Know Your Heart: A New Zealand - Tracey Alvarez Page 0,51
he’ll make me quit, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”
“It matters.” Glen rested his forearms on the counter. “And because it matters, it’s worth fighting for. I’ll speak to your dad before prize-giving; you work on becoming a bad-ass lead guitarist.”
Tom snorted, but the ropey tension across his narrow shoulders loosened. “So, how can you help me?” he asked Savannah. “Can you play?”
“Not the guitar.” Savannah walked around the counter and hopped on the stool on Tom’s other side. “I took piano and violin for years when I was a kid.”
“Do you sing?”
She laughed, a rolling belly-laugh that stroked across Glen’s skin like feathers.
“God, no. People would pay me to stop. Not being able to sing is why I never aimed for Broadway, even though I love the theatre most of all.” The laughter in her tone faded. “Anyway. Something I do know about is stage fright.”
“You got stage fright?” Tom asked.
“I get stage fright—still,” she said. “It never goes away completely. I’ve just learned some techniques to control it. Those, I can teach you, if you want me to.”
“I’m in.” Tom picked up his toast. “When can we start?”
“I guess we’ve got some time this morning. I’m hoping your uncle won’t kick me out until the rain stops.”
Funny how his primary goal had been keeping Savannah out of his house, therefore out of his life. Now, he looked for an excuse to ask her to stay without admitting he didn’t want her to leave.
Tom had just dropped one in his lap.
“I won’t kick you out since you’re offering to be my nephew’s coach. Hell, I’m such a nice guy, I’ll even go out in the rain and see if I can salvage any of your clothes.”
“Oh.” Her lips, which had been on the cusp of smiling, sagged. “I’d forgotten about Daisy.”
Glen sighed. “I’ll grab some breakfast and then check it out while Tom starts his study—”
“Aw, c’mon.”
Glen held out a palm. “Study first—your dad’s right about that being your top priority with exams only weeks away.” He turned to Savannah. “Take my phone on the deck, and let Nate know what happened.”
“Thank you, Glen.”
He shoved a hand into his jean pocket and stood, uncomfortable at her softening gaze sweeping over him. Had he been so caught up in being right that the smallest show of kindness moved her?
“No problem.”
A classic, knee-jerk response. Because going gooey inside at this apparent truce between them was a big red flag. Give the woman an inch and she’d take a mile—give her the thinnest sliver of his heart and it opened up the possibility that she’d steal the rest from right under his nose.
***
Low clouds and drizzle replaced the raging storm by mid-morning. Glen and Nate stood facing Daisy’s crumpled side. They’d tried for the better part of an hour to get inside the caravan, but the heavy trunk of the gum tree had warped the door. Neither man thought Savannah’s wardrobe or purse was worth risking life and limb.
Nate dragged a coin from the pocket of his long stockman’s coat. “Heads, I take her to town. Tails, you’re up.”
“What?” Glen’s jaw sagged. “Why is there even a discussion about this? She can drive herself—or you go bloody clothes shopping with her. She’s your cousin.”
“Don’t be an asshat. Sav’s still shaken up from seeing the damage to Daisy this morning. I don’t want her driving that rough road to town in this weather. Besides, she’s in your house, wearing your clothes.”
“Still not my problem.”
“Oh, so you like having her in your house now, eh?” Nate’s eyes slitted to an evaluating stare. “Not in any hurry to call a contractor to haul that tree off her caravan?”
“No, I don’t like having her in my house, and she’s already left a message for a local contractor—but they’re likely flat tack on other call outs.”
“All the more reason to go to town with Sav and sort something out personally. The guys’ll take one look at her and rip her off.”
Glen blew out a breath. “Fine. Flip the damn coin.”
Nate ignored Glen and continued talking. “I always wondered if you had a thing for Sav when we were at uni.”
“There wasn’t a thing.” Tension rippled through Glen. Even though these last three weeks had been the most time they’d spent together in years, he still counted Nate as one of his best mates—and he hated lying to him. But he met Nate’s gaze with a steady stare, because whether or not Glen’d had a thing for Sav made