Chapter 28
Harper didn’t think the day could get any worse after she left Georgia’s side. Not only was her aunt in hospital with an unknown ailment, she couldn’t go back to the city, and now of all people, David had shown up. She could only imagine what Brookes was thinking. She sensed his fury the moment she laid eyes on him. He had a right to be furious. She hadn’t divulged any information about her life back in the city. Not that David was relevant, not anymore. She had made it clear that she wasn’t after commitment. He’d pushed, and she told him she wanted to break it off. He seemed not to have taken her wishes seriously and obviously had a different definition of what a break was.
‘I’m sorry you had to drive all the way here, David. But you can’t stay.’
He put his arms around her. ‘Harper, why do you keep pushing me away?’
‘I told you this wasn’t working for me.’
‘I thought a month was enough time. Then I found out that you came out here, and you didn’t even tell me.’
‘David, what part of we are not together is not clear?’
‘Your things are still in my apartment.’
‘Things which I asked for on several occasions, but you failed to give back.’
‘I thought with a few weeks, you’d change your mind.’
‘Look David, we had fun. But you and I both know that we don’t work. It was convenient until it wasn’t.’
‘Is this about the secretary?’
‘What?’
‘Nothing.’
She expected to feel hurt and pain, instead there was a sense of relief.
‘David,’ Leo called out. ‘Will you be joining us for dinner?’
‘Yes.’
‘No.’
They said at the same time. Harper threw her brother a look that should have told him she was ready to strangle him.
‘I’ll add an extra setting to the table.’
‘I told you your family will love me.’ He put his hand around her, but she stepped away and opened the passenger side of the car and took out the flowers she’d purchased. They needed water fast if they were to not wilt by the evening.
She didn’t have the energy for this. She locked the car and went up to the house, dreading the next confrontation. Even before she crossed the threshold, she sensed the tension. She heard the thump of the knife against the wooden chopping board before she saw Brookes standing in front of it, his face turned towards the window so she couldn’t see his expression.
David was at her heels. ‘I knew she’d love the surprise,’ he said.
Harper turned and glared at him. ‘I hate surprises.’
‘She does,’ Brookes added under his breath.
‘Did you know she got upset each Christmas when someone tried to do something special for her?’
‘Seriously.’
‘Harper is the death of surprises. She has to have everything planned out and prepared for.’
She grabbed a vase and let the water run from under the sink, wishing she was anywhere but here with them two.
‘Did you tell your boyfriend about the time you got the trip overseas?’ Brookes stared at her. ‘Business class tickets to New Zealand.’
‘Amazing.’
‘She refused to go.’
‘No way.’
‘Way,’ Brookes stressed the word to make a point.
Harper rolled her eyes.
‘That’s ungrateful, isn’t it?’
‘Or the time she inherited a vineyard and wanted to throw it all away?’
‘You inherited a vineyard?’
Harper smiled. ‘Right. This was fun. I’ll be outside setting up.’
She pushed past them without another word. Her insides were twisting and turning. How had David found her address? What in the world had he been thinking that this, in any way, shape or form, was a good idea? She could only imagine what was running through Brookes’ mind.
Outside, the air hit her lungs, and she breathed a sigh of relief. This trip was becoming a nightmare. She shouldn’t have come. She should have ignored Leo’s calls and continued with her life. But she was here now, and it was almost like she had never left. Spending time with her family made her realise she missed them, and Brookes, too. After this past week, she knew she wasn’t over him as much as she wanted to be. Sleeping with him hadn’t helped, and neither had spending the days revamping Mathers Vineyard. Now with David here, it just unnecessarily complicated things even more.
Behind her, the door opened, and Brookes was grabbing her by the arm, pulling her down the veranda steps and towards the cellar door where they had made love only the other day. He slammed the door shut and stared at her. His gaze had a cold and furious glare to it.
‘Boyfriend?’ The accusatory tone dug into her chest. ‘You don’t think that was a piece of information you should have mentioned the other night before we fucked on that bar?’ He pointed at it with disgust.
‘David is none of your business,’ Harper said.
‘I beg to differ.’
‘He’ll be gone by tonight.’
‘I doubt that very much. He’s already pumped himself a glass of Georgia’s brandy and if he’s staying for dinner, he will be in no state to drive anywhere. He’ll be camping out in your room.’
‘Grow up, Brookes.’
‘Me?’ He pointed a finger at himself. ‘I’m supposed to grow up?! Look at you, Miss Prim and Proper. You came back here; you fucked me like there was no tomorrow and all this time you had a boyfriend.’
She was fuming now, too. The audacity of him. That was one of the things that had driven her crazy — the jealousy and jumping to conclusions without having the entire story.
‘Ex-boyfriend,’ Harper said through gritted teeth. ‘Like you can talk, Lisa has been running after you like a lost puppy. What did you tell her, that you’d love her forever? Was that before or after you slept with her?’
‘I don’t profess my love just to anyone,’ he said. ‘Lisa and I are just friends, if that.’
‘Bullshit, not according to her.’
He shook his head. ‘What business is it of yours? You left, remember? Without a word, to say the least. What I do or don’t do is none of your business.’
‘Neither is my life.’
‘That’s different.’
‘Fuck you,’ Harper said.
‘Been there, done that.’
‘You’re reprehensible.’
‘Well, you didn’t seem to have a problem with that when you were begging for more.’
‘I have a problem with it now.’
He came towards her, grabbed her by the neck and kissed her hard, his tongue slipping between her lips, exploring her mouth as if there was deep hunger within him. The tingling in her stomach dropped lower to her pelvis immediately. She felt herself losing control of her body, of her senses, as his hands explored her back and held her close.
No, she couldn’t do this. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away.
‘Do you love him?’ Brookes asked.
She stared at him. ‘David is none of your business.’
‘Do you love him?’
‘No.’
‘Did you?’
‘No.’
She needed to get out of the room. The close proximity between them was making her uncomfortable in ways she didn’t want to think about. She wasn’t afraid of Brookes; she was afraid of what she might do if they were in the room together much longer. Her body ached for him, but she had to use her head. She needed to be logical about this. They didn’t have a future. Their relationship was in the past, no matter how much her body craved his. A relationship couldn’t just be physical, it needed much more than that.
‘When was it over?’ Brookes asked, his tone lighter, the anger slowly dissipating.
‘I’m done with this conversation,’ Harper said. ‘Let me pass, or I will scream.’
He stepped aside.
She hesitated for a moment before striding past him without bothering to give him a second glance. When she was outside, she saw David walking out of the house with a glass of brandy in his hand and he lifted it up to her.
‘Your aunt has good taste.’
Of course she does. Georgia had good taste in most things. But David wouldn’t have known that. He wouldn’t have appreciated it because he didn’t like the simple things. It was all about luxury and opulence. It was fun for a moment, but it wasn’t her.
‘I’m going to organise you a motel in town,’ Harper said.
‘I can’t stay with you, here?’
‘No,’ Harper said.
‘So you were serious then, this break. It wasn’t just a break; it was the break.’
‘David, you and I, well you know — we don’t work.’
‘You want this?’ he said, moving his hand with the brandy glass upwards and across the horizon.
‘I don’t know what I want right now.’ And that was the truth. She’d been here for a week, and she didn’t miss the hustle and bustle of the city. But would she feel the same way a week from now? Her heart and body ached for Brookes, but that could have just been history trying to repeat itself, and repeating history was never a good idea. No, she had to get her thoughts and feelings straightened. Being involved with anyone was not a good idea right now. She had to focus on herself. What did she want? Did she even know?
David didn’t leave.Leo had insisted that at least he stayed for the dinner. He made the long drive and after a few too many brandies, driving back wasn’t an option. It was no effort for Leo to add an extra setting, but Brookes made no attempt to hide his contempt. He didn’t speak to Harper all evening, just grunted whenever she asked a question or made a comment. So, she gave up. She avoided approaching him and made herself scarce as much as possible.
Tomorrow was supposed to be a big event for the vineyard, for the estate and its future. She didn’t want to let Georgia down, but of course, the night could not go without a hitch. That just wasn’t her life. David showing up was bad on more than one account. She had broken up with him not just because the relationship had no future, but also because it had become a conflict of interest. It was something she couldn’t tell him, but a relationship would only jeopardise her position and everything that she had worked for. She needed him gone as soon as possible. Her protests to him staying were in vain because both Leo and Brookes insisted he ate and drank.
‘So how did you two meet?’ Brookes asked, looking at David.
‘Work function.’
‘Did you move into real estate, Harper?’
‘It was actually a charity function. Both my company and David’s were sponsors.’
‘Actually, Harper was the organiser of the event. She was a stunner and raised almost half a million dollars.’
‘That’s impressive.’
‘Falling for her was a no-brainer.’
‘Of course.’
Harper finished her wine and pushed her glass aside. She didn’t want or need this conversation to continue.
‘I think someone should drive you and your car back into town. There’s a bed-and-breakfast that has some availability. I’ve checked you in.’
‘We’ve still got a lot to catch up on,’ Brookes said.
Harper shot him a look that caused him to put his arms up in defence. ‘Ok, ok. I get when it’s time to call it a night.’ He turned to David. ‘We’re having a dinner tomorrow to show off this place. If you’re still in town, you should join us.’
David’s eyes perked up. ‘You know what? I just might do that. Don’t know when I’ll get another chance to get out here. Probably never.’
When David finally left,Harper relaxed. The fact that he’d driven all the way here to see her bothered her. She’d made it clear that it was over, and he hadn’t put up a fight at all. There was something that troubled her about his visit, the timing of it. Was it possible that he knew what she was working on? She’d been so careful with her investigation that there was no way there could have been a leak. She didn’t speak to anyone about her work until she was ready to file a report. Even her superiors were left in the dark for just that reason. People talked, said things without thinking, and that’s when trouble brewed.
The internet connection in the house was terrible, and she had trouble logging into her emails. There were files on her computer, though. She went into her room and made sure that her laptop was still safely tucked away in the wardrobe underneath a pile of sweaters. She was being paranoid, but it was better than losing a year’s worth of work and the biggest case of her career.
That night, Harper slept restlessly, tossing and turning. She worried about Georgia, and about work, and about Brookes. She was conflicted about the vineyard and what they should do about it. A part of her entertained the thought of staying and running the place with Brookes, but the reality was that was an impossible dream. They wanted different things. His life was here, hers was in the city. She’d worked too hard to give that all up now, hadn’t she?
The next morning,still feeling tired, Harper got up, dressed, had a light meal, and drove into town to see Georgia. Zoe was already there, chatting away with the doctor.
‘You should have said you were coming,’ Harper said once the doctor walked away.
‘I wanted to get in early and run some errands. And you looked like you needed the extra sleep last night.’
‘Thanks. I didn’t sleep much at all.’
‘Brookes definitely laid it into David. The hostility could be cut with a knife.’
‘I don’t think David noticed.’
‘He seems a bit full of himself. Whatever did you see in him?’
‘Long story,’ Harper said, not wanting to get into it. ‘Is Georgia up?’
‘A nurse is with her. Her vitals are improving, and she should be coming home in the next few days. They’ve insisted she stay longer, so she doesn’t exert herself.’
‘Good idea. I assume that was your suggestion.’
‘Let’s keep that between you and me.’
Harper smiled. ‘If it was up to Georgia, she’d be home right now, running circles around everyone. At least she should be okay for the Christmas in July dinner.’
The hospital visit gave Harper some comfort that Georgia was going to be okay. She’d also noticed Zoe with the doctor, who had definitely been flirting. Her sister could use some luck in her love life.
Back at the family estate,Leo had the table set up on the back veranda overlooking the vineyard. Gentle fairy lights hung from the roof, which, once the sun set in a couple of hours, would provide an incandescent glow.
‘Where’s Brookes?’
‘At Mathers Vineyard. He had a call from one of the tradies. Something to do with the plumbing bursting. Don’t worry, it sounds more serious than it is. He should be back within an hour.’
She looked at her watch. They only had a few hours left and now she was not only worried about tonight’s dinner, but Mathers Vineyard too.