Page 32 of The Player in New Zealand
Nina gestured with her rag. “Claire, you don’t put up with Tane’s shit. And it’ll be fun. Aside from her burning desire to see Tane settled down, Mum’s really charming.”
“No. No, no, no.” While the words came out of my mouth, Tane’s eyes narrowed at me from the other side of the bar. “Why can’t he just break up with his made-up girlfriend?”
“I’m right here!” Tane’s voice was rising.
Nina turned in her chair, finally addressing Tane directly. “Do you want to break up with your fake girlfriend? Shivani’s niece lives in Auckland—I wouldn’t be surprised if you show up without a date and suddenly Kalini is invited to the post-wedding brunch at Mum’s.”
Tane’s face turned sullen. “No,” he sulked.
Nina grinned and went back to ignoring her brother. “Claire, you can pretend to be Tane’s fake girlfriend for the weekend. It’ll be fun.”
I looked at her skeptically. “Don’t you need me here at the bar?”
“Right, she has to—” Tane tried to cut in.
Nina talked right over him. “I already checked with Tamati. He’ll cover the bar.”
“I’m not an escort,” I huffed at her.
“I’ll make sure you get your own room,” she said.
“What?” I squeaked, horrified. “Sharing a room was on the table? Nina, no.”
“Come on, it would be fun. You’d get to see Auckland for a few days while Tane’s busy with family stuff.”
“Don’t I get a say in any of this?” Tane’s voice was weary, already giving up the battle.
“How about I sweeten the pot, Claire? You and Tane would be driving up the day before the wedding—”
“Wait,driving up? You want me in the car with Tane for how long? Why can’t we fly?”
“Eight hours,” Nina said cheerfully.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tane gesture at his body. “Does not fit in commercial aircraft,” he said, and winced, “comfortably.”
“—but on the way back, you can take an extra day and stop anywhere you want.”
Ooooohhh.Nina had gotten my attention and she knew it.
“Absolutely not.” Tane ran a hand down his face. “I’m not going to do that tourist shit.”
“One day stopping with your own private tour guide.” Nina held her hands up, Vanna Whiting at Tane. “He comes complete with a scowl.”
I pursed my lips in thought.
“Hobbiton?” she said.
My ears perked up and my heart practically skipped a beat. “I’m listening.”
“Hotel room there and two tickets to the Evening Banquet,” Nina negotiated.
I hesitated and bit my lip. Hobbiton was out in the middle of nowhere, so I’d have to take the bus to visit it by myself. And the Evening Banquet was expensive.
“Claire.” Tane turned to me. “You’ll be stuck spending the whole weekend with me. I’m grouchy. You don’t like me.”
My eyes flickered between Tane and Nina. She gave me these big, hopeful eyes. And I thought about how excited she was over Tane’s sobriety and I knew this was really important to her. She may not want to say it and embarrass Tane, or show a lack of faith in him, but I bet she was hoping I would be some kind of moral support or buffer for him.
“Fine,” I said, and she whooped. “But when we get there, you have to stay close, because I don’t know anyone. And Hobbiton better be really good.”
