Sunday January 5th

 

“Hello?” Cate giggled.

Cate, is that you?” Kian asked.

She was curled up on the sofa in Liv’s lounge.

“I think so,” Cate wriggled about on the sofa, “although my label says Fruit of the Loom so it’s possible I might be that too.”

“You’re drunk,” Kian sounded grumpy. “Where are you?”

“I’m staying at Liv’s tonight,” Cate stretched out her arms and legs. “I got waxed today; there is literally no hair on my body apart from on the top of my head. I look like a department store mannequin.” She tried to pose like one and nearly tumbled off the sofa.

“Ouch, that really hurt. I wish Erik was here. He’s got magic hands.”

“Who the fuck is Erik?” Kian grunted.

“Duh, he’s the masseuse at the spa,” Cate hiccupped, “but don’t worry his hands stayed firmly above the towel. Mm, he had such lovely, long fingers.”

Kian said something which sounded very much like “fucking Fresno”.

“I’m sexy,” Cate sat up, the duvet dropping down to her waist. “I’m sexy and any guy would be lucky to touch me.”

“No fucking guy is fucking touching you apart from me,” Kian sounded as though he wanted to punch something but Cate was still drunkenly oblivious. “Twelve more days.”

“I’m sleepy,” Cate yawned. “Good night, Kian.”

 

Kian was still in a foul mood when he met Ben for breakfast the next morning. “What’s up with you?” Ben chuckled, “you look like shite.”

The waitress came across to take their orders. “Just coffee, thanks.”

“Would you like milk with that?”

The waitress was obviously trying to flirt with him but Kian barely looked up from his hands, which were shredding the paper napkin.

Ben grinned, “nah, he likes it as black as his soul, love.”

“Come on then,” Ben leaned back; resting his arm on the top of the banquette. “What’s up?”

“I talked to Cate last night,” Kian said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, yeah? If she was even half as sloshed as Erin was last night, I’m surprised you could even tell what she was saying. It sounds like they had fun at the Playground.”

“I really wish I hadn’t been able to tell what she was saying,” Kian muttered.

The waitress came back with their coffees. “It’ll be a couple more minutes for your eggs, sweet thing,” she smiled at Ben.

“Ooh,” Ben rubbed his hands with glee, “what did she say? You know me; I can never pass up an opportunity to embarrass my baby sister.”

Kian grunted, “she kept going on and on about Erik’s magic hands.”

Ben frowned, “who’s Erik?”

“Apparently,” Kian rolled his eyes, “he’s the masseuse at the spa they went to yesterday.”

“Wow,” Ben took a noisy slurp of his coffee, “as much as it pains me to say it, my sister is right; you are a serious caveman, aren’t you?”

Kian snarled, “did you not hear me just now? My wife actually said and I quote, don’t worry, his hands stayed firmly above the towel.”

“I seriously can’t believe you’re getting so worked up about this. Your wife got a massage; it’s really not that big of a deal. I’m sure Erin got one too and she might have been trying to tell me about the bloke’s magic hands when I called her last night but since I could only make out every other word, I don’t know.”

“Ugh,” Kian scowled, “I’m done talking about this. I just want to finish up here in Fresno and get back home.”

It wasn’t that Kian thought for even a millisecond that Cate would cheat on him. He didn’t. But he knew that he’d been working insanely long hours for the last few months.

Ben and Erin’s apartment was only fifteen minutes away from their offices. If they worked until the early hours of the morning, Ben could go home. Kian and Cate’s house was all the way across Puget Sound. If he tried to go home, it would take him so long that he would literally have like ten minutes in the house before he had to turn around and go straight back out again so some nights he slept on the sofa in his office.

He was juggling lots of different balls in the air – work, the children, Cate - and unfortunately the one that got dropped the most was Cate.

“I really need it to be January seventeenth already.” He and Cate desperately needed this weekend away just the two of them.

“Cate’s still got no idea what you’ve got planned?”

Kian shook his head, “nope. I’m sure she’s tried to wheedle the information out of Anna but fortunately she doesn’t know anything either since I made all the arrangements myself.”

“I can’t believe you won’t even tell me where you’re going.”

Kian laughed, “you’re Cate’s brother but more importantly, if I tell you what I’ve got planned I might as well tell Erin because you can’t keep anything secret from your lovely wife.”

“That’s not true,” Ben frowned.

“Oh, yeah?” Kian smirked, “have you ever actually managed to surprise your wife for Christmas, her birthday or your anniversary?”

“Well no,” Ben folded his arms across his chest, “but that’s not because I’m a blabbermouth, it’s because my wife doesn’t like surprises.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kian laughed, “you keep telling yourself that, loose lips.”

After they’d paid the bill, they stepped out into the bright sunlight. “I’m glad we came down here,” Ben said, shrugging on his jacket. “After talking to the guys some more, I think you’re right and we shouldn’t pull the plug on our investment just yet.”

“I told you,” Kian reached into his pocket for the keys to the rental car.

“Don’t look so smug,” Ben chided, “Let’s see where we are in three months’ time.”

 

After they’d finished up in Fresno, they got a late flight back to Seattle. Kian called Cate from the parking lot at the airport.

“I need you to promise me something,” Cate croaked. Kian smirked. Cate didn’t often drink alcohol so she hadn’t developed any coping mechanisms for having a hangover. “If you ever see me within a three-mile radius of a bottle of absinthe, you have my permission to literally tape my mouth shut. No, it doesn’t even have to be absinthe, any alcohol. I’m serious; I’m never drinking alcohol ever again. I’m not even going to eat those lovely rum balls you get in the pick and mix at the cinema back home in England.”

Kian laughed, “poor baby, have you got a headache?”

Cate whimpered, “I’ve got a whole body ache.”

“Maybe you can get Erik to come over and give you another massage with his magic hands. I bet those lovely, long fingers would feel so good right about now.”

“No.” She sounded so mortified, he could tell that up until that moment she hadn’t realised that she’d drunkenly chatted with him about her masseuse. “That’s it; I’m definitely never drinking again. Nothing good ever comes from mixing me and alcohol.”

“I don’t know, it was after you’d had your first beer that we conceived Lo.”

“Ew,” Kian could tell that she was wrinkling up her nose. “That makes it sound seedy and disgusting. I had like two sips of the stuff to keep you company. I poured most of the bottle down the sink.”

“I’ve got good news, angel,” Kian switched to hands-free as he started up the engine. “I might not have magic hands like Erik but if you’re still awake when I get home, I’ll massage that achy body of yours.”

“You’re coming home?” Cate’s voice suddenly sounded much brighter. “Where are you?”

“I’m just leaving the airport now.”

“That’s brilliant but I think my news is even better.”

“What’s that then?”

“On second thoughts, I feel a bit bad calling it good news because I love your mum but anyway, she and Bernard flew home this morning so we get our bed back, yay!”

“You and alcohol might not mix too well but the combination of you and our bed sounds so fucking good right now, angel.”

“I’ve missed you,” Cate sounded a little sad and Kian felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest. “Remind me when you get home to steal your passport and driving licence and find a really good hiding place for them both.”

“I’ve missed you too, angel,” Kian said softly.

“I know how you can make it up to me.”

“Yeah?”

“You could tell me where we’re going for our super-secret weekend away?”

Kian shook his head, “that’s definitely not happening.”