It was almost painful listening to Nina talk about her plans for the future, knowing what she knew. Would she feel as positive about what was to come if she knew she was about to marry a man who had already been unfaithful to her?
There was only one way to find out.
‘Nina, I really have to tell you something,’ Claire said, the words tumbling out. ‘Last night, after we operated on Autumn, Scotty —’
‘Don’t.’
It was a single word, but it shook Claire to her core. ‘Sorry?’ she whispered.
Nina left the desk and walked slowly towards Claire. When she reached her, she smiled and took her hand.
‘You don’t have to tell me anything, Claire,’ she said.
‘Nina, you don’t understand. Scotty —’
‘I know Scotty means a lot to you,’ Nina cut in again. ‘And I know you have questions about this wedding. I appreciate your concern, Claire. I truly do. But you don’t need to worry about me.’
Claire didn’t know what to think, particularly the way Nina emphasised the last word. She had never felt so mystified in her life. It seemed like Nina was telling Claire she knew about the kiss. But if she knew, why was she being so kind?
‘Just tell me what’s going on, Nina,’ she implored. ‘Please.’
Nina smiled, but she looked sad. ‘I really wish I could, but it’s not my place.’
Claire shook her head. ‘I don’t understand any of this.’
‘That kind of makes two of us.’ Nina’s laugh eased the tension slightly. ‘A week ago my life was normal, kinda boring even. I was just teaching yoga, going to the beach, and hanging out with the local vet. Then he calls me up and asks me to marry him and everything goes bananas.’
Claire frowned. ‘Scotty proposed over the phone?’
‘I know. So romantic, right?’ Nina said, rolling her eyes. ‘He’d been in Melbourne at that conference. He actually woke me up at, like, midnight. I was so annoyed because I teach a dawn class on Saturdays, so I always go to sleep early on Friday nights.’
It suddenly felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. ‘This was Friday last week?’ Claire said. She wanted to be sure she’d heard Nina correctly. ‘Midnight last Friday?’
A curious look crossed Nina’s face. ‘Yeah,’ she said slowly. ‘Why?’
Claire began to tremble. Nina and the yoga studio seemed to fade away. She knew this feeling. The last time she’d felt it was eight years ago, the night Scotty had asked her to be his wife.
It was anger. Pure white-hot rage.
That Friday was the day Scotty had turned up at the clinic in Sydney with Autumn in the throes of heat stroke. Claire had met him for a drink that night and he’d told her about his quickfire engagement.
But she had been at home in bed by ten p.m., tangled in sweaty sheets and staring at the ceiling as she had tried to make sense of it all.
Now Nina was saying Scotty popped the question at midnight. That meant he proposed after he’d already told Claire he was getting married. He had lied to her.
He had lied all along.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Claire practically sprinted back to Vanessa’s place, cursing herself all the way for choosing not to drive into town.
Yes, it was bad decisions all the way today – and every day.
Somewhere along the way, the fury she’d felt when she dashed out of the yoga studio had morphed into searing pain. Claire wasn’t sure what hurt worse. Was it the fact that Scotty had lied to her a week ago when he’d said he was engaged to Nina before he actually was? Was it the fact that he’d kept lying the entire time she’d been back in Bindallarah?
Or was it the fact that something about seeing Claire in Sydney had made Scotty rush back to his hotel that Friday night, pick up the phone and propose marriage to a woman he’d known for a month?
Because that was clearly what had happened. Spending a couple of hours in Claire’s company was apparently so unpleasant for Scotty that he had dashed off and asked Nina to marry him.
She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. She had let Jackie’s insistence that something still burned between Claire and Scotty start to sink in. Against her better judgement, Claire had let herself consider – even hope for – the possibility that there was a chance for them. And believing that possibility existed, even for a little while, had felt wonderful.
But Scotty, meanwhile, must have been watching the clock that night in the pub, counting the seconds until he could extricate himself from Claire and throw himself at the feet of the woman he really wanted.
He had asked Claire to come to his wedding out of some old sense of obligation. He had extended the invitation because he had good country manners, not because deep down he was uncertain and wanted Claire to talk some sense into him. Scotty didn’t have doubts about marrying Nina. It was all in her head. He was right to suspect she had come to Bindy with an agenda. How could she have been so blind?
And – oh God. She had insisted on helping with the wedding arrangements, insinuating herself into proceedings like some oblivious party guest who won’t leave at the end of the evening. And Scotty had agreed – he’d let her make a fool of herself because she meant nothing to him.
But he meant everything to her. She loved him. Not just as a friend, though he was the best friend she’d ever had. Not just as an old flame she still had a soft spot for. Not as someone who would drift in and out of her life over the years – a Christmas card here, a catch-up coffee when
