Page 83 of The Player in New Zealand
Devon’s face twisted, and I braced for a barrage of nasty words. Instead he swung a punch at Tane, who, lightning quick, headbutted Devon into a crumpled heap on the floor.
* * *
In the fewminutes before the police arrived, we managed to find ice for Meino’s black eye and tie up an unconscious Devon, and Tane sent someone out to pick up breakfast for everyone.
We gave our statements to the police, and I showed them the paperwork—well, electronic copies of the paperwork—for the restraining order in Massachusetts.
Also, I hadn’t noticed the two girls in the corner of the room who had filmed the entire thing. They gave their own report and sent me and the police copies of the video.
The cops assured me that here in New Zealand, Devon wouldn’t bother me again. I called Iris, who was at work, and filled her in.
She squealed in delight when I told her about the headbutting. “My hero,” she said of Tane.
When I returned to Tane, he was sitting with Meino and finishing what I was pretty sure was his third breakfast burrito and laughing about something. I only caught the wordsMunichanddas bootbefore I sat down on Tane’s lap.
“This,” I said, “is from Iris.” I pressed my lips to his cheek and squeezed extra hard, squishing his face in the process. “Muah! She also says to teach me how to headbutt.”
Tane looped his arm around me and gave me a squeeze. “How about a self-defense class? My rugby moves aren’t going to come in handy most of the time.”
“Headbutting is legal in rugby?” I asked.
“Well, no.” Tane grinned. “But you learn anyway.”
I slumped against Tane, tired from all the excitement. He pressed his lips against my forehead and tugged me close.
“Are you comfortable going back to work?” he murmured. “If not, my offer still stands. You’ll always have a place to stay in Wellington.”
I took a minute to really think about it. Seeing Devon on the ground out cold had really given me a new perspective on him, and while the managers at McGraves’ hadn’t been great about it at first, they’d seemed much more sympathetic to my plight after Tane had hung around the bar for a few days.
On the other hand... I was in love with Tane. Instead of clarifying anything, it just made everything more complicated. Being with him all the time would be amazing, but it would also burden him with taking care of me while I looked for a job, relying on him for a home. You weren’t supposed to do these kinds of things to the people you loved.
I already felt terrible over Iris and her breakup with Chris. How had my mess with Devon seeped into every aspect of my life?
“I’m going to stay here,” I decided. “I think that would be good for me. And the job was going well.”
Tane smiled at me, and if he was disappointed, he didn’t show it. “All right, let’s get you ready for work, and I’ll need to get back to Welly now that you’re squared away.”
We said goodbye to Meino, and Tane gave him his cell number to look him up if he went to Wellington. Tane packed, we said our goodbyes, and I walked into work feeling a hell of a lot better.
THIRTY
“Guess where I am,”Iris said to me a few days later. I was walking to McGraves’ for an opening shift, so it was mid-afternoon for Iris and Ireallydidn’t think she’d be this chipper at work.
I racked my brain. “Your new apartment?” I crossed my fingers, hoping she’d found a place to live. It had been a week since she and Chris had broken up, and she was very concerned about overstaying her welcome at her coworker’s house.
“Nope!”
“Okay, babe, I need a hint. Are you in Chicago?”
“Technically, yes.”
“Technically? What the hell does that mean?” Just then, through the phone, I heard an announcement over a loudspeaker. It sounded like a woman’s voice and I swear she said, “Flight one-something-something-five to Tokyo.”
“Are you at an airport?” I asked, incredulous.
“Yes!” she squealed.
Hm. Iris might be a little bit more manic than usual right now. “Okay, where are you going?”
