Chapter Fifteen

Izzy

Waitangi Day dawns bright and cloudless. It’s already hot when I get up, so I know it’s going to be roasting this afternoon.

Leon’s party doesn’t start until two p.m., and the Ark’s shut today, so I have an unexpected day off.

The first thing I do, like always, is check my emails on my phone. There are several Ark-related ones, one from my mother saying hi, one from Fitz asking if we can pick him up on the way to the party because his car’s in the garage being repaired after he backed into a wall.

There’s one whose email address I don’t recognize. Spam, I think? But the subject heading is Hal. Frowning, I click on it.

There’s only one short paragraph, and no signature.

You think he could ever love you? You fucking bitch. Go to hell.

I stare at it. I’ve never received hate mail before, and I’m genuinely shocked.

I hover my thumb over the delete button. What should I do? Should I keep it as evidence? Then I huff a sigh. It was almost certainly a one-off. She probably regretted writing it as soon as she hit ‘send’. She’s hurting, and I can’t blame her. She had Hal and lost him, and she must feel as if her world’s coming to an end. I can understand that.

I delete the email and put it to the back of my mind.

Albie and Nix are up soon after me—we’ve trained ourselves to rise early and it’s hard to break that habit, even when we don’t have to work. We have a coffee together outside on the deck, Albie reading his iPad while Nix and I chat.

“What are you wearing?” Nix asks me.

“Shorts, probably,” Albie answers. “And my black Nirvana T-shirt.”

We both laugh. “What time’s Remy coming?” I ask him. Remy is starting work at the Ark next week in the grooming center. She interviewed with Leon a few weeks ago and told him she’d moved up from Auckland and would need somewhere to live, and Leon’s asked Albie whether he wants to rent out his fourth bedroom. I don’t think Albie envisaged living with three women when he bought his house, but as all three of us spend more time at the Ark than we do at home, it’s worked so far, and he’s too good natured to say no to Leon.

“At ten,” he says.

“What’s her surname?” Nix asks.

“De La Vieuville,” I tell her.

“Sounds like a stripper,” Albie comments.

“That’s the kind of thing you don’t say in front of her,” Nix advises.

He gives her a wry look. “Give me some credit.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, Albie.”

He returns his gaze to his iPad, and Nix and I exchange an amused look. We like to tease him, and he loves it really.

“Hal picking you up?” Nix asks me.

“No, I’m meeting him there.” My stomach gives a strange little flip at the thought. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, especially since Rosie left. The atmosphere at the Ark has settled down, and I’m relieved there’s been little backlash from anyone to my new relationship with Hal.

It’s been fun dating, and he’s certainly not pressured me to take the relationship further, but I know I can’t hold him off forever. And I don’t want to. When he kisses me, he turns me molten inside, and I’m desperate for more. But it’s a big step for me. I think he knows that, which is why he’s kept it light. But it’s not fair to keep him waiting. We’re not sixteen. Either this relationship is going somewhere or it isn’t, and I think we both hope it is.

I have a shower and get dressed in a new pair of light orange capri pants and match it with a thin long-sleeved T-shirt that’s tie-dyed orange and yellow. They’re brighter colors than I normally wear—I tend to prefer darker, natural colors—but it’s going to be hot today and I feel summery inside. I blow-dry my hair and pin it up loosely. I’m tempted to wear it down because Hal likes it, but it’s too hot.

At just before ten there’s a knock on the door and Nix goes to let in Remy. She brings her through to the deck, where Albie and I are having a glass of iced tea, and we rise to shake her hand. As her name suggests, she’s French, although she tells us she’s been here for several years. She’s medium height, dark haired, and extremely pretty, in an elegant, Audrey-Hepburn-as-Holly-Golightly kind of way. She’d look good in pearls with a cigarette in a holder and a big hat.

“So are you looking forward to starting work at the Ark?” I ask her. I glance at Nix, whose gaze slides to Albie. He’s looking at Remy. His face is carefully blank, which normally means he’s thinking furiously. He doesn’t always talk much with people he doesn’t know as he worries about saying something he shouldn’t, but I suspect that’s not the issue here.

“Oh yes,” Remy says in her cute French accent. “I worked at a grooming parlor in Auckland for a year, so I’m used to handling animals. It’s going to be fun. It’s a nice place to work, yes?”

“Definitely,” Nix says. “We all work there. I’m a PA to the head of HR, and Izzy’s a vet.”

Remy nods. “What do you do?” She directs the question at Albie.

Nix opens her mouth, presumably to announce that Albie’s one of the directors, but he gives a small, almost imperceptible shake of his head, and she closes it again, giving me an amused look.

“I’m the gardener,” he says.

“Oh. You like plants?”

“I do. Especially those with leaves. And flowers.”

She narrows her eyes. “You are teasing me.”

“Moi?” He gives her an innocent look.

Nix snorts and I chuckle. “Yes, he’s teasing you,” I tell her, wondering how she’ll react. If she doesn’t get Albie’s sense of humor, she’s not going to fit in very well.

Her dark eyes flash. “So, Albie,” and she says it in such a cute way that I know he’s melting inside, “you live here with two girls? That is a bit strange, no?”

“They’re my workmates,” he says, and he doesn’t smile, but I know he’s amused. “Not girls.”

“Even so.” She waves a hand. “Having a man around the house… I suppose it means I cannot walk around in my underwear.”

His eyes widen a fraction. “Depends,” he says. “Is it lacy?”

“Mon Dieu.” She rolls her eyes, but she’s obviously enjoying herself.

“De La Vieuville sounds like a stripper’s name,” Albie says, prompting Nix to cough into her tea. I wince. He’s used to near-the-knuckle jokes with us, but sometimes he forgets he can’t be that bold in other company.

“It’s none of your business what I do in my spare time,” Remy retaliates.

I laugh and hold out my hand. “Welcome to the house, Remy. It’s going to be fun.”

She laughs and shakes it, and Nix’s too.

“Do I have a say in it?” Albie asks.

“Stop it,” I scold him. “She’s wonderful, and she gets you. Of course she’s going to stay.”

He finally smiles and shakes Remy’s hand, and she gives him a wicked smile. Oh, I think, this is going to be fun!

We discuss deposits and rent, and then she says she has to be somewhere and heads off. When she’s gone, Nix says to him, “Why didn’t you tell her this is your house?”

He shrugs, picks up his iPad, and gets to his feet. “It’s not important.”

He means he wanted to see how she’d react to him before she knew he’s a director of the Ark and a billionaire.

“She likes you,” Nix tells him.

He mumbles something about women making his life a misery and walks off.

Nix and I grin at each other. “All right,” she says, “I’m going to get ready.” She heads off to her room.

I stretch out in the chair, enjoying the warm sun on my face. I feel good today. Remy’s going to be fun. I’m going to a party with all my friends. I’ll be seeing Hal again. And maybe, just maybe, the night might end with more than a kiss.

*

The three of us arrive at Leon’s house just after two.

Leon’s the most ostentatious of all the King cousins. His house sits a little outside Paihia, on a private road right on the beach. He had it built, and it’s palatial, far too big for one person. He says he likes space, and there’s certainly plenty of that. It’s all high ceilings, polished rimu wood, and glass. Despite this, it doesn’t feel cold and sterile; it’s very lived-in. He has four dogs, and the floors are covered in sand. The furniture’s expensive, but there are cushions and beanbags everywhere, and it’s not one of those places where you’re frightened to sit in case you crease something.

Today the place is full of people, and I smile as we walk in and I recognize every face. Everyone is either related to Leon or works at the Ark. I spot the three King brothers, Brock, Charlie, and Matt, and their wives. Leon’s step-cousins are there, two of them, anyway as Noah would never come—Summer, with her husband Zach and their two kids, and Ryan, who’s Hal’s stepbrother. Stefan and Fitz are out on the deck having a beer, and so are the King cousins’ siblings—Jules, Poppy, and Clio. The rest are people from the Ark, the girls in the grooming center, the staff from the hotel, those who work in the offices, and even the guys who work out in the fields. There are also lots of dogs belonging to different people, so the place is a mess of noise and movement. I love it.

It’s Waitangi Day, a day of celebration, and as Hal comes up to me and slides an arm around my waist, I rise up on tiptoes and kiss him. He holds me there, his arm tight, and when I move my head back I see his eyes glitter. He’s full of energy today, practically humming with it, as if he’s an actor due to go on stage or an athlete about to take part in a race.

“What’s up with you?” I murmur as he nuzzles my neck. I can feel my face flushing—people are watching. He’s not worried about hiding his affection for me.

“You’ve got my motor running,” he tells me, nipping my earlobe.

“Ouch.” My heart is thumping. “I’ve only just got here.”

“Oh, I’ve been thinking about you all morning.” His hand’s in the middle of my back, splayed at the base of my spine, holding me to him, a tad possessive. “Izzy, you look amazing today. Hot as.”

“It’s you that’s hot as.” I feel a bit dizzy, like Icarus, flying too near to the sun.

“You’re a piece of summer.” His warm breath fans over my ear. “I bet you taste like strawberries.” His hand slides to my butt, leaving me in no doubt as to which piece of my anatomy he’s referring to.

My face flames at the thought of Hal King kissing down my body and burying his mouth in me. “Jesus. You’ve got to stop or I’m going to self-combust.”

He chuckles, but luckily I’m rescued as his parents approach, and Hal releases me reluctantly.

“Hello, Izzy.” Brock King bends to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I laugh and throw my arms around his neck for a hug. He’s so like his son—big, warm, and charming, only his hair is silver, and there are more creases at the corner of his eyes. I hug Hal’s Mom too, and Erin returns it with affection. I’ve known them since high school, and they’ve always been like second parents to me, especially since my father died.

“Hey, boy.” Brock gives his son a bear hug. I smile at the sight of Hal being enveloped. He’s open about returning it, though, which I like. He’s never been shy about showing affection for his parents.

He kisses his mom, and she throws him a sly look, glancing at me. “You two seem to be getting on well.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, “you can stop with the third degree. We’re dating.”

“At last.” Brock rolls his eyes. “It only took you… what? Eighteen years.”

“I like to take my time about these things.”

“That was positively glacial,” Brock points out. “I could have told you when you were eleven you were going to marry the girl.”

I blush scarlet. Hal gives his father a wry look and takes my hand. “And on that note, it’s time for a drink, Izz.” He leads me away, his parents’ laughter following us.

“Sorry,” he says as we approach the drinks table. He reaches for a bottle of Merlot, and when I nod, he pours a glass. “They’re excited, that’s all.”

“Aren’t they upset you broke up with Rosie?” I accept the glass and sip the wine.

“They never said as much, but I don’t think they were that keen on her.” He flips the lid off a bottle of Steinlager and takes a swig. “Whereas they’ve always liked you. They’d be over the moon if we married. Jeez, it’s hot today.”

I agree and nod as he starts talking about the lack of rain and whether the storm the Met Office have forecast will make an appearance, but I’m only half listening as his words ring around my head. They’ve always liked you. They’d be over the moon if we married.

Married? I find it hard to breathe. We’ve been dating a fortnight. We haven’t even gone to bed yet. It was a throwaway comment; it wasn’t as if Hal was proposing, but I feel hot inside at the fact that the word is being bandied about so easily, as if it’s a balloon being passed in the air from person to person.

In the beginning, I thought he just wanted to get me into bed. Now there’s the notion of forever lying on the horizon like the storm clouds.

It’s not that I wouldn’t want to marry Hal. To have Hal at my side, forever? The notion makes me want to cry.

He thinks he knows me. But he doesn’t know it all. What will he think when he finds out?

Maybe he doesn’t have to.

The idea comes to me out of nowhere. I don’t have to tell him everything. A couple can have secrets. We’re nearly thirty; we’re not eighteen-year-olds, fresh out of school. I’m sure there are things he doesn’t want to tell me about his past. And so I think I’ll keep Pandora’s box firmly closed, and throw away the key.