Rafe swung out of his seat, following Mimi to the front door. Charlie looked great. Strong and smiling as he pulled Mimi down for a kiss. ‘You just couldn’t resist, could you...’
‘What?’ Mimi broke free, giving a look which was far too innocent to be believed, and Charlie grinned at her.
‘Couldn’t resist checking up on me.’
‘All I want is coffee. Then we’ll go. If you want you can go lie on the floor and I’ll step over you on the way out.’ Mimi turned her back on her brother and walked towards the kitchen area at the far end of the open-plan space.
‘You can finish making the sandwiches...’ Charlie called after her and then turned his attention to Rafe, his face suddenly impassive. ‘You’re back then.’
‘I’m here to help out, that’s all.’ Mimi seemed to be busy in the kitchen and Charlie was showing no inclination towards following her. Rafe sat down. If Charlie wanted to give him the third degree, he could do it face to face.
‘I hear that Jack’s marooned, and the ambulance was towed?’ Charlie seemed to be fishing for information, and Rafe guessed that Mimi hadn’t told him the whole story.
‘Yeah, that’s right. The river broke its banks near Holme and the bridge has been washed away. Jack got pretty wet, but we hear he’s okay. Mimi had walked back up the hill to make a phone call.’
‘Yeah. That’s what I heard too. Did she try to get across the river?’
‘She... Perhaps you should ask her.’
Charlie leaned forward. ‘I’m asking you, Rafe.’
‘I thought she might. I didn’t give her the choice.’ Rafe decided that telling Charlie he’d had to lift Mimi off her feet before she ran headlong towards a wall of water wasn’t a particularly good idea. And if she hadn’t mentioned anything about her plans for getting across the river he’d keep quiet about them as well.
‘Yeah. I reckoned that’s what happened.’ Charlie seemed to relax a bit. ‘Thanks.’
‘My pleasure. Although I’m not sure it was Mi...Miriam’s.’ Mimi’s full name sounded strange and very cold on his lips, but Rafe had made up his mind to play it safe and use it, since she seemed to object so much to his using her nickname.
‘Miriam...?’ Charlie’s face broke into a grin. ‘She is giving you a hard time, isn’t she?’
‘Do you blame her?’ Somehow Rafe couldn’t quite leave it at that. ‘There were reasons, Charlie. For my leaving...’
‘I dare say there were. That’s between you and Mimi. She told me to mind my own business enough times.’
A quiver of unexpected warmth jabbed at Rafe’s heart. Mimi could have said whatever she liked about him, and it was only to be expected that she’d bad-mouthed him to Charlie. He hadn’t realised until this moment how much he’d wanted her not to.
‘Do me a favour, though...’ Charlie interrupted his reverie.
‘Of course.’ Rafe had absolutely no intention of trying to rekindle anything between him and Mimi, and sex for old times’ sake definitely wasn’t on his agenda. He could reassure Charlie on that score, at least.
‘I know Mimi’s job has risks attached to it, and I also know she doesn’t tell me about half the scrapes she gets herself into...’
‘They’re not scrapes, Charlie, and she doesn’t get herself into them. She’s a trained professional.’ Rafe surprised himself by springing to Mimi’s defence.
‘Yeah, I know.’ Charlie ran his hand through his hair. ‘Look after her, will you? You know Mimi. She thinks she’s superwoman sometimes.’
‘You have my word on that.’ Rafe held out his hand, wondering if Charlie would take it. He did so without hesitation. He was so like Mimi, in both looks and mannerism, and it felt doubly warming that Charlie seemed ready to forgive.
‘It’s good to see you.’ Charlie’s irrepressible grin broke through his reserve. ‘I’ve missed our little talks.’
Rafe chuckled. Their little talks usually lasted until closing time in the local pub, when Mimi was working a late shift. ‘Me too. We should do it again some time.’
‘Yeah. That would be good.’
* * *
Things were going okay. Not good, but okay. They were adults and there was no reason in the world why she and Rafe couldn’t play nicely until the situation eased. There was just one thing that needed clearing up.
‘I heard what you said to Charlie.’
‘Yeah?’ He didn’t turn his gaze from the road ahead but Mimi supposed she shouldn’t expect that. She wouldn’t have done if she’d been driving either.
‘It’s quite unnecessary.’
‘Which bit of it in particular?’
‘About looking after me. There’s no need.’
Rafe’s shoulders moved in a tight shrug. ‘You want me to go back on my word?’
‘Far be it from me to get in the way of any male bonding that you’ve been engaging in, but I’d rather you didn’t involve me in it.’ Mimi shut her mouth tight. That sounded sharper than it should, but when she’d heard Rafe and Charlie’s quiet words she’d felt a little more hurt than she should too.
‘I didn’t say it to impress Charlie. It’s what I intend to do.’ The side of his jaw hardened in an obstinate line. She knew that look, and it had frustrated her when she’d been living with him. She didn’t need to put up with it any more.
‘I’ve been looking after myself for the last five years, Rafe, and I’ve met all the challenges that life can throw at me. I’m sorry if that tears a hole in your masculinity, but that’s the way things are. I don’t need you to look after me, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go around pretending that I did.’
She felt a little breathless. Almost free, as if that was something that she’d been waiting for a long time to say. Mimi dismissed the idea. There was nothing...nothing that she’d been waiting to say to Rafe.
The car suddenly pulled off the road, jerking to a halt. ‘You think this is all about my ego?’
‘Well, it’s not about mine...’ The atmosphere was zinging with hurt antagonism.
‘Not about you?’ He turned around to face her and she saw her own anger reflected in his face. ‘We all need each other at the moment. If you can’t deal with that then that’s all about you.’
‘Stop trying to twist things around, Rafe...’
‘I am not twisting anything. And I didn’t promise Charlie that I’d look after you because you’re a woman, or because we used to sleep together.’
Mimi caught her breath. He’d said the words they’d both been trying not to say. The words that could lead to all kinds of trouble...we used to sleep together. After all the efforts she’d been making not to think about it.
‘That’s all ancient history.’
His lip curled in disbelief, and suddenly he was very close. That scent of his, a little soap, a little sweat. She’d always loved the way that Rafe smelled, and it was just as intoxicating as it had always been.
‘We need to get one thing straight. It’s fine with me if you just want to come along for the ride. I happen to think that would be a shame, because I was hoping that I could rely on you.’
‘What