What Goes on Tour (24 page)

Libby dropped the spoon and raced to the front door, which was wide open. Kate was standing on the porch, her notebook in her hand, talking to the reporters who were standing around her, cameras rolling.

Libby’s stomach plummeted. No. She blinked, hoping the vision of Kate in front of the reporters would disappear.

It didn’t.

She faltered, unsure what to do.

“Kent is my uncle. He’s been taking care of me since my parents died. Emily quit as my nanny and Libby took her place.” Kate glanced down at her notepad.

Libby couldn’t stop her now, not without causing a scene, which might make matters worse.

“My grandpa is not a nice man and you shouldn’t believe what he says. I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone now, because I’m not allowed out and you’re ruining my whole holiday. Thank you.”

Kate closed her notebook, turned and walked inside with her head held high.

The reporters looked stunned. Libby hesitated and then followed up Kate’s words. “As you can see you’re upsetting my friend. Please leave now.”

She closed the door and went to find Kate.

Kate was face down on her bed sobbing. Libby ignored the nausea she felt and sat down next to Kate and rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, Katie.” She couldn’t be mad at the girl for what she had done. She’d been cooped up for days and wanting to speak out about it.

Libby closed her eyes briefly. Adrian was going to be furious when he saw the footage. He might even think Libby had encouraged Kate to give the statement.

“They made me so mad. The things they said about you and Uncle Ade. It’s not true. You’re both good people and I love you both.” Her voice was muffled against the pillow.

Libby’s heart swelled and her eyes grew moist. “I love you too, kiddo.”

Kate sat up then, wiping her hand over her eyes and nose. “Really?”

“Of course.”

Kate threw her arms around Libby and hugged her tight. “Will you come back with us? You and Uncle Ade can get married and we can all live together and we won’t have to be apart.”

Libby’s throat closed up. There was nothing she wanted more in this world, but she couldn’t lie to Kate and say it would happen. “I don’t know, Kate. It’s not something your uncle and I have discussed.”

“But you love him, don’t you?”

If only life was that simple.

Kate was waiting for an answer.

Libby couldn’t answer her. “Why don’t we talk about this later? Our soup is going cold and I need to ring your uncle and tell him what you did.”

Kate bit on her thumbnail. “You’re going to tell on me?”

Libby forced a laugh. “No, I’m going to prepare him. You might have your face on television.”

“But they wouldn’t do that, would they?” Kate looked incredulous.

“They might.” Libby was certain they would. It was too good a sound bite. And Adrian was going to be furious. Nerves played table tennis in her stomach.

Kate bit her lip. “They really are stupid heads.”

“Yep, they really are.”

Libby led the way into the kitchen and handed Kate one of the mugs. Then she set her laptop up on the kitchen table.

Kate sat at one side of the table glumly stirring the soup around.

Libby dialed Adrian’s cell but it went through to voicemail. She didn’t want to explain what had happened in a voice message, so she said, “It’s Libby. We’re both fine. Call me when you can.”

One of the reporters had implied that Kent had made a statement. She turned to her laptop and after a moment found an article on one of the Perth-based news pages.

Quickly she scanned it. The article said Kent denied all Emily’s claims of a relationship. When asked about Libby, he said she was doing some temporary work for him and refused to answer any questions about Kate or his father.

Libby bit the inside of her lip. She picked up her phone and called George.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is Adrian with you?”

“Hang on, I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Is Kate all right?” Adrian’s voice came through full of concern.

“Yes, we’re both fine. We went for a walk on the beach and when we returned there were reporters waiting at my house.”

George swore.

“We got inside without too much trouble.”

“Then what happened?” Adrian’s voice was quiet but his tone said he knew there was more to come and he wasn’t happy.

Libby stood and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. “Kate made a statement to the reporters.”

There was silence.

“What did she say?” George asked.

“She said Adrian was her uncle, Emily had quit and her grandpa wasn’t to be trusted. She said the reporters were ruining her holiday and told them to go away.”

“You let her speak to the reporters when I said she wasn’t to?” Adrian didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Did they get a picture of her?”

“They had video cameras. I’m pretty sure they were on.”

“You’d better bring her back to the hotel.” The phone went dead.

Libby hung up in shock. Adrian’s voice had been so cold. He thought she’d let Kate talk to the reporters against his wishes. She would have to explain when she got to the hotel.

She pressed her hands to her eyes. It was her fault. She knew Kate was angry and she should have kept a closer eye on her. She should have taken the time to convince Adrian to let Kate speak.

She walked down the hallway to check outside. The reporters had left. Obviously they had got what they’d come for and were returning to edit their pieces for the next news bulletin.

Libby returned to the kitchen, where Kate was still stirring her uneaten soup. “We need to go back to the hotel.”

“Is Uncle Ade mad?” Kate asked in a whisper.

“I think he’s a little upset,” Libby said, forcing a small smile. “Are you going to eat your lunch?”

Kate shook her head.

“Then we’d better get going.”

Libby carried Kate’s suitcase back out to the car. She debated taking her own luggage and then packed it just in case.

She wasn’t sure how welcome she would be.

***

Adrian paced the room, unable to sit down. How could Libby have gone behind his back like that? He’d trusted her, been so sure she’d understood him, understood why he didn’t want Kate in front of the media.

Could he have been so wrong?

“It might not be too bad,” George said from where he sat at the laptop, trying to find further details.

Adrian grunted. It hardly mattered what Kate had said. The issue was that she’d said anything. Libby had let her and Susan would be furious. The last conversation he’d had with Susan had not gone well. It would only take one more thing before she’d be suing for custody of Kate.

Something like Kate giving a statement to the media.

He huffed and ran his hands through his hair. “Found anything yet?” he asked George.

“Yeah, there’re a couple of teasers up on the websites. Turn on the TV.” George checked his watch. “I think it will be on the news bulletin.”

Adrian did as George asked and then walked over to check the articles. All of them led with the fact that Kate was Kent’s niece not his daughter, and that Libby was her nanny, adding stupid comments about women not having to worry, he was still available.

The news update came on, capturing Adrian’s attention. He walked closer as someone knocked on the hotel room door. He left George to answer it while he watched the report.

The footage focused on an old weatherboard beach shack that had seen better days. The reporter did her piece to camera, explaining that Libby had brought the mysterious young girl home with her.

The report then cut to footage of the front door opening and Kate standing there with a piece of paper in her hand. Libby was nowhere in sight. The cameraman moved to get a better shot and Libby appeared standing behind Kate in support of her.

The pain was nauseating. Until that moment, he had hoped that maybe it had been a mistake, that maybe it wasn’t as he suspected, but pictures didn’t lie. Libby was standing behind Kate, obviously complicit in what was happening. Then Libby added her few words further, proving his worst fears.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Ade.” Kate’s voice was quiet as she came into the room. Adrian turned to face her, not able to even look at the woman he’d put all his trust in.

“It’s not your fault, kiddo.” No, Libby was to blame for this. He held his arms open. “Come here.”

Kate rushed forward and threw herself into his arms. Adrian held her tight, his eyes closed.

When he opened them, he was looking right at Libby.

She didn’t flinch.

She wasn’t sorry for what she’d done.

God, it cut him to the core.

Adrian broke his hug with Kate and said to her, “I think they’ll leave us alone for a while now. What would you like to do for the rest of the day?”

“Libby can show us the city,” Kate said, glancing back at Libby.

He could barely look at the woman, let alone spend any time with her. How could he have been so wrong? “I think Libby probably has some editing to do. We can explore the city on our own.” His tone was light but there was no compromise to it.

Kate looked back at Libby, her eyes full of apology.

Adrian’s cell rang. Relieved at the interruption, he snatched it, but then his heart sunk. Susan.

Surely she hadn’t seen this already. It was close to midnight in Houston.

“Susan,” he said.

He heard Kate’s quiet gasp but focused on what Susan was saying.

“You promised me Kate wouldn’t be hounded by the media and yet you let her speak directly to them. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Adrian had never heard Susan so mad. “It wasn’t my intention to let her speak to the media. She did it while she was with her nanny.”

“You obviously haven’t chosen someone who will care for her properly. I’ve given you enough chances, Adrian. I can’t risk Kate’s welfare anymore. I will be suing for custody.”

No, this couldn’t be happening.

Adrian sunk down on the couch. “I’ll fight it.” He had to. He loved Kate and he’d promised Daniel he would take care of her.

“You won’t win.” Susan hung up.

Adrian sat holding the phone, staring at it as if he could make it disappear.

“Adrian?” George’s voice.

“She’s going for custody of Kate.” He lowered his head into his hands as Kate wailed, “No, no. I don’t want to live with her.”

Adrian didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to face Libby, but he had to soothe Kate. He half-turned and motioned to Kate. “Come here.”

George was leading Libby toward the entrance. Adrian didn’t know what he’d do without George there to help him.

Kate dashed over and Adrian pulled her onto his lap. He’d prepared for this conversation even as he hoped he’d never have to have it.

“You need to think about what you want, kiddo. If you lived with Aunt Susan, you wouldn’t have to worry about the media and you’d get to be with Jemma all the time.”

“Don’t you want me to stay with you?” Her voice was small.

“Of course I do. We have a lot of fun and I love having you here, but I want the best for you. If you want to live with Susan and Jemma, I would understand.”

Kate’s face got that set, stubborn look, so like her father that Adrian’s heart ached. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I want to stay with you. You’re so much more fun than Aunt Susan. She never has the time to play games.”

The relief washed over him like a wave. If Kate wanted to stay with him, he would fight with everything he had to keep her.

He wouldn’t let Susan have her.

And the fight would keep his mind off the pain of Libby’s betrayal.

Libby drove home in a daze.

After Susan had called, George had taken her by the arm and led her to the door, telling her Adrian needed some time to think things through.

She’d wanted to refuse to leave, to explain the situation, but then Adrian had said Susan was suing for custody. Libby knew he wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say right then. His mind would be on the bigger issue.

Still, Libby couldn’t quite believe Adrian hadn’t given her the chance to explain. Had their relationship meant nothing to him? Had he just grasped the opportunity to end it now, rather than in a few days’ time?

The doubt threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed it back.

No, she would see them in a couple of days when Adrian had his first concert in Perth. Then she would have a chance to explain.

She pulled in to her drive and turned off the car. As if on cue her phone rang. She checked the display. “Hi, George.” She tried to make her voice sound normal.

“Adrian has asked me to call you and let you know your services will no longer be required for the rest of the tour.” His tone was pure business.

Libby’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“You won’t be needed as Kate’s nanny. The rest of your contract will of course be paid out.”

Libby could barely believe what she was hearing. “But –”

“I’m sorry, Libby. Adrian can’t afford any more stunts like the one today.”

“He doesn’t want to hear my explanation?” She hated the quiver in her voice.

George paused. “No.”

Tears welled in her eyes and she forced them back. The lump in her throat was hard to swallow. “Tell them both I’m sorry and if there’s anything I can do to help, they just need to ask.”

“I will.” George hung up.

Libby sat there trying to stem the tears. She wouldn’t cry over this. She’d known it wasn’t going to last. She’d told herself she wouldn’t cry when it ended. It had just ended before she’d expected it to.

Losing her battle against the tears, she forced open her car door and rushed up the porch. When she finally got her front door open, she stumbled through and slammed it behind her. Then she gave in to the urge, sank to the ground and sobbed.

***

Libby didn’t know how long she sat there for, just that the warmth of the day was dissipating, being replaced with a chill. Slowly she got to her feet and went into the bathroom to wash her face.

Staring in the mirror she examined herself critically. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were blotchy and her plain brown hair hung straight and boring to her shoulders. Really, when she looked at herself, it was a surprise that Adrian had wanted to spend any time with her. Maybe all she had been to him was a convenient body.

She pressed her eyes shut.

No, surely she’d learned from Clint. Surely the way Adrian had behaved showed her he cared.

Or was she so desperate to be loved that she had imagined something that hadn’t been there?

Again.

Libby splashed water on her face, patting it dry with a handtowel. She had to find something to do. She couldn’t spend the rest of the day questioning her relationship or lack thereof with Adrian. She had to keep busy.

Her writing wouldn’t help her now. Her concentration was shot.

Instead Libby rang her real estate agent and arranged to go through the unit she’d rented sight unseen.

Half an hour later she was in front of the ten unit complex. It had been built in the seventies with typical brown brick and decorative white metal railings. There was nothing inspiring about it at all, but it was a roof over her head. Libby greeted the estate agent and followed him to the ground floor apartment.

The door opened straight in to the main living room. The orange shag carpet had been flattened from years of use and there were several large brown stains on it. Libby forced a smile as she walked through to the original seventies brown kitchen. The tiny bathroom with shower and basin was also the same brown.

No wonder no one was keen to rent the apartment.

The main bedroom was just big enough to fit her double bed and a single wardrobe, as long as she didn’t want to open the doors fully, and the second bedroom would fit her desk.

At least it was relatively clean.

“You can move in whenever you’re ready,” the agent said.

Libby still had two weeks left at her other rental, but there was little point in delaying the inevitable. Moving would keep her mind off other matters. She blocked the thought of Adrian from her mind as she accompanied the real estate agent back to the office to sign the papers and get the key. On her way home she picked up a stack of packing boxes and then rang a removalist to arrange for her furniture to be moved at the end of the week.

Now all she had to do was pack up her life.

And put her heart back together.

***

The media had calmed down somewhat since Kate gave her statement, but George kept monitoring the situation. Adrian wasn’t interested. The only thing that mattered was that he could lose Kate. The promise he’d made his brother – to always care for Kate if anything happened to him – would be broken and there was little he could do about it.

Thoughts of Libby popped into his head with irritating frequency, but whenever they did he tried to block them. She was to blame for this. If she hadn’t let Kate speak to the media, Susan wouldn’t have sued for custody.

He wished it didn’t hurt so much.

“Ade, you need to watch this.” George beckoned him over to the laptop.

Adrian walked over and peered over his shoulder at the news clip playing on the screen. When Emily’s face appeared, he tensed. “What’s she doing now?”

Emily was sitting across from a female reporter with short, honey blond hair.

The interview began with the reporter asking Emily about her history with Kent. Emily went into detail about working as Kate’s nanny and how she had fallen in love with Kent and thought he loved her too. Emily’s eyes welled up.

Adrian had seen enough. The reporter wouldn’t question her but would show sympathy, and he didn’t need that now. He reached for the mouse as the reporter said, “Can you give me more detail?” Her tone was mild, but there was something in it that implied she didn’t believe Emily.

When Adrian turned to walk away, George said, “Keep watching.”

The question caught Emily off guard. “What do you mean?”

“Can you give an example of what Kent did to make you believe he cared for you?”

Emily paused a moment too long. “Of course.” Another pause while she thought of something to say. “He held the door open for me.”

The reporter smiled. “How gallant of him. You don’t get many gentlemen around these days. Did he hold the door open for Kate as well?”

Emily hesitated and then nodded, her movement jerky.

“Then perhaps Kent was being polite. Can you give another example?”

“He kissed me,” Emily blurted, staring at the reporter as if daring her to contradict what she’d said.

The reporter tilted her head to the side. “If that was true, you would have said it first.”

Emily opened her mouth to respond but the reporter didn’t give her a chance. “Why don’t you tell the truth? Why don’t you tell the people watching how you offered yourself to Kent and he rejected you? Why don’t you tell the viewers how you wanted to leave an orphaned girl alone in a strange hotel room while you had sex with Kent? A young girl who, I might add, still suffers from nightmares after the tragic death of both her parents less than a year ago.” The reporter paused and the camera zoomed in on Emily’s face, which was as startled as a rabbit. “You put your own desires before the safety and care of your charge.”

Adrian stared at the screen, not quite believing what he was hearing. Where had the reporter got those details from?

Emily was silent for too long.

“You don’t deny it. Being Kate’s nanny was an easy job, wasn’t it? Does she deserve the trouble you’ve caused her? All she wants is to spend time with her uncle and now that is jeopardized because of your lies.”

Under the reporter’s stern gaze Emily crumpled. Tears streamed down her face. “I only wanted to get back at Kent. I didn’t think of how it would affect Kate.”

“Go on,” the reporter encouraged. “Why don’t you tell the truth?”

Emily sniffed. “It’s true. Kent rejected me when I suggested we take our relationship further. Then he hired a new nanny and started seeing her almost straightaway.” Her tone was bitter.

“Is Kent a good guardian for Kate?” the reporter asked.

Emily nodded. “He spent every spare minute he had with her. They never invited me to go with them. It was the Kent, Kate and George show. I had to amuse myself.”

Despite himself, Adrian felt a surge of sadness for Emily. She sounded lonely. He hadn’t ever considered that.

“So to get back at him you started these rumors and revealed his true identity.”

Emily looked miserable. “I’m sorry.”

“You only thought of yourself.” The reporter was showing no sympathy. She turned to the camera. “You’ve heard it from the source. The accusations about Kent Downer are untrue. I’m Piper Atkinson for
Houston News
.”

The video went black.

“How’d you find the interview?” Adrian asked.

“Piper emailed it to me.” George hesitated. “She’s Libby’s friend.”

Adrian shut his eyes at the rush of emotions flooding through him. Libby must have given her the information. This was another betrayal. She’d promised to keep his secrets and she’d told her reporter friend.

He really couldn’t trust her.

“Ade, this has got to help in our case to keep Kate.”

Adrian paused and thought about what Emily had said. George was right, but it still didn’t change the fact that Libby had broken her promise. And she’d told the reporter details about Kate that were private. Had she ever cared about either of them?

Kate wandered into the room. “What’s going on?”

George pointed at the laptop. “Watch this, kiddo.”

Kate screwed up her face. “What’s she saying this time?” she asked.

“Watch.”

The interview played through and when it ended Kate whooped. “Yes! High five.” She and George slapped hands. “This is awesome. We should celebrate.” She turned to Adrian. “Aunt Susan has got to see this and know it’s all been lies. Then she’ll let me stay with you and we’ll take care of each other.”

Adrian’s chest was so tight he wasn’t sure he could breathe. He wasn’t so confident Susan would give in so easily.

He leaned over and hugged her. “I love you, Katie.”

“I love you too, Uncle Ade.” She hugged him and then sat back. “I’m starved. What’s for lunch?”

Adrian smile at her exaggeration. “Spaghetti.” He stood and went to the sink to drain the pasta.

Kate turned around in her chair. “Why do you think the reporter asked different questions?”

George answered her. “The reporter is Libby’s friend Piper.”

Kate grinned. “I bet Libby asked her to do this.”

Adrian paused. “What makes you think that?”

“’Cause Libby always said you’ve got to fight for what you love and she loves us.”

Adrian couldn’t answer. The lump in his throat was too large.

She didn’t love them.

If she did, she wouldn’t have gone behind his back the way she had.

She didn’t care about him at all.

***

When Libby didn’t arrive before Adrian’s first concert in Perth, Kate was furious. “You lied to me, Uncle Adrian. What have you done to Libby?”

Adrian ignored the ache in his heart and stood up from the couch where they had been watching a movie. “She broke her contract when she let you speak with the reporters. She can’t look after you anymore.” He was still coming to terms with the fact she thought she knew more about Kate’s needs than he did. He walked toward the sink to place his mug in it.

“It wasn’t her fault. She thought I was getting her laptop when I went outside.”

Adrian stopped mid-step. “What did you say?” He must have misheard.

Kate had her hands on her hips. “I went outside by myself. She thought I was going to her room. She had nothing to do with it. I
wanted
to speak to the reporters and
you
wouldn’t let me.”

Libby hadn’t betrayed him? But the footage had showed her supporting Kate.

“I thought if I spoke to them they would leave us alone. I wanted to go out.” Kate’s voice was soft.

Adrian covered his shock and continued across to the kitchenette. “She should have kept a closer eye on you.” Dread curled in his stomach. If what Kate said was true, he’d made a huge mistake. He hadn’t let Libby explain, had believed the worst of her, had blocked her out. He’d gone back to his defensiveness.

“But what about you? Don’t you miss Libby too?”

Adrian’s heart clenched. He missed her more than he’d thought was possible. He’d wake up already looking forward to seeing her and then remember what she’d done. He’d finish sound check thinking ahead to when he’d return to the hotel and then remember she wouldn’t be waiting for him. He shouldn’t have such strong feelings for someone he’d known for three weeks.

He wasn’t going to tell Kate the truth. “First and foremost Libby was your nanny. She failed in her duties to protect you and I can’t risk it again.”

“But you love her! You can’t punish her because of something I did.” Kate’s anger melted and became wails of anguish.

Adrian paused. Did he love Libby?

No, he couldn’t possibly. It was ridiculous to fall in love in so few days. She was just easy to be around.

He turned to face Kate. “We’re going home to Texas in a couple of days. Libby’s home is here. Do you think it’s right to ask her to leave her parents behind?” He hated himself for playing the parent card, but it was the only thing that might stop Kate wanting something she couldn’t have.

“She might if you asked her.” Kate’s voice was quiet but he saw her thinking things through.

“Why don’t you get your backpack? George is waiting.”

Kate picked up her bag and, subdued, followed Adrian to the door.

He felt like the biggest jerk in the world.