~ Sapphire Summer ~

by

Joanie MacNeil

David deliberately avoided her, Alex suspected. She hadn’t seen him since breakfast. Keen to start work and become involved in his latest project, Alex went in search of him. He was nowhere to be found.

“Well, it’s your loss, David Meredith,” she muttered as she stood in the doorway of his study, tucked away in a naturally lit alcove at his end of the house. She hadn’t been in this room until now. “If you want to go sneaking off, sulking, then that’s your problem.” Her gaze roamed around the study. A computer sat on one side of a large desk, the chair shoved against it. That and the fact that the desk was not littered with paper, gave the impression that the study hadn’t been used for quite some time.

Alex’s gaze moved to the books filling the shelves around the walls. Curiosity got the better of her and without thinking she might be intruding into David’s private domain, she moved towards the shelves on the far wall. Neatly arranged on the top shelf were copies of all David’s novels. Beside them were books he used for reference. The next shelf housed books on fishing, travel, ancient history and various novels.

She pulled one of David’s works from the shelf. Opening it, Alex began to read.

“What do you think you’re doing in here?” Alex jumped as David’s voice cut into her.

She spun around, her gaze flicking to see fire in his eyes, and aware of the sparking of her own temper. “I was looking for you so that I might do what I’m being paid to do.” The book was still open in her hands. Snapping it shut, she replaced it on the shelf. A photo on a lower shelf caught her attention. Alex itched to pick it up to get a better look but David’s sharp tone distracted her.

“You’re not being paid to snoop.” He moved into the room, his stance, height and expression gave him a menacing look.

Alex swallowed. “I wasn’t snooping. Your library caught my eye. Habit, I’m afraid. It’s the researcher in me. You have quite a collection.”

David’s gaze narrowed on her and Alex felt herself mentally shrinking under its power.

“Yes, but they’re not much use to me now, are they?”

Alex caught the gruffness in his voice, and just a hint of sadness, of regret.

“No, I suppose they’re not. Is it all right if I borrow some to read while I’m here?”

“If you must. It’s not as if you’ll be here very long. At least reading will keep you occupied and out of my way.”

Alex wasn’t about to give up while she had David’s attention. “Do you mind if I look at your notes for your new book, the one I’m supposed to help you with?”

He looked at her suspiciously. “Why?”

“Because I’m interested. I’d like to see what I’m missing out on. It would be a pity to include on my résumé that I was a research assistant for David Meredith though he wouldn’t let me see his work.”

David glared at her. He moved to the desk, yanked open the drawer and began tossing its contents across the top. A small box of microcassettes fell on its side, spilling the tiny plastic cases over the smooth surface of the desk. Half a dozen folders stuffed with loose sheets of paper followed, along with a handful of index cards. “If you want to waste your time, be my guest.”

He turned and strode from the room.

Alex’s hand moved to rest on her stomach. “We’ll see,” she muttered, “we’ll see.”

She began to flick through the notes. At least she’d get an idea of what he was writing about. It would give her some leverage in their conversations. David Meredith possessed a tortured soul and Alex hoped she could get him to open up to her. Anything would help. He might even change his mind about letting her stay.

~ * ~

Alex heard the crunch of gravel as a car pulled up on the circular drive at the back of the house. She ran to the door and flung it open, forgetting she was dressed only in her swimsuit, ready for the beach.

“Justin! I’m so glad to see you.” She felt reassured to see a familiar, smiling face.

The last few days had been difficult with David. They’d begun work, though not made much progress, and she had the feeling David’s heart wasn’t really in the task at hand. His attitude towards her remained guarded, their conversations at dinner polite though cool.

As each day passed, Alex became more anxious about Justin’s impending visit and whether David would insist she leave his home.

Justin ran to greet her. Sweeping her into his arms, he gave her a big hug before planting a kiss on her lips. “Hello, sweetheart, how are things going?”

“Fine.” Alex knew the tremor in her voice would give her away, that Justin would see past her all too easy smile.

“Come on, Alex, I know you. What gives?” His concern and ready smile soothed her.

“You’ll find out,” she said as she linked her arm through his and they made their way into the house.

“Oh, that doesn’t sound too good.” He turned her to face him. “Do you realise, in all the time we’ve been together, I’ve never seen you in a swimsuit? Although with that tan, I wonder if you’re getting much work done.” His eyes sparkled. “You look sensational.”

A warm blush crept into Alex’s cheeks as Justin’s gaze roamed slowly over her, taking in every intimate detail. She knew Justin liked her, but her feelings towards him amounted to nothing more than friendship.

“Thanks.” Alex smiled shyly, embarrassed at Justin’s compliment. He wouldn’t be able to say the same in a few months. She might as well appreciate his flattery now. “That’s because you were away last summer,” she reminded him.

Alex had long ago become used to Justin’s warm greetings and took no notice when he called her sweetheart. It’d never bothered her... until now, that is. Now in David’s home, it made her feel just a little uncomfortable.

David entered the room, more than likely aware of Justin’s affectionate greeting. She wondered what David thought of Justin’s idle comment, about them being together. If he misinterpreted Justin’s behaviour, thought she and Justin were lovers, she would never win David’s approval and for some inexplicable reason, she wanted him to think well of her. As fond of Justin as she was, Alex could have kicked him for his careless comments.

She left them and went to her room. As she prepared for the beach, applying layers of sunscreen and braiding her hair, the brothers filled her thoughts.

Though she tried to dismiss them from her mind, one in particular remained.

David.

His often haunted image tugged at her heart.

With a shrug of her shoulders, a final effort to clear her mind of intrusive thoughts, Alex tied a brightly patterned sarong around her waist and headed for the door. More than ever, she looked forward to her daily dose of surf, sun and sand.

~ * ~

David’s curiosity was getting the better of him as far as Justin and Alex were concerned. From the little Justin had told him, he could tell his brother had a soft spot for Alex and he suspected the feeling was mutual. Now he’d heard for himself just how friendly they were. He was aware of Justin’s reputation with women and knew his brother wouldn’t have been able to resist someone who sounded as desirable as Alexandra Jordan.

She remained a mystery to him. He had the impression there was a lot more to Alex than she wanted him to know. There were times when he wished he could see her expression more clearly, times when he’d like to know what she was thinking and feeling. And worst of all, he realised he was jealous of Justin’s obviously cosy friendship with her.

That David took more than a passing interest in Alex caused him some alarm. She had been here only a few days, and already he was far too aware of the effect of her feminine presence on his senses. His carefully constructed protective shell would never survive the summer if she stayed in his house. She had the power to revive memories of another life which he’d fought hard to forget.

When he was sure Alex was out of earshot, David cornered Justin. “Take Alex back with you. There’s no need for her to stay.” He glared at his younger brother, offering a challenge he knew Justin couldn’t resist.

Justin turned to face him. “Don’t be such a bastard, David, give her a chance. It’s not fair that you take out your ill-feeling for me on Alex. She’s here for my peace of mind as much as to work for you. I’m concerned for you.”

“Huh, concern! I don’t believe it’s brotherly concern. I believe it’s guilt, or maybe you feel sorry for me. Is that it?”

“I would spend the summer with you myself if I wasn’t committed with the summer schools at the university. Only you can make the effort to put your life back together and make some kind of new life for yourself. You can’t go on hiding away forever.”

“What would you know about it? Hell, you couldn’t begin to imagine how I feel.”

Justin moved away from the window. “You self-centred bastard,” he snapped. “We have this same conversation every time we meet. All you care about, think about, is yourself. You’re not the only one to have been dealt more than a fair share of hard luck in recent years. Have you stopped to consider that?”

He sighed angrily. “Give the girl a break. She’s had a tough time of it lately and needs the work. Don’t let her carefree attitude fool you. There’s a lot more to Alex than she lets on. You and she are more alike than you know.”

Justin’s statement concerning Alex forced its way through David’s anger and piqued his interest. Before he could ask Justin to clarify what he’d said, Justin continued. “And it’s her decision whether she goes back with me or not.”

Both brothers glared at each other.

Alex entered the room, sensed the tension, and realised she’d walked in on something she didn’t want to be party to. Neither brother noticed her.

She turned to leave when Justin’s next words captured her attention.

“Ruth visited me last week. She was in town for a couple of days. She asked after you.”

Alex glanced at David and saw the colour drain from his face. Her heart went out to him.

“I suppose you made a cosy twosome, sharing lots of secrets once again. What did you tell her?” he demanded in a strained voice.

“That you’d been backpacking overseas since your divorce and that you were having a break before getting involved in your next project.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all I told her, David, nothing more.” Justin raked a hand through his hair. “There were never any deliberate secrets. Look, I helped her out once as a sense of duty, nothing else. If I’d known what she was up to, I would’ve tried to talk her out of it, believe me.”

“Would you, Justin? I wonder. You two always seemed pretty cosy to me.”

Justin thumped the table and Alex flinched. She hated confrontation of any sort.

“How many times do I have to tell you, there was nothing between Ruth and I. You’ll never let me forget that she came to me for help instead of you, will you?”

David remained silent and glared at his brother.

Justin continued. “We’ve never been able to talk about what happened, then or since your divorce. It seems nothing much has changed between us. You’re still the stubborn bastard you always were.” He sighed in resigned frustration. “This conversation is going nowhere.”

Justin turned and strode past Alex towards the door, without even noticing her. “I’m going for a swim.”

Alex had never seen Justin so angry, so hurt. She was torn in two directions. Her fondness for Justin urged her to offer him support yet the tormented expression on David’s face pulled at her heartstrings. She wanted to go to him, comfort him. She didn’t know which way to turn.

Alex glared at David. “You’re as bad as he is. You both need your heads examined.”

“You’d better go after him, Alex,” David said angrily. “He needs you more than I do.”

She stormed out of the room. Is this what family life was like? Maybe she hadn’t missed anything.