Kate didn’t look convinced.
Before she could soothe Kate further, Libby’s phone rang. It was Adrian. He’d only just left. Concern skittled over her skin. “What’s wrong?”
“Susan phoned. She’s read about my father.” He was grim.
It wasn’t good news. “What did she say?”
“She insisted on talking to Kate immediately so I’ve given her your cell number. She’ll probably ring the second I hang up. Don’t let her rile you up.”
Libby wanted to swear. She wasn’t sure what she should say to this woman. She was expecting an ogre, from what Adrian had told her. “What’s she likely to say?”
“She thinks you and I are carrying out debauched acts in front of Kate. She’s not being at all rational.”
Still listening, Libby sat down on the couch and gave Kate a small smile. Kate hovered next to her, twisting her hands together. Libby patted the couch and Kate sat.
“All right,” Libby told Adrian. “I’ll do my best not to sound debauched.”
Adrian barked out a laugh. “Call me after.” He hung up.
Libby turned to Kate. “Aunt Susan is going to call. She’s seen the articles about Emily and your grandpa and she’s worried about you.”
“I don’t want to talk to her. She makes me mad when she says stuff about Uncle Ade.”
Libby placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I know she does. Try to remember she’s doing this because she cares.”
Libby’s cell rang. She checked the display. International number. “Are you ready?”
Kate nodded.
Libby answered her phone. “Hello.”
“This is Susan Montgomery, Kate’s aunt.” The American accent was southern but refined, reminding Libby of old movies set on cotton plantations.
“Adrian told me you might call,” Libby said into the silence.
“I’m sure he did. I’m sure he told you what to say.” The refined accent couldn’t disguise the snide remark.
Libby forced herself not to smile. “No ma’am. He knew I wouldn’t let Kate speak to anyone I didn’t know, so he rang to tell me you were calling. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who’ve rung believing the rubbish that’s been printed about Adrian. First Emily and now Adrian’s father. Honestly, you would think people would have more sense than to believe everything they read.”
There was silence and Libby pictured all the wind going out of Susan’s sails. “Yes, well, those magazines can be very convincing. One assumes they check their facts before going to print.”
“You’d hope so, but I guess if one side doesn’t comment by the deadline they print it anyway. It’s so sad.”
“But the way Adrian has treated his father is appalling. The picture of him in the paper showed he was suffering.”
Libby tensed. The woman was determined to think the worst of Adrian. Libby’s tone was one of controlled anger. “Did your sister never mention her father-in-law to you?”
“No.” Susan’s tone was full of grief.
“Then perhaps you need to consider why that was and not believe what you’ve read.”
“Don’t you dare make assumptions about my sister. You didn’t know her.” The grief had been replaced by anger.
Libby closed her eyes. She needed to tread carefully. “No, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
The silence was full of indignation. Finally Susan said, “May I speak with Kate?”
“She’s right here.” Libby passed the phone to Kate. She hoped she hadn’t made things worse.
“Hi, Aunt Susan.”
Susan’s voice was going a mile a minute, but Libby couldn’t make out the words. She breathed out slowly to defuse the anger still simmering.
“It makes me mad,” Kate said to her aunt. “Those reporters are nasty, but Uncle Ade and Libby have been protecting me. We haven’t really left the hotel, but hopefully it will be better when we go to Perth.”
More talking and Kate rolled her eyes. “Uncle Ade never drinks.”
Libby sighed.
“Are Jemma and Jason back from camp yet?” Kate asked, changing the subject. A pause. “I’m fine, Aunt Susan. I had an awesome time at Sea World. Can I speak to Jemma?” Another pause, then Kate grinned. “Hi Jem, how was camp?” Kate stood and paced around the room as she spoke with her cousin. The energetic ten-year-old who had been missing for the last few days came back with a vengeance as she regaled her cousin with stories of what she’d been doing in Australia and New Zealand.
Shrieks of laughter came from the other end of the phone. It suddenly hit Libby that Kate was probably lonely for company of her own age. Someone to laugh and swap secrets with.
“I’ll Skype you tomorrow.” Kate hung up and handed the phone back to Libby. “Jem had to go because it’s an international phone call.”
“Are you close with her?” Libby asked.
“Yeah. She’s my best friend. She wanted to come on tour with me but Aunt Susan wouldn’t let her.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Totally, we would have had an awesome time.” Kate turned and put a hand over her mouth. “Not that we haven’t had fun,” she said quickly.
Libby laughed. “Don’t worry, I haven’t taken offence. It must be hard being around adults all the time.”
“Sometimes I wish Jem was here, but I’ll see her in a week when we go back, and I didn’t want to go to summer camp.”
Another week and they’d be gone. Libby pushed away the sadness. “Feeling better now?”
“Yeah. Let’s watch a movie.”
Surely after talking with Kate, Susan would see there was nothing wrong. Kate was obviously happy.
Libby hoped Susan realized that.
***
Adrian’s patience was rapidly dwindling. The past few days since his father had been interviewed had been a nightmare. The media circus outside the hotel had only intensified as reporters tried to get Adrian to comment on his father. Then Emily was interviewed again and asked about Adrian’s father. She’d claimed not to know of Adrian’s name change and said Adrian had never mentioned his father.
At least one of those statements was true.
Today his father had hit the US talk shows. He’d been given some time in the make-up chair so he appeared respectable, but Adrian could see through it. He’d started watching one but quickly stopped. There wasn’t a sentence of truth that came out of the man’s mouth and Adrian couldn’t bear to watch it. He left it to George, hoping his father would say something that would trip him up.
Adrian refused to make a statement. Libby arrived one afternoon as he and George were arguing about it.
“You have to say something. Your silence makes you appear guilty.”
“No.” His voice was flat. “I don’t tell people close to me about my father – I’m not dredging up the past for a bunch of strangers.” He was not going to let the bastard have any more of him. His father had already had too much influence over him. Adrian was still dealing with the emotional scars from the first twelve years of his life.
“You don’t have to give any details.” George thrust a piece of paper at Adrian.
It was a brief statement that basically said nothing new. He screwed it up. “The reporters won’t stop if it’s only a few details. They can smell a story here.”
“I want to say something.”
Adrian and George both stopped and stared at Kate.
She put her hands on her hips, readying herself for a fight. “I want to tell them the truth so they go away.”
No way. There wasn’t a chance in hell Adrian was exposing Kate to any more reporters. “This doesn’t concern you, Katie.”
“It does too!” Kate shouted. “I’ve been stuck in this room for days now. I’m sick and tired of it. I want to go out. I want to see more of Brisbane. Why won’t you tell them to go away?” She finished her speech with a sob.
Adrian’s heart bled. He constantly felt like he was failing her. “I know it’s hard
on you, kiddo. I’m sorry.”
“Can I speak to the reporters?” Kate asked, glancing back at Libby with hope.
“No. They’ll lose interest soon.” Adrian prayed he was right.
“I hate them, I hate them both.” Kate stormed into her room and shut the door with a bang.
Adrian swore softly. This whole situation was the hardest on Kate. He hated the fact she couldn’t go out, but his first priority had to be her safety.
Libby walked over to him and ran a hand over his arm. “Why don’t you let her write a statement? It might make her feel better, even if she never gives it to the press.”
Adrian scowled. “I’d rather not encourage her.” If he let her write it, she’d want to release it.
“Are you sure?” Libby pushed.
No, he wasn’t, and that was the problem. He didn’t know what he should do. “Yes, I’m sure,” Adrian snapped. “I know what I’m doing.” He stood. He had to get away. To George he said, “We should get going.” He grabbed his bag and walked out without another word.
He couldn’t deal with this now.
He needed time to think.
Time to cope with this out-of-control mess his life had become.
Time.
***
Libby stood where she was, her body frozen in response to Adrian’s words. She’d never seen Adrian’s temper but there it was lashing out at her.
She felt ill. Not about what he’d said but how he’d reacted. He doubted himself, doubted what he was doing, and she’d questioned him, bringing up his insecurities. She knew it from the tone of his voice, the way he hadn’t looked at her when he replied and the slump of his shoulders as he walked out.
She needed to apologize.
The last thing she wanted to do was make him doubt his decisions.
She picked up her cell phone and dialed Adrian’s number, hoping he wouldn’t be too mad to answer.
It went straight to voicemail.
Libby left a message apologizing and hung up.
Letting out a breath she went to the kitchenette and poured a glass of water before knocking and letting herself into Kate’s room.
“You want to talk about it?” Libby asked.
Kate was sitting on her bed, ripped magazine pages scattered around her. “They’re both stupid liars. It’s Emily’s fault I can’t leave the room. If she hadn’t started this, Grandpa Hart never would have known who Uncle Ade is. Why can’t I say something to the media? Why can’t I tell them the truth about Grandpa Hart and Emily? It’s not fair.”
Libby let Kate rant and handed her the glass of water and some tissues. She understood Kate’s anger and frustration.
Maybe if Kate talked to Emily she could convince her to stop speaking with the media. Emily had been Kate’s nanny, after all. She knew some of what Kate had been through.
“What would you say to the media?”
“Emily’s a stupid liar.”
Libby suppressed a smile at the vehemence of Kate’s words. “How do you think that will make Emily feel?”
“I don’t care. She hasn’t cared about me.”
How could she phrase this so Kate would understand? “I think if you said that it might make her sad and a little angry. If someone made you angry would you stop what you were doing?”
Kate opened her mouth to respond and then paused. “Probably not,” she admitted.
“When you were angry with me, what made you change your mind?” Libby asked.
“You understood what was wrong and tried to make me feel better.”
Libby smiled at her. “What would make Emily feel better?”
Kate thought about it and then screwed up her nose. “I don’t think Uncle Ade will want to kiss her.”
Libby chuckled. “No, I think you’re right. Didn’t you see Emily after she quit?”
“She came to say goodbye.”
“And what did you say to her?”
“I said goodbye and wished her a good flight.” Kate paused. “She asked about you and I said you were wonderful.”
“How do you think she might have felt about that?”
“She might have been jealous.” Kate opened her eyes wide. “Do you think it’s my fault Emily said all those lies?” Kate asked in a small voice.
“No! Not at all.” Alarmed, Libby put an arm around Kate. “You aren’t responsible for other people’s actions. Emily chose to do what she did for her own reasons. What you need to think about is what you could say that might make her think about how you’re feeling.”
“Should I lie?” Kate asked.
“No. Of course not. There must have been some things you did with Emily that were fun.”
Kate considered her answer. “I did get to read a lot of books when she was my nanny.”
It wasn’t a lot to work with.
“Do you think if I emailed her and told her that she would stop lying?”
Libby hedged. “You’d better ask your uncle.” She’d put her foot in it enough already.
“I’ll write something down.” Kate got up, snatched her notebook and started writing.
Libby hoped she’d done the right thing.
If only there was a reporter who would actually ask the tough questions and get Emily to admit the truth.
A light bulb went off. Libby examined the idea from all sides and couldn’t see how it would fail. Checking the time, she calculated the difference and then dialed.
“Piper, I need a favor.”
***
Adrian walked into his hotel room, but instead of heading for the bathroom, he went in search of Libby. She was packing up her laptop at the dining table.
He’d felt like a jerk all evening. He hadn’t meant to snap at her, but the house arrest was getting to him. He was second-guessing all his decisions and to have Libby disagree with him made him third-guess them.
He wasn’t sure how to get the media to leave them alone.
Libby’s voicemail message, which he hadn’t got until after the concert, showed she understood, but he felt as though he was walking on eggshells. Any wrong step and he’d crush the lot.
Libby looked up as he walked over and gave a cautious smile. “Hi.”
“Howdy.” He stopped next to her and saw the concern cross her face. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier.” He sighed. “This whole situation is getting to me.”
Libby took his hand. “It’s getting to us both. I’m sorry I made you doubt your decision.”
He breathed out in relief. It meant so much that she understood. “How’s Kate?”
“We talked about it. She’d like to send Emily an email, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want her to.”
Adrian frowned, trying not to be defensive. “What did she want to say?”
“She wants to thank Emily for being her nanny and ask her to tell the truth.”
That was a surprise. When he’d left, Kate hated Emily. Libby had said something to change her mind. “What did you say to Kate?”
Libby looked down for a moment. “Initially Kate wanted to tell Emily she hated her, but I explained it might make Emily worse. So we decided to try the carrot method instead of the stick.” She waited for his reaction.
It was better than Kate talking to the media, but an email could be forwarded on to anyone. “I’ll think about it.” He’d check what Kate wanted to say tomorrow.
There was still a distance between him and Libby, both literally and figuratively. He wanted to bridge it. Stepping forward he pulled Libby into his arms. “I’m sorry for earlier.”
She smiled at him. “I know. It’s all right.”
It wasn’t. He’d lashed out at her, not with fists but with words. In his experience they could be equally damaging. The bruises his father gave him had faded but the words – the accusations that he was useless and that he was the reason his mother left – stayed with him even now.
Adrian wanted to show Libby how much she meant to him. He wanted to hold her all night. He appreciated her
support and was sorry for his actions. “Will you stay tonight?”
“Until the morning?”
He nodded. He hated it when Libby left in the middle of the night, as if they had something to hide. As long as they were up before Kate, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Libby smiled at him, wide and open, her whole being radiating her pleasure. “I’d love to.”
He relaxed and kissed her softly. “Why don’t you get a change of clothes?”
He walked her to the door and waited there until she reached her room. Then he went into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Part of him was nervous about Libby spending the night. He’d never slept the whole night with anyone. He’d always left after sex. No one knew he always slept with a night light. He closed his eyes as he let the water spray over his face.
But Libby knew about his fear of the dark. She knew more about him than any other woman.
He shut off the shower and toweled himself dry.
He’d never expected to open himself up to someone like he had with Libby. He trusted her.
He’d miss her when he went back to America.
The sharp ache in his heart caught him by surprise. He rubbed at his chest. He’d made it clear their relationship was temporary. Anything else was impossible. They lived in different countries.
But Libby’s best friend lived in Texas and Libby didn’t have a good relationship with her parents …
The quiet knock on the door stopped his train of thought. He pushed the thought away, slung the towel around his waist and went to answer it.
He’d think about it later.
***
The next day they flew to Perth. Libby’s heart lifted as the Swan River came into view just before they landed. This was home.
She was looking forward to taking Kate home with her to get away from the reporters, who were still interested in Adrian’s story. Adrian had decided it was the best course of action.
Libby’s car had been left in the long-term car park and she went to fetch it while the others waited in a private area of the airport. The reporters jostled around her for a statement as she came out of the terminal.
“Why did you steal Emily’s job?”
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