Zana Bell - A Risk Worth Taking

“A misspent youth.”

“He bought his first motorcycle when he was thirteen,” said Alicia, covering for his abrupt answer. “I had no idea, but he got himself a job walking dogs and saved all his money under his mattress. I was appalled when he said he’d bought a bike off his friend’s brother.”

Cressa looked at him. “Only thirteen? You were a determined little chap.”

He could see admiration kindling in her gray-green eyes and for a second he felt tempted, cursing his exam.

“Nothing stops Adam,” said Alicia, “once he’s got an idea in his head. He’d visit Calvin, his friend, and ride that bike around and around their farm. Bert, Calvin’s father, assured me Adam had more natural instincts than any other kid he’d ever met. He knew what he was talking about, having four sons of his own.”

She still sounded proud of his riding skills, even though for years they’d caused her nothing but anxiety.

“Yeah, Bert was great. Took me and Cal to all the dirt bike events.” Adam laughed. “Now Cal drives an SUV with baby seats in the back.”

What had he said? Cressa’s face didn’t change at all, and neither did Brian’s, but Alicia must have felt the sudden stillness because she immediately chimed in. “What do you do, Brian?”

“I’m a doctor.”

Adam choked. Then patted his chest and peered reproachfully at the potato on his plate. He so should have guessed! Not content with movie star looks and being rich and nice, he had to go be a damn doctor, as well.

“Really,” said Alicia. “What branch are you in?”

“I’m a GP, but I’m thinking of specializing in pediatrics. There was this speaker at the conference I’ve just been at….” And Brian went on to talk about new discoveries in child cancer. Alicia was interested, but Cressa seemed to tune out of the conversation. Was it medicine or children she didn’t like? Adam noticed her glancing at her phone several times. Was she waiting for the skier or the archaeologist? Not that it was any of his business.

“Where did you two meet?” Alicia asked after a few minutes, turning to include Cressa.

“Brian is Juliet’s husband’s best friend.”

She said it so offhandedly that Brian looked as if she’d just slapped him.

“I’ve known Cressa since she was eighteen,” he added, staring into her eyes as though daring her to repudiate the fact. He wore his heart on his sleeve as if it were a fashion accessory. Adam couldn’t work out whether Brian was the bravest guy he’d met or the stupidest—despite being a doctor.

“Yeah, we went out for a few years, nearly married, but realized the folly of our ways.” Cressa was obviously making a big effort to keep her voice light. Against his will, Adam felt a tiny pull of sympathy for Brian. It appeared he wasn’t over his folly at all.

“So, Adam.” Brian focused on him again. “What line of work are you in these days?”

“Construction.”

“Really?” Brian sounded as though he hadn’t known, but if the family had talked about Adam’s stuntwork, he felt sure Deirdre would have mentioned his current occupation. “Was it hard to get leave to fly out here?”

“I quit the project.”

“Hmm. Anything lined up for when you return?” Brian sipped his wine, his eyes on Adam. What was he actually trying to find out?

“Nothing definite.” Whatever it was, Adam wasn’t going to supply the answer.

Cressa nodded. “Adam’s like me. He takes things as they come.”

She smiled at him across the table and Adam smiled back. His bad-boy smile that always worked. But he was relying on it for all the wrong reasons and he knew it. Part of him just wanted to rattle Brian’s cage. Which wasn’t fair—his beef wasn’t with this guy at all.

“More potatoes, Adam?” Brian smiled blandly as he passed the dish. Mom’s potatoes, a new weapon of war. “I’ve always had a sneaking envy of anyone with a Peter Pan complex—you know, no commitments, no steady job.”

Adam rose to the challenge and put another two potatoes—God help him—on his plate. Equally blandly, he replied, “Well, you only live once.” Steam still rose from the bowl as he set it on a mat between them.

“I’m curious, though,” Brian said. “Have you never wanted anything a little more permanent, now that you are getting older?”

Cressa rolled her eyes. “Oh, Brian, everything for you always comes down to making things safe and secure, doesn’t it?”

He looked at her. “As it turns out, not all my choices prove to be safe.”

Her eyes glittered with annoyance, but at that moment the phone in the living room rang, saving him from a sharp-tongued rebuke.

“That’ll be Sass,” said Alicia, beginning to rise. “She said she’d call when they arrived.”

Adam, though, wasn’t about to be deserted in the battle zone, and he pushed his chair back. “I’ll get it.”

He picked up the receiver, ready to give his sister an earful for catapulting him into this situation. “Hello.”

“Adam? It’s Deirdre.”

He slumped against the wall. “Hey, Deirdre. Look, I am so sorry about the suit. I’ll pay for—”

“Not at all. These things happen.” He’d never heard someone manage to sound both brisk and glacial. “Is Cressa there?”

“Yeah, we’re having dinner with Brian.”

“Brian?” Her voice warmed by ten degrees. “Juliet said he might drive up. What a nice gesture, especially as he must be tired after the conference.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Adam offered. He knew Brian’s hackles were up only because there was a stray in his territory.

“He is.” A slight pause followed, then her voice changed. “He’s part of the family. We all adore him.”

Adam straightened the picture hanging beside him. “Oh.”

“When Cressa comes to her senses, she’ll realize they are perfectly suited. Until then, Brian’s proving to have the patience of a saint.”

She sounded confiding, but Adam could tell when he was being warned off.

“Would you like me to get Cressa?”

“That would be lovely. Thank you, Adam.”

Class dismissed, he thought, and went back into the dining room. “Your mom’s on the phone.”

Cressa rolled her eyes, then glared at Brian as she pointed her finger. “This is your fault. I bet Juliet told her you’d be here. She really wants to talk to you and is only talking to me first to be polite.”

Brian laughed. “Rubbish. Your mother is devoted to you all. Now, go. Don’t keep her waiting.”

He shooed her off and Cressa, mimicking teenage surliness, pushed back her chair with an exaggerated sigh and went through to the other room with slumped shoulders and dragging feet. They all laughed at the performance.

“Perfected by her and her sisters over the years,” Brian said.

As is your closeness with Cressa and her family, Adam thought. If he hadn’t already decided Cressa was off-limits, if her mother hadn’t made it clear he wasn’t welcome, he might have felt jealous.

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind. I’d love some more of that wine, thanks, Brian.”

Cressa was back in just a few minutes. “I was right. She really wants to speak to you.”

As Brian left the room, her cell phone rang and she pounced on it. “Sorry, Alicia, but I’ve been waiting for this call.”

She exited into the hallway. Adam looked at his mother, who smiled and leaned forward to pat his hand. “I’m so glad you came, Adam. It’s lovely to see you again. I’ve loved being in New Zealand, but I’ve missed you.”

Funny, but he’d missed her and Sass, too, after they’d gone to New Zealand. Following years of seldom seeing one another, the three of them had gotten close while Alicia had been hospitalized with pneumonia and then had entered rehab for her alcoholism. Cole had been supportive, as well, sending letters and sketches from prison to entertain their mom.