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‘I’m rather afraid I did.’ He grimaced as he approached the desk.
Much to Luke’s surprise Avery’s shoulder’s sagged and she said, ‘Oh, thank God for that. She needed a damned good cry.’
The group all nodded in agreement, even Jonah. ‘Oh, yes,’ Isis agreed. ‘She’s been saying she’s fine and dandy for days now.’
‘Fine and dandy,’ Cyrus repeated. ‘Like a cracked record.’
‘Well...’ Luke shrugged ‘...mission accomplished.’
Luke was glad that little group were more relaxed and looking less like they wanted to hang, draw and quarter him. Apparently an upset Claudia was a good thing. But it didn’t help his guilt...the things he’d said had been fairly unforgivable.
He felt about as low as a man could feel.
He remembered all too well how it’d felt to be idolised by her and he much preferred that feeling. Although he’d certainly developed feet of clay as far as she was concerned since declining the opportunity to give up his entire life in the UK—no matter how shambolic—and manage the resort with her.
He glanced up the stairs behind him, then back to the group. He had to go and apologise. ‘Think I’ll go and see how she is. Say sorry.’
Avery shook her head. ‘No. That would be bad.’
Jonah agreed. ‘You should give her some time to cool off, man.’
Cool off? As if anyone could cool off in this God-awful heat without the electricity that usually cooled the vast lobby into a blissful paradise. The frustration that had ridden him down at the beach returned for a second spin and a sudden rush of bone-wearying tiredness joined the mix.
He was jet-lagged to hell and sweating like a pig in his inappropriate clothes, but he had to fix this.
‘Why didn’t you tell me on the chopper ride she was this fragile?’ Luke demanded of Jonah.
‘She’s not fragile,’ Avery said, rising quickly to Claudia’s defence.
‘You could have fooled me,’ he snorted.
‘She’s been working day and night organising everything like a Trojan, getting things into place so when the official all-clear comes tomorrow we can start the clean-up, not to mention having to deal with the two hundred guests we were expecting over the next few weeks.’ Avery glared at him. ‘And she’s been helping out in the town and at the other resorts. She’s been strong, she’s been a leader. She is not fragile.’
‘Then why is she bursting into tears?’
Avery shook her head at him and Luke felt lower still.
‘Because she’s exhausted. Because she’s stressed and worried. She’s barely slept a wink in five days. Because her entire life just got blown all to hell and maybe, just maybe, she’d thought you might be the one man who really understood her devastation. None of us here can truly understand how this disaster in this place she loves so much has wounded her. Except you. Is that what you did, Luke? Did you go down to the beach and tell her you understood?’
Luke avoided the doubt and reprimand in Avery’s gaze as guilt rode him again. ‘I asked you how she was doing,’ he said, turning to Jonah. ‘You said she was fine.’
Jonah nodded. ‘She is fine. And dandy. Considering everything she’s worked for this last year has been flattened to a pulp. She’s been keeping busy and putting up a good front for us all. But you’re family, man. Your opinion has always mattered more than anyone else’s.’
Luke scowled, hating that Jonah was right. He had lashed out and hurt her. ‘Right,’ he said after a moment. ‘So I’d better go and fix it, then.’
Avery made a tutting sound and it was Luke’s turn to glare. ‘What?’
‘I know you’re a man and all and it’s in your DNA to fix stuff but she doesn’t need that. She told us she needed some time alone and a smart man would just let her do it. And probably after that she needs you to shut your mouth and just hug her.’
Jonah nodded. ‘Give her some space, man. I wouldn’t add insult to injury if I were you.’
Luke knew it was good advice. But he couldn’t bear the fact that she was upstairs all alone crying because of the things he’d said. Claudia wasn’t a crier—never had been. She was bouncy and cheery and peppy.
She was a ray of freaking sunshine.
And he’d made her cry. He was responsible for her tears.
Luke shook his head. ‘Nope, sorry, can’t.’
And then he was gone and four sets of eyes watched him bound up the stairs following in Claudia’s footsteps.
Avery sighed. ‘And I thought he was smart.’
