Just My Luck by Rosalind James Read Free Book Online Page B

“Specially not Drewie. Geez. I’d like to see somebody try. He’s always just been Drew. Because he’s one of the boys, but he’s . . . not.”
    “That thing about him. That stature he’s got.”
    “Yeh. His mana. Greatest All Black ever, you’ll hear people say. The best captain, too, and that’s saying something. There’s never been a man on any of his teams who wouldn’t walk through fire for him. Because he’d be walking right in front of them, leading the way.”
    “So what’s that like?” she asked impulsively. “Following somebody like that into the captaincy? Trying to become that person for the team? That kind of leader?”
    She heard the silence from behind her, and regretted the question. This was clearly sensitive territory.
    “Sorry,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to answer that.”
    “Nah, that’s OK. You’re not the first to ask, believe me. The answer is, I’ve learnt heaps about what it takes, doing all my playing beside him on the ABs. So for that, it’s good. And for the rest . . . I’ll just have to see how I go, hope that I’ve learnt a bit being the Hurricanes skipper.”
    Not a very satisfactory answer, but she’d pushed enough, so she closed her mouth on the questions she still wanted to ask, concentrated on the day around her, on keeping her stroke smooth and even through the slight chop.
    “And here’s my final conversational topic,” Nate said after a minute. “How’re you going with your own job? Drew said you were working at the gym.”
    “Pretty good,” she said with relief. “Nothing too exciting. I’ve done this for a long time, and it isn’t much different in New Zealand.”
    “Not too many boofheads rejecting your sound advice?”
    “Well, the occasional one,” she admitted. He was sounding so human, she decided to test him a little. “I’m working on something pretty exciting right now, actually. A publicity deal with the netball team. When you saw me last, I was just discussing the possibility.”
    She could almost hear the door slamming shut. “You’ll want to be careful there,” he said stiffly. “Out for himself, Devon. Not too scrupulous when it comes to getting what he wants.”
    “Funny. That’s pretty much what he said about you.”
    “About me.” He sounded genuinely surprised.
    “You haven’t been all that helpful to him yourself, have you?”
    “No,” he said shortly. “I haven’t. And I never will be.”
    Well, that was that. He was such a puzzle. One minute he was so pleasant, even able to laugh at himself, and the next he was cold and stiff again. She didn’t understand him at all. Oh, well. She didn’t need to, did she?
     
    “How long are you and Kristen staying?” he asked after they’d all gone for a lunch during which he’d shown the pleasant side again, and were back at the bach. Nate had helped Drew clean and store the boats and gear, though Ally had offered to help, of course. And had had her offer rejected, of course. There were advantages to going kayaking with macho guys, she’d decided. And now, Nate had come to join her on the deck while he waited for his friend to return from the walk he was taking with Kristen, their babysitting duties done.
    “We’re just here a few more days,” Ally said. “Although I’ve been thinking I should give them all some family time. They’ve been so nice about including me, but you know what they say about guests and fish. After a few days, they start to stink. And I’ve been with them a whole week already. That’s a long time, especially with Hannah pregnant and not feeling well.”
    Nate laughed. He was sitting forward on the wooden chair, legs apart, elbows on his knees and hands clasped, grinning at her. And looking more attractive than ever, which only confused her more.
    “Not so long by Kiwi hospitality standards,” he said. “I doubt they’re whispering to each other at night that they wish you’d take yourself off. But what did you have