Saving Wishes (The Wishes Series) (3 page)

Turning my back to him, I leaned on the lattice railing, looking into the garden, enjoying the cool air on my face. He moved beside me, resting his elbows on the railing.

“You could be my tour guide,” he suggested.

I couldn’t help smiling. “Do you have a spare five minutes?” That’s all it would take. There were only so many views of the ocean or ancient trees I could show him before he’d lose interest.

“Like I said, I have a couple of months. Would you show me around?”

“Why do I get the impression you’re not going to take no for an answer?”

“Because I’m a pushy American with plenty of time on his hands. So what do you say?”

I opened my mouth to refuse when two of my least favourite people, Jasmine and Lily Tate, tottered along the veranda, making a beeline straight for us. I’d been avoiding them since kindergarten and had become quite good at it, but now I was caught.

Both sisters were almost pretty. Lily was seventeen and possessed the knack of dressing like a cheap stripper. She also had the misfortune of being as dumb as a box of rocks. Jasmine, more intelligent and twice as catty, managed to tone it down a little bit but her pushed-up boobs still spilled over everything she wore. Her signature heavy makeup made her look much older than her nineteen years. Generally speaking, they were an all round hot mess.

“Charli!” Lily screeched, running at me in her red stilettos. She threw her arms around me, trapping my hands tightly at my sides. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your new friend?” She purred, her eyes firmly fixed on Adam. Jasmine stood so close to him that he was jammed against the railing.

“This is Adam Décarie,” I said.

“Who are you here with? I haven’t seen you around here before. I never forget a face, especially one like yours,” Jasmine gushed, squeezing against him. She linked her arm through his, staking her territory.

Adam looked at me, silently pleading for rescue. I gave it my best shot.

“Adam’s French, Jasmine. His English is not very good,” I improvised.

Jasmine dropped her bottom lip and patted his arm. It was as if I’d just told them he was suffering from a terminal illness.

“Are you enjoying your holiday?” asked Lily. She spoke slowly and loudly, managing to make “holiday” a four-syllable word.

I smirked, doing all I could not to laugh. “He’s French, not deaf.”

Adam covered his mouth with the hand Jasmine was not squeezing the life out of and coughed. I wasn’t sure if he was covering a laugh or if being choked by their perfume.

“Are you staying with Miss Décarie?” asked Jasmine, still talking as if he was mentally impaired.

“Yes he is,” I answered for him.

Lily leaned forward, glancing at her sister. Their prey remained firmly sandwiched between them. “We could show him around, like, a tour de Pipers,” she suggested. Her French accent was worse than mine, something I didn’t think was possible.

“Fantastic,” I encouraged.

“Can you tell him we’ll pick him up from Miss Décarie’s at ten?” Jasmine asked, momentarily turning her attention to me. Perhaps she didn’t know that I’d ditched every second French class for the past two years.

“Adam.” I spoke slowly and waved my arms. “You have a date tomorrow, at ten.” I held ten fingers in the air for effect.

Lily clapped as if I’d conquered the language barrier.

“Fabulous! Well, we’ll see you tomorrow,” said Jasmine, poking her bright pink fingernail into his chest with every word spoken.

“Très bien,” replied Adam, muttering his first words since the ambush.

“What did he say?” quizzed Jasmine.

“He said he’s looking forward to it.” I smirked.

As soon as their date was set, the sisters released their grip. Adam sidled next to me, perhaps hopeful that I would protect him.

Lily pulled at the hem of her stretchy skirt, which was riding up. Jasmine flicked her hair off her shoulder. Adam coughed again. Definitely the perfume. The girls walked away, their clicking heels acting as a warning system for the next man they set their sights on.

Adam waited until they were out of earshot. “You realise what this means, don’t you, Charlotte?” he murmured.

“It means you have a hot date with the Beautifuls tomorrow,” I replied, ignoring the fact that he’d just called me by my horrid full name.

“The Beautifuls? Is that what you call them?”

“That’s what we’ve always called them.”

You have a strange perception of beauty, Charli.”

I felt the need to clarify. “They think they’re gorgeous and that’s the point. The Beautifuls – it’s just who they are.”

“So if they’re beautiful, what does that make you?”

I wasn’t expecting the question. Adam waited, not watching me.

“Big trouble,” I announced, flashing my wickedest grin.

The corner of his mouth lifted just enough to reveal the dimple on his right cheek. “Really?”

“
Huge
trouble,” I warned, throwing back my head and drawing out the words.

“I’ll consider myself warned,” he chuckled. “Right, what time am I picking you up tomorrow?”

“You have plans,” I reminded him.

He shuddered. “I’m not planning on being anywhere near Gabrielle's house when those girls show up. You got me into this—so you have to save me from them.”

Earlier that morning I’d been desperate for an escape. And I wasn’t too dumb to realise that Adam might have been it.

“Trouble, remember,” I pointed at myself.

“Do you need me to sign a disclaimer or something? I’ll do it, you know.”

I blushed. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Great. It’s a date then.”

3. Games

The first thing I did when I woke was check my phone for messages, certain that Adam would have hunted down my number and called to cancel, but there were no I-just-realised-you’re-a-nutcase texts waiting for me. I pulled the covers back up to my chin. The morning was cold but the sun glaring through the window made me hopeful that the rain would stay away.

I contemplated getting up and cleaning my room to pass some time. The floor was scattered with the rejected outfits from the day before, including the obscenely low-cut dress that I swore would never see the light of day again. I opted for breakfast instead.

Alex was already up, reading yesterday’s newspaper while he ate. I sat down and he slid a box of cereal and a carton of milk towards me.

“I thought you were never going to get out of bed.”

The blistering look I gave him was wasted. “It’s seven o’clock.” I huffed.

“I know. The day is practically over.”

He was serious. Alex’s day started at the crack of dawn, because he was a slave to the sea. Surfing was his bliss, and rain, hail or shine, his morning started at the beach as if he had no choice in life. I wasn’t quite as dedicated, but couldn’t deny my affinity to the ocean either. The difference was, I wouldn’t curl up and die if I missed a morning or two in the water.

“What were the waves like this morning?”

“A bunch of chop, actually.”

“I didn’t miss much then,” I replied smugly.

“You got lucky, that’s all. How would you feel if you’d slept through the best waves in the southern hemisphere this morning? You would have spent the rest of your youth hearing nothing but the legend of how I mastered the waves of the century…while you slept in.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Get over yourself, Alex.”

He laughed, eyeing me like he was waiting for some big news.

“What?”

“How was the wedding?”

“It wasn’t a wedding. It was a reception, and it was pretty sucky.” Carol had kept Nicole shackled to a giant plate of microwaved canapés for the best part of the afternoon. She dutifully offered them around the room for hours before escaping to drive me home.

Adam left much earlier than I did. I declined his offer to drive me home. The last thing I needed was a lecture from Alex about accepting lifts from strangers.

“Where were you anyway? When I got home, you were nowhere to be seen.”

“Out and about,” he said vaguely. “When I got home, you were asleep. It must have been some party, Charli.”

“Everyone was there. The whole town was there,” I said, drawing out my words as if I was explaining some big tragedy.

Alex leaned back, snickering at my drama. “Same old, same old then, huh?”

“Not quite. I did meet someone new. Adam Décarie, Gabrielle’s cousin.” I saw a flicker in his eyes at the mention of her name. “Mademoiselle Décarie,” I purred in my useless French accent.

Alex began thumbing through the newspaper, too quickly to be reading it. Finally he gathered the paper together and thumped it on the table.

“What are you doing today?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Because I always ask. It gives me false hope that I’m actually managing to keep tabs on you.”

“I’m taking Adam on a tour of Pipers Cove,” I replied casually. It was no big deal and I hoped he agreed.

My relationship with Alex was complicated. We’d been on our own for so long that I couldn’t remember a time when things were different. He was only twenty when he took me on, at a time when he should have been setting out to conquer the world, just as I ached to do. A certain amount of guilt came with that knowledge.

Part of me always wondered how things would have been for him if we’d had a normal family life. Raising a child is a responsibility that no twenty year old should have to bear, but Alex was extraordinary. I should have told him so more often.

“Are you going to be gone all day?” he asked, perfectly calm. Maybe he wasn’t about to pull the my-house-my-rules card.

“It’s a little town, Alex. A few trees, a few cliffs, maybe a wallaby or two and we’re done.”

“Will you call me if your plans change?”

“I would if I thought you’d answer your phone.”

I’d arranged to meet Adam at the car park opposite the café because it seemed easier than giving him directions to the house. Alex wasn’t doing me a favour by offering to drive me there. He wanted to check Adam out.

I saw the Audi as soon as we rounded the bend on the road, parked in almost the same place as the day before.

“Nice car.”

“It is. And he drives it like a maniac.” I wanted my comment to get under his skin. The way he chewed his bottom lip proved it had.

“Park at the café and I’ll walk over,” I said. As expected, Alex ignored me and pulled up along side Adam’s car. “You don’t need to turn the car off. You’re not staying,” I warned.

Still ignoring me, he took the keys out of the ignition. I should have known Alex would make a production out of it and I wasn’t the least bit surprised when he got out of the car. He stayed behind me as I walked over to Adam. The three of us standing in the car park reminded me of a western movie, right before guns were drawn and carnage ensued. I introduced them before Alex had a chance to say something cringe-worthy.

“Adam, hi. This is my brother, Alex.” I pointed at him in case Adam mistook him for a seagull or something.

Adam extended his hand and Alex met it with a firm shake. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” replied Alex.

I was a little shocked. My brother usually had a smart remark for everyone and everything. I gave him a look that would have killed him if I’d concentrated harder. “You can go now.”

“Oh, geez, Charlotte. Thanks.” Obviously the daze had lifted. “Call me if your plans change.” He strode back to his car.

Adam looked to the ground in a failed attempt at hiding his smile. “He seems nice.”

“So do most serial killers the first time you meet them.”

Chuckling darkly, Adam opened the door for me. I got in and breathed out an unsteady breath of relief. I didn’t need Alex there to screw things up for me. I was perfectly capable of doing that myself. Adam got in the car and a few seconds later the engine purred to life.

I instructed Adam to pull over just after we left the car park.

“Is there something to see here?” he asked. His confused expression made me giggle. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re having a joke at my expense, Charlotte?”

He always seemed to speak formally, as if he chose the longest, most articulate way to say something. And there was something really sexy about it.

“No joke, Adam.” I said, deadpan. “This is a major attraction in Pipers Cove.” He looked sceptical but followed my finger as I pointed through the windscreen. I read the sign out loud. “Welcome to Pipers Cove. Population four hundred and sixty-eight.” I spoke theatrically, as if I was reading from a neon billboard.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “And this is significant because?”

“You don’t like it?” I asked, feigning disappointment. I added a pout.

He studied the peeling paint and outdated landscape. “It’s a very nice sign. Is it special in some way?”

“Of course it is. See the picture of the lighthouse on the rocks?”