“Thanks for being there for me. I needed your special brand of antidepressants.”
“Just think about what I said, okay? Uh, do you remember what I said? About not running from your problems?”
“I remember. I’ll talk to Black.” Perhaps I could use another drink after all? “Will you talk to Beth?”
“I guess I’ll have to man up and have that conversation. But we’re meant to be flying to England tomorrow for her sister’s wedding, so I might wait until afterwards. No sense in adding to the stress.”
“She doesn’t get on with her family?”
“You could say that. She’s taking me as her plus-one to spite her ex-husband.”
“Gee, look at us both with our normal, healthy relationships. Do you need to borrow a plane?”
“Thanks for the offer, but Beth already booked our tickets.”
“When are you coming back?”
“Next Sunday. The wedding’s this Friday, but Beth wants to see her horse, and Rune breaks up for the summer at the end of next week. I need to collect her from school, and she’ll want to visit Judd before she comes here.”
“You’re spending the summer in the US?”
“With Rune, yes. I’m not sure how long Beth’ll stay. Her horse is important to her.”
“I’ve got eight stables, and only three of them are occupied. Just saying.”
My horse, Stan—formerly known as Satan, which gives some idea of his character—had primo position next to the door. He also had double glazing, central heating, and a television courtesy of Bradley. Dustin’s old mare was still ticking along, and Luke’s sister, Tia, had brought one of her Arabians over from England a few months ago now that she spent most of her time stateside.
Alaric squeezed my hand back. “It’s a bit early for that. We don’t even have a place to stay.”
“The guest house?”
“You and Black need space. I know I’m not helping matters.”
“He’ll just have to get over himself. This is my home too.”
“Emmy, it’s easier if we rent a place.”
“Actually, I might be able to help out there. Remember before you left, you were looking at houses for sale near here? And I came with you?”
A flicker of sadness crossed Alaric’s face, but only for a moment and then it was gone.
“I remember.”
“And your favourite was that old brick-built place on the hill. The fixer-upper with the great views?”
“The foreclosure? Yeah, I still think about those views. They were straight out of a Clyde Aspevig painting.”
“Well, I bought it and fixed it up.” I stared down at the granite counter to hide the fact that my eyes were watering. Why was I so emotional at the moment? “I kind of hoped you’d come back to live in it.”
“Cinders, I’m sorry.”
“The past is the past now. We’ve both moved on.” I forced myself to look at Alaric again. “But it’s good to know you’re around again. More than anything, I missed our chats.”
“I’m just thankful you’re still talking to me.”
“Like you said, I understand the compulsion to run.” Even now, I itched to drive to the airport. “Anyhow, the house… The people renting it moved out a couple of months ago, and it’s still empty. Must be fate or something. It’s yours for however long you want it.”
The offer wasn’t quite as selfless as it sounded. Hillside House was six miles from Riverley, and I kind of liked the idea of having Alaric close.
“I’ll pay rent.”
“You bloody won’t.”
“Emmy…”
I folded my arms and stared at him.
“You’re as stubborn as ever.”
“Yup.”
“Then what can I say but thank you?”
“You’re welcome. Always. And are we still going to Penngrove to look for your art thief when you get back from England?”
I had to do everything I could to minimise the damage Black had caused.
“If you’re busy, I can go alone.”
“I’m coming.” Those were words I hadn’t said to Alaric in a long time, albeit in a very different context. “I’ll get Sloane to rearrange my diary.”
“You’re positive?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, I’ll ask Beth to make hotel reservations.”
“No, you two enjoy your trip. Sloane can handle the logistics.”
Speak of the devil… No, not the devil. Sloane was more of an angel. And when I went back upstairs and checked my phone, I had five missed calls from her. Uh-oh. Five calls suggested either butt-dialling or panic. And Sloane was too fastidious to butt-dial.
“What’s up?”
“Black sent an email ordering me to clear his schedule.”
“How long for?”
“Like, forever. I thought it was a mistake, so I called him, and he just said it was no mistake and that he had some issues to deal with. What am I supposed to do? Should I move everything to you and Nick and Nate? Aw, Nate’s gonna go crazy if I do that.”
“I’ll talk to Black, okay?”
“Thank goodness.” Sloane took a deep breath, and I pictured her composing herself. “Uh, is there something I can help you with?”
Hell, she was going to hate me. “Yeah, I need you to clear my schedule…”
CHAPTER 40 - EMMY
BLOODY HELL. IF I thought I’d looked bad this morning, that was nothing compared to Black. Rumpled clothes, messy hair, a day’s worth of stubble, a swollen jaw… Had he slept at all? Now he was sitting at the kitchen table in Riverley Hall, staring at a slice of cold pizza as if it held the answers to life. A small pile of dog biscuits sat next to the plate, and Barkley rested her head on his knee. Turncoat.
“Hey.”
Black’s head snapped up. Boy, those eyes were bloodshot. Had he been on the sauce too?
“You came back.”
“Yes.”
“Diamond, I’m so sorry. For what I did last night and for what I did eight years ago.”
And so he fucking should have been. If I’d been a regular girl, I’d have been packing my bags by now, but our relationship had always been physical in every way. The fight was just an extension of
