Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
I feel like I haven’t seen Anna in forever. We’ve talked on the phone, but I haven’t seen her in person since I visited a month ago. Some things are best saved for a face-to-face visit, so I haven’t told her everything yet, including the developments with Jarvis.
But we need to catch up this weekend because I’m bringing her the artwork that will go in her café for our collaboration.
It took a few weeks to choose appropriate pieces and get permission from the artists, but we settled on a lovely selection featuring pinks and blacks to fit with the shop’s existing colour scheme.
Jarvis and I have decided to spend the night in Brisbane at the same time, so we’ve booked a room at one of the Meriton hotels. The plan is to visit Anna and Kurt first, and then we’ll have the rest of the evening to enjoy each other’s company.
On the way down, I confess to Jarvis that Anna doesn’t know we’re back together.
“Do you think it will be okay if I go to their house? Would it be better if I stayed in the car? Or if I went to the hotel to wait for you?”
“No, no. I’d like to introduce you. I’m sure Kurt and Anna will understand more than anyone how things can change when new information emerges.”
“I’m happy to follow your lead, so just tell me what to do.”
“I will.”
We arrive at Kurt and Anna’s house, and while I was determined not to get worked up, I still feel jittery. I’m about to blend two of my worlds, and I want them to get along.
Jarvis gets some of the paintings from the backseat and follows me to the front door.
I knock, and a second later, Anna throws open the door.
“Hello! It feels like I haven’t seen you in years!”
I laugh. “I was thinking the same thing on the drive down. It’s only been four weeks, but I’ve been to Scotland, and you went on a road trip…”
“I see you brought a helper,” Anna observes.
Jarvis’s face had been obscured by the paintings, but he lowers them to his waist. “Uh, hi.”
“This is Jarvis,” I say, trying to sound natural.
Anna presses her lips together. “Okay, I need to hear the story behind this.”
Kurt appears behind Anna and smiles at me. “Hey, cuz.”
“I think we’re going to have to re-evaluate that title,” I say, giving him a pointed look.
He smiles sheepishly. “I guess you found out, huh?”
“We’re going to need more than an afternoon and several bottles of wine to get through the events of recent weeks,” I joke.
“It’s possible,” Kurt concedes.
We follow them inside, and Anna instructs Jarvis to put the art in the spare room for now.
Kurt grabs a bottle of wine and glasses, and we all sit in the living room.
Anna speaks first. “I should probably tell you before we start that this is non-alcoholic wine.”
I break out in a grin. “So you are pregnant?”
“Yup. Almost ten weeks now. I did a pregnancy test after I last saw you, and it came back positive, but I didn’t want to tell anyone until I’d been to the doctor, and she advised I hold off telling anyone until at least twelve weeks because I was considered slightly high risk.
But then I realised since I already know the outcome, I don’t need to listen to her warning. ”
Jarvis looks confused. “You already know the outcome?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Anna was given a trial of a different compound last year, and it sent her forward in time. She found out she had at least two kids.”
“Obviously, you’ve already told Jarvis about the other stuff,” Anna says.
“I wasn’t going to. Except he stole half my dose while we were flying to Edinburgh, so we both had a few hours together in 1999.”
“I thought it was just a regular dream at the time, though,” Jarvis explains. “I only found out the truth later.”
Anna presses her hands to her head. “It feels like there’s too much to cover all at once.”
“Wait. I still want to enjoy the news of your pregnancy,” I say. “And the fact I’ll be an actual aunt. Not just some stupid first cousin once removed.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Kurt says. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I had planned to once Anna told you she was pregnant. I mean, maybe not today, but definitely soon. Although with your dad and Chris not knowing…”
I already knew Chris hadn’t been told, but it didn’t occur to me that Dad might not know either, and I feel strangely better. But I’m also sad that Mum didn’t feel she could tell him.
“It’s okay. I’m sure it was a huge shock for you to find out.”
“Yes, no thanks to my lovely wife, who couldn’t help meddling.”
“Is that what you meant when you said you almost lost him?” I ask Anna.
“Yes. I accidentally found out when I was back in 1998.”
“Hey! That means we’re sisters-in-law now!”
“You already felt like a sister.”
“Aw, right back at you.”
Anna waves her hands between me and Jarvis. “So it seems you also discovered some important information back in the past that resulted in this.”
“It’s kind of an insane story. Do you have several hours?”
Anna grins. “Yes. Tell us everything.”
***
As Jarvis and I drive to the hotel afterward, he smiles.
“You have a very supportive family.”
“Anna and Kurt are the best,” I agree. “My parents aren’t known for being particularly open or caring, but I guess they worked with what they had.
And if my mother had to endure a difficult relationship before meeting my dad, I can understand why she might have had trouble learning to how to navigate her emotions as an adult. ”
Jarvis reaches across and holds my hand. “I’m just glad you remained an open and caring person despite what you went through with me.”
“At least there was a reason for that. Not like with a certain other ex-husband.”
Last week, I told Jarvis everything that happened with Frankie. I didn’t want him thinking there was even a remote chance of me seeing that guy again.
“If he ever gets back in touch, tell me, and I’ll sort him out.”
I laugh. “You’ll beat him up for me?”
“Maybe. The studio might not be happy if I’m covered in bruises, but I’m sure they could write it into the storyline. Or get me some extra-strength costume makeup.”
“You don’t have to beat him up. He lives here in Brisbane, so I’m unlikely to see him regularly.”
“Still. Don’t feel like you have to face anything alone from now on. We’re in this life together.”
“It appears we are.”
We arrive at the hotel and check in. Our room is on the fortieth floor, and when I open the door to our room, the evening city lights are laid out below us.
I stand near the window and look at the view. Jarvis comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“I never dared to imagine being able to spend time with you like this again. Even though I desperately wanted to.”
I lean back against his chest. “At least we got there eventually.”
“Do you know I fell in love with you the moment I saw you?”
I turn to face him. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I still remember the exact moment our eyes connected back in 2015. You had just started working at the gallery, and I came in, pretending to look for a friend, but I really just wanted an excuse to talk to you.”
“Well, it seems you got over your fear of looking sleazy to women who worked in shops on Main Street,” I tease.
“You can’t get mad at me for that when that was also you!”
“When you kissed me at the community centre, I wondered if you were just trying to fulfill some teenage fantasy.”
“That wasn’t it at all! I told you, I thought it was you, and I wanted to kiss you! Don’t you remember me saying something like it was just as I expected?”
“Maybe?”
“That’s because I expected it to feel like I was kissing you. And it was.”
I don’t say anything, but it kind of makes sense.
“Do you believe me?”
“I believe you,” I say begrudgingly.
“Good.” He reaches forward and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You are so beautiful.”
Those blue-green eyes are working their magic, and I start to melt under his gaze.
He steps toward me, and our lips are about to meet when his phone buzzes.
I sigh. “Do you need to get that?”
“Nope.”
“But what if it’s the studio? You’ve only just gotten back in their good books.”
“I’ll make sure they don’t question my dedication again, but you’re right.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and looks at the screen.
And frowns.
“What?” I ask.
He steps back and sits on the couch, reading something that is obviously causing him discomfort.
“What happened? Is it Cameron again?”
“No, it’s not Cameron.”
“Then what is it?”
He puts the phone down and stands, heading for the kitchen. “Nothing important. Do you want some sparkling wine?”
I hurry over and force him to face me. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“I promise, it’s nothing to concern yourself with.”
“Hey, it might not be something that concerns me, but it clearly concerns you, so please tell me. You promised you wouldn’t retreat anymore.”
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and then he seems to realise I’m right.
“Sorry, it’s a force of habit. I hate burdening people with stuff, and you are the last person I want to do it to.”
“We just had this discussion! We’re in it together. I’m not as fragile as you seem to think. Let me be your equal.”
He smiles faintly. “I know you’re not fragile. You’re stronger than anyone I know, and I never thought you were less than me. It was me who never felt good enough for you.”
“You are plenty good enough for me. Now quit the theatrics and tell me what’s going on.”
He chuckles. “I guess you can’t take the acting out of the actor, huh?
Okay, I just got an email from John, the lawyer.
He’s saying Florence’s brother is contesting the will.
As you already knew, she didn’t have a husband or children, but her brother is claiming he was unfairly left out.
John seems to think he won’t succeed since he wasn’t financially dependent on Florence and didn’t live with her, and Florence didn’t have any moral obligation to provide for him—but it still has to go through a bit of a process. ”
“Ugh. Money is evil, isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t even sure I wanted to sell the castle right away.
I was going to talk to you about it, and I know you said you don’t need a share of the inheritance, but I wanted to include you in the process anyway.
I thought if we held onto it for a while longer, we could maybe see if Ginny and Lee want to stay and look after the place, and then we can rent it out as holiday accommodation?
I guess if Florence’s brother is successful in contesting the will, we could ask him to agree to a share of the accommodation profits rather than have him force us to sell the whole castle? ”
“It’s totally up to you, but it does sound lovely to hold onto it. When it’s not being rented out, we could go and visit—maybe when you next have time off the show?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. And I’d like the stay to resemble the first time we visited, rather than the second.”
I laugh. “Me too.”
He suddenly picks me up. “But first, we have this fancy hotel room to take advantage of. It would be a shame for it to go to waste.”
“We couldn’t have that.”
He carries me to the bedroom and lays me gently on the bed before perching over me.
“God, I love you.”
“I love you too.”