Just Good Friends (3 page)

“If you say so. I can’t say I got that. Just because he’s
nice to you, you like him.”

“Well, of course I do. How else am I going to judge
somebody, except by how I see them behave?”

“Everyone’s nice to you, though. Even me. Because everyone
knows you’re an angel on earth, and you like everybody,” Kate complained.
“That’s a lousy test. How about if you judge him by the way he behaved towards
me? Which would make him, let’s see now, a jerk.”

“I’m not sure that was your most shining moment either,
though,” Hannah told her with a wry smile.

“You’re right,” Kate said penitently. “And I apologize
again. But Hannah. You’ve always been my role model. You know that. You’ve
always been so strong, so independent.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” she hurried on. “I can see how much
Drew cares about you. It’s really all right with you, though, having him talk
about looking after you?”

“It’s really all right. I take care of him too. It works
both ways. And you’re wrong, you know,” Hannah told her gently. “I understand
why you said what you did, after the experience you’ve had. Being protective is
part of a man’s makeup, true. But it’s not the same thing as being domineering
or abusive.”

“Who’s abusive?” Drew came up behind her.

“Not you,” Hannah assured him.

“I hope not,” he said, startled. “Ready to go?”

“Sure. See you later, Kate. Thanks for entertaining me for a
few minutes. You’re still going to the game with me Friday, right?”

“I’m counting on it. Have a nice dinner, guys.”

Kate sighed as she watched them leave. She wished she could
think somebody would ever look at her like that. True, she could take care of
herself. But it would be nice to have someone love her that much.    

“Be careful there.”

Kate turned at the words. “Sorry?”

Her neighbor Corinne, a pleasant woman in her early 30s,
nodded at her. “Dead easy on the eyes, Koti. But he’s a player. Always has an
eye out for the new girls in the office. If you want a bit of a fling, he’s
your boy. It may only be for a night or two, though.”

“It sounds like he’s cut quite a swath around here,” Kate
said with surprise. “For you to know that much about him.”

“There’ve been a fair few girls through here who could give
you a review of his performance, let’s just say. Always someone ready to put
her hand up where he’s concerned. And some hearts broken too. That’s why there
was a vacancy for your position, you know.”

“What? How?”

“Bridget. Lovely to look at, and a kind girl as well. Too
soft, though. She fancied him for ages. When he started taking her out, she was
over the moon, hearing wedding bells. Course it didn’t last more than a month
or so. It never does, with him. He moved on to someone else, and that was the
end of Bridget. The same old sad, short story.”

“He cheated on her?”

“Not cheated, exactly,” Corinne admitted. “Gave her the push
all the same, though. She stuck it out here for a bit after that. But it got to
be too much for her, seeing him around the place, and she gave notice. So, from
what I hear, if you want a bit of fun, you’ll have it. But be warned, that’s
all it’ll be. He’s not a keeper.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Kate told her. “But I think I can
safely promise you that I’ll never be interested in dating Koti James.”

The sound of her alarm had Kate starting awake the next
morning with a familiar lurch of fear, followed by a quick sigh of relief as
she remembered where she was. She was safe across the world, she reminded
herself. She didn’t have to watch for Paul or think about him anymore. And she
was going swimming this morning.

Thirty minutes later, she was bracing herself against the
predawn chill as she entered the water at deserted Takapuna Beach and gutted
her way through the first five minutes, always the most difficult part of her
swim. Another month, maybe, and it would be time to break out the full wetsuit.
Thank goodness the water here never got truly cold. She’d never been a member
of the Polar Bear Club, able to leap into the frigid winter waters of the San
Francisco Bay without a wetsuit. Or even the summer waters, for that matter.
Not enough body fat. That might make her look better in a swimsuit, but it was
a major disadvantage in cold water.

Moving here had its upside, even though it had been forced
upon her, she realized as she watched the dawn tinting the sky over Rangitoto,
the huge volcanic island rising to seaward. Swimming in a pool couldn’t compare
to the intoxicating feeling of slicing through the gentle waves, being a part
of the ocean. And being able to roll out of bed and get here in a few
minutes—that was just icing on the cake.

Exhilarated and fully awake, she emerged from the sea and
ran to the cold shower on the beach. Rinsing off under the spray, she struggled
as always to pull her clinging neoprene vest over her shoulders.

“Need a hand?”

She whirled, heart pounding and arms still caught in the
vest, at the sound of the voice. Koti stood a few feet away, looking down at
her.  

“No!” She wrestled the cumbersome vest over her head as
quickly as she could, feeling better when her arms were free. “What are you
doing here?” She tried to sound calm as she turned off the spray and looked for
her towel, only to find him holding it out to her. She wrapped it around
herself, grateful for its protection, acutely aware of being dressed only in
her swimsuit. It was a modest, athletic one-piece, but she still felt much too
naked in the chilly morning.

 “Just out for a jog,” he said mildly. “Thought I recognized
you.”

“Pulling my vest over my head, you recognized me,” she said
stiffly. “You have a good memory.”

“For pretty girls, I do,” he grinned.  

“I’ve got to go. Enjoy your run.” She grabbed the bag with
her things and headed for her car without looking back.

Koti watched her leave, confused. What was that all about?
Women didn’t usually run away from him. It wasn’t like he was some random git,
coming up to her on the beach. Although he might have done that anyway, he had
to admit. She’d looked good in those togs. Especially cold. That had been
particularly choice. She was as small as he’d guessed the day before, but
everything was proportioned just right, her small waist flaring out to very
nice curves above and below. He would bet he could span that waist with his
hands.

He’d have to get past that prickly barrier first, though. Probably
not worth it. He shrugged and resumed his easy jog. Even though he was due at
practice in a couple hours, he always enjoyed starting the day here, in the
early morning quiet.

“Still dropping your lip about that talking-to you got back
there from Mac, eh.”

Koti looked up from where he sat on the bench, hands on
knees, to see Hemi Ranapia staring down at him.  

“Nah. Just thinking.”

“Cuz.” The veteran halfback sat down next to him. “You
aren’t far off clicking. You need to give it more in the training, though. And
pay attention to what’s happening in the game, how you can contribute, use that
strength of yours where it counts.”

“I was the fastest in the running drills today, though,”
Koti objected. “Like I am most days. Don’t see how you—and Mac too—can say I’m
piking out.”

Hemi frowned at him. “
Kaore te kumara e whaakii ana tana
reka.
Need me to translate that for you?”

Koti flushed. “Nah. Got it. My Uncle Nepia used to say the
same thing. ‘The kumara doesn’t say how sweet he is.’”

“Reckon there’s a reason we’re both telling you the same
thing. We all have eyes, don’t we. We know what we see and don’t see. We know
you’re fast. You don’t need to tell us. What about the tackling drills, though?
How would you say you did there?”

Koti shrugged. “Not my best skill, I’ll admit. We all have
our strengths and weaknesses.”

“But you aren’t always going to be the fella carrying the
ball,” Hemi pointed out patiently. “There are times we need you to make the
tackle as well. And when you need to fossick about in the dark places that’ll
never appear on film.”

“I’m a back, not a forward,” Koti objected. “That’s not what
I’m here for.”

Hemi stared at him in disbelief. “It’s what everyone’s here
for, if we want the win. And the win’s what’s important. Points don’t matter,
at the end of the day. Tries don’t matter, if we lose. It’s a team game, not an
individual competition. No trophies for the most flash performance. You need to
harden up and do your best for the team, whether that’s something you enjoy or
not. If the team looks good, you’ll look good too. And if it doesn’t, if we
don’t win . . .” He shrugged. “Then you don’t look so flash anymore, do you. No
matter how fast you’ve run.”    

Koti was still thinking about the conversation two days
later as he jogged slowly back along the beach, letting the quiet of the early
morning fill him with its peace. On match days like this Friday, he needed this
ritual even more, the spaciousness of sea and sky settling him down, helping
him start his day with a clear head.

Looking out into the water, he saw a swimmer heading toward
shore. It was hard to tell from this distance, but he thought it was Kate. He
didn’t often see anyone in the water this early.

“Good morning again,” he said cheerfully as she emerged from
the water. He handed her the towel he had seen with her things. “You do this
most days, eh.”

She pulled the towel hastily around herself and stared at
him. “Why are you here at the same time I am? Are you following me?”

“What?” he asked in disbelief. “Of course I’m not following
you. Just having a bit of a run, stretching my legs like I do every morning.”

“Why on this beach?” she persisted. “This is my beach.”

“I don’t think so.” He’d given her a pass the first couple times,
but she was starting to annoy him now. “This is a public place, same as every
other beach in New Zealand. And I live in Takapuna. I could ask why you’re on
my
beach.”

“Maybe I’d better change my schedule, then,” she muttered.
“I’m not comfortable with you showing up every time I come here.”

“That’s mad.” He felt his temper slip further. “You’re not
even my type. Too small. Too dark. Reckon I just won’t talk to you if I see you,
from now on. I’ll avert my eyes, too. Believe me, that won’t be any sacrifice.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “Just do your run and leave me alone.” She
grabbed her bag and stalked off to take her shower, deliberately turning her
back on him before risking a quick peek to make sure he had left. She whipped
her head back around when she saw him continuing to look after her.
Go away,
she prayed, as she forced herself to behave naturally.

The next time she looked around, he was headed off again,
and she breathed a sigh of relief even as her pulse continued to pound. When
she’d come out of the water and seen him standing there, it had sent a real
jolt of fear through her. This couldn’t be happening again. That would be too
much of a coincidence.

She would tell Hannah about it, she decided. Just in case.

“What?” Hannah asked, startled, when Kate described the
encounters over dinner in the City that evening. “I’m sure Koti wasn’t stalking
you. He’s a good guy, Kate.”

“How do you know?” Kate pressed. “Stalkers can seem like
perfectly nice, normal guys. They’re good at that. I should know. And these
guys are violent anyway, aren’t they? I mean, that’s their job.”

“Kate,” Hannah frowned. “You’re talking about my husband.
You do realize that.”

“I’m sorry,” Kate hastened to say. “I just mean, aren’t they
more likely to have those issues? Playing such an aggressive sport?”

“Not that I’ve seen. I’d say the opposite, most of them.
They get all their aggression out on the field, I guess. And they leave it
there. In fact, you know, lots of times they’re friends with the boys they’re
playing against. When you watch them out there bashing each other, you’d think
they were the worst of enemies. But remember that some of them are going to be
teammates on the All Blacks. Or have played together in the past. They’ll be visiting
each other in the locker room after the game and having a beer together.”

“And actually,” she went on thoughtfully, “you’re probably
safer with one of the players than you are with random guys you’d meet here.
Because they’re so visible. If any of them had that kind of problem, you’d have
heard something about it. I would have, for sure. This country’s too small to
hide that kind of thing. And the rugby world is even smaller.”

“Well, I wanted to let you know, anyway. Just in case you’re
wrong,” Kate insisted.

“I can understand why you’re wary. I do remember, though,
that Koti lives in Takapuna. Quite a few of the players live on the North
Shore, for the same reason you like it. It’s a beautiful area, and it has some
of the best beaches around. My friend Reka lives there, in fact, not far from
you. We should see her tonight. She’s Hemi Ranapia’s wife. Have you met him?”

“Not yet. At least I don’t think so. I’ve only met a few of
the players.”

“I think you’ll like both of them. They’re Maori, like Koti,
and I know they’re fond of him. They wouldn’t be if there were anything wrong
with him. And you know, Drew, and Hemi too—any of the senior players, in fact—would
never ignore one of the players abusing a woman. Especially not my friend. Believe
me, none of those boys is going to mess with you.”

“And there’s that protection thing again,” Kate pointed out.
“You’re telling me not to be scared of one man hurting me, because another man
will hurt him. How is that supposed to make me feel better, that I’m protected
from the violence of one man by the violence of another man?”

“Well, you’re protected by the law too, of course,” Hannah
told her with a smile. “But personally, I’d put my money on Drew. His reaction
time is a lot quicker.”