Page 69 of Priceless
“Ye know it as well as I do, Laira Harris. We were meant to find each other.”
I couldn’t deny that, no matter how he brushed his teeth, or how he did his laundry.
I grasped for the last straw. “What if you find out I’m a nose-picker?”
He pulled back to look at my face. Our feet stopped. “Tell me ye’re not.”
I laughed so hard I snorted, crossing my legs so I didn’t pee myself. “No. I’m not. But see how a little thing might ruin it? You’d regret?—”
“Jacob MacKinney!” It was a woman’s shout, and I wondered if maybe I was about to meet the elusive Widow Woodbrey. “Jacob! Where are ye?” There was a flash of purple on the far other side of the fire. It was Vonnie, and she’d found us.
We hurried around to meet her.
“Jacob!” She was out of breath.
My stomach dropped. Something serious. It had to be.
“Sandrine has been tryin’ to reach ye.”
He pulled his pouch back around. “I turned my phone off. Is it Connall?”
“Aye. An accident on the Autobahn. They’ve taken him to hospital in Munich. I’m so sorry, but he’s…not expected to survive, Jocko. And he’s askin’ for ye.”
He scanned his phone, shaking.
Vonnie patted his arm and backed away. “Ye can read them in the car. I’ll drive ye to the airport. I’ve packed a bag, with yer passport. Threw in all those new clothes. Come on. Ye can call her on the way.”
He looked at me. “Connall’s my brother. I…I’ve got yer things in the boot. We can head straight?—”
“Jacob. I can’t come with you. Your family needs you. They don’t need a stranger tagging along.”
“Laira, I need ye with me.”
“No, you don’t. Call me when you can. I’ll have Vonnie send you my number.” I squeezed his arm. “It’s okay. I promise. I’ll move my flight. Now, stop worrying about me and go.”
“Ye’ll move yer flight?”
“I promise.”
He still wasn’t happy, but he kissed me, gave me one last look, then turned and ran after Vonnie.
I stood there for a long time and realized Jess’s arm was around my shoulders.
“It will kill him, you know.”
“Losing his brother?”
“If he comes back to find ye gone.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Idid as promised. I called Jocko’s and left my number so they could pass it on to Jacob. It was odd I’d never given it to him before, but we hadn’t been apart much since that first afternoon at the pub.
To prove Jess wrong—that I wasn’t going to flee the country as soon as Jacob’s back was turned—I determined to stay. That night, I chatted with a few of the wives and helped clean up after the partywas over. Jess spent a lot of the night on the phone with Jacob’s sister-in-law, finding out exactly what the damage was, and whether Jess might be any help.
After she hung up the phone the last time, she shook her head and said Connall couldn’t be helped. She said it would be a miracle if Jacob reached him in time to say goodbye.
I cried into my pillow for a long time, then slept without dreaming. Even my subconscious had forgotten about killer whales.
