“Hi, it’s me,” Nick’s deep voice rumbled in her ear. “I’m about to get into a cab. This way you don’t have to reorganize your day. Love you. Bye.”
Not have to reorganize her day? Was he serious? She’d just spent two hours doing exactly that. And it wasn’t the eighty-dollar taxi fare that shocked her the most, it was the fact the hospital had discharged Nick into his own care, denying her the chance to speak to his doctor. Argh! She immediately called Nick, but on the third ring she remembered he didn’t have his phone. Knowing him, he’d probably get the taxi to drop him off at the office first so he could collect it.
He was probably planning to work today too. Over her dead body. If she picked up his phone, he’d have no excuse to set foot in the office and she could meet the taxi and drive him straight home. She pointed the car in the direction of the marina.
Stopped at one of the two sets of traffic lights in the bay waiting to turn right onto the esplanade, Libby was surprised to see Jess’s car turn into the main street. Her stomach dropped. Jess was back early, so did that mean her interview hadn’t gone well? The car pinged at her, alerting her to the fact the car in front had moved. Libby pulled her attention back to the road and turned onto the seafront.
Even though she’d grown up with the view of the fishing boats, stacks of lobster pots and nets strung out to dry and the backdrop of the ocean, she still experienced a momentary peace at the sight. After the stress of the last sixteen hours, the view centered her, reminding her that despite life not always going according to plan, she still had many blessings to count. She lived on a beautiful piece of the Victorian coast with Nick and the girls, she had the best friend anyone could wish for and a loving extended family. Even though she hated Lawrence for upending Alice’s life, a selfish part of her appreciated having her twin back in town for a while.
As she parked under a Norfolk pine, she smiled—she already had her gratitudes for the day and it was only just 11:00.
The tinkling sound of metal halyards on masts filled the air and as Libby approached the office, she noticed that the sunny autumn morning had enticed fishermen onto the pier. Henry Liu waved a fish net at her and she returned the greeting.
“Mommy!”
She glanced around, expecting to see another woman, and realized the child calling out and running toward her, was Indi. Squinting into the distance, she looked for Alice and found her standing with a man who was holding a child. They both turned and waved. She blinked and lifted her sunglasses, not quite believing she was looking at Nick. Confusion tangled with surprise and delight and then her heart rolled. With his head bent close to Leo’s and a smile on his face, Nick didn’t look anything like a man who didn’t want another child.
Indi threw herself at Libby’s legs. She picked her up and kissed her. “Hello, sweetheart. This is a lovely surprise.”
Indi nodded, her face pink with excitement. “Alice said we’d see boats. We found Daddy!”
“So I see.” Libby closed the gap between her husband and her twin, wondering how on earth Nick had gotten back to the bay so quickly. “You’re back early.”
Nick kissed her. “Yeah. Taxi driver was a speed fiend.”
“Were you going to call me?”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “I was about to but it looks like you knew where to find me.”
“It’s my fault,” Alice apologized. “We ambushed him in the office and distracted him.”
“Daddy!” Indi leaned out of Libby’s arms and grabbed Nick’s shoulder. “I want to see the seals.”
“Okay.” Nick transferred Indi onto his free hip. “Righto, you two, let’s go.”
“Giddy up, Daddy!”
“Go!” Leo squealed.
“Five minutes!” Libby called after him, annoyed that her plans to be alone with Nick were unravelling fast. She turned back to Alice, suddenly suspicious. “Hang on. I’ve only just got the message that Nick was coming back by taxi. How come you knew he was in the office?”
“Missy called me. She’s still a bit wobbly.”
“And that’s connected how?”
“I think when Nick turned up wearing the same clothes as yesterday, she had visions of having to call another ambulance. We’d just arrived at the park so I walked down. Thought the kids would be good bait to get him away from the temptation of work.”
“Yes, but why did she call you not me?”
Alice shrugged. “I work with her. She knows me.”
Libby’s aggravation spilled over. “She knows me!”
Alice inclined her head, the action loaded with sympathy. “Yeah, but she’s twenty-one and you’re the boss’s wife and a doctor. Sometimes you can be a bit intimidating, Libs.”
“Intimidating? I’m furious with all of you.”
Alice brought her hands up in a gesture of resigned surrender. “Well, you’re here now so we can return to the original plan. I’ll take the kids back to the park and you take Nick home.”
“Okay.” Libby was slightly mollified. “Jess is back early so she’ll probably pick up Leo soon.”
“I don’t think so. She just texted saying she’ll pick him up at 3:00.”
Had Jess told her that on the phone this morning? Probably. “God, I’m losing my mind.”
Alice put her hands gently on her twin’s shoulders, her gaze full of concern. “None of us think straight when we’re worried. I’ve got the kids sorted. Take Nick home and find out what’s bothering him, then weave your magic.”
“My magic?”
“You make people better, Libs, that’s your magic. That and the spell you cast on Nick years ago. If anything was going to test you both, it was
