‘What’s the river like? Has it burst its banks yet?’ Tia was trying to make conversation (which was most unlike her these days) but Nick wasn’t in the mood. He had too much on his mind, what with Tia saying she was going back to live with their mother, then announcing she was in love with that weasel William, and now Stevie and Saul…
No, he wasn’t going to think about Stevie. It was of no concern to him what she did with her time, or who she spent it with. At least Saul was a decent enough bloke, although he did have a bit of a reputation with women. Love them and leave them, seemed to be his motto, but Stevie was old enough to take care of herself, and it was nothing to do with Nick if she fell in love with Saul only for his roving eye to settle on someone else. She was a big girl, she didn’t need Nick to warn her.
‘It’s high,’ he replied, taking his coat off and hanging it on the edge of the door to dry.
‘How about the cottages at the end of the high street?’
‘Flooded.’
‘Oh, those poor people! Did everyone get out all right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Any injuries?’
‘No.’
‘What about the damage?’
‘What about it?’
‘Is it bad?’
‘There’s no telling, until the river stops rising.’
‘Leanne rang and said a huge tree had crashed into the bridge,’ Tia said.
‘That’s right.’
‘It is still passable?’
‘No idea. I suppose the council will have to get a structural engineer out to look at it.’
‘I heard Stevie was there. I heard she offered to put Betty up.’
‘You heard a lot. Did you also hear your boyfriend was there?’
Tia’s hands twisted in her lap and she looked away. ‘He’s not my boyfriend.’
Nick took a deep breath, it was now or never. He had to have it out with Tia before she left for good, and it might as well be now.
‘Is it because you’re in a wheelchair?’ he asked, not caring if his bluntness hurt. It had to be said.
‘Yes,’ Tia hissed through her teeth.
Nick’s temper rose. ‘The little shit. How dare he?! The next time I see him, I’ll— Bugger “the next time”, I’m going to go over there right now and give him a piece of my mind. How dare he turn you down because you’re in a wheelchair! How—’
‘He didn’t.’
Nick stopped ranting as Tia’s words sank in. What was she on about? She wasn’t making any sense at all. ‘He didn’t what?’
‘Turn me down.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I know and that’s the problem, Nick, which is why I want to go to live with Mum.’
The fight drained out of him and Nick sank onto the nearest chair. He still had his soiled, wet clothes on, but he ignored the puddle he was making on the kitchen tiles and focused on his sister.
‘Make me understand. How can I help you if you don’t let me know what you need?’ he said.
‘I don’t want any help and that’s the part no one understands. Yes, I admit, I did in the beginning, and I’m so thankful you were there for me. Wait, let me finish,’ she said, when he opened his mouth. ‘You are putting your own life on hold because of me and I can’t stand it.’
‘I’m not!’
‘Please, let me talk. You wanted me to tell you, so let me tell you and stop interrupting me.’
Nick bit his lip. It was an effort not to argue with her, to tell her she was wrong about him, but he had to respect her wishes, so he kept his mouth closed and tried to keep his mind open.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Now listen to me. I’ve seen how you were with Miranda and how much she liked you, but you wouldn’t let her in. It’s the same with Stevie.’
‘I didn’t let Miranda in because I didn’t want to have a relationship with her,’ Nick protested, instantly forgetting his vow of silence. It had lasted all of ten seconds, but he couldn’t let Tia go on thinking he had ever felt anything other than friendship towards Miranda, because he seriously hadn’t. He hadn’t been lying when he said she wasn’t his type.
‘I notice you haven’t said the same about Stevie,’ Tia pointed out.
Darn it, but his sister was sometimes too astute for her own good. Stevie was most definitely his type – there he’d admitted it to himself, just when it was too late. ‘Stevie’s not interested in me,’ he said.
‘That’s not the impression I got.’
‘Your impression is wrong – she’s dating Saul Green.’
‘I expect that’s only because you failed to ask her out. Just like Miranda, you’ll let this one slip through your fingers, too. And all because of me.’
Nick wasn’t quite sure which bit to address first. It didn’t matter how many times he told Tia he wasn’t interested in Miranda, that he never had been and never would be, his sister couldn’t seem to accept it. Then there was this ridiculous notion Stevie was only seeing Saul because Nick hadn’t asked her first. He tried to ignore the niggling little fact that even if she had been interested in him, it was too late – she clearly wasn’t interested now.
Maybe his sister had a point, though – had he been putting his love life on hold because of her? Using the excuse that he was too busy, when in fact it was because he was concerned that if Tia saw him in love and getting on with his life it might make her feel worse about her own lack of a love life?
He had a horrible feeling she was right and far from protecting his sister, his reluctance to become involved with anyone was, in fact, exacerbating the problem.
Now wasn’t the right time for him to be questioning this though, because he realised Tia was doing her utmost to deflect him from the subject Nick really wanted to talk about – her and William Ferris.
‘What has this got to do with William?’ he asked and had the satisfaction of watching Tia blush. ‘You tell me you love the man and he didn’t turn you down, so what’s going on? Why were you crying?’
Tia rolled her eyes. ‘Because,’ she said, slowly and carefully, ‘I’m in a wheelchair.’
Nick’s heart turned over and a lump rose in his throat. ‘Tia, I—’
‘You still don’t get it, do you?’ she yelled at him. ‘I’m holding you back from finding a girlfriend and settling down. If I say “yes” to William, I’ll be holding him back, too. Look, without me here, you can concentrate on you. You can live your life without having me in the background. Without me here, William can do exactly the same.’
Nick stared at his sister in dismay.
‘I love William and he says he loves me,’ she continued. ‘He wants us to be a couple, but I said “no”. So, I’m the one turning him down, not the other way around.’
‘Your being in a wheelchair doesn’t make any difference,’ Nick pointed out. ‘Love is love.’
Tia gave a bitter laugh. ‘Of course, it does! His job is all outdoors, extremely physical. I can’t share any of that with him.’
‘If he worked in a tax office and sat at a desk all day, you wouldn’t share that with him, either,’ Nick pointed out.
‘But it’s not just a job, is it?’ Tia insisted. ‘It’s a way of life, a lifestyle, and I can’t participate in it. How long before he realises that? One year, two, ten? Before we have kids, or after? And that’s another thing – I may not be able to have children at all. Do I wait for him to fall out of love with me, to realise what a huge mistake he’s made, or do I set him free now, before it’s had a chance to take root? I opt for the latter.’
‘I bet William doesn’t.’
‘You’ve changed your tune. Not ten minutes ago you were wanting to go over there and give him a good talking to.’
‘That’s because I thought he’d upset you.’
‘He had.’
Nick was confused again. It seemed like it didn’t take much where his sister was concerned. ‘Why? How?’
‘Because he asked me to marry him.’
‘Oh.’
‘I told him my intention of moving back to live with Mum and he came right out with it. I refused, of course. I’m not staying here and ruining two more lives. As soon as the adaptations to Mum’s flat are finished, I’m going to live with her and that’s final.’
Nick watched his stubborn, opinionated sister wheel herself swiftly away. We’ll see about that, he thought. But if he intended to change her mind and make her view her situation differently, then he needed to be honest with himself and with her. It was no use him trying to convince her she ought to listen to her heart, when he was just as guilty of holding back and not embracing life fully because of Tia’s accident.
It was just a pity he’d realised this after Stevie and Saul had become an item, because the only girl Nick wanted was the bubbly one with the bright hair and soft grey eyes – the one he had let slip through his fingers.