‘What happened?’ she asked instead.
‘I blew it. Because every day the walls closed in a little more. I threw myself into work—anything to avoid returning to a place that had become like a prison. Eventually I couldn’t take it any more. So in true Masterson style I upped and left. I vowed to give Charlotte the rest of my life and I managed less than eight hundred days before I cracked and walked out of the door. Just like Zeb walked out of Saru’s.’
His voice was so full of self-derision, so sure of his own guilt, it turned her thoughts topsy-turvy.
‘So that’s why we cannot take this any further. I hurt one woman in the pursuit of an impossible dream. I won’t hurt another. You deserve better. A man who wants a home and a family. A man you can trust.’
His last five words stopped her in her tracks. Adam was right. If they took things further they would spend the whole time waiting for the sword to fall. Damocles would have nothing on them. Olivia loved her home; the thought of sitting in it, waiting and watching to see the walls close in on Adam, made her body shiver in revolt. All they could have was an interval until Adam left.
She had just witnessed what an utter coward Zeb was, and it was Zeb who had brought Adam up—Zeb whose genes he carried. Which explained why Adam still moved from place to place, had his moving line of beautiful women. What an idiot she was; she’d let mind-blowing sex blind her to all common sense. Looked through the filter of an amazing orgasm or three and made herself believe that Adam Masterson was something he wasn’t.
Been willing to take a risk and trust him, let him in to her carefully constructed life. She couldn’t even blame him—after all, Adam had never lied to her; he knew the kind of man he was and acknowledged it freely. He was a man who walked away. Like his father. Like her own father.
Idiot didn’t begin to cover it. Because she’d broken all her own rules and now her poor exposed heart was shattering.
But, damn it, she’d chosen to jump on the conveyor belt and now she would climb off with her dignity and her self-respect intact. Hell, she’d even take him up on the private jet offer.
She gulped in the salty air before rising to her feet. ‘You’re right. I do deserve all of that. So if you wouldn’t mind sorting out the jet I’ll go back and pack. I can get a boat to the mainland, then a taxi to the airport—or I’m sure Gan or Saru would drive me. Good luck, Adam. And thanks for last night—it was fun. But you’re right. Better to quit whilst we’re ahead of the game.’
Turning, she walked away across the sand and didn’t look back.
Didn’t see Adam scramble to his feet and stretch out a hand.
Didn’t hear his whispered, ‘Liv...’ before he slammed his hands into his pockets and stared out to sea.
FOURTEEN
Olivia duct-taped the cardboard box securely and hoisted herself up from her hunched crouch. Pressing one hand to the small of her back, she stretched and glanced around the packing-case-strewn floor of her mum’s apartment.
‘We’re getting there,’ she said, watching as Jodie carefully wrapped a delicate glass figurine in tissue paper.
Jodie smiled at her. ‘And we’d get there a lot quicker if you stopped clucking over me and let me do more.’
‘You’ve done loads. And you’re six months pregnant, remember?’
‘Well, second trimester or not, I can make my lovely daughter a cup of tea.’
‘Thank you, Mum.’
Jodie glided across the thick-pile cream carpet, one hand circling her swollen belly with a reverent touch that filled Olivia with a strange yearning. Admiration and love mingled in her chest. Her mother had been completely unfazed by Zeb’s attitude—had accepted his decision with a serene dignity. She hadn’t let it affect her enjoyment in her pregnancy. Diet, yoga—anything Jodie could do to ensure the health of the baby she was doing. In spades.
‘This way the baby will be healthy and so will I,’ she’d explained. ‘So I can look after her properly.’ Reaching out, she’d laid a hand on Olivia’s forearm. ‘I know I made mistakes with you, Livvy. I want to make sure this time I get it right.’
‘Oh, Mum. You did great with me. I couldn’t have wished for a better mum.’
‘That’s sweet of you, darling, even if it’s the most enormous fib. I do know that I love you more than anything else in my life. But it’s time I stopped relying on you. This baby is a second chance for me. I have to learn to stand on my own two feet.’ Jodie lifted an elegant hand to forestall Olivia’s protest. ‘It’s true. I’m forty-two years old and I have spent my whole life depending on other people. I owe you an apology.’