‘Scumbags, lowlifes. They’re everywhere.’
‘My bedroom.’ Her lip trembled. ‘They tipped out my drawers and...’
‘We can fix it, skipper.’
His voice was so gentle she wanted to cry. Pride stopped her. ‘Not all of it. My mother’s heirloom jewellery. And I’ll never be able to sleep in my room again.’
‘Okay, maybe not all of it,’ he agreed. ‘Why don’t you show me?’ Still in that voice she’d barely heard from him until last night in his bed when she’d seen a side of him she’d not expected.
She led the way to her room, picked up the broken remains of an antique china ornament that had belonged to her grandmother. ‘It’s all so senseless.’
‘Damn right.’
A chill shuddered through her. His arms came around her and this time she allowed herself to lean back and absorb a little of his strength.
‘It’ll be okay,’ he said, combing gentle fingers through her hair. ‘And you’re not alone. I’m here.’
A comfort for now but so temporary. Maybe she could stay at Brie’s for a while—she knew she’d be welcome—except she also knew she’d be intruding on her friend’s busy social life, and late-night partying wasn’t Olivia’s thing. Meanwhile, ‘I’ll manage. They’re not beating me.’
‘Good girl,’ he said, stepping away and pulling out his phone. ‘You’ll need help to clean up this mess. Do you know anyone?’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll do it myself.’
‘Okay, then. I’ll help.’
‘No. I’ll be fine. You should go.’
He frowned at her. ‘Why do you feel you have to do this on your own? Is it because I’m a male? A chauvinistic jerk? You want to prove a point? What?’
‘Cradle Mountain’s waiting, remember?’ Her only experiences with men had taught her that when the going got tough, the tough got going. All the way to Trinidad—or wherever it was her father had escaped to.
‘You think I’d just walk away and leave you to it?’ He took her hand in his big comforting one and led her down the hall and into the living room, pushed her gently into one of the overstuffed armchairs. He squatted down in front of her so that their gazes were level. Equals. ‘Come on, skipper, talk to me.’
She understood now that she’d been basing her perception of men and their inability to stay and face the bad with the good on one man: her father. She’d not had many other male role models in her life to compare. Except Brie’s father, who’d walked away from Jett’s mother and his own son because it was all too complicated. Both had been selfish men who lacked responsibility and honour and common decency.
‘I’m used to being independent,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to be anything else.’
‘We’re the same in a lot of ways, you and me. We both value responsibility and achievement and independence. Maybe we could try trusting each other more, leaning on each other a little, and see where it takes us?’
She nodded once. ‘And just so you know, you’re not a jerk.’
He laughed, a full belly laugh that rolled over her like velvet and relieved some of her tension, then kissed her full on the mouth. ‘Don’t ever change.’
‘I don’t intend to. I’m okay with who I am.’
‘I’m okay with who you are too. I like that you can turn bad into good—Pink Snowflake’s testimony to that. Let me stay for a bit and help you out here. Just temporary, until things are back to normal. It’s New Year—hard to get tradespeople in when everyone’s on holiday.’
His words sent warmth blooming across her cheeks and inside her chest. She was unaccustomed to acceptance and approval. Guys, even other girls, saw her as a nerdy, introspective individual with more qualifications than she knew what to do with. Jett didn’t seem bothered. ‘But what about Cradle Mountain?’
‘It’s not going anywhere.’
‘I don’t want to interfere with your writing.’
‘To tell you the truth, I’m not in a hurry.’
She nodded. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He rose and straightened, rubbed his hands together. ‘Let’s get started.’
They worked the rest of the day, only stopping for a quick bite for lunch cobbled together from what she found in the pantry and freezer. They finished the meal with slices of the Christmas cake Brie had baked for Jett.
It was hard. Heartbreaking. But Jett’s company and support went a long way to making it more bearable. Guys turned up to install a new security system. Late in the afternoon, Jett drove her car to the local shopping centre and bought ingredients for a creamy soup and pasta sauce and raspberry ripple ice cream. He added a DVD for later.