by Klaire, Jody
I didn’t bother looking back at Berne and stomp-staggered into the couch, then righted myself, stomp-staggering to one of the other bedrooms. I shoved open the door, collapsed onto the bed, face first, and conked out with a shuddering snore.
Chapter 24
Rebecca sobered up when she saw the picture message. Fury would do that to a person. She sat around the breakfast bar with Berne and Babs, trying to keep her temper in. Stephanie fussed around with the coffee in the background but Rebecca just couldn’t stop glaring at Pippa’s phone.
“Cosy,” She snapped. She slammed shut her eyes for a moment and raised her hands. Getting nasty wouldn’t help.
She blinked back the image burned into her mind’s eye. Berne looked like she’d been kissing Vivienne. “Explain, please.” She pushed the phone away. “It looks awful.”
Berne and Babs exchanged a glance.
Silence wasn’t going to cut it. “Chamonix, if I have to pack our bags and go back to England, I will.” She fixed Berne with a glare.
Babs flinched. “You would do this?”
“I’d be packing yours too.” She hoped the brief smile was softer than her mood. “You’re coming with us.”
Babs breathed out her relief. “There is no need.”
“No, so why hasn’t Berne defended herself?” She couldn’t believe that she was just sitting there.
“I am not on trial,” Berne said, her tone curt and cold.
“Yeah, you are because if I think you’re messing Pip around, you’ll be going through me to even speak to her.” She held Berne’s glare. “Like you’d do if it was me in this picture.”
Berne sucked in her chin. Her eyes glinted and then she sighed. “I would not do this. We talk, we greet each other. I have no desire to be more.”
“Which is what you said and then went back to her before.” Rebecca folded her arms. “So what is going on?”
“It was not the same thing.” Berne folded her arms too.
“We open a restaurant,” Babs muttered, holding up her finger to silence them both. “Vivienne was not meant to be there.”
“I thought it was a business meeting.” Rebecca’s gut twisted.
“They keep me away,” Stephanie whispered, handing Babs and Berne their coffees. “Emilie was there so they hide this.”
Rebecca turned to Stephanie. “I’d have throttled her if I’d been there.”
Stephanie smiled. “Merci.”
Babs and Berne stared at their cups.
“Are you and Vivienne kissing in this picture?” She hoped that a straight question would earn her a straight answer.
“Non.” Berne shrugged. “We greet as I greet you.” She sighed. “I respect Vivienne. She defended you.”
She had? “Why?”
“Emilie does not appreciate that you and Pepe are not... as she is.” Stephanie sat beside her and handed her a cup. “Bitter.”
“Oui,” Babs grunted.
Berne gripped her cup. “She has no kindness in her heart. How did I miss this?”
“So how did she get Pip’s number?” Rebecca waved the phone about.
“When Berne asks me to see if there is work for you. We have to agree in business...” Stephanie sighed. “Or used to before she fired me.”
“And she’s trying to take Berne too by the look of it.” Rebecca folded her arms.
“This is madness.” Berne shook her head. The exasperation in her voice made it sound higher than usual. “It was public. There are lots of people around. Vivienne has another lover now.” She met Rebecca’s eyes. “I love Pepe, this is always so.”
“So what about the whole third degree over Doug?” Rebecca met her eyes.
“She is drunk. I think that she upsets Babs’s parents.” Berne shook her head. “And... She did not tell me...”
“I can’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to tell you either,” Rebecca muttered.
They all turned to her.
“I mean it. Pippa left everything behind to be with you.” She shoved the phone away. “But she misses Doug, I miss Doug. He needs us and... you know what... impressing Babs’s parents aside, this is about supporting a man we love.”
“She agrees to marry Doug, non?” Babs asked sipping at her coffee. “You do not think she is going to find out if she still feels this way?”
“Pip was beyond drunk when she accepted his proposal.” Rebecca wheezed out a breath. She’d had to nurse Pip all week after she’d agreed. “And I’ll admit that her reaction to his news was a bit...”
“Jealous?” Babs asked. Her hair fell into her eyes. So gorgeous. “Oui?”
“No, shocked,” Rebecca said, reaching over to brush Babs’s hair from her face. “It took him years to ask her and she knows him well enough to know when he’s being fooled.”
Berne’s gaze flicked to the hallway. “Pepe would not wish to marry me... not officially.”
“Are you kidding me?” There were times when she wondered how much Berne paid attention. “She’s delirious you have your own drawer.”
Berne blew out a breath. “But she runs to him.” Her voice bounced off the stone around them.
“Because we need a job.” Rebecca’s own voice echoed back. “You can’t even trust her to go back to England, can you?”
“Trust?” Berne scowled. “It has nothing to do with trust. Why would she wish to stay with me? Why when she does not even ask me to live with her?” She strode off to bed.
Rebecca stared up at the ceiling for a moment, hoping it would calm her down.
“She feels scared sometimes,” Babs whispered.
Rebecca dropped her chin down to look at her and smiled. “Promise me that you’ll just tell me if you want or need something that badly?”
Babs cocked her head. “Pardon?”
“If you want it, talk to me. Clear, straight, to the point.” She held Babs’s gaze. “I’m happy to step up. Just don’t do that.” She waved at the hallway. “I love you too much to deal with that crap.”
Babs smiled. “It is nice to know I am not the only one who feels this.”
“Women are too much of this.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. She swayed then sipped at her coffee. “It is all hormones and bickering.”
Rebecca chuckled. “You think men would be easier?”
“Would they not?” Stephanie waved her finger about, looking at it as if she could see more than one. “They say what they want, oui?”
“I would say it depended on the man.” Rebecca cocked her head. “I’m not an expert.” She frowned. Did Stephanie have a point? “Doug and Pip never argued. It was only when Pippa saw Berne that they did.”
“She speaks of him often,” Stephanie said with a smile. “He sounds calm, controlled, like he knows what he wants, oui?”
Babs raised an eyebrow. “If he was not marrying, it sounds as though he would have a chance with you, non?”
Rebecca leaned on the counter. “If he got to date Stephanie and Pip, that guy would need to hand out tips.” She chuckled as Babs pursed her lips. “Not to me, I have the hottest woman, thank you.”
Babs’s eyes flickered with a smouldering look.
Oh yeah, she loved that look.
Stephanie cleared her throat. “So, how do we fix this?” She drained her cup and missed the counter with it. Rebecca lunged to catch the cup dropping to the floor. “How do we make them happy?”
“Not easily,” she muttered, righting Stephanie whose eyelids drooped. “We’re off to Doug’s place in the morning.” She nodded as Babs’s eyes widened. “And yeah, Pip doesn’t look like she’ll be in the mood to talk before we go.”
“What do we do?” Stephanie leaned onto the counter, holding her head up with her hands. “Bebe will think she has run.”
Rebecca nodded. “Probably, but if she can’t trust her, she’ll never trust her. How can you love someone if you don’t trust them?”
“Oui,” Stephanie murmured. “And when they are mean and cold also.”
Babs squeezed her hand. “Y
ou will find someone better.”
“I need to do something.” Rebecca got up. Her decision made. “Can you call a taxi for me?”
Babs frowned. “I can drive you.”
Rebecca leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “It’s something personal. I have to do it. I won’t be long.”
Babs’s frown grew deeper.
“It’s something I have to do alone. Then I’ll come back. If you wait up...” She kissed her until Babs groaned. Yeah, kissing her was amazing.
“Stephanie,” she said, poking her to wake her up. “Keep an eye on my woman.”
Stephanie snapped to salute, poking herself in the nose. “Oui, Madame.”
Rebecca turned to leave but Babs yanked her down into a smouldering kiss. “I am not patient.”
Rebecca groaned. Didn’t she know it. “I’ll be worth the wait.”
Babs let go even though her eyes pleaded with Rebecca to stay. She flicked out her phone and nodded. “A driver will be outside.”
Rebecca stumbled her way to the door and straightened herself out. She wanted to do this properly. She just hoped Monsieur and Madame Henri were still awake.
Chapter 25
Iwoke up in the middle of the night wondering where Berne was, then I remembered that I was supposed to be angry with her. Being tipsy had helped me to sleep but I hadn’t been drunk enough to forget. Nope, I was angry. I was disgruntled. Ooh good word. Nearly as good as peeved. I was disgruntled and peeved... and I missed her.
I sighed and turned over. I could be strong. Okay, so we were off to Doug’s in the morning and I knew she’d panic. I could hear her words, “you ran and did not say why you leave.”
I punched the pillow to fluff it up. You’d think the woman would have grasped that I’d gone back to England so my sister wouldn’t get Berne and her father fired from the massive building project they’d worked on. I’d gone back to England, breaking my own heart in the process, to protect her. Had that given me any slack? Nope.
I wriggled onto my back. My arm was numb again. Why didn’t shoulders come with the ability to be cushioned when you lay on them? I was just going to flap my arm about and go back to sleep. I didn’t need to explain anything. Berne needed to trust me.
So I’d come back engaged to a man; so I’d pretended that we were friends to him; so it had taken me a good while to let myself admit that I wanted to be with her. Was that any reason to get all insecure every five minutes?
No.
My back wasn’t comfortable either. It ached. Maybe I should put a pillow under it? I dragged one over and shoved it under. Better.
Hmm.
Not flexible enough for that. My back felt like I was trying to limbo dance. I dragged it back out, or tried to. I was lying on the cover so when I pulled, I rolled myself flat onto my stomach. Right. I was back to cricking my neck.
I didn’t need to go to her. Why wasn’t she coming to me, huh? Why should I go and check on her. She was probably sleeping and not caring.
I scowled and the pillow poked me in the eye as I did so. Considering I’d ditched my rather fetching, kind fiancé; uprooted my life; alienated myself from most of my family and resigned myself to being penniless, none of it seemed to count.
Nope.
I’d left so I could leave again.
I pushed myself up. Anger fuelled my arms so I managed a whole press-up. Okay, well half a girly one but still, a real press-up.
I’d go in there and tell her. That’s what I’d do. I’d tell her that she needed to start paying attention. Yeah, she’d been the one meeting Fish Lips.
Hah.
I stumbled out of bed, then glared at it as I extracted my toe from the bed sheet. How dare it spoil my stomp?
The bed remained unmoved. A lot like Berne really.
I hobbled to the door, my toe throbbing from the yanking, and peeked out into the corridor—Babs was being interrogated again. I rolled my eyes. That’s what woke me up then.
I opened the door to our room. Berne sat on the edge of the bed. She looked to be attempting to thread her arm into her dressing gown. My gaze dipped to her stomach. I loved her stomach. I loved how it felt under my fingertips.
Desire hummed through me. No, no. I was angry. Stay strong.
“You’re awake,” I muttered. Not the strongest statement, a bit obvious but at least it sounded mad.
“Ça va?” Her grunt in response was filled with pain.
My heart thudded with it. I snapped my eyes away from the soft skin. “I don’t think you were with Vivienne in that way.”
That didn’t sound at all angry and more worried. I swallowed as she continued to struggle. No wonder she was insecure. I couldn’t even look at her without my heart rate soaring. How would she think I was serious if I kept drooling over her? “Do you need help?”
Berne sighed. I couldn’t see her eyes enough to read her expression. “Oui.”
I hurried over and dropped to my knees. I helped her feed her arm through. The touch of her skin ignited every pore with the ache, the need. I sucked in a sharp breath at the magnitude of it. Focus, no dribbling.
Berne touched my cheek, circling it with the pad of her thumb. “You are angry with me?”
Oh, right, yes. I was supposed to be angry.
“I’m hurt,” came out instead. I was? I tried concentrating on rescuing her hand from her sleeve. It was odd how a sleeve could do that. Sleeves never made it easy when you were injured. No, they’d twist about to make things harder.
My hands trembled. It didn’t help that she continued to trace her thumb over my cheek. Why did such a simple touch make me quiver? How many nights had I spent with her? I felt like a teenager, desperate to kiss her again.
Concentrate, Saunders. Hurt and angry. “I thought you’d flip over Doug. I know you don’t trust me.”
“Do not think this.” Her voice soft, she trailed her thumb down my neck. I shuddered. “You have nothing to say about Vivienne?”
Nothing to say? Um...I tried not to drool at her smooth skin, the way it flexed and moved when she did. So unfair. I managed to rescue her arm from the sleeve with trembling hands. She’d have been better doing it herself.
“I trust you,” I whispered and dared to meet her eyes for a moment. Her eyes were brown, deep, eyes that had such a rich colour to them that you couldn’t help but stare. Eyes that twinkled with amusement.
I dropped my gaze to her gown. I went to pull it shut only I didn’t. Nope. My hands decided, by themselves, to go running all over her stomach. It flexed beneath my touch which just made me do it some more.
“You are not angry we do not tell you?” She lifted my chin. “That we go to this restaurant and do not say?” The challenge in her voice made it fill with a smoothness, a silky tone.
My legs felt numb—Although that could have been the kneeling down. I’d be groaning when I got to my feet. I sounded like my mother sometimes when I did it.
“Yes, I’m disgruntled.” I was pleased I got the word in. “I’m peeved...” And the other one, woo. “that you wanted to hide it from me.”
Look at me saying how I felt. Rebecca would have been proud. If she wasn’t interrogating Babs, I’d have told her.
“You are leaving me?” She asked. Uncertainty filled her voice.
I wobbled at the tone, gripping onto her knees to keep my balance. Was I?
“You think I’d leave because Fish Lips happened to be there?” I heard myself say the words as though I was very much in control. “Or are we back to Doug?”
“I cannot move very well; we have no money; you think I do not want more?” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the bed.
“You need to rest and see a doctor.” I sighed. “And I don’t know what you want from me, not really.” I rubbed my thumbs over her bare knees. “We don’t talk.”
Berne pulled me up and onto her lap; me groaning as my knees cracked and her yelping because of her back.
“I want you. I do not know how you feel, Pepe.”
She dipped her head to catch my eye. Questions, worries, hopes flickered across them.
“I want you to be with me properly. I want you to trust me, to love me... and I’m sick of you leaving and going home all the time.” I stared down at the ring on my hand. The one she’d given me. “I... I liked it when we lived together... before.”
“You want this?” She raised my chin to gaze into my eyes.
My heart pounded away as if to say, “yes please.” “I wasted enough years apart from you. I can’t even bear sleeping without you.” It sounded certain. Go, me.
She brushed her lips over mine. I whimpered. Her low chuckle rumbled all the way through until I trembled and groaned. This was a grown up conversation. Focus. I was ignoring the thrumming ache, yup.
She brushed her lips to mine again. I gripped onto her shoulders, my breath shallow. “Cut it out.”
“Pour quoi?” Her smile was sultry but her eyes flickered with uncertainty.
“You’re in pain. We’re talking about our feelings. It’s not allowed.” My voice didn’t sound certain. In fact, it sounded like it didn’t believe a word. “I need to tell you something.”
Berne leaned in. She trailed her lips up and down the side of my neck. “Oui?”
Not playing fair. I tilted to give her better access. “I... am... helping Doug.”
Berne teased her way over my collarbone. “I know this,” she murmured, each word grazing her lips over my skin.
Focus, Saunders. “I’ll... be working... on his... house.” Concentrate on the conversation. “With Rebecca.”
Berne tickled over my back with her fingers.
I groaned. “You’re... not... making... this easy.” My voice cracked with the effort.
She smiled and smoothed over my sides, rubbing her rough calluses over my skin. Oh that was a sneaky move.
“It’ll impress... Babs’s parents,” I wheezed out.
She kissed her way up my neck.
“...I can be... a good friend to Doug.” I shuddered out a breath as her touch got firmer. “And I can...” Keep with it. “Be... independent.”
She nipped at my earlobe.
I shoved her back, panting. “In the morning, we’re going to Doug’s.”
