Lucky Stars (58 page)

She still disliked that he called her gorgeous. It wasn’t his place anymore as he well knew.

And she didn’t like that smile. It did not say he wanted her to be okay. It said something else. She was sure of it.

“Well, I’m okay,” she assured him anyway.

“Good,” he muttered, his eyes moving to the sea, his body settling in like he did not, in fact, intend
not
to take long in what he had to say but as if he intended to stay a while. “I assume, since you’re still here, you’re staying?” he asked the sea.

Belle didn’t much like this lead in.

“Miles, perhaps you should –” she started to advise him to talk about his brother’s future with his brother but he interrupted her again, his eyes cutting back to her.

“I promise, Belle, swear it’s with your best interests at heart when I advise you, if you can, to curtail Jack spending time with Yasmin.”

She felt her heart lurch and her shoulders get tight as his words hit her.

“I don’t think –” she began again only to be cut off again.

“They were lovers,” he informed her.

“I already know that.” She couldn’t quite keep the snap out of her voice though she also didn’t quite try.

“And she’s divorcing Quincy. She’ll be free again soon.”

Belle felt her eyebrows draw together at what he was implying.

“So you’re telling me Yasmin will make a play for Jack?” she asked in disbelief.

“No,” he answered. “I’m telling you that if Yasmin’s free, Jack will make a play for her. And Yasmin won’t make him work too hard. He’s who she’s always wanted, Belle, and I fear it’s the other way around for Jack too.”

She felt her blood begin to pound through her veins and for the first time in some time, the healing wound at her temple hurt.

Before she could say a word, Miles continued.

“They’ve known each other since we were very young. They have a connection that’s grown throughout those years. What they had was passionate. And it never really ended. On some level, you must know that since she’s still around and around
all the time.
”

“You’re beyond belief,” Belle whispered, the wind carrying away her words.

“I’m sorry?”

She scrambled angrily to her feet,
Gretl
scrambling with her and Baron got close as she dashed her hair behind her ears in a (failed) effort to control it and repeated loudly this time, “You’re beyond belief!”

Gretl
woofed her agreement and Baron growled his warning as Miles got to his own feet.

“Belle, gorgeous, you know after what’s happened to you I wouldn’t tell you this unless I was looking out for you.”

Belle just could
not
believe this!

She leaned into him and reminded him on an irate cry, “I just lost
a child!
” She threw her hand out to indicate The Point and reminded him, “And it was
your brother’s child.
So, that means,
your brother
just lost
his child too!
”

“I know that,” he clipped.

“And, a month after that crushing blow, you think it’s in my best interests to deliver another one by coming to me and badmouthing your brother
and
our friend?” she queried heatedly.

He lifted a beseeching hand to her and urged, “Look around, Belle, it can’t have escaped your –”

“What hasn’t escaped me,
Miles,
” she interrupted him on a hiss, “is that Yasmin has been nothing but kind and gracious to me and Jack has never been anything but loving and gentle. Except, of course, after I let my own anxieties and
your behaviour
muddle my head then
proceeded
in making what could have been the biggest mistake
in my life
. In fact, the only person who has anything to do with
any
of this who has treated me unkindly is,” she lifted a finger and pointed at him, “
you.
”

His face went hard and he crossed his arms on his chest. “How did you know about our conversation?”

His question confusing her, she leaned back and crossed her own arms on her chest, asking back, “What conversation?”

“Jack and my conversation.
At Mum’s party.
How did you know Jack said he wanted a crack at you?” Miles explained and Belle felt her own face get hard.

“He didn’t say that,” she returned.

“It doesn’t matter who said what. It matters how you knew. Jack thinks I told you and
we
both know I didn’t.”

“None of this matters now
at all,
Miles.”

“How did you know?” he pushed.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Did Yasmin tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter!” she cried and
Gretl
woofed again.

Miles stared at her then muttered, “She told you. And why do you think she told you, Belle?”

“She didn’t tell me,” Belle denied, shaking her head and in the heat of the moment admitted a moment of rudeness. “I overheard her and Joy talking.”

“And you think that wasn’t planned?” Miles sneered.

She felt her eyes grow round.

“You are,” she whispered. “You
are
beyond belief.”

Miles shook
his own
head. “Think about it, Belle. She was done with Quincy then and she wanted a free run at Jack. Or, more to the point, she wanted Jack to have a free run at her since she likes being chased. She saw how he reacted to you so she didn’t delay in making that so.”

Belle ignored the wind whipping her hair across her face and uncrossed her arms so she could plant her hands on her hips before she asked cuttingly, “You’re telling me that Yasmin finagled Joy into a hallway she would have no idea I was walking down at the precise time she could have no idea I was walking down it to orchestrate a conversation that would put me off Jack. Is that what you’re telling me, Miles?”

“You’re getting to know her,” Miles retorted. “She’s very clever.”

“Yes, she is. You know who isn’t?” she queried but didn’t pause for an answer although she did thrust finger at him, “
You!
”

“Belle –”

Belle cut him off, “This is absurd, purposefully hurtful and I’m sorry to tell you, Miles, I’ll not keep it from Jack. What you’ve said to one woman he cares about, about another woman he cares about cannot stand. You’ll deal with him and, what’s worse,
he’ll
deal with
you.
”

On that, she bent, snatched up the rug and began to stomp past him but he caught her bicep, bringing her up short.

Goodness gracious, not
this
again.

She snapped her head back and hissed, “Take your hand off me.”

“Don’t be a fool, Belle. With the loss of that baby, your hold on him has slipped,” he clipped back, not having convinced her to believe any of his venom, he went in for the kill.

And she could
not
believe he did it or the way he did.

Therefore, with a vicious twist, she pulled her arm free, shouting, “Take your hand off me!”

She took one step away, he began to lunge toward her but stopped and both their heads whipped around when Jack’s voice cracked through the wind like a whip.

“Miles, right now, step
the fuck
back!”

Both Jack and Yasmin were
coming
their way, Jack’s face thunderous, his strides wide and Yasmin was racing on high heels on the uneven path to keep up, her face pale.

Belle just stared at Jack who she hadn’t expected to be home for at least another half an hour and who, as usual, was right there when she needed him.

She did this while her breath came fast and the rest of her attention focussed on not screaming bloody murder.

“I arrived at the house ten minutes ago,” Yasmin called. “I saw Miles going to you. I called Jack right away but he told me he was nearly here,” she puffed. “Now, he’s, well,” she stopped next to Jack who stopped three feet away from Miles, eyes glued on his brother and she threw a hand out at Jack lamely before she finished, “here.”

“Belle, you and Yasmin go to the house,” Jack
growled,
his enraged eyes still on his brother.

Before either of them could move, Miles informed Jack, “Yasmin was the one to tell Belle that you wanted a crack at her,” and after he spoke this semi-lie, Belle watched Jack’s back shoot straight.

“I did not!” Yasmin cried.

Miles looked at Yasmin. “She overheard you talking to Mum in the hallway that morning.”

When he imparted this information, Yasmin’s eyes flew to Belle, light dawned, her face paled and she whispered, “Oh God, no.”

“
It’s
okay, Yasmin,” Belle stated swiftly then added truthfully. “It was rude for me to eavesdrop.”

Yasmin clearly wasn’t thinking about Belle being rude. She sounded horrified when she replied, “I’m so sorry, Belle.” Her eyes moved to Jack. “And Jack, I had no idea –”

She didn’t finish.

Miles had looked back to Jack who never tore his gaze from his brother and spoke over her. “You thought it was me. It was not me. It was Yasmin.”

“And who told Yasmin it was me who wanted a crack at Belle when those words, Miles, came from
your
fucking mouth?” Jack asked, his voice low,
rumbly
and very, very angry.

Oh dear.

Belle needed to do something she just didn’t know how.

Or, in fact,
what.

“Miles did, of course,” Yasmin whispered before Belle could figure it out.

“She misheard me,” Miles stated quickly.

“She did not,” Jack ground out. “You lied in an effort to cheat during a ridiculous, one-sided competition that I cannot fucking believe we’re still discussing months after the drama was over and only fucking
weeks
after the woman I love was shoved down the goddamned stairs and lost our child as a result.”

Miles’s torso swayed back and he whispered, “You love her?”

“Jesus, Miles, what do you think this is all about?” Jack asked, planting his hands on his hips.

“You love her,” Miles repeated in a whisper.

Jack didn’t get a chance to respond.

Unfortunately at this juncture, Joy was racing up, calling out, “What’s happening?”

“Belle, take Mum and Yasmin to the house,” Jack ordered, his eyes still locked on his brother.

“Please, no fighting,” Joy begged, arriving and immediately getting close to Jack so she could wrap her hands around his upper arm. “We were all getting along. Let’s not go back to fighting.” Her eyes moved to her younger son. “Please Miles.
Especially not now.”

“I didn’t come to fight,” Miles told his mother. “Because Belle is sensitive, I took the chance to incur Jack’s wrath in order to warn her, after what’s happened, to tread cautiously.”

Really, Belle thought in disgust, eyeing Miles, it
was
high time to stop being meek and mild if her sensitivity set her up for
this
type of kindness.

“We’ll finish this, once and for all, between you and
me
,” Jack clipped then again ordered, “Belle, take Mum and Yasmin back to the house.”

Belle thought this was a capital idea and started to move but Joy asked, “Tread cautiously with what?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Miles answered. “She refuses to heed my warning.”

“What warning?” Joy pushed as Belle got close and grabbed her elbow, trying and failing to pull her away.

“It doesn’t matter,” Miles
repeated,
his eyes on his brother.

Belle froze when Yasmin stated softly, “You took me away from him. I participated but you did it and you did it purposefully. Now, you’re trying to take Belle from him too?”

“What’s this? What are you talking about?
What’s going on?
” Joy demanded
,
her hands giving Jack’s arm a shake.

“Belle, get Mum and Yasmin back… to…
the house,
” Jack growled.

Belle pulled gently at Joy’s elbow, she resisted and Yasmin ignored all of this and asked Miles, “Why would you do that? What could possess you?”

At this, Miles’s head turned slowly to Yasmin. “Possess me?”

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I’ve known you both what feels like my whole life and Jack has never done anything to deserve this. So yes, when you behave like this, Miles, what possesses you?”

“He sees something, he takes it,” Miles replied and Yasmin shook her head.

“He didn’t take me. I gave myself to him.
The same with Belle.”

“He sees something, he takes it, even if it doesn’t belong to him,” Miles went on stubbornly.

“This is fucking ridiculous. We’re talking about
women
, human fucking
beings
,” Jack muttered angrily and Miles’s gaze sliced to him.

“Three times, with three women, they were mine and you took them.”