Page 112 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

He changes the subject, talking about some exhibit he’s planning, and we chat for a few minutes until the door opens, and Louise—a thirty-something mum of two who bears Fraser’s eccentricities with amazing patience—comes in with our coffees and places them before us.

“Thanks,” we both say, and she smiles and goes out.

“Zoe liked the necklace?” Fraser asks, changing the subject.

I smile. “Yeah.”

“I’ll be interested to see it.”

“She wants to display it in the Love Under the Southern Stars exhibition.”

His face lights up. “Oh, that would be cool.”

“Yeah, she said she wants to write a display explaining all about the Relentless and Mair and his wife.”

“That would be great. Shame we couldn’t get the original, but the replica will be a good substitute. I’m guessing it cost a pretty penny?”

“Just over ten thousand dollars.”

“Ooh. Yeah, we’ll make sure it’s well protected. So… how did the interview go?”

“I withdrew.”

He gives a short laugh. “Good for you.”

“You’re not surprised?”

“Nah. Can’t see you behind a desk despite what Dad says.”

I sip my coffee, then say, “I want to talk to you about something.”

“Uh-oh.”

“I had a text from Elora this morning. She said she’s going to go with Linc to Europe.”

His eyebrows rise. “Oh…” He looks away, out of the window at the view of the ocean.

I feel for him. When she moved to Wellington after her assault, he took on the parental role and looked after her whileshe recovered. I did my bit to support her, but I was away a lot, whereas Fraser was always there for her. He took her to university every day until she felt safe enough to go alone, he drove her to her therapy sessions, he encouraged her to go out with him to the cinema and sightseeing around the city, and he was generally instrumental in her recovery. Maybe he’s been a bit overprotective at times, but I can’t blame him for that as it’s born out of love. It must be hard for him now to let go and trust Linc to look after her across the other side of the world.

“Anyway,” I continue, “I’ve been talking to Zoe about where we go from here. You’re right—I don’t want a desk job. And although she loves it here, she needs a change. So I was thinking about suggesting to Elora and Linc that we join them on their trip to Europe. Spend a couple of years traveling, going on excavations, seeing the sites, and we’d be there for Elora, too.”

His gaze is carefully guarded, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. For a moment, I wonder whether he’s going to protest. For a start, it does mean losing two of his staff, and the three of us have always been close, so I’m sure it would be strange to think both Elora and I were on the other side of the world.

But then he smiles and says, “That sounds like a great idea.”

My heart lifts with relief. “I thought we could do some work for the museum while we’re over there. Spread the word, you know. Find some exhibits for you. Sing your praises.”

“Unnecessary, but I’m always open to ideas, as you know.” He hesitates. Then he says, “You’re sure this is what you want to do? I can understand why you didn’t want the job at MOANA. But you could always join me here—we could run the museum together.”

I give him an amused look. “Dude, I’d be terrible at it. You’re the one with the head for business. And like you said, neither of us can see me behind a desk for long.”

“You could be the museum’s roving director. Liaising with other museums and archaeology groups.”

I frown at him then as I get a prickle of warning. “Is everything okay? The museum’s not in trouble?”

He pauses briefly, and I wonder whether he’s about to admit something. Then his lips curve up. “No, of course not. At the risk of sounding overly sentimental, I’m going to miss you, that’s all.”

I give a short laugh. “Fair enough. I’ll miss you, too. You’ve always been there for both Elora and me.” I pause, feeling a tad awkward. We don’t talk much about our emotions. I want to express how much he means to me, but I don’t know how to put it into words. “Look, just because I’d be a long way away physically, I’m always at the other end of a phone. Don’t hesitate to call if you need me. For anything.”

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