This time, I was able to pinpoint it as coming from the direction of the front door. I slipped a robe over my short cotton pajamas and treaded softly through the house. As I drew nearer, I realized somebody was knocking—a bit too forcefully. I reached for the door, then stopped. What if it was the stalker?

“Who’s there?” I called, wondering if it would have been smarter to simply sneak out my bedroom window, just in case.

“It’s Blair.”

I yanked the door open, hardly able to believe my eyes. There, standing on the doorstep with his hair mussed, eyeliner emphasizing the green of his eyes, dressed in a Linkin Park T-shirt and ratty black jeans, was my brother. I launched myself into his arms, smiling as they closed around me. Blair might be four years younger, but he was a good deal taller and broader than me.

“God, I missed you,” I told him, breathing in his usual peppermint scent. He probably had a packet of mints in his pocket. He started popping them to mask the smell of cigarettes, and even though he’d quit smoking, he’d never managed to shake the mint habit.

He squeezed me. “Missed you too, Kenz.”

I pulled back, looking up at his face. “What are you doing here?”

He rolled his eyes. “Your stalker delivered a Christmas gift. Was I supposed to stay in L.A. and leave you to deal with that on your own? Hell no. I did Christmas with the others, then caught the first flight to New Zealand. I talked Tyler into coming too, so he’ll be here tomorrow. He’s stopping by Melbourne to visit some friends first.”

“Oh, right.” I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Blair and Tyler Johnson, an all-American trust funder, had been friends for a long time, although I hadn’t seen much of him recently and I was surprised he’d agreed to come.

“That’s okay, isn’t it?” he said, suddenly looking worried.

“Of course.” I tried to smile reassuringly, and then I glanced at the time. “You must be tired. Why don’t we sort out bedding, and then we can catch up properly later?”

Blair grinned. “We’ve already rented the cottage next door. It looks nice enough, but I didn’t want to wake the landlady to get the key, so hopefully you won’t mind if I crash in your bed for a bit?”

“You rented the cottage?” My brain was lagging. “For you and Tyler?”