She checked the corridor to make sure Kate had gone inside and suddenly remembered the blonde she'd seen at the docks. Then Libby realized why she'd seemed familiar. She was the woman who'd got the wrong room in Melbourne.
Libby pulled away and put her hand to her forehead. "I meant to tell you about something. There was a woman who came to the room in Melbourne."
Adrian stepped back. "You never said anything."
"It was the night Kate had her nightmare and I forgot all about it. She said she'd got the wrong room number, but she recognized me. She must have seen the talk show." Libby paused. "I thought I saw her today on the docks taking photos."
"What did she look like?"
"Tall, about your height, and slim, with blond hair and an American accent."
"Kate's ex-nanny was blond. But she was supposed to go back to America a week ago." Concern radiated from him. "I'll show you a photo of Emily tonight and you can tell me if it was her. Or it might have been a fan who'd somehow managed to find out where I was staying. There was an issue with a fan at one of the Melbourne concerts."
"I'm sorry." Libby wished she'd remembered to tell him earlier. If it was a fan, it was stalker-like behavior, and it made Libby nervous. She hugged him and he brought his arms around her.
When she stepped back to look up at him, he brushed his lips in a feather-like touch over hers. It was gentle and made her feel loved. She wanted to stay here like this forever.
Forever? That was crazy. She'd known Adrian less than two weeks. This was her no-strings tour fling. There was no forever. Adrian had made it clear. He wasn't looking for a relationship.
He squeezed her hand. "You all right?"
"Sure." She gazed down the empty corridor. "George will probably want to get to work."
"You're right. You tend to distract me." He grinned and pulled her close for another kiss. "Don't be too long."
"I won't." Libby slipped inside her room. She leaned back against the door and shut her eyes. Where the hell had forever come from? She couldn't possibly be thinking straight. In another two weeks Adrian would go back to America and she would move into the cheap apartment she'd found and that would be the end. It was a tour romance Adrian might think fondly about from time to time if she was lucky.
She stood hugging herself by the door.
Libby swore softly. She wasn't in love with Adrian. She couldn't possibly be. Sighing, she relaxed her hold. She needed a shower. The water would wash away her foolish thoughts and she'd be able to think straight.
***
The shower helped. Libby had realized she was being silly. What she'd felt was just the early stages of a crush. The stage of dating when everything was so right and so rosy.
She'd got carried away because Clint had never given her this sensation of belonging, this feeling of family.
Clint had never given her much of anything.
After dressing she was heading out the door when her cell phone rang. Checking the display, she almost didn't answer it, but she knew her mother would keep ringing if she didn't.
"Hi, Mum."
"Elizabeth, I thought you would have called when you got home from your tour."
"I'm still over east, Mum," Libby said. What did her mother want? She never called just to say hello.
"Didn't you finish last week?"
"I've got a temp job over here."
"Oh. When will you be back?" There wasn't any interest in what the job was, thank God – just annoyance, as if Libby had messed up her mother's plans.
"Not for another couple of weeks."
"That won't do at all. There's a function next Saturday and as your father and I leave for Fiji tonight, I promised you will be there. Some of my friends are big fans."
Her mother's tone made it clear she was surprised at her friends' taste.
Libby rolled her eyes and suppressed a sigh. Another one of her mother's charitable fundraisers, where Libby would be expected to bid on some extravagant thing she couldn't afford. Thank goodness she had a valid excuse. "You'll have to tell them I'm working."
"Surely you could fly back for the weekend."
Her mother had no idea how little she earned from writing, nor was Libby going to point it out to her. But that was beside the point. She was working on Saturday.
"I'm sorry, Mum. You'll have to give my apologies."
Her mother huffed in displeasure. "I'm disappointed in you, Elizabeth. I don't ask for much."
That was because she didn't care to remember she had a younger daughter until it suited her.
"Next time you'll have to ask me if I'm available first." She wasn't going to feel guilty about this. Her mother would keep at her until she gave in, so she said, "I've got to go. I'm meeting friends and I'm going to be late. Give my love to Dad." She hung up before her mother responded.
She quickly turned her phone off in case her mother called back. Tension drained out of her body and she was suddenly lighter and happier. It was the first time she'd refused her mother.
Most of the time it was Libby who was being refused. Whenever she suggested going out to dinner with her parents, it wasn't convenient. They either had something on, or were expecting something better to come along. She'd learned not to ask anymore.
Right now Libby had someone who wanted to spend time with her and she wasn't going to let her mother ruin her mood.
She retrieved her key and headed to Kate and Adrian's room.
***
Kate answered the door in her pajamas, her hair damp. "Come in. Uncle Ade's in the shower. I'm deciding what I want for dinner."
The image of a naked and wet Adrian popped into Libby's mind and she paused, her mouth going dry.
"What do you think you'll have?" Kate's voice interrupted Libby's thoughts and Libby blocked the image from her mind. She couldn't have those kinds of thoughts with Kate around. She followed Kate to the table, where the room service menu was open. "What looks good?"
"I'm getting fish and chips." Kate moved the menu so Libby could see.
Libby paged back to the start and then realized Kate was grinning at her. "What is it?"
"You and Uncle Ade were holding hands today," she said with a triumphant smile.
Libby hesitated. "Yes, we were. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes! I knew he fancied you like you fancied him. He was never this friendly with Emily. Generally he's not comfortable around strangers. Dad used to say it was because he was shy. He's not shy with you, though." The shower had revived some of Kate's energy.
Libby wanted to know more about what Kate's dad used to say, but she stopped herself from asking. Adrian would tell her about his background when he was ready.
Adrian came out of the bathroom and Libby quickly turned her attention to the menu.
"We're deciding on dinner," Kate told him.
"Great idea."
Libby turned to face Adrian, trying to seem casual. He wore his usual jeans and T-shirt, blue today, and his hair was disheveled from drying it. He looked refreshed and relaxed. Libby's heart thudded.
"What's the plan of action for tonight?" she asked.
"Order dinner first and then see what movies are available," Kate answered.
Adrian and Libby chose their meals, and while Kate deliberated over which movie to watch, Adrian showed Libby a photo of Emily.
"That's her," Libby said, staring at the photo.
"Darn it," Adrian swore. "Let me tell George she didn't go home." He picked up his cell phone.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked.
Libby checked with Adrian and then said, "I thought I saw Emily today at the docks. Adrian is telling George."
"She went home last week," Kate said and turned back to her movie selection.
"That's what we thought, but maybe she decided she wanted to see some of Australia while she was here." Libby didn't believe for a moment it was a coincidence that Emily happened to be on the docks at the same time as them.
Adrian hung up. "George is going to check whether she was on the flight." He turned to Kate. "If you see Emily, I want you to tell one of us straight away."
"Sure." Kate didn't look up.
"You're not to go anywhere with her if she asks," Adrian continued.
"Why would I? She's no fun."
He smiled and relaxed a fraction. "Swell. What movie did you pick for us?"
Kate handed him a comedy. Libby sat on the couch with Adrian and Kate either side of her. She was concerned about Emily and wondered why she had quit. If Emily and Kate hadn't got on, would she want to hurt the child?