An intense rush of love for her sister filled her and Libby pulled Alice in for a hug. “Thank you.”
Alice squeezed her back and for a moment they were twelve again, sharing a room, their secrets and their dreams. Then her twin released her and they were back to being two separate and very different individuals.
Libby watched Nick chase a piece of salad green around his plate. It was taking superhuman effort, but she was restraining herself from talking about anything to do with his hospital admission until after lunch. But Nick, whose appetite was legendary, had barely touched the chicken and tomato salad she’d thrown together.
“You finished?”
“Yeah.” He pushed the plate away.
“Cup of tea? Coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
Leaving the plates, Libby stood and tried to pull him to his feet. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Nick counter-tugged and brought her down onto his knee. “Or we could stay here. We’ve got the house to ourselves for a change.”
She stroked his hair. “As much as I want to do that, we need to talk about what happened yesterday.”
His gaze slid away. “There’s not much to talk about. For a few hours, I felt like I had an elephant on my chest. Your mates at the hospital don’t know why and a bloke in happy pants and a nose ring told me some BS about “focusing on the breath.” I just need to get out on the water a few times a week.”
“But you already do that.”
He grinned. “I can add another day now it’s doctor’s orders.”
Her frustration peaked and she concentrated on her own breath as she laid her palm over his heart. “Nick, you had a panic attack.”
He pushed her hand away. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
“I’m not. The reason the bloke in happy pants came to talk to you is because nothing showed up on your tests.” Wearily, she dropped her forehead onto his. “What’s going on inside there? Are you worried I might be pregnant?”
“No.” It was devoid of any ambiguity. “Are you?”
“My period’s due any day but I haven’t done a test yet because—” She snagged her lip, not wanting to verbalize her fear.
“You don’t want to see that you’re not,” he said gently.
His understanding buoyed her. This was her opportunity to find out how far he was prepared to go to have another child. “And if I’m not, I think we should both have tests to see if there’s a reason we’re not getting pregnant.”
“You want me to jack off in a jar?” He winked at her. “I’m fine with that, especially if you help.”
“I’m serious, Nick. If there’s a problem, it might mean trying IVF. It’s not an easy road, especially living down here.”
“You really want another baby that much?”
“I really do.” Her heart beat in her throat. “Do you?”
He stroked her face. “All I want is for you to be happy. If you want another child, then we’ll do what we need to make it happen.”
“Oh thank God. I thought you were going to tell me you didn’t want any more children.”
“Why? I love kids.”
“I know.” She kissed him, sinking into her relief and silencing her anxieties.
They sat together in companionable silence, listening to the whip-crack call of a bird, the only sound breaking the afternoon’s torpor. Cuddled, safe and relaxed for the first time in hours, Libby’s sleep debt exacted payment and her eyes fluttered closed.
“ …. about Sulli’s place.”
The vibrato of Nick’s baritone startled her and she dozily lifted her head. “Sorry. What?”
“I want to talk to you about Sulli’s place. I’m about to get the papers drawn up, but I’ve been thinking …”
“Hmm?” Libby’s eyes started closing again.
Nick cleared his throat. “The thing is, now Jess is totally committed to staying in the bay for the long term, I thought we could help her out by—”
“Renting the house to her!” Libby was instantly reenergized, remembering her conversation with Jess the day before. “Absolutely! I was going to suggest that.”
“Not rent it to her. Help her buy it.”
“Buy it? As in, we give her a loan?”
“Not exactly. I was thinking more along the lines of a partnership. We buy Sulli’s with her 50/50. That way she gets a leg up into the top end of Kurnai Bay real estate and you get your best friend living next door.” He grinned at her. “Just think. We can pull down the fences and double the size of the yard. The kids can run wild.”
The suggestion was so completely out of left field she grappled to make sense of it. Although Nick worked reasonably well with his father, over the years there’d been a couple of very cool Christmases when business issues had upended family harmony. Although those days were long gone now Rick was semi-retired and Nick ran the company, Libby still remembered the stress.
“I don’t understand. At every big Pirelli family gathering, I hear you advising your cousins not to underwrite loans for family, let alone friends.”
His mouth developed a sulky look. “I thought you’d love the idea.”
Libby wondered at her own reticence given that she and Jess had been sharing things since they’d met. She cringed, remembering how they’d once shared boyfriends, but thankfully they’d grown up. The purchase of a house was a very different proposition than sharing clothes, perfume and jewelry. “I love the idea of Jess living next door but …”
“What?”
“I can see problems.”
“Really? Like what?”
“For starters, Sulli’s house is old. It lacks character so it’s not worth renovating. Jess will want to pull it down and build.”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with that. A new house will add to the property’s value.”
“Yes, but we’d have to pay for half of the build. What if we couldn’t agree? And if we did, we can only benefit financially if Jess decides to sell.”
“I’m pretty sure the moment she’s paid off her share of the mortgage, she’ll get another loan and buy
