he’d bought that morning.
Tabby disappeared inside the ship, and he turned back to the view to see Madeleine and Mick watching him. “What?”
“Show it to us,” Madeleine said, indicating where his hand was in his pocket.
He blinked. “Show you what?”
“The ring, dumbass. Come on, before she comes back.”
The last thing he needed at the moment was the two of them making fun of him—he already felt as if he were putting his head on the block by planning to ask Tabby to marry him. He glared at Mick. “You told her?”
“You know I can’t keep a secret. You’d only have to show me a pair of pliers, and I’d cave under torture.”
&nbs
p; Madeleine nudged Eli. “Come on.”
Mumbling under his breath, he pulled out the tiny jewelry box and opened the lid. The diamonds sparkled in the sunlight, and Madeleine’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
“Geez,” Mick said. “How much did that cost you?”
Madeleine punched her husband and turned her attention back to Eli. “When are you going to pop the question?”
He closed the box and slipped it back in his pocket. “Not yet, so for Christ’s sake don’t say anything. I’ll kill you, Forstner, if you blab to her.”
“I won’t. Unless she asks, obviously.”
Madeleine touched Eli’s arm. “When does she find out if she’s pregnant?”
“Mick? Fucking hell!”
“What did you tell me for if you didn’t want the world to know?”
Eli leaned on the balustrade and ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know. Soon. This weekend, I think.”
Madeleine clapped her hands. “This is so exciting.”
Eli gave her a desperate look. “Please, please don’t say anything.”
“I won’t.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “But you two are so good together. I’m so happy for you both.”
…
Tabby stood watching them through the window, her hand over her mouth. She’d seen Eli show them the small jewelry box, and watching their reactions, it hadn’t taken much imagination to guess what was in it.
She turned away from the window and leaned on the wooden wall, heart pounding. When was he going to ask her? Sometime over the weekend, she guessed. Her knees wobbled, and she sat with a bump on one of the seats.
Eli was going to ask her to marry him. Holy frickin’ hell. What did that mean?
She put her face in her hands. She felt a peculiar mixture of exhilaration and despair. How had she gotten herself into this ridiculous predicament? She’d known she was going away—how could she have gotten her heart tangled so inextricably in such a short space of time?
What was she going to say? She realized it depended on what the question was. Or, rather, what the caveat was. Would she marry him if he said he was going with her to the UK? Absolutely. Would she if he wanted her to go with him to LA, or to stay in NZ? To give up her dream job?
Despondency wrapped itself around her. She didn’t want to have to make this decision. As hard as it would have been to say good-bye to Eli after this weekend, she’d prepared herself for it, and she expected the grief and loneliness that would no doubt follow. But to have to make the decision again between her job and the man she loved…
Tabby stared at the floor. Loved? Did she really love him? She’d only known him four weeks. Was it possible to fall in love in such a short space of time?
There was no question—she was completely, crazily in love with him.
It hadn’t happened overnight—she’d fallen for him over the past month, a love built out of little snippets of time spent with him. There were so many moments—when he undid the bottle for her in the van and handed it back to her without looking; all the crazy stunts he’d carried out to try to impress her; the time he’d sung to her in the forest glade. The damn vest he’d worn at the dance hadn’t helped. She had it bad, and she had nobody to blame but herself.
She hadn’t loved Simon. She realized that now. Not like she loved Eli. She’d been fond of Simon, had cared for him and felt affection toward him, but she hadn’t had this overwhelming feeling of wonderment every time he looked in her direction. The mere brush of his lips on her cheeks hadn’t sent her heart pounding. A simple wink hadn’t made her cheeks fill with heat.
The ship dipped under a strong wave, and Tabby’s stomach lurched. She’d been feeling queasy for the past hour. Was it just seasickness? Or was there another reason?
And then it hit her. That was why Eli was planning to propose.
How excruciatingly medieval. Tabby groaned and put her head in her hands. She shouldn’t blame him for being nice. If she was pregnant, they were both going to have to think about what was best for the baby. Once again, someone else’s needs would come before her own. It seemed to be her destiny.
She bit her lip. She didn’t want him to ask her to marry him because he felt he should. She wanted him to be with her because he wanted to. How was she going to know the real reason behind his question, if and when he asked her?
“Are you okay?”
She jumped and looked up to find Eli watching her, frowning. She hadn’t heard him come through the door.
“Oh yes, I’m fine. I felt a bit queasy, that’s all.” As soon as she said it, however, she realized what conclusion he was going to draw from that and could have kicked herself.
He dropped to his haunches before her and took her hand. He met her gaze and smiled. “It’s probably just seasickness. It’s pretty choppy today. You want to stay in here? We’re in the Queen Charlotte Sound—it’s not far to Picton.”
She felt a wave of relief that he wasn’t going to broach the pregnancy question. “No, I’m okay. I’ll come with you.”
He rose, and she let him pull her to her feet and lead her outside. She didn’t look at Madeleine and Mick as she approached the balustrade, but leaned over instead to watch the dolphins accompanying them up the Sound. They wove through the waves, leaping out every now and again to show off, to the delight of those watching.
Eli’s hand rested in the small of her back. He didn’t say anything, but it was comforting, nevertheless. She remembered his words—that if she was pregnant, he’d do anything to help. At least she wouldn’t be alone if it happened.
Then the predicament that had been worrying her since the moment they forgot the condom came back to haunt her. If she were pregnant, would he still insist on going to LA? When he’d said he’d do anything to make her happy, had that included coming with her to the UK? She wanted to ask him, but every time she tried, the words got stuck in her throat in case she didn’t like the answer.
It might not be an issue, she reminded herself. First she’d take the test. Then she’d decide how to deal with the outcome.
Chapter Seventeen
They hired a car in Picton and spent the two-hour drive to Nelson talking continually, playing music, and generally enjoying one another’s company. Tabby had really grown to like Madeleine and Mick, and the four of them had a blast. Even though Eli was an old friend of Mick’s, it didn’t feel as if she were just hanging on, as it had when she went out with Simon and his friends.
What a shame it would have to come to an end.
She pondered that as Mick drove through the thickly forested hills and valleys to Nelson. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to dwell on the box in Eli’s jeans pocket, but it was difficult not to. The tiny piece of gold and diamond held the weight of her future inside it, and she couldn’t decide what that future was.
The path ahead was unclear. The thought of a future with Eli dangled in front of her like the proverbial carrot, and the idea that their brief relationship need not come to an end kept making her breathless. And yet…it had to be right. She didn’t want to be the halter around his neck that stopped him from fulfilling his dreams. Also, she didn’t want to have to get married because she was pregnant—there was no need to, not in this day and age. But she wasn’t sure she would be able to say no, if he asked her.
Next to her in the car, Eli nudged her arm. She turned to see him offering her a piece of chocolate. “To cheer you up,” he said.
She smiled, took a piece, and popped it in her mouth. “I’m not unhappy.”
“You looked sad.” He broke off another piece for himself.
“I was just thinking.”
He sucked the chocolate. “About?”
She shook her head, aware of Madeleine and Mick in the front. She and Eli would have plenty of time to talk about things over the weekend. Now was not the time.
She changed the subject, asking them where they were staying in Nelson, and Madeleine described the beach house she’d booked. E
li took Tabby’s hand as they listened, which made her heart ache. How did he always seem to know when she needed comforting?
They arrived at just after three and made their way to the beach house. It belonged to a member of the crew, so Madeleine already had the keys, and they all oohed and aahed with pleasure as they drove up to the low, long house only a few hundred yards from the beautiful, sandy Tahunanui Beach.
They let themselves in and wandered around, examining the place. The living room had sliding doors onto a wide deck with a panoramic view of the beach. The bedrooms were painted white and decorated with colorful shells and driftwood mobiles, while the open-plan kitchen had all the amenities they could need.
They unpacked and had an hour to themselves, which Eli spent reading from the newspaper to Tabby as she curled beside him on the bed and pretended not to doze, and then they drove into the town center and walked around the shops. They stopped for a coffee and a muffin—or two in Eli’s case, and he also polished off half of Tabby’s—and sat outside on the picnic table, watching the world go by. It had been a busy four weeks, and they were all glad about the rest.
Later, they drove back to the house and took a long walk along the amber sand, returning when their faces were numb from the cool May wind and the sun was low on the horizon. They walked into town and had dinner in a restaurant overlooking the water, trying out all the seafood and most of the local wines, then returned to the house to have a coffee sitting on the deck, wrapped up against the night air.
Tabby alone hadn’t drunk any alcohol that night, and nobody questioned the fact that she was on lemonade all evening, so she knew Eli must have told them about her prospective pregnancy. What a bizarre situation. The elephant in the room was growing into a T. rex that they all politely pretended wasn’t sitting in front of them, blocking out the TV. It didn’t stop them from enjoying themselves, and her face hurt from laughing so much, but she was aware from the occasional odd comment—plus how Madeleine kicked Mick when he asked her for the third time if she wanted a glass of wine, and the way she knew Madeleine was badgering Eli every time she went out of the room—that the situation played on their minds.
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