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‘Like what?’
Karina lips pressed down as if she wasn’t quite sure whether to say something or not.
‘Well?’ Emma pressed.
‘So...’ Clearly determined to change the subject, Karina swung around to pin her with a stare. ‘Let’s get back to that night. If you say there’s nothing between you and my brother, what about earlier when you arrived at the party looking flushed and excited with a dusting of sand and grass in your hair? Was that nothing too?’
‘That was—’
‘All right—not sure I want to know,’ Karina interrupted. ‘Anything more than a confession about a peck on the cheek and you won’t need a sauce for your spaghetti.’
‘Nice.’
‘Stating facts. What’s going on between you two? And, more importantly, what’s gone wrong? That’s what I want to know. It was clearly getting serious and now it’s not.’
‘How do you know all this?’ Emma sat back in her chair, bemused.
‘I know because when my brother takes off like this, it can only mean one thing. He’s got something on his mind and needs to get away. He’s been gone for over a week now, so it must be serious. And you very carefully haven’t asked me where he’s gone. So I’m obviously suspicious. And then there’s you,’ Karina added. ‘I only have to look in your eyes to know there’s something wrong with you. And whatever it is, you’ve got to get it sorted—both of you. What can be so bad that you can’t talk about it face to face?’
Upsetting Karina was the last thing Emma wanted. ‘I’m afraid it’s a lot more than a disagreement,’ she admitted.
‘Well, tell me. Come on. What’s the big news?’
‘I’m having Luc’s baby,’ Emma blurted. She braced herself for Karina’s response. Karina’s hand had flown to her mouth and her face had paled with shock, but if there was one thing Emma had learned, it was that waiting for the right moment didn’t work. Thankfully, Karina recovered quickly, and leaping out of her seat, she exclaimed, ‘But that’s wonderful!’
Sending plate and pasta dishes flying everywhere, she hugged Emma across the table. ‘I can’t believe you look so worried about it.’
‘It’s not that easy.’
‘What’s easy?’ Karina exclaimed with a shrug, sitting down. ‘Is there anything I can help you with?’
‘The problem is Lucas.’
‘Ah. That might be difficult.’
‘It’s not him exactly...’ Emma hesitated. ‘It isn’t easy to share this with his sister—’
‘Give it a try,’ Karina advised. ‘I’m your friend. Who better to confide in?’
‘I just don’t know how to say this in a less hurtful way,’ Emma admitted.
‘Luc is controlling? Does that help?’
The expression on Karina’s face made it hard not to laugh. ‘He wants to control everything,’ Emma admitted. ‘He wants to control me at work, when I’m away from work, my pregnancy, the baby, me—’
‘I know Luc can be difficult,’ Karina interrupted, ‘but there’s a very good reason for it.’
‘Can’t you tell me what it is?’
Karina bit her lip and shook her head, as if she’d already said too much. ‘It’s not for me to tell you. You’ll have to ask Luc.’
‘That might be difficult when I don’t even know where he is. We didn’t part on the best of terms. I stalked off.’
‘You behaved like every other couple in love?’ Karina suggested.
‘We’re not in love.’
‘Aren’t you?’
‘I told him I needed space, and he took me at my word.’
‘Luc hasn’t gone for ever. I’ve never seen him happier than he is with you. You have to give him a second chance, Emma. Speak to him, and then you’ll understand why Luc is the way he is.’
Emma was silent as she considered this. ‘You’d better tell me where he is.’
‘He’s at the ranch where we spent summers growing up. We sold the main family house in Rio because of memories we prefer to forget, but we kept the ranch house, the land and the old cabin as a reminder of our holidays there. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to lose contact with the people who worked the ranch. They were like family. They still are. Luc bought the adjoining fazenda so he can ride out to the cabin like before.’
