Chapter 13

13

G ennie wielded the broom like a sword. ‘Avast, ye scallywag! Prepare to meet yer doom!’ This was pure, unfiltered fun. No scripts, no cameras, just play.

Abby’s joy was contagious. Her eye patch slipped down her face. ‘Never! I’ll make ye walk the plank!’

Gennie lunged with her broom and couldn’t help laughing. Their makeshift pirate ship was cobbled together from ladders and sheets. Sir Hubert, perched on the ‘mast’ as the ship’s parrot, flicked his tail in feline disapproval.

‘Okay, when I strike, you fall back like this. Clutch your chest, turn, and drop. Like so!’ Gennie explained and dropped to the floor, tongue out.

Abby grinned as she mimicked Gennie’s exaggerated fall. ‘Like this?’

‘Perfect! You’re a natural, kiddo.’

This girl was something else. Clever, kind, and a blast to hang out with. Gennie had survived her share of babysitting gigs through high school, battling pint-sized tyrants. But here she was, laughing like she hadn’t in ages. Abby was easy to be around. All cheeky sunshine in her dungarees and braids.

Surrounded by a battlefield of sweet wrappers and crumbs, Gennie’s mind meandered to Nathan and what she’d learned about him last night.

A pop star, a Brit Award winner.

But why keep it a secret? He’d looked…sort of ashamed. And that rage when she’d found out… There was a story there. Something buried deep within Nathan, locked away like so much of him. Fiercely private.

As Abby was about to launch her next attack, Gennie noticed a shift in the atmosphere. The room’s pulse slowed, the laughter dimmed like a song fading out. She caught herself mid-swing, lowering the broom.

The door creaked open, breaking the temporary silence. Nathan stood there, his trademark scowl firmly in place. The sight of him instantly changed the dynamic. The air seemed heavier, more charged.

‘Care to enlighten me on what you’re doing?’

Abby jumped up, painted moustache smudged. ‘We’re pirates!’

Nathan took in the chaos with a raised eyebrow. ‘I can see that. And you raided the snack stash, too? You know that’s not allowed.’

’But that’s our treasure! Pirates need treasure!’

Gennie grinned and straightened up. ‘Do you have anything to contribute besides a vibe, MacMillan?’ She flicked crumbs from her shirt. ‘But you’re right. Guilty as charged. We’re on it, about to clean up.’ Her heart pulled a wheelie, a sensation that had become a frequent occurrence over the past three days whenever she was near him. A new kind of adrenaline.

‘Aye, Captain Da!’ Abby saluted.

Said Captain Da stood tall and stern, his expression melted into a faint smile at his daughter’s gesture. ‘Clean it up, please.’

Gennie caught the spark of concern and guilt in his glance, quick as a bullet. What was he so worried about – cavities?

They quickly tidied the room, Abby chattering away about their pirate adventure.

Nathan glanced out the window. ‘Braw day. Let’s go for a nice Sunday afternoon walk before dinner, sweet pea. Find some fairies. What do you think?’

Abby nodded and grinned. ‘Yes! Gennie, come with us?’

Gennie paused, chewing her lip. ‘Don’t know, Abster. I’ve got an early call on set tomorrow, and I’ve already hogged enough of your family time. You must have missed your daddy during the sleepover, huh?’

Besides, hanging around Nathan was like juggling torches. Fun and exciting, but one wrong move and everything would go up in flames.

‘Please, Gennie?’

‘Don’t push it, Abby. She’s our guest, not our entertainer.’ Nathan’s gaze met hers. ‘But you’re welcome to join us if you want to.’

Was he serious, or did he not want to disappoint his kid? She couldn’t tell.

Even though they’d both been trying their best to be civilised, things had been awkward between them since last night. He’d given her a wide berth all day. Suddenly, Gennie felt like a square peg in a round hole. Like she didn’t belong here. Fancy oil paintings and all that wood panelling. This wasn’t her scene. She wasn’t the homely-domestic-family-gal. Never had been. Due to lack of example, for one thing.

But then Abby fixed her with an eager look, as if she were Santa Claus on Christmas morning, and Gennie couldn’t resist that devastatingly cute little face.

Turned out she was the one who didn’t want to disappoint his kid.

‘All right, you win. Let’s go find some fairies.’

Abby let out a whoop, dashed into the hall, and grabbed her coat off the hook. Gennie’s heart warmed a notch as she shrugged into her jacket.

She cast a quick glance at Nathan as they followed the path into the forest. Gennie sized him up, tried to crack the enigma of his clouded poker face, to decipher the shielded thoughts behind his eyes. She’d spun herself dizzy playing this guessing game with Daniel. Wondering, thinking, doubting. It hadn’t led anywhere, except to hurt, heartache, and frustration. That mess was exactly why she’d sworn off such mind games, why she was done with romantic nonsense, and why she’d landed here to scrub the slate clean. And to boost her career, obviously. She was definitely not about to stumble back into that kind of crap show.

But part of her knew that Nathan was a very different breed. No showboating, no peacock struts. Stronger inside. Rounded, rock-solid. Not just older, but wiser, with a side of soft that didn’t scream for attention. A real man.

The air held a chill, the kind that bit the cheeks and made them rosy. The forest spread in a patchwork of reds, golds, and browns. It smelled of pale sunshine and rotting leaves. Gennie walked beside Nathan, hands tucked into her pockets, still trying to shake off the lingering cringe of the night before.

Abby darted ahead. Her laughter rang through the trees.

‘Not out of sight, Abby!’ Nathan called after her.

It was endearing to see this grumpy giant of a man turned to a doting heap of mush by a seven-year-old.

He glanced sideways at her and broke the strained silence. ‘So, what got you into jumping off buildings for a living?’

Clearly his attempt at small talk. Okay, she could do that.

’It’s a lame story.’ Gennie bobbed her shoulder.

‘I’d like to hear it.’

She let out a long sigh. ‘I was a gymnast at school, a pretty good one. I’d just won a silver medal at a competition when my mum and I ended up living in a car for a week. I was about nine. She made it out like this big adventure, but in truth, we’d been thrown onto the streets because she couldn’t pay the rent.’

She kicked a pebble and watched it skitter across the path as the memories came back. ‘One night, there was a guy. On drugs, probably. Aggressive. Totally frantic. Yelling and banging on the windscreen. We panicked. We had no idea what he wanted, if he was going to hurt us. I remember my heart was beating so hard, I thought it was going to rupture. My mum struggled to start the car, her hands shaking and all. Those two minutes seemed like an eternity.’

Her voice quavered, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘I’ve never felt so helpless, so scared. Almost paralysed. And I decided I never wanted to feel like that, ever. So I took up martial arts. First Taekwondo, then Krav Maga. Made me feel strong. In control.’

Abby came bouncing back, her eyes wide. ‘I found a root that looks like a hand!’

Nathan’s stern face relaxed as he looked down at Abby. ‘Don’t go too far and watch your step.’

As Abby disappeared again, her giggles fading into the woods, his attention shifted back to Gennie. Worry carved a line across his forehead. ‘I’m sorry you had to go through that. Your mother should’ve taken better care of you.’ His posture was tense, but his eyes swirled with something else. Sympathy, perhaps?

‘Wasn’t great, but it’s okay now. And it wasn’t all bad, we had fun times.’ She forced a lightness into her tone. ‘I went to drama school for a bit, then the ISS. That’s a stunt school. In a way, that night led me to where I am now. The thrill of my job. Controlled danger. That’s my comfort zone.’

He nodded slowly, a reluctant smile on his lips. He seemed to process her words, weighing them. ‘I have to admit, it’s…cool, what you do for a living. Badass.’

She nudged him with her elbow. ‘Never thought I’d hear you say that.’

His voice was low. ‘You’re telling me your story to make me feel less pathetic, aren’t you?’

Gennie blinked, genuinely confused. ‘Why would I do that?’

‘Because you saw what a phony I used to be.’ He glanced away.

‘Oh, you mean the gold records and trophies? That’s not phony, dummy. That’s badass. Dude, a Brit Award.’

Nathan’s doubtful expression spoke volumes.

Oh, definitely more to the story.

‘Da! Gennie! Come see!’ Abby’s excited shout rang through the air. ‘I found a big fairy castle! Come look!’

They pushed through the moss and ferns. Gennie forged ahead, Nathan on her heels. The forest hummed with rustling leaves and distant birdsong, like a living entity. Gennie’s unease grew, a gut feeling she couldn’t shake. Something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Abby bounced on her toes in front of a fallen tree, its massive root disc stuck out of the ground, forming a round, moss-covered wall three times her size. ‘Look, there’s a fairy ring!’ She pointed to a circle of colourful toadstool mushrooms nestled beneath the roots.

Gennie took a step closer. Her eyes scanned the ground. That’s when she noticed it – subtle movement in the earth, something shifting beneath the surface. Her heart rate quickened. ‘Abby, move!’ Gennie’s call was sharp and urgent. She heard the creak of wood fibres straining under pressure and lunged forward as the root disc creaked upwards. The tree flipped up violently. She grabbed Abby, yanked her close, and rolled away just as the roots snapped back. They hit the ground hard, inches from where they’d been standing.

It all happened in two heartbeats.

Pain shot up Gennie’s leg. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and numbed the immediate agony. But she knew something was off.

‘Fuck! Are yous okay?’ Nathan’s voice was frantic as he got there, his face a mask of fear.

Abby was crying, her small body trembled against Gennie’s chest.

‘Just a flesh wound. No, seriously. I’m fine and Abby, too.’ Gennie panted and tried to comfort her. ‘Shhh, it’s okay, honey. I gotcha. We’re safe. You’re all right.’

Abby’s cries faded, but she clung to Gennie. He lifted his daughter from her grasp. ‘It’s okay, sweet pea. Are you hurt?’

‘My elbow.’ Her bottom lip quivered.

Nathan held her gently, his voice soothing. ‘There, there. It’s gonna be awright, my darlin’.’

‘That was scary,’ Abby whispered.

‘What the fuck happened there, Gennie?’ Nathan tried to mask the fear in his eyes.

‘How should I know? Ask the damn tree!’

She tried to stand, but her leg buckled. Agony shot through her ankle, and she collapsed with a gasp.

‘Shite. Are you injured?’

‘I’m fine,’ she gritted out, though the pain was excruciating. ‘Just…help me up.’

‘You’re not fine, Gennie.’

Fuck. The weekend break is over tomorrow. I’m supposed to jump off trees and horses.

‘No,’ she whimpered, hot tears stinging her eyes. ‘My foot. And my rib. Something’s wrong.’

Gently, Nathan let Abby down. ’Can you stand and walk, sweet pea?’

She nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her hairline. ‘You’re a brave pirate, my darlin’.’ He turned to Gennie. ‘I’m going to pick you up now. It might hurt. Grit your teeth.’

Nathan scooped her up in his arms, and she suppressed a scream. He held her firmly but gently. ‘We’re getting you home and calling the doctor. End of story.’

And then he carried her all the way back to Glenwood Lodge.