Love (15 page)

So after a
simple kiss goodnight, Karen was left to muse about the events of the evening and what had so nearly come to pass between them. Perhaps he didn’t want a serious relationship. Besides, he’d never told her that he loved her although he had said he liked her. Like was such an awful word. She had certainly been infatuated with people, even thought she was in love briefly. But she wasn’t sure that she had always liked the object of her desire, perhaps
like
wasn’t so bad. She certainly liked Adam and wanted to spend time in his company.

All this philosophising might be
good for her soul but it did nothing to quench the aching need that Adam had left unspent. She had never felt so frustrated or so physical. Her dreams of Adam that night left her unsatisfied and wanting the real thing.

Karen was woken early by the sound of Adam calling to Humphrey for the drive to the station to collect her sister, Amanda. Try as she might, she couldn’t get back to sleep. Amanda would soon be here and casting an inquisitive eye. It was like having an investigative reporter from her family coming to stay. No doubt, they were all extremely interested in the latest turn of events and would be waiting for Amanda’s full report on her relationship with Adam.

With this in mind she had a hasty bath, put on her clothes which Mrs
Maybury had washed for her. She collected up her few possessions: the sketchbook, her pencils, and the beautiful box of water colours which Adam had given her. She didn’t want Amanda snooping around in here any longer than necessary. She pulled the bed together and then sat down on the duvet exhausted by the flurry of activity. She was still a little shaky from being in bed.

Just then she heard Adam
’s car pull into the drive. Muffled voices approached the house. Adam came through and looked surprised to see her up and dressed.

“
Oh, you should have stayed in bed. You look a little pale. There was no need to get up so early. I would have entertained Amanda.”

“T
hat’s what I was afraid of,” said Karen wryly. “I know my family. She would’ve had your life history in five minutes. I’m feeling much better anyway. Shall I strip the bed and put the sheets in the washer?”

“
No, Mrs Maybury will do all that. She’s in again on Monday. Since you are up and I’ve promised Amanda some breakfast after her night on the train, would you feel up to coming upstairs and joining us?”

Amanda was already seated at the table looking rather tired from her trip. When she saw Karen she came over and hugged her.
“You look a bit how I feel,” she said. “Here sit down. You’re awfully pale.”

“Strong
coffee is needed all round,” said Adam. “I think a bit of a fry up as well, for Amanda at least. Nothing like protein to restore the jaded traveller who has spent ten hours in a tiny train compartment.”

He was as good as his word and even Karen managed some of the crispy bacon and scrambled eggs. They were still tucking into toast and marmalade washed down with strong hot coffee when the telephone rang. It was the girls
’ mother to see if Amanda had arrived safely.

Pulling a face at Karen, Amanda assured her mother,
“Yes, I’m perfectly all right. I got here all fine. Adam fetched me from the station and we’re having breakfast ... Yes, Karen looks fine...”

Karen eventually
went to the phone herself to convince her mother that she was indeed up and ambulant and that the two of them would soon be going back to her grandmother’s cottage complete with dog.

Karen was anxious now that Amanda had arrived to get back to the cottage but Amanda was clearly in no hurry. Revived by her breakfast, she accepted eagerly when Adam offered to show her around the house and gardens. Karen thought that
for somebody who had supposedly come to look after her, Amanda was showing a lot more interest in the healthy Adam than her sick sister.

Amanda came back singing the praises of the house and its decor. She was interested in houses as she and her fiancé, Julian, were looking at possible houses in and around London. She and Adam had an animated discussion about house prices and renovations. She was madly envious when she heard about his London house. Adam offered to let Amanda and Julian have a look around when he was next up in London which, Karen learned with interest, would be quite soon. It made her realise how little she knew about him and his life outside the Cove. Ironically, she had
just begun to feel she was getting to know him.

W
hen Karen thought they would finally be able to leave, Amanda started on a new tack by asking Adam about his book which was being made into a Hollywood film.

“
Are you supervising the script?” Amanda asked.

“
I have to okay the final script,” said Adam. “I still may have to go over for some last minute re-writes before they start shooting it. In fact, I’m still waiting to hear. I may have to spend a month or two over there sorting it out plus some other business arrangements. I do work in conjunction with the National Geographic Society and I need to visit with them.”

Karen
’s heart sank and she wondered where she fitted in with all his travel plans. One minute she seemed to be part of his life, the next it was as though he had forgotten she even existed. She hoped his seeming indifference was for Amanda’s benefit.

Reluctantly, and with some prodding from Karen, Amanda was finally dragged away. Adam insisted on carrying Amanda’s case and Karen’s carrier bag of possessions. Once they were settled in the cottage and the door finally shut Amanda turned to Karen, “Right! I need details, every single juicy detail! How did you get yourself looked after by one of the best-known travel writers in the country. I’m not surprised you weren’t pleased when mum said that I was coming. You could still be tucked up in the lap of luxury.”

Karen sighed. She could see that there was no way she was going to be able to fob off Amanda, who
sniffed romance in the air. She gave her sister the edited version of the story, leaving out the kiss and other physical stuff.

Amanda
wasn’t convinced. “What? You mean he didn’t try to get off with you? Not even a teeny tiny goodnight kiss? You and him in that gorgeous house, in that huge bed which I saw ... Pull the other one, Karen. You were probably at it like rabbits!”

Karen
went red and Amanda was quick to spot this as an admission of guilt. “See! You’re blushing!” she cried. “You never could keep a secret or tell a decent lie. I don’t blame you. He’s gorgeous. Those blue eyes and that dark curly hair. Kind of an irresistible combination. If I’d been in your position I would have gone for it.”

“
Well, we didn’t leap into bed, if that’s what you’re thinking,” said Karen defensively. “We may have had a bit of a snog, but that’s as far as it went. Sadly.”

“
Ah! So you’re keen on him. I thought so. What stopped you? Has he got a significant other tucked away somewhere? It’s hard to imagine that he has got to his age without getting caught by some woman.”

Karen looked at Amanda. She had such a clinical view of life sometimes. She supposed it was because she was a family lawyer, always dealing with messy divorces and custody battles.
“We never actually discussed his love-life, past or present. Strange as it may seem to you, I’m not as nosy as you are.”

“M
ore fool you,” retorted Amanda. “I’m not saying he has got someone else. But I do remember seeing his photo in the paper with some stunning blond creature hanging off his arm. Has he said anything to you about seeing each other in London?”

“
Yes and no. He hasn’t actually named a day or anything but he has sort of implied that we would be seeing a lot of each other.”

Karen was feeling wiped out physically and psychologically. Adam had been
much more restful as a companion. She didn’t want their relationship torn apart and forensically analysed by Amanda, it was too soon. She tried to change the subject.

She tried a sure-fire winner,
“Have you found a wedding dress yet?”

Amanda was getting married in June but had been unable to choose a dress or find a pattern that she liked. The ploy worked and Amanda was soon off on
her favourite subject, she even pulled out several bridal magazines from her suitcase to show Karen. Karen, as her only bridesmaid, had still not managed to convince her sister that she did not want to look like a giant meringue in a frothy confection of a dress.

Amanda jokingly said,
“If you play your cards right, we can have a double wedding.”

“
I’ve never wanted a big wedding,” said Karen. “A few friends at a registry office is more my line. Anyway, I don’t want to get married. Painting and marriage just don’t mix unless you’re a man. And you get yourself a wife to look after you while you keep on painting.”

“T
hat was probably true once. But Adam, for instance, didn’t strike me as the sort of man who’d expect his wife to run around after him. And he certainly doesn’t need a breadwinner. Julian and I both plan to go on working and when we have a baby he’s going to take time off work too.”

“
Enough!” exclaimed Karen. “All these plans are making me tired. You forget I’ve been in bed for the last three days and I’m still not completely better. You’re supposed to be looking after me not interrogating me.”

“
You’re right,” said Amanda. “I haven’t been doing my duty. What can I do?”

“
Why don’t you take Humphrey for a walk, for starters. You can get us some fresh bread and milk at the shop on your way back. You better have a look in the fridge and see if there is anything left worth eating.”

While Amanda was out, Karen took herself upstairs for a
nap. She really was very tired from all the unaccustomed activity after three days of quiet and she was still on the antibiotics. She hoped that the lethargy wouldn’t last too long, she had lost so much valuable painting time already. This show was too important to mess about. Karen, for some reason, felt it was a real make-or-break point in her painting career. This time she might sell enough work and get enough offers for future shows to establish herself as a full-time painter.

Amanda and Karen spent a quiet evening in front of the fire, watching television. Karen missed Adam and kept expecting him to come through the door. Luckily for Karen, Amanda had slept badly on the train so she was quite happy to vegetate in front of the tele
vision without any more analysis of Adam or any more awkward questions.

Amanda and Karen were eating a late breakfast in the sunny kitchen when the telephone rang.

“
It’ll be Adam for you unless it’s mum again,” said Amanda going through to the hall to answer it.”

She came back into the kitchen,
“It’s a man for you. But it’s not Adam, you sly fox.”

Karen couldn
’t think who it could be as she went through to pick up the phone. None of her friends got up before lunch on a Sunday. She was not pleased to hear Nick’s voice when she said hello.

“
Hello, Karen. Nick here. I’ve been ringing since you ran off into the night. I’ve been worried about you. I went back to look for you but you’d disappeared. I assumed you’d got a taxi from the pub. When you didn’t answer I came by to see if you were okay. I heard on the local grapevine, down at the shop, that you were staying at Adam Chancellor’s house. I assume that’s why you weren’t interested in me. You should have told me you were seeing him Karen.”

What an irritating man, thought Karen. Here he was trying to make her feel guilty when he had behaved like a creep. What a nerve he had.
“I am sorry you troubled yourself Nick,” she said stiffly. “Anyway, who I see is my business. Thanks for calling.” She put the receiver down before he could say another word.

Karen went back into the kitchen,
“Can you believe it? The cheek of that man. That was the charming Nick. The nasty little toad who tried to feel me up in his car and started all this business. I can’t believe that he’d call me here and then try and blame me for his behaviour the other night.”

Amanda, always the solicitor said,
“He’s probably just protecting himself in case you press charges.”

“
Well,” sniffed Karen. “I shall tell Gran not to sell the cottage through him.”

“
I didn’t know Gran was selling the cottage.” Amanda was genuinely surprised.

“
No, I don’t think she is. Adam reckons that Gran was just humouring Nick, telling him that he could value the cottage. You know she’s never rude to anyone.”

Karen was still seething about Nick and the phone call when Adam knocked at the door.

“I’ve come to escort Amanda and Humphrey on a walk along the coastal path. I need to clear my head, I have another twelve hours of proof-reading ahead of me. I have to send it all off first thing Monday morning or I’m in big trouble. That means I can give you a lift to the station if you like, Amanda. You did say you were getting the eight forty train, didn’t you?”

Amanda and Humphrey were pleased. Karen less so. It didn
’t seem fair. She wanted to get some fresh air too. But Amanda and Adam were quite definite that she was still not well enough to go for a long walk. Adam, to make it up to her, promised to come and collect her after he’d dropped Amanda and posted his proofs. He said he’d take her out for the day on a mystery tour.