At Last (Time for Love, #5)

by Miranda P. Charles

  “It was Gran’s idea!” Greg protested.

  “And you happily agreed.”

  “Next time we do something like this again, it will be your turn to play host, Jeff. It’s your fault that we have to be extra hospitable and accommodating to people who had their bookings cancelled.”

  “Hey, you must admit this turned out better than we anticipated.”

  “Yes,” Greg said. “We should thank Gran for coming up with the idea.”

  “And you should thank her for scheming to get you and Gemma there together,” Zach added with a chuckle.

  “What?”

  “Why do you think Gran insisted it should be you who should stay there and play host?” Zach said. “And why do you think she got upset when Gemma decided to cut her stay short that first time just after New Year’s?”

  Greg burst out laughing. “I guess since the two of you ended up with her nurses, I shouldn’t be surprised by this.”

  “So how’s it going with you and Gem?” Jeff asked. “Good, I take it?”

  “Uh, it’s going well, I hope,” he answered cautiously.

  “You hope?” Zach and Jeff said together.

  “Well, you know me. This is probably the longest I’ve been interested in the same woman.”

  “And you’re still interested?” Zach asked.

  “Hell, yeah.”

  “So what did you give her for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Valentine’s Day?” he asked weakly.

  “Oh, God. Don’t tell me you forgot,” Jeff said. “You have your first real girlfriend and you forgot Valentine’s Day? Wasn’t Gemma still there on the fourteenth?”

  Greg quickly checked the dates in his head. “Yes,” he said in dismay. It was one of the days when his grandmother had told him to take the day off and enjoy Gemma’s last days at the Sanctuary. That was Valentine’s Day?

  “Did Gemma say anything?”

  “No.”

  “Did she look unhappy?”

  Greg rubbed his face. Was that why Gemma had seemed distant?

  No. It couldn’t have been the reason, because she was already like that even before Valentine’s Day.

  “Oh, well, you’ll have to make it up to her when you get back to Sydney,” Zach said.

  “Yes.” Greg paused. “But why didn’t she remember Valentine’s Day? Don’t women pay a lot of attention to things like that?”

  “Maybe she was waiting for you to do something special for her. What did you do on the day?”

  “We did the high ropes again and then just stayed here in our cottage.”

  Jeff snorted. “If you’d gone to a restaurant in town for dinner—or even to the hotel—you wouldn’t have missed it. There would have been some special Valentine’s Day menu or dessert or something.”

  “So I guess you guys had a great day with Bec and Sarah?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Both of his brothers practically lit up when they answered, making him feel like shit. He didn’t do anything special for Gemma.

  “Hey, don’t look so glum,” Zach said. “We’re in a totally different stage from you in our relationships. I’m married and Jeff’s soon-to-be. We’re expected to remember days like that.”

  “What usually happens in the stage I’m at?” he asked, needing something to alleviate the unease in his chest.

  “What do you mean?” Jeff asked. “You figure out if you want to go to the next level or not.”

  “Don’t forgot he’s a virgin when it comes to commitment,” Zach said to Jeff, and the two snickered.

  “Well, this isn’t commitment stage yet,” he countered. “Gemma and I are still trying to figure out if we want something more serious or not.”

  Even as he said the words, Greg knew he was bullshitting. He’d moved up to a different level. But like a fish out of water, he had no clue how to breathe in there.

  Zach sighed, taking on a serious countenance. “You do know that it’s you who’s still trying to figure it out, right?”

  “Gemma’s the same.”

  Zach gave a small shrug and leaned back on his chair.

  Greg frowned. “That’s what she told me.”

  “Sure, yeah.”

  “But...?”

  “Nothing. As long as you guys are happy and on the same page, it’s cool.”

  “There’s something wrong,” Greg blurted out.

  “What? Are you ready to move on already?” Jeff asked in disbelief. “Jesus, Greg. Couldn’t you give it a bit more time? Gemma’s a great girl. But if you don’t know that already then you probably don’t deserve her.”

  “Hey, that’s not what I mean! Great to know my own brothers are on my side here,” he muttered sarcastically.

  “Sorry. Go on,” Jeff said.

  He sighed. “Gemma seems to be... I don’t know... holding back on something.” He told them about the time Liana had accosted Gemma and how Gemma had seemed distant—for want of a better word—since then.

  Jeff and Zach were quiet for a long moment.

  “What, no comments? Come on, guys.”

  “I hate to say this,” Zach said quietly. “But maybe she’s gone scared of giving you her whole heart when you don’t seem to know what to do with it.”

  “But... we haven’t talked about getting our hearts involved yet.”

  His brothers groaned, rolling their eyes.

  “Greg, Gemma’s not the type who goes into a relationship just because the sex is great,” Jeff said with annoyance. “You should know that.”

  “You mean...”

  “Her heart’s been involved from the beginning, you dummy. Didn’t we speak about this before?” Zach said.

  “But she said...”

  “I think she cares about you enough to have taken a chance. But that same feeling is probably making her scared. The more someone loves, the more they get hurt. But you don’t know that because you’ve never been in love. I’m betting that Gemma’s starting to have second thoughts about you. She might be thinking she doesn’t want to invest any more of her time and feelings, because she can see she’d lose everything she’s poured into you down the track.”

  “Hey, that’s harsh,” Greg said, Zach’s words hitting him hard in the solar plexus.

  “Good,” his brother said, unrepentant. “Because if you don’t want to lose her, then you have a lot of thinking to do.”

  “So what do I do now?”

  “What do you want to do?” Jeff asked.

  Greg raked his hair. He wanted to be sure of his feelings for Gemma before verbalising them. The last thing he wanted was to break the promise he’d made to his mother.

  “Well, then,” Jeff said when he didn’t answer. “Like Zach said, be prepared to move on soon. From the sounds of it, Gem’s not prepared to wait until you sort your act together—which could be never. But you shouldn’t have a problem finding a replacement anyway.”

  He glared at the screen, wanting to strangle both his brothers for making him feel worse instead of better.

  The two simply stared at him.

  “Make up your mind before it’s too late,” Zach quipped before hanging up.

  Too late? Those words scared the hell out of him.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Gemma waved goodbye to her student, then closed the door of her studio. She’d just finished her first week teaching in her new premises, and everything had gone swimmingly. The parents even preferred the new location because it was easier to find parking around the area.

  She resolved to boost her marketing efforts and acquire more clients so she could afford to stay here for the long term. She’d recently discovered from the shop owners next door that month-to-month leases like she had weren’t usually available for the spaces in the building. A contract with a minimum of six months had always been required. Plus, if the calibre of her neighbours was anything to go by, she suspected that the original rent might have been more than what was presented to her. She bet Greg had something to do wit
h her getting such generous concessions. Maybe he knew the owners?

  She shook her head, glancing at Raoul, the man sitting behind a spare desk that was strategically positioned near the door. He was her security detail, doing some online work—investigations and research—at the same time as being on the lookout for anything suspicious. The neighbouring shops also had his beeper number in case they got harassed by anyone inquiring about Gemma.

  All this felt so surreal to Gemma, but she was starting to get used to it. Besides, she didn’t have any choice. Greg had made it clear that security would stay in place whether she approved of it or not until he was personally satisfied that there were no more threats to her safety and livelihood.

  It was very sweet of Greg, and she was touched by his concern. But she was sure his worry came from guilt that her connection with him was the catalyst for all this unwanted attention, and not from the fact that he was sleeping with her.

  And from the looks of it, whatever they had was already over.

  She sniffed softly, remembering how he hadn’t greeted her on Valentine’s Day and how he’d hardly called her after she left the Sanctuary. She didn’t even get the chance to give him the lips sculpture she got for him. She’d put the gift in her backpack along with her water bottle, towel and camera and had planned to bring it out when they got to that special platform of the high ropes course where they’d had their first kiss. But when they’d made their way to the adventure course, they’d bumped into one of the guests, who was exploring by himself. The man had wanted to join them and Greg had agreed.

  For the rest of the day, she’d looked for signs that Greg had wanted to ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day. There had been none. He didn’t even mention it. So she didn’t give him her present. It was then that she’d acutely felt how far they were from becoming a true couple.

  “I found something,” Raoul said.

  Gemma glanced sharply to find Raoul talking to someone on the phone.

  “I’m emailing it to you now... okay... okay... yes, I will.”

  Raoul looked up when he finished his phone call. “We might have found the culprit, Miss Gemma.”

  “Not Liana?”

  Raoul shook his head. “Someone else.”

  “Who is it?”

  Raoul seemed to hesitate. “A woman who’s had dealings with Mr. Greg in the past.”

  “Dealings?”

  “Yes. But we need to confirm a few things before we can be absolutely sure.”

  “Is it someone who was at the Sanctuary over the Christmas period?” she pressed.

  “No. That’s what we’re still finalising—the link to the Christmas Eve party at the Sanctuary.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you until we’re sure,” Raoul said in a tone that indicated he wasn’t going to say anything more.

  “Anything else you can tell me?”

  He shook his head and gave her an apologetic smile.

  She let it go. Raoul wouldn’t divulge matters he was instructed not to. But she was relieved to know that they were getting close to catching the person responsible.

  Her phone rang. She ran for it, heart racing, hoping it was Greg. She missed him so much. To her disappointment, it was Sarah.

  “Hey, Rick’s inviting us to dinner at one of his friends’ restaurants. You, me and Jeff, and Bec and Zach. Do you want to come? We’ll pick you up.”

  “Um...” Gemma didn’t really feel like socialising, especially with Greg’s cousin, who’d flirted with her back at the Sanctuary. But maybe Zach and Jeff would tell her something about the ‘culprit’ that Raoul talked about. “Sure,” she said.

  She stared at her phone after Sarah had hung up, debating with herself whether to call Greg or not. She wanted to clarify where they stood with their relationship—or whatever it was that they were having. It was so hard to be in limbo, not knowing if there was even a chance of moving forward.

  She replaced her phone in her bag, the heaviness in her chest doubling in weight. Wasn’t his silence the answer?

  If Greg didn’t feel anything for her apart from lust, then she couldn’t go on. She’d thought she could handle the waiting game of seeing if Greg could eventually fall in love with her. But the longer it went on, the more she doubted that they had a future together, especially when Mr. Commitment-Phobic hadn’t shown any evidence of developing deeper feelings for her.

  She loved him, but it messed her up too much to stay with him.

  *****

  “I’m glad you came.”

  Gemma smiled at Sarah. “Yes, it’s good to be out tonight.”

  “Missing Greg?”

  She made a face. “Yeah.”

  Sarah frowned. “What’s with that look?”

  “I don’t think he misses me, so I kinda hate it that I miss him so much.”

  “Oh, Gem. He does! But you know how it is in the Sanctuary. He has to entertain people even after business hours.”

  She gave Sarah a small smile, not really wanting to talk about Greg in a public place.

  Zach and Rebecca arrived, greeting them before sitting down together.

  Gemma tried to catch Rebecca’s eye, but her friend was busy listening to whatever her husband was whispering in her ear. She’d expected Rebecca to take the chair next to her so the girls were on one side of the table, with the men sitting opposite them. Now Gemma would have to sit next to Rick all night.

  “Where’s Rick?” Zach asked.

  “He went to the kitchen to say hello to his friend,” Jeff answered.

  “Uh, guys,” Gemma said, deciding to grab the opportunity. “I was wondering if you’ve received a report from Chris about the real culprit that Raoul discovered today?”

  Jeff and Zach glanced at each other.

  “Yes,” Zach answered.

  “So who’s this mystery woman? Raoul said she’s had dealings with Greg before?”

  “Uh-huh. She was someone who wasn’t happy that Greg dumped her.”

  “Oh. So she’s one of his exes?”

  “You could say that. They, um, didn’t part on friendly terms.”

  “What happened?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “Well... maybe Greg would want to tell you himself.”

  Gemma stared at Zach, chewing her bottom lip. “If this was just purely about Greg, then I’d agree. But this is about someone who’s posted lies about me on the internet and had me kicked out of my old studio. I’d ask Greg, but he’s not here. You guys are.”

  Zach raked his hair, making Gemma smile. Greg had a habit of doing that too whenever he was indecisive or stressed.

  She looked at Jeff, who avoided her gaze.

  Geez, now she really had to know. She retrieved her phone from her clutch. “I’ll call Greg now.”

  “Hey, Gem,” Greg said when he answered.

  “Hi. Are you busy?”

  “Yes,” he said reluctantly. “I just walked into the restaurant to have dinner with guests who are leaving tomorrow.”

  “That’s okay. I’m with your brothers and Bec and Sarah. We’re having dinner together.”

  “Are you? Where?”

  “At Rick’s friend’s restaurant. Rick invited us.”

  “So Rick’s there, too?” Greg asked in a lower tone.

  “Yes. Not right now because he’s in the kitchen. Anyway, I was asking Zach and Jeff about the woman who’s against me—the real culprit. You won’t mind if they tell me all about this ex of yours, right?”

  Greg paused before he answered. “She wasn’t my ex. We only had a casual relationship.”

  “Right,” she said. “I’ll let Zach and Jeff know you said it’s okay.”

  “Gem...”

  She waited.

  “Okay,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Thanks.” She hung up before he could change his mind, then raised her eyebrows at Zach.

  Zach exhaled loudly. “A couple of years ago, this woman c
laimed that Greg fathered her child.”

  Gemma’s mouth parted in surprise.

  “She played it for months. A paternity test couldn’t be done in the early stages of her pregnancy due to possible complications, and she kept Greg—and the whole family—on edge. She threatened to go to the press and tell the world that Greg didn't want own up to his responsibilities, unless Greg supported her financially—even though he wasn’t sure if he was the one who got her pregnant.”

  “And he’s not the father, I take it?” Gemma asked, almost in a whisper.

  “No. She was surprised by that, too. She’d really thought—or hoped—that the baby was Greg’s. But it wasn’t. Anyway, not long after the paternity test was done after the baby was born, the woman got sacked from her job from poor performance. She blamed Greg for losing her job—said that Greg forced the hand of her employer. Greg threatened her with defamation, so she eventually stopped her crazy claims.”

  “But Greg said he’s always worn a condom,” Gemma said with some embarrassment. “How could she have believed it was his baby and not someone else’s?”

  “That’s what Greg said, too. But apparently, she supplied the condom that night. She must have pricked it or something. And she must have thought she’d used foolproof protection with the other guy. Anyway, it looks like even now she can’t stand the thought of another woman being with Greg, since she didn’t succeed in that regard.”

  Gemma filled her lungs. She was half sorry she’d asked, because it created pictures in her head that put a bitter taste in her mouth. “What happens next?”

  “Chris will personally see her tomorrow. He’ll lay down all the proof that shows she’s Miss Z—and it’s irrefutable proof. Chris and his guys are pretty sure she’s also responsible for the anonymous letters to the shop owners in your old building. There were a couple of misspelled words in that letter which were also misspelled in Miss Z’s blog posts. As to knowing that you’d performed live on Christmas Eve at the Sanctuary, the team found a picture on the internet uploaded by Jim to his Facebook page. Jim didn’t mention anything about being at the Sanctuary, just that he was holidaying at a great place. But the photo had you in the background at the piano, obviously singing. She’s friends with Jim on Facebook.”