I Think I Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 3) Page 7

  Annie hauled him back from his thoughts. “So you haven’t really talked to her?”

  “Nope.”

  “No dinner for you tonight until you do.”

  He cocked a brow at her. “Seriously?”

  She shrugged. “Yes.” Turning down the music, she said, “Tell me about Oliver’s new girl.”

  It was going to be a long drive to the beach house.

  They arrived a few hours, and a couple of toilet breaks, later at the beach house. He loved the drive along the Great Ocean Road. Always had. The scenery was spectacular, the towns attractive and interesting, not to mention the sights like the Twelve Apostles or the Shipwreck coast. Usually the drive relaxed him, yet today with Ellie and Henry in the back, Markus was exhausted when they got there.

  He helped Annie with the unpacking and then went straight to his room. It was an old house, definitely in need of some repair, but it was a place Markus and his sisters loved. His parents had bought it when Markus was in his teens. He had many wonderful memories in the house. Their parents had dropped them off with their grandmother during holidays or long weekends, and Markus had to step into the role of looking after his sisters and grandma. It was a small house with only three bedrooms and a decent sized bathroom in the back. He remembered that he’d shared a room with his sisters well and truly into his teenage years. He’d copped a lot of laughter for that. The kitchen and living area were at the front of the house, in need of some updating as well. He cringed at the orange bench top every time he stayed at the place.

  Throwing his bag into the corner of the room in the far back, he stepped over to the bed and sat down as he grabbed his phone. The confusion in his head irritated him. He’d always liked plans and clear decisions, but at the moment he wasn’t able to make any, let alone give his management an answer. The job in Sydney sounded great. He didn’t have to do it for the money. He’d saved enough to have a decent living for the next few years and possibly invest in a sports store. Yet, commentating on the game he loved. That’d be the icing on the cake.

  He lifted the phone to his ear and waited.

  “Hi, Marky.”

  Sarah sounded tired and uncertain.

  “How are you?”

  He thought he heard the door closing in the background before she replied. “I’m good. What about you?”

  “Down at the bay with Annie and the kids.”

  “What about Miles?”

  “Doing hard-core studying for his exams.” He stood and walked to the window to watch the water. The waves rolled up towards the beach only to break and fall away. It was like the chaos inside that confused him. Unsettling.

  “Babe, tell me what’s wrong,” he said softly, closing his eyes.

  The sigh he heard was one he’d heard many times before, yet this time it came from deep within her, a sigh of pain, giving up, and something else.

  “Baby?”

  “I’m fine. Just need to sort through some stuff. When are you coming back?”

  “Do you need me?”

  “No.”

  His eyes flew open. Did he imagine it, or had she replied too quickly?

  “Okay,” he said slowly. “We’re here for a few days, but you never know with Annie.”

  Then he heard a phone ringing in the background. “Do you need to get this?”

  “It’s not mine.”

  The idea that someone was with her irked him, but he tried to ignore his irritation. Was it Timmy? Was that the reason she didn’t need him?

  “Baby, tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I’ve got to go, Marky. Enjoy your time at the beach.”

  Before he was able to say anything else, she’d already hung up.

  “You’re all right?”

  Markus shot around. His sister stood in the door with Ellie sleeping in her arms.

  “Yes. All good.”

  With a subtle shake of her head, she said, “You’re such a liar.”

  He stepped closer and placed a kiss on her temple as well as on his niece’s. “How about I grab us some dinner and a bottle of wine?”

  His sister nodded. “Too late for this one, but I’m sure Henry is up for some Italian dinner. Will you get some?”

  Nodding, he grabbed the keys and headed towards the front. “Want me to take Henry?”

  “Nah. The little man needs some soap on his skin first.”

  Markus laughed and left. He looked forward to a glass of wine with Annie. A little chat with another woman might enlighten him about whether he was reading too much into any unspoken words from Sarah.

  Or whether he had simply stuffed up.

  ***

  Sarah wiped the tears before she stepped into the spare room, where her sister was staying at the moment.

  “I’ve got some chicken left over. In the mood for some tossed salad to go with it?”

  Rachel nodded. “Whatever.”

  With her heart aching in more than one way, Sarah stepped closer to her sister.

  “Remember when we were little and secretly added salt to Mum’s cake when she’d invited yet another man to our house?”

  Rachel snorted.

  “Or stealing Oliver and Marky’s porn magazines and putting them into Mum’s drawer?”

  This time Rachel burst into laughter.

  Sitting down next to her sister, Sarah took her sister’s hand. “We had fun, didn’t we? What happened?”

  “Life.” Rachel’s eyes closed. “Life happened,” she repeated. “We grew up, some of us luckier than others.”

  They sat in silence for a long moment before Sarah said, “D’you think I was lucky?”

  The look her sister gave her said it all. Yes, Rachel thought Sarah had been lucky. She thought about it. Her childhood hadn’t been the best. Money had always been short. When the other girls wore the latest fashion, she made the best with what she’d found at the op-shop. There were days when she envied others for the little things like the latest CD, tickets to the movies, or their holidays, and she was jealous of their happy family life. Yet, it hadn’t been all bad. Markus, Oliver, and Tyson had always been great friends, and they had shared lots of good times together.

  Lucky? No, she hadn’t been lucky. She’d worked hard for all she had now. Very hard. Even though Marky had helped her along the way.

  She looked up at her sister. “Why lucky?”

  “Oh my God, Sarah. Look at the friends around you. Markus is a millionaire. Ty’s probably not far off. And Oliver?”

  Letting out a long breath, she looked at her sister. Rachel was right. Every time she was in trouble, she’d ring Marky or the other two for help. And they’d help, no questions asked.

  “I suppose it’s time for some luck to come your way,” Sarah finally said.

  Rachel cocked her head and studied Sarah for a minute. “I always had a crush on Tyson. Broke my heart when I heard about Katie.”

  As she stood, she laughed softly without mirth. Sarah watched her leave the room before she dropped her head and stared at her hands in her lap. For a few minutes, she thought she’d found common ground with Rachel. Sighing in frustration, she was about to stand up as well, when her sister returned with a bottle of red wine.

  “Feel like some sister lovin’?”

  Sarah laughed and gave a slow nod. “I’d love to, but should you be drinking while on meds?”

  Filling two glasses, Rachel said, “Meds, alcohol, who cares, as long as it numbs the pain.”

  They sat on the bed and sipped at their glasses. “Cheers.”

  “I don’t think we’ve ever done this before,” Sarah said, a bit wistful.

  “So, tell me, little sis. You still haven’t hooked up with Markus?”

  Sarah snorted, which earned her a glare. She leaned back as she took a long breath. “Oh boy. You’re trying to get me drunk to talk?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel staring at her. “I have a feeling I’ve hit a raw nerve here.”

  “Not really. We’ve been
good friends for so long I couldn’t imagine Markus to be anything else.”

  “The big sigh sounds like the total opposite is the truth.”

  “Considering that you’re mixing alcohol with meds, your mind is sharp as a whip.”

  Rachel laughed. “Red and I have been friends for a few years now.”

  “What happened?” Sarah asked again as she turned to look at her sister. The bruises on her face were still visible, although the swelling almost undetectable.

  “Mum and I are simply not compatible. It’s a mix of many emotions. There’s jealousy of your life. Possibly some regret from her side for doing a lousy job as a mum, having failed in raising us properly.”

  “Properly?”

  “Oh, c’mon. Bringing home a different man every couple of months or feeding us tinned food is not what I’d call mother of the year.”

  “It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “Yeah. It certainly wasn’t easy. You were lucky the guys adopted you into their gang. I’ve inherited Mum’s trait and always pushed people away with my negative attitude.” She shrugged. “Also got the talent to meet the wrong people.”

  “It wasn’t all a bed of roses with the guys.” There was no comment from her sister, so she went on. “I copped a lot of crap from the other girls.”

  “It would’ve been, though, once you’ve moved out.”

  “I bunked with Marky for a couple of weeks. I had a fight with Mum about moving out when I found a little apartment. She was worried about losing the money I handed over every pay day. So I left that day.”

  Rachel nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

  Sarah re-filled their glasses. And as much as her heart ached for her sister’s pain, she refused to accept the unspoken guilt, but regretted her part in causing it. She’d been reminded again, that if it hadn’t been for Markus helping her in an icky situation, life would’ve most certainly turned out differently.

  She was even more determined to get through this on her own.

  Her feelings for him. And her sister’s mess.

  Lifting her hand towards Rachel face, Sarah gently touched the bruise on her sister’s cheek. “Your turn. How did you end up in hospital?”

  Her sister took a long sip before she spoke. “His name’s Frank.” She shrugged. “I really thought he was a good guy. Well, at least he was nice when I met him. When Mum kicked me out blaming me, yet again, for another one of her failed affairs, I ended up on his doorstep.” Pausing, she leaned back. “He didn’t even hesitate, and we spent a great afternoon together. Then, the next day, I found him in his lounge room, all pale with little pearls of sweat on his forehead. I should’ve left then, but I was never that clever.”

  Sarah wasn’t sure anymore whether she wanted to hear the rest of the story.

  Rachel went on. “Nothing hurts more than being rejected.”

  She nodded, and a stab of pain went through her as she remembered Markus’ words on the answering machine: I fucked up.

  “He wanted money. I told him I haven’t got any. That’s when the trouble started. He got insanely angry, throwing some tantrums I’d never seen before. I made the mistake of laughing and that’s when his fist connected with my jaw. You have no idea how painful a hit can be. I wasn’t able to focus, my head was dizzy and foggy. In hindsight, raising my hands to block more was probably more out of instinct than anything else.” She shrugged. “It didn’t stop him though. Another hit and the next thing I remember is I woke up in hospital.”

  Sarah wasn’t able to hold back the tears. “I’m so sorry,” she finally whispered.

  Rachel let out a long breath before she said, “Yup, so am I.”

  They filled up their glasses again.

  “How about this chicken?”

  Rachel snorted. “The one in the kitchen or the one who beat me up?”

  Sarah smiled. “That’s what Oliver always said. Men who beat women are nothing more than scared chickens.”

  “Cowards.”

  “That too.”

  “No, he always said, men beating women are f-ing cowards.”

  An hour later, Sarah lay on her bed, staring at her ceiling. Dizzy from all the alcohol, but also overwhelmed from all the things Rachel had told her. So many things she hadn’t known about.

  She grabbed her phone and dialled Markus’ number. When she heard the line was connected, she didn’t give him a chance to answer, but said, “And for the record, you’d be lucky to have someone like me.”

  Then hung up.

  ***

  Markus stared at the phone, not certain what to make of Sarah’s phone call. So he called her.

  “I don’t want to talk to you,” she said.

  “Are you drunk?”

  There was a pause, and he was sure he heard a little groan. “No. Maybe. A little.”

  Markus cursed. “Babe. What happened?”

  “Wow, that’s like déjà vu.” She giggled. “Nah, it should be…Marky, what’s the French word for—” A big sigh came through the phone. “I swear there was more wine than usual in this bottle.”

  “Sarah?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Baby, I thought you swore off wine at Ty’s party?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Babe, talk to me. Are you alone?”

  But all he could hear was the sound of a gentle snore. Smiling, he disconnected the call and sat on his bed. Resting his arms on his legs, he stared at his feet and thought about her comment: You would’ve been lucky to have me. He shoved a hand through his hair to the back of his neck and kept it there.

  “Are you all right, Marco?”

  He looked up at his sister and nodded.

  “Wanna join me on the front veranda?”

  With one quick move, he stood. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  They headed to the front, through the kitchen where he grabbed a can of coke from the fridge.

  They sat down and stayed silent for a long while. Markus assumed his sister was enjoying the evening stillness as well. The sun had set and it was only two small candles on the table in front of them providing a bit of light. The continuous sound of the waves coming in and crashing against the beach was only broken by the noise of the cicadas and the occasional chirps of the crickets. Markus leaned back into his chair and enjoyed the cool breeze off the water.

  “Wanna talk about it?” she asked quietly.

  He looked at Annie. Her eyes were weary, and he assumed it was more out of sisterly obligation that she asked. He’d heard the kids before and knew she’d had a hard time getting them to sleep. Making a mental note to take the kids to the beach tomorrow to wear them out, he took a sip from his drink before he replied, “All good.”

  She chuckled. “You’ve always been a lousy liar.”

  He narrowed his eyes.

  With a shrug, she turned to him. “Sarah?”

  “How about you tell me about Miles and then I tell you about Saz?”

  “Miles? He’s studying,” she said with a questioning look.

  “Piccola, it’s never happened before that he stayed home because of studying. I do believe it’s important, but I do remember holidays when you almost pulled your hair out because he was sitting here with all his books.”

  “He’s studying at home, Marco. Leave it at that.”

  “Annie?”

  “Leave it.”

  Markus cupped her cheek with his hand. “Only if you promise me to talk to me once you’re ready.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Che dolce bugia.”

  “I don’t lie.” She turned and stared towards the water. There was a long moment of silence before she whispered so quietly, he nearly missed it. “He’s received an offer from a firm in Sydney.”

  Markus didn’t say anything, but waited until she was ready to tell him more.

  Annie shrugged. “We had a fight because I don’t want to go to Sydney. He argued it’s the chance of a lifetime blah blah blah and accused me of being selfish.”

/>   Not really sure how to respond to that, Markus still remained silent. She took his hand and entwined her fingers around his. “Thing is, I know I am, but I’m not sure whether I’d survive without Mum and Dad, you and Maria. My friends. Is that really selfish?”

  “It takes two to tango,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Miles has a great opportunity to take his career further. You’ve always known he was ambitious.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I suppose it was so unexpected.”

  “Really?”

  “From Sydney, yes.”

  “Talk to him again before the exams, so he doesn’t go into this with a fight over his head. It’s the last thing he needs.”

  Annie let out a long breath and leaned back. “I will. Promise me, though, that you’ll talk to Sarah.”

  “I did.”

  She turned her head towards him. “And?”

  “Drunk as a skunk.”

  Laughing, she nearly spilled her drink. “I thought she gave up on that?”

  A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered Sarah’s words that she’d never drink again. “Yup, that’s what I thought, too.” He sighed as his gaze wandered across the sea. “And there’s only one person in this world who gets her to drink to that extent.”

  “Timmy?”

  He nodded.

  “Did you get a bit of sense out of her?”

  “Well, she said, and I quote, You’d be lucky to have someone like me.”

  “I still believe the whole thing is a misunderstanding. You two need to sit down face-to-face and talk to each other.”

  He chugged down the rest of his drink before he stood. “She made it crystal clear it was a one-off.” Then he tossed up the can and kicked it over the railing into the yard. “What pisses me off is how she begged me to sleep with her.”

  When his sister didn’t reply, he looked at her. Her glare told him everything. “I’ll get it and put it into the bin.”

  With ease, he jumped over the railing and went in search of the can.