Page 126

Kingi heads for the door. “Scarlett brought some stuff for him, and I’ve asked the porter to take it to your suite, I hope that was okay.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“A small crate,” she says, “new food and water bowls, a couple of toys, and a leash. I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to use Doyle’s, so I thought if he had new ones…”
“That’s great,” I say. “Thank you.”
Kingi smiles and goes out.
I get to my feet and take Bearcub over to the sliding doors that lead out into the garden. It has a fence around it, so he’s safe. I put him down, and he immediately runs over to the tree and has a pee against it.
Scarlett comes out and stands beside me, and we both watch him investigating his land, sniffing stones and pots and trying to eat a flower.
“He’s gorgeous,” I tell her. “Thank you so much.”
“You didn’t mind not choosing him yourself?”
“Not at all. I couldn’t quite bring myself to make the decision, you know? I needed someone else to do it for me.”
She slides her arms around my waist again, and I hug her. The afternoon sunlight slants across us, banana yellow, and it warms me through.
“How has your day been?” I ask her.
“Good. Richard and George want to talk to you about contacting your designer and asking her to draw up some plans for new building developments for both the village and the retreat.”
I kiss her hair. “Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, I think it’s a good idea. Dad’s vision was great but idealistic. This new vision is much more practical and sustainable, I hope.”
“I think you’re right.”
“The donation was so generous—I think we’ll be able to double the number of women we have staying at the retreat.”
“That’s fantastic.”
“And I also want to talk to you about the Waiora. I’d like to help you with the design of that. You’re right—it does need to be made safer, and it makes sense to have facilities, as long as they’re not too much of an eyesore. I’m excited about taking classes to the gazebos, and decorating them to reflect the peaceful nature of the pond.”
“We’ll make sure to have plenty of signs that stress the importance of it being a place of quiet reflection.”
“That would be great.”
We stand there, smiling as we watch Bearcub bark at a fantail in the tree.
Then I look down at her. “Have you given any more thought to what I said last night?”
She nods. “Of course. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.” She looks up into my eyes. “I’m so touched that you want to be a part of Kahukura. And I wanted to say that I’m keen to be a part of the Midnight Club, too. I mean, I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable in a nightclub, or in your world. But I will try. I thought that maybe, eventually, I might be able to do some work with the Circle. I know quite a lot about the donation side of things, and I have a slightly different perspective, having worked for a charity.”
“That would be fantastic.” I kiss her nose. “Thank you for trying.”
“I want to make it work. I’m trying to do what you said, and use the truth to shape my own destiny.”
I kiss her lips once, twice, and then a longer third time. Then Bearcub barks, making us laugh, and we look over at where he’s tugging on a piece of wire fence around the base of the tree.
“The sun’s really bright,” Scarlett says, shielding her eyes.
“Like our future.”
“That’s really cheesy.”
“Yeah, I know.” I chuckle and go over to rescue Bearcub, and lift him up and kiss his nose. I bring him back to Scarlett, and she strokes his head, slipping her other arm around my waist, and holding me close.