they? I was telling Nick on the flight that we might have to get some LED torches or brush our teeth in the dark.”
“Cute. Really cute.”
She smiled.
“Tessa.” Mac ran his fingers through his short blond hair. Nick looked a lot like his uncle. “Seeing Nick will be great. But why in the world would you pay for a charter from Nairobi instead of calling ahead so I could pick you up? Couldn’t you at least have left a message?”
“And ruin the surprise?”
He raised a brow at her. Okay, so even she knew Mac wasn’t keen on surprises. She hadn’t initially planned on sneaking into his office, but it was the one place she figured she could access a computer privately. She needed to do some research, but she also wanted to check if Katia had sent her an email. Maybe she’d changed her mind about the article. Tessa had forgotten her tablet charger. She should have searched her sheets better. As for getting here from the main airport in Nairobi...yes, counting on Mac would have been easier. And stupid.
“Look. I’m still not used to scheduling around school holidays, so this one crept up on us.”
“I realize you’ve grown accustomed to the silver spoon and spa type of life and people falling at your feet, but I don’t bow to anyone. Don’t you think it’s a bit presumptuous to assume I’m not already booked tomorrow morning?”
She hated—really hated—when people made her sound petty and self-centered just because she’d married a wealthy man. They had no clue about her marriage or what her life was like below the surface. As for Mac...he’d judged her and made fun of her since their school days. He used to call her a hermit, chicken and nerd. She hated him for that and had always resented the fact that Mac, Allan and Maria were part of the cool crowd she’d never fit into. They’d been the kids who got invited to parties, always looked trendy and weren’t afraid to break rules or play hooky when she didn’t dare.
But right now, Mac’s ego wasn’t her problem. His cooperation was. She noticed the top of a brochure sticking out from underneath a few envelopes by his computer. AWS: Air Walker Safaris. He had his logo embroidered on half his shirts and had given a shirt and matching cap to Nick when he’d come down to South Africa to settle things after the funeral. Narcissistic company name, if you asked her. Bet he’d had an easy time coming up with that one.
Nick was a Walker, though, and she needed to press the fact that he was the last “Air Walker.” No way could she bring up having him stay with Mac permanently until she could negate all of Mac’s logistical arguments against it. She needed Mac to succumb to his emotions regarding his nephew. It wouldn’t be easy. She needed to slip under his radar and rob him of his bachelorhood.
When they’d gained custody, Mac had made it quite clear that raising a boy while being both a bush pilot and tour guide wouldn’t work in any way, shape or form. His refusal to take Nick was just one more reason why she resented him. Mac—who lived for spontaneity, change and challenge—had backed off when it came to raising a kid. And he’d assumed that just because Tessa was married, had money and a house and was female, she was mother material. He’d implied that she had more time on her hands—between manicures—than he did.
There were no words for how much she loved and cared about Nick...and no regrets for the time she’d gotten to spend with him. She truly wanted to do right by Maria, but taking on a traumatized child had terrified her, and months of dealing with his depressed moods had left her drained. Mac did care about his nephew. She knew that, just like she knew that if something happened to her, he’d figure out a way to blend Nick into his life, whether he wanted to or not. She just wished he’d taken on some of the load from the beginning. And in his eyes, he had no more reason to take on raising Nick now than he had six months ago when he’d left him in Tessa’s hands.
“Are you booked tomorrow?” she asked.
His lips hardened and he clenched his jaw. “No.”
“I guess it’s all good, then. I promised Nick a holiday and I’d hate for him to be disappointed or, God forbid, bored. He’s been a bit depressed, and I figured a last-minute surprise trip would be fun and good for him,” she said, getting up from the chair and brushing past Mac. He wrapped his fingers around her arm. They were calloused and worn...and warm against her skin.
“Just how long do you plan to stay?” he asked.
Did he mean her and Nick? Or just her? Bringing up the Nick situation right now with the mood she’d already put Mac in wouldn’t be smart. No, Nick and Mac needed some bonding time...if that was possible with their personalities. And with Mac’s history of volunteering with wildlife organizations, he was the only person who might be able to help her figure out what was going on with her husband. She knew without a doubt that Mac was on the right side of the law when it came to poaching, but then again, Katia had refused to help her. Mac might have his own agenda, too. Ultimately, she could only count on herself. So much for skipping out on computer science classes in college and not learning something useful...like navigating computers beyond the basics. Where did one learn how to hack?
She looked at his hand—he let go—then she let out a breath and tucked hers into her pockets to calm herself. She glanced around his cramped quarters. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t have room for Nick. But he’d have to make room or find a new place because the way Tessa’s life was unfolding, Nick living with her was no longer an option. Not with her life crumbling around her. She angled her head at Mac.
“A week tops. Then I promise I’ll be out of your hair.”
For good.
MAC HAD AVOIDED touching his Scotch again last night. With Tessa around, he needed to keep his head on straight. But finding her in his office, bracing her—not embracing, he reminded himself—against his chest... The memories the evening had stirred up were worthy of a full-bottle hangover. The way she’d fallen into his arms at Maria and Allan’s funeral. How she’d sobbed against his chest and he’d buried his own tears in the crook of her neck. She’d never liked him much back in their school days, and he’d never cared for her lifestyle after marriage, but at that moment, no one else in the room—other than perhaps Nick...and Tessa’s parents—had understood what she and Mac were going through. In that moment, he’d imagined a connection...an understanding between them that had never been there before.
Then she’d begun pounding his chest and screaming about how much she hated him for encouraging Allan to propose to her sister. That her sister would still be alive if they weren’t related. She’d buckled to her knees after that.
Half of him had wanted to take off and the other half had wanted to wrap his arms around her and pick her up. But Brice had beaten him to it. He was the one she needed to lean on, anyway. He was her husband. Her safety net. Mac... Mac apparently wasn’t even a friend. He was nothing but a coguardian. A brother-in-law she didn’t like. He still remembered the crushing pressure in his chest when he’d watched Brice rush over and take her in his arms. Mac had lost his brother. Opening up and sharing his pain with Tessa hadn’t been easy. He’d let himself be vulnerable. Then she’d turned on him. He’d never forget that.
Mac’s trip back home to South Africa had been rife with raw emotions. There’d been a lot to take care of and the need to focus on Nick had helped him ignore the punch to his gut every time Tessa’s eyes met his as the lawyers sorted their siblings’ wills out. He wasn’t sure why she’d always hated him so much. At the time, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over losing Allan, but thinking of Nick put his pain in perspective. The poor boy was orphaned. Allan and Maria’s funeral had been hell for all of them on so many levels.
This visit was different, though. They were on Mac’s turf this time.
Nonetheless, this week was going to be hell, too.
Mac washed down a couple of aspirin to dull the throbbing in his