Page 155 of Seduction Under the Southern Stars

Linc glances over his shoulder at me, then follows her inside.

I bring up the rear, closing the door behind me, toe off my shoes, and leave them in the lobby. Linc does the same—old habits die hard—and then we go after Mum.

The house is mostly open plan, the living room in front of us, the kitchen on the far side, with lots of sliding glass doors that are all open on this glorious summer day. Dad, Joel, and Fraser are in the kitchen, and the house is full of the smell of baking bread and something sweeter—chocolate brownies, I realize. Linc’s favorites. A dog—one of the two chocolate Labs that Dad owns, one of which is called Pinky, the other Perky Nana after two Kiwi chocolate bars; I’m not sure which one this is—runs up, and Linc drops to his haunches to fuss it. The dog is immediately under his charm and rolls over onto his back with his legs in the air. Linc always had that effect on dogs, and the sight of him scratching the Lab’s tummy, drenched in the sunlight that streams across the wooden floor like melted butter, while Dad and my brothers chat in the kitchen, gives me such a strong sense of déjà vu that it makes me want to cry.

One of the other dogs barks, and the three guys turn and see us.

“Linc!” Joel walks across the kitchen, comes over to him, takes his hand, and does a brotherly shoulder bump that just melts me. “Good to see you,” he says. “Long journey?”

“Not too bad, thanks.” Linc’s reply is casual, but now I can see the tension in his shoulders, his stiff spine. He is nervous, and he walks toward the kitchen in his bare feet, stopping to fuss the other two dogs, before straightening as Fraser approaches.

“Good to see you again,” Fraser says, shaking his hand in a slightly more formal way, possibly because Dad’s watching.

Linc nods, but his gaze strays past Fraser to my father. Fraser drops his hand and moves back, and Linc and Dad study each other across opposite sides of the large kitchen.

Dad is now in his late fifties, and his hair is a gorgeous mixture of gray and white, the colors intertwining like two different flavors of soft-serve ice cream. His mustache is grayer, his beard whiter. He’s an attractive man, his quiet confidence and straight moral compass making him attractive to women, although he’s absolutely devoted to Mum.

He and Linc walk forward until they’re about six feet apart and stop. The rest of us hold our breath while we watch the showdown. Linc slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

They’re silent for about ten seconds, both sizing each other up. Then, finally, Dad speaks.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father,” he says.

“Don’t be,” Linc replies. “I’m sure he’s nice and toasty where he is right now.”

Dad doesn’t normally like talk like that, but to my surprise I see his lips twitch.

Joel glances at me. I think he can sense the electricity sparking off Linc. I lift my eyebrows and give a slight shrug, then look back at the two guys.

“Elora told me that it turns out Don wasn’t your birth father,” Dad says.

Linc nods. “My real dad’s name is Edmund Mansfield. Lora and I met him and his wife and one of his daughters a few days ago, and we caught up with his other daughter in Dunedin.”

“Lora,” Dad says, amused, glancing at me. “You know you’re the only one she lets shorten her name.”

Linc also glances at me, and my face heats. He just smiles and looks back at my father.

“It seems I can’t keep the two of you apart even when I’ve sent you out of the country,” Dad says.

Linc looks at his feet for a moment. Then, to my surprise, he says, “Do you think we could go for a walk?”

Dad’s eyebrows rise. “Oh. Er… sure.”

The two of them head to the front door, Dad pausing for a moment to give me a hug and a kiss on the forehead before he walks on. Linc doesn’t look at me as he passes, and I hear them putting on their shoes, and then the front door opens and closes.

I look back at Mum and my brothers. “Huh,” I say.

“I think they were a bit self-conscious with us listening,” Mum says. “Come on. You can help me cut up some of this bread and butter it. We’ll have it with our dinner tonight. You’re staying overnight, I hope?”

I realize we haven’t even discussed it. “I don’t know… I suppose it depends how their conversation goes.” I have no idea what Linc wants to talk to him about, or how my father will react. He didn’t go ballistic when he saw him, which I hope is a good sign. But that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to become best friends.

If it doesn’t go well, I know Linc won’t want to stay. He’ll want to go back to Wellington, and then we’ll only have tomorrow, Sunday, and he’ll be getting ready to leave. Oh God, there’s so much I want to say to him, and I don’t know where to start. I don’t want to make a fool of myself. But equally he told me he’s in love with me. Did he mean it? And will it affect his decision? I’m all mixed up, and feelings rise up inside me as I realize tomorrow could be our last day together.

“You okay?” Fraser asks, pushing off the counter and coming over to me.

I nod, but I’m unable to stop the emotion overwhelming me, and I press my fingers to my mouth.

“Ah,” he says, “come here,” and he pulls me into his arms.

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