Playing to Win

by Shelley Munro

  Kate forced her eyes open, fighting the sensual spell he’d cast. “What’s the time, Lane?”

  “Scared?” he taunted, his eyes glowing with humor.

  “Prudent.” Kate thought she saw a touch of disappointment under the good-natured humor and unaccountably guilt made her shuffle her feet.

  He grinned and loosened his hold. “I guess I should take you home.”

  Kate braced for the onslaught of irritation, the backlash of an open palm, but his grin remained intact. Slowly, her breath eased out. She had to keep reminding herself he was nothing like Steve.

  * * * * *

  The day was busy but peaceful with no lurking reporters or photographers. The answering machine remained free of unknown callers and her mail contained only bills.

  Still she worried about Jamie, but a short phone call to Danielle reassured her.

  “I’ve got a blister on my hand,” Jamie declared, seeming to cast aside his suspicions about Lane since Kate had rung from home. “Mr. Wright makes us do the gardens every morning. Tony and Sean have blisters too.”

  Kate laughed. “Can I speak to Adam? Hi, Adam, I understand you’re working the kids too hard.”

  “Jamie’s telling tales, is he? Our gardening project is almost finished. Did Jamie tell you we only garden in the mornings? We do fun stuff in the afternoon.”

  “No, he left that bit out,” Kate said, grinning. “Thanks for having him, Adam. He loves it down there.”

  “It’s not a problem. You know that. Kate, take care, okay?”

  After hanging up, Kate tidied her treatment room and dumped a load of dirty towels into the wash. While she waited for the machine to complete the cycle, she decided to try ringing Nicole’s friends again.

  She punched in the number and waited, fully expecting the call to go unanswered. Anticipation spiked when a young girl answered.

  “Hello,” Kate said. “Could I speak to your mother, please?”

  The youngster shouted, “Mummy! A lady’s on the phone!”

  “Oh dear! I hope she doesn’t squash it,” Kate heard in the background.

  Kate’s mouth quirked at the unexpected vision. A child giggled and a thump ricocheted when she passed the telephone to her mother.

  “Debbie speaking.”

  “Hi, Debbie. I’m not sure if you remember me. Kate Alexander, Nicole’s sister?”

  “Kate! Of course, I remember. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Debbie. Actually, I wondered if you’d be able to help me.” Kate explained the situation and asked her questions.

  “Around ten years ago? You don’t expect much do you?” she spluttered with a laugh in her voice. “Um, let me think. No, I don’t remember offhand. I think that was around the time I started going out with Nick. You remember Nick Timms. He was friendly with Nicole as well.”

  “Nick is on my list to contact,” Kate said.

  “Well, cross him off, girl! I married him. I can check with him tonight, but we were fairly wrapped up in each other at the time. Neither of us paid much attention to the outside world.”

  “Can you remember which parties you went to?”

  “Nick played in the Reserve Grade so we attended a lot of after-match functions. I can’t remember specifics. Nick could probably help you. Will you be home tonight? Could we ring you?”

  “I’m staying with a friend. Nick can ring me there.” Kate tucked the phone under her chin and rifled through her wallet searching for Lane’s phone number. The card was here somewhere. She’d stuffed it in her wallet after taking it off the fridge door. Ah-ha! “The number is 555-0891.”

  “Okey-dokey,” Debbie said.

  “Are you still in contact with Marie and Maxine?”

  “Hang on a sec, Kate. Lissa, don’t pull the cat’s tail. Lissa!” she hollered.

  Kate heard a feline snarl and a child’s chortle turned into wailing.

  “Sorry. My little cutie loves the cat but the cat doesn’t love her in exactly the same way.”

  Kate smiled.

  “Now where were we?” Debbie asked.

  “Marie and Maxine,” prodded Kate.

  “That’s right. Max still lives at home with her mother. Marie is married. She lives in Botany Downs. I have the number somewhere. Lissa! Kate, I’ll hunt out the numbers for Max and Marie and give them to you later. Oh, you know Gerald French is in London?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you tonight. It’ll be more peaceful since the children will be in bed.”

  Kate laughed. “Thanks, Debbie. Bye.”

  She wandered through the kitchen to the laundry, her spirits buoyed by her morning’s progress. Kate piled the wet towels in her clothesbasket and hurried outside to hang them on the line before her next appointment.

  It would be great if a phone call solved the mystery surrounding Jamie’s father.

  Chapter Ten

  Later that evening, when they’d arrived back at Lane’s apartment, Kate rang Debbie again. Murmurs of agreement punctuated the lengthy silence on Kate’s end of the phone. Finally, Kate spoke. “That’s great, Debbie. Thank you.” Her voice bubbled with suppressed excitement. “Yes!” Kate replaced the phone and spun to face Lane, jubilantly punching one fist in the air. At last, it felt as though she was getting somewhere. “Can you remember which rugby functions you attended ten years ago?”

  One dark brow rose. “Of course, I remember.”

  “Good.” Satisfaction made her smile. “Write a list so we can compare notes with Debbie. Debbie gave me addresses for both Marie and Maxine. We could drop round to see them tonight. Debbie’s husband Nick is free to see us tomorrow night if that suits. Debbie invited us to dinner whenever we decide to visit.”

  Lane didn’t budge from the leather recliner. Kate’s foot tapped a rapid tattoo on the floor. Why wasn’t he excited? Instead, a flicker of amusement played at the corners of his mouth. Frowning, she pushed a pen and jotting pad across the glass-topped coffee table between them. “What are you waiting for? Write the list!”

  “Kate, I was kidding. How do you expect me to remember the parties I attended over ten years ago or the people who were at each one?” He spread his hands in a helpless fashion. “Do you remember what you were doing ten years ago?”

  “Yes.” Ice spread through her body while blood roared through her head. A sudden move by Lane made her flinch. “I know exactly what I was doing.”

  “Really?” The half grin and raised eyebrows signaled his clear disbelief. “Okay, what were you doing?”

  Kate swallowed, attempting to dispel the tightness in her throat and chest. “Never mind.”

  “See! You don’t remember!”

  “I was experiencing a traumatic time with my ex-fiancé,” she snapped, the unwanted reminder of her past lacing her voice. Her face tightened and her gaze snapped to Lane, boring into him to drive home the point. “I can give you a blow-by-blow description of the bruises I had on my body, the broken arm and the two cracked ribs. Would you like to know how long it takes a bruise to heal on my body? How long the deep purple takes to fade to a mottled yellow? How much pain I can stand before I start to scream?”

  He gaped at her for an instant then shot to his feet. “Kate. God, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Kate shrugged away his horror, a part of her in shock because she’d never mentioned details to anyone and had no idea why she’d blurted it out to Lane now.

  Old history and it still hurt, damn it.

  She grimaced, an attempt at a smile. Blinking rapidly to disperse the tears in her eyes before they gathered downward momentum, she forced away the black demons of her past. “Ah, about tonight,” she said. “Can you come with me to see Maxine and Marie?”

  Lane sidestepped her evasiveness and cut straight back to her confession. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Do you want to deal with a blubbering female?” she countered.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “It’s not a pretty sigh
t.” The sincere compassion in his eyes made her resistance waver. She prowled across the room, carefully avoiding his gaze as she picked up a pile of compact discs and shuffled them in her hands like a pack of cards. Confiding in Lane would make her vulnerable. She shuddered inwardly, unsure about opening herself that much. “I don’t want to go there. Not tonight.”

  “Another time?”

  Kate shrugged her tense shoulders, slapped the discs down and turned to face him. “Maybe.” To her relief he took the hint this time and changed the subject.

  “We can leave straight after dinner. I take it they both live in Auckland?”

  “Marie lives in Botany Downs. Dannemora, I think Debbie said. Maxine lives in Remuera.” She aimed a tremulous smile in his direction, barely holding the contact before looking away.

  The underlying pain in her smile made Lane want to flatten the coward who’d used her as a punching bag. Although Kate acted tough, he sensed how much the act cost. “Are you cooking dinner?”

  Her head snapped about, an incredulous expression on her face. “I’m a guest. Guests don’t cook dinner.”

  Chin up. That’s my girl. “You don’t qualify as guest.” He waited half a beat for her bite and wasn’t disappointed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When friends and family visit me, they cook dinner. House rules.”

  She tossed her head and raised her right hand to sweep an errant brown curl from her eyes. “Friends and family cook dinner every second night,” she stated. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”

  Lane smirked and opened the fridge to peer inside. Pasta, salad, garlic bread, he decided. He pulled the ingredients from the fridge and dumped them on the counter. “You can make the garlic bread while I make the pasta sauce.”

  * * * * *

  Kate barely recognized the very pregnant woman who answered the door. “Marie?” she asked.

  After grinning at her, the dark-haired woman squinted down at her bulging stomach. “Yeah, last time I checked in the mirror.”

  Her light coffee-colored skin glowed with the special sparkle of pregnancy. “Junior here is taking his own sweet time to arrive. I was due two days ago.” She patted her tummy and waved them inside. “Kate, you haven’t changed much.”

  Kate sank onto a green two-seater. “I didn’t think you’d recognize me. I haven’t seen you for years.”

  “John, my husband, is on night shifts this week unless Junior decides to arrive so I’m starved for adult conversation. My other two children are in bed.” With a loud groan, Marie dropped into a chair draped with a green and red throw.

  “This is Lane. My…friend.”

  Marie blinked but didn’t comment further. “Would you prefer tea or coffee?”

  “That would be nice,” Lane said, “but I’ll make it for you. Point me toward the kitchen. Tea, okay?”

  “Through that door,” Marie said. “Tea’s fine. Everything you need is on the counter or in the pantry.”

  Lane disappeared through the door she indicated.

  “Way to go, girl! A trained man.”

  “He’s on his best behavior.” Kate read clear disbelief on Marie’s face. “What? We’re friends, that’s all. I’ve come to talk about Nicole…”

  Marie smiled broadly. “I read the papers. What’s the scoop?”

  “Please, Marie. This is important. I, we, need to know who Jamie’s father is. We thought you might remember who Nicole dated back then.”

  “You’re talking over ten years ago, girl. Lotta water under the bridge since then.”

  Lane returned, catching Marie’s last words. “Anything you can remember would help.”

  “Um, let’s see. What year are we talking about?”

  “Jamie was born nine years ago so anything you can remember about the rugby season ten years ago,” Lane said. He gestured toward an empty cup. “Milk in your tea?”

  “Thanks.” Marie accepted the cup Lane handed her and took a slow sip, appearing lost in thought. “There were usually six of us and sometimes Kate. We went to university together. During the summer we spent a lot of time out at the beach surfing. During the winter it was rugby. I remember Gerald and Nick were rugby-mad. They played for the Cougars…”

  “I played for the Cougars,” Lane interrupted, leaning forward in his chair. “Which team did they play for? Do you remember?”

  Marie shook her head. “I’m not sure.” She giggled. “I remember they weren’t very good—more enthusiasm than skill. They enjoyed playing the game. I guess that’s the main thing.”

  “Which team did you play for Lane?” Kate asked.

  “The senior team.”

  “Course he did,” Marie scoffed. “We were there the day the league scouts came to watch you play. You were brilliant. Two tries that day! Our team made the opposition look like raw beginners.”

  Kate remembered watching some of the games. “Was Nicole there as well?”

  “Yeah, from memory. Now that I think of it that was around the time she started acting strangely.” Marie paused and her eyes took on the glazed appearance of one immersed in the past.

  Kate sneaked a glance at Lane. He craned forward in his seat. Kate tensed. They were on to something, she knew it.

  “Yeah. Nicole went on holiday for about two weeks. You remember, Kate? It was when you were with Steve.” Her mouth rounded and she paled. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “It’s okay. Go on,” Kate encouraged, her heart pounding with both excitement and alarm. All of a sudden, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know because her life and Jamie’s would change so much once they learned the truth.

  Marie placed her cup on the small wooden table beside her chair. “When Nicole came back she seemed different.”

  “Different in what way?” Lane asked.

  Marie frowned. “Almost angry is the way I’d describe it. Certainly different from the easygoing Nicole we all knew. We still went out together in a group but she became secretive. She disappeared for days on end and none of us knew where she went.”

  “Did you go to the after-match functions?” Kate asked.

  “Are you kidding? That was the main attraction for us girls. As much as we loved Gerald and Nick and encouraged them, we didn’t go week after week to watch them play.” An animated smile lit her face. “As I said before—heaps of enthusiasm but not much skill. No, we went to the games to scout out the men. Be honest, Kate. I remember you went to some of the parties.”

  Kate bit her lip as a horrid scene from the past leapt into her mind. Every muscle in her body tightened in expectation of a blow before she jerked back to the present. “Only a couple,” she said finally. “Steve didn’t like me going. He resented any other man talking to me. He always suspected the worst.”

  Marie patted Kate on the shoulder. “He was a pig’s ass. He got what he deserved.” Her dark brown eyes flashed a quick warning at Lane.

  To Kate’s mortification, Lane nodded abruptly before smoothly taking over the questioning. “Can you remember if I attended any of the parties?”

  “Sure, I remember. How could I forget a hunk like you?” She giggled when he shifted uneasily. “You didn’t associate with us though. You were the Cougar’s star player. Always surrounded by fans. Popular. You had loads of friends. It was hard to get near the club’s top player.” Marie chuckled at his grimace. “Don’t sweat it. I don’t mean you were rude or anything. More like heavy demands on your time but hey, a girl can fantasize, can’t she?”

  Kate grinned at Lane, enjoying his discomfort this time. Marie hadn’t lost any of the outspokenness of her youth. “Calls it like it is, our Marie.”

  Marie burst out laughing and after a pause, Kate joined her.

  Lane rolled his eyes and sat back to wait them out. Judging by his fingers drumming on the arm of the chair, they took longer to settle than he thought they should. “Okay,” he said during a break in the laughter. “You’ve had your fun at my expense. Let me rephrase my question. Can you rememb
er me talking to Nicole? Perhaps dancing with her?”

  Kate sobered.

  Marie thought for a moment. “No, even though we attended the parties together, we didn’t keep strict tabs on each other. The Cougars had six senior teams that year. The club rooms were always busy after the weekend games.”

  “Yes, they were.” Lane let out a loud sigh. “I remember the packed rooms well.”

  “Maxine may be able to help you more. She was the closest to Nicole. She lives with her mother in town.”

  “Remuera,” Kate said. “Debbie gave us her address.”

  “I haven’t seen Max for ages. In fact, as soon as Junior makes an appearance, I think I’ll organize a bit of a reunion for the gang. Invite everyone to a barbecue.”

  “Good idea,” Kate agreed.

  “Are you going to visit Max tonight?”

  Kate checked her wristwatch. “We thought we would, but it’s getting late.”

  Marie smiled at Lane. “Lane, you’ll need your beauty sleep for the game tomorrow. Queensland, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right.”

  “The Blues are playing well. You should ace the game,” Marie said.

  By the time Marie and Lane discussed the state of rugby in the province and the Super Rugby competition, not to mention a hot debate on the All Blacks versus Australia’s Wallabies, it was dark outside.

  Nights were drawing in now that daylight saving had ended, and a stiff breeze blew as Kate and Lane walked out to the car. Kate shivered and zipped up her lightweight jacket before she opened the passenger door.

  “Do you want the heater on?”

  Kate smiled her thanks. “No, I’ll warm up soon. I was thinking about what Marie said. How Nicole started acting strange and disappearing.”

  Lane pulled out of Marie’s drive and turned left, taking the main road before merging with the traffic heading north on the motorway. “Do you remember?”

  “Nicole and I lived in different houses then. I saw her often but I didn’t notice anything unusual about her behavior. Not that I would have because I was in the middle of my own problems.” Regret made her brows furrow. “Still, I should have noticed something was wrong.”