Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (8 page)

He made a move with his hand
,
and she stepped back, an instinctive reaction that wasn’t lost to his eyes one bit. She could see his gaze darken, his eyebrows knitted into a line of disapproval.
‘I
’
ve never been a physically violent person
,
and I certainly don’t plan on starting now
,
’
he
told her bitingly, his eyes going past her face to the open door of her place. ‘
May
we continue inside?’
T
he calm in his voice
did
not fool her for a second. He might seem all civil and serene, but she could tell that under his impeccable façade
,
he seethed with anger.

‘I…’
She
wasn’t sure if it was such a great idea, her mind still numb as to how he
had
found her in the first place. Was it some unlucky coincidence? She couldn’t imagine anything else, since it
had
been two years since they met
,
and she hadn’t as much as heard
from
him in that time.

Well, wasn’t
that
the reason why she was so eager to embrace the project in Australia? Her honesty didn’t allow her to sidestep
that
fact, remembering very well what prompted her to take on
that
job with such lack of
second-guessing
or hesitation. Australia was far enough, she thought miserably, allowing her to
cut off any chance of meeting him ever again, something she both hoped for and dreaded at the same time. She was safe there, gone from the world where they could bump into each other
by
some random chance. And she was safe from Victoria’s wrath
,
as well. She didn’t even want to remember the emotional disaster that followed her misjudged attempt to help out her boss. Especially not with the man in question watching her with cold blue eyes that made her think of ice and all things frozen.

‘We could also chat here, if you prefer
,
’
he
suggested silkily, pointing to the sunny
front yard
. Masses of tulips and daffodils bloomed there, cheerful colors blending into a spectacle of spring joy. She
had
helped plant them a few years ago. She could see the little bench that was tucked safely under the wrought iron arch, clusters of fragrant wisteria covering it from prying eyes.

‘
I have noticed a very friendly elderly
lady watching
me from her window
,
though
,
’
he
added, his voice pure winter. ‘
Something
tells me that she might take some interest
in
our conversation if we chose to have it outside. Or am I mistaken?’

He
wasn’t
,
of course. Mrs. Markowitz was usually the first one to know what was going on in the
neighborhood
, her open window offering her an excellent glimpse into the lives of other residents of the complex. And eavesdropping on
Kate’s
conversation with Justin would most definitely
give
her enough excitement to
last
a lifetime.

‘Come in
.
’
She
stepped aside, resigned. The sooner they talked
,
the sooner he would leave
being
the only consolation as far as she was concerned.
Hadn’t
she
been
dreading exactly that for the past
twenty-four
months anyway? Maybe it was for the best to get some kind of closure on their brief
,
yet explosive
,
time together. It could help chase the demons of her memories from her mind once and for all, allowing her finally to forget the awful mess
she helped to create.

She knew
his divorce with Victoria
had been
finalized only a few months after the evening in the pub. She also knew that his assets had been split into two, Vic achieving what she wanted from the start. He kept the estate
,
but she got the
summerhouse and some
of the other properties
,
as well. Horrified, Kate didn’t want to find out what
may
have swayed the judge in
Vic’s
favor
. She didn’t dare to think that she might have played a part in this farce after all, the
sensation of  being
dirty lingering on her skin ever since.

She saw him headed for the living room, his smooth stride and
natural
air of command adding to her uneasiness. Was she supposed to say something? And what would be a good opening
,
anyway?

She was spared the choice, for he turned to her, his gaze enigmatic
.
‘You look different without the makeup
.
’
It
was a statement, cool and unemotional. His eyes travel over her tanned face and lo
o
se hair, her skin prickling in awareness as she tried to remain calm. ‘
Younger
and more innocent. But
then
again, as we already know, appearances can be ve
ry misleading.’
H
e shrugged and stepped to the large bay window, his hips resting against the frame.

‘How… how did you find me
,
anyway?’
s
he asked hoarsely, her voice breaking
to betray her
in mid
-
sentence. She hated how weak she sounded, but it couldn’t be helped. Her brain still refused to accept the fact that Justin McBryndon was here, in the middle of her own living room.

‘That was the easy part
.’ H
is smile didn’t reach his eyes, a pure reflex of
muscles stretching his lips into a sarcastic grimace. ‘
Let’s
say that fate intervened on my behalf, Kate. I
’ve been
looking forward to talking to you for quite a while now.’

His words hung in the air between them like a dagger ready to strike. She could
feel her
palms sweating as she tried to get a grip on the situation. He was
angry with
her
,
that
much was sure. And she had a pretty good idea why, the kiss on the doorstep of the pub coming back to her mind with suspicious ease. Only
,
she remembered it for different reasons as well… like the way his mouth felt against hers, soft and beguiling. The sound of his voice, warm and hopeful as he asked her to wai
t.
She
didn’t want to go there, especially not with him watching her like a hawk regarding
its
prey.

‘How did you find me?’ S
he repeated the question, desperate to find the tiniest dent in his armor of cool indifference and
the
icy cold contempt radiating from him to her in waves of pure fury.

‘
Well
, I got your phone number to start with
.
’
He
saw her gasp in surprise and smiled mirthlessly, his eyes stormy. ‘I told you it was fate, didn’t
I
? With that info
,
the rest was child’s play.’

‘
Who
would give you my number?’ S
he was stunned, her brain trying frantically to make sense of his words. ‘
Did
you talk to
Vic
? Was it her way of getting even because I quit?’

‘
Wrong
guess
.’ H
e shook his dark head, his eyes
cold. ‘
And
for the record, I haven’t spoken to my lovely ex
-
wife in quite a while. Not since she produced the irrefutable proof of my
trespass
e
s
in court. The photos of us together did help her cause
, you know
.
’ H
e was watching her carefully, his voice almost
conversationally friendly
. ‘I am curious how much they
were
worth,
Kate
.
But
that
isn’t the reason why I
’
m here now
,
and I
’
m certain that we will have enough occasions to discuss it further in the future, my sweet
.
’

This was insane
,
and she had to stop it, Kate thought desperately, a sense of foreboding making her whole body shake uncontrollably. He meant it, she could tell. He really thought they would meet again, and something told her he had a perfectly good reason to expect it. Whatever it was
,
he would share it with her now, her anticipation almost too much to bear.

‘
You
see, I got your number from my friend
,
’
he
said quietly, his voice almost pleasant if not for the note of steel that was woven through it. ‘
This
and an assurance what a wonderful girl you are,
Kate
. Hard
-
working, pretty
,
and creative.’ He saw her blank expression and shrugged, his features almost regretful. ‘
All
true, as far as I can say. Because you are pretty, very much so.’ The way he said it made it almost an
insult
, she thought, her heart sinking even lower. ‘
And
you are hard working and creative, I can attest to that as well
.
’

‘Look, I don’t know any of your friends,
Justin
,
’
she
interrupted, unable to take it any longer. ‘I
’
m very sure that we don’t really frequent the same circles now
,
do we?
’

‘But we will, very soon
,
too.’ His smile never wavered, his handsome face serene. ‘
Or
rather, you are going to be a part of what you so pleasantly called my circle,
Kate
. Indirectly and through family, but nevertheless, you are moving up on the social ladder.

‘You see, one of my very good friends had decided to marry a very sweet and loving girl, much to
the
chagrin of his
mistrusting
family, I
’
m afraid to say. They think she might be after his money and position, Kate.’ He could see the realization dawning upon her face, because he nodded, unperturbed. ‘
Yeah
, I think you
’
re starting to get it, sweetheart. So, as I said, he has decided to marry her anyway, and he asked me to be his best man.
He understood it was a rather sho
r
t notice, but explained that the maid of honor would be equally new to the process, having just come back home after a rather long absence. It was supposed to make me feel a bit better, I think.
’

He paused and looked at her as she stood speechless, her head spinning. It was impossible, completely and utterly impossible, was all that she could think, over and over again.
C
oincidences like that
didn’t happen
, not in real life anyway
.

‘
Thomas
really insisted on me being the best man,
Kate
.
’
His
words
reached her and she blinked, trying very hard to appear equally calm. ‘
Told
me about this great sister Alice has. A very professional and artistic woman who h
ad just returned from Australia
. I would even risk say
ing
he was attempting a bit of matchmaking there.
He went as far as to show
me
a photo of her, together with his fiancée. A very nice shot, if I say so myself.
’ His voice cooled even more, something she would
have
consider
ed
impossible up to this very point. ‘
Poor
guy has no clue that we already
have
some history together, does he? I wonder what he would think if
he knew
that his
fiancée’s
baby sister is really very different from what he
has been
made to believe? I wonder if he
would
start to doubt his
judgment
al
together
,
by any chance?’