Memo: Marry Me?
Jennie Adams
When I agreed to be Zach Swift's secretary, I was expecting demanding and high-flying–not seriously gorgeous and generous!I usually don't like working in an office, because of how the accident affected my memory, but with Zach it feels different. And now he's asked me to go on a business trip with him!Nine-to-five is hard enough for me to hide my feelings, and Zach's bound to guess that I'm not as perfect as he seems to think I am. And he's also mentioned he has a proposal for me. I'm meeting him for dinner–tonight!
Memo: Marry Me?
Jennie Adams
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For Cheryl, whose courage, humor and strength
inspire me constantly, and inspired the idea for
Lily’s story. Thanks for the working lunches, the
laughs and the Internet jokes. You’re a champion.
For Mary Hawkins. The mountains are inevitable.
Thanks for climbing a little of this one with me.
And for my editor, Joanne Carr. Thanks so much.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EPILOGUE
COMING NEXT MONTH
CHAPTER ONE
‘A RE you Zachary Swift?’ Lily stood in the doorway of the spacious eighteenth-floor Sydney office, and pushed words up through a throat filled with fear. She hoped she sounded calm and rational, and not worried sick. ‘I’m Lily Kellaway, owner and manager of Best Secretarial Agency. I’m here in response to your…concerns about my employee.’
He could refuse to speak to her. Could have her and her agency blackballed, and end her career just like that. Lily knew it, feared it, but if she wanted any chance to make this situation right she had to sound confident, a woman who could and would make things better.
‘I’m Zach Swift, yes, and it’s no idle accusation against Rochelle Farrer.’ He sat at his desk, broad shoulders pressed into a black leather chair, confidence and assurance written in every line of his body.
Sydney’s leaden April sky loomed behind him, viewed through a bank of plate-glass windows. Through a long, slim grill above those windows, the sounds of a city that never stopped emphasised his decisive words—vehicles possessing the roads below, the blast and clang of construction, a siren’s blare.
Firm, determined sounds, when Lily only wanted to hear his deep voice softening, inviting her in to discuss this problem face to face.
‘I don’t dispute your accusation.’ She wished she could disprove it, but, sadly, it was all true. ‘But it’s one that can be addressed. Amends can be made. The situation can be fixed.’
‘Is that why you’re here? To try to fix what happened? There’s no turning back the clock.’ Dark brows drew down. His lean, tanned face revealed his irritation. ‘I think I made my feelings quite clear when we spoke by phone half an hour ago.’
She recalled the shock of that phone call very well. Dismay and embarrassment had robbed her of the ability to reason with him. While she’d still been floundering, he had told her he wanted nothing more to do with her agency, and had hung up.
‘You raised certain issues when you phoned.’ The empty secretary’s desk in the reception room at her back mocked her. Her fingers clenched around the notebook held in her left hand, and she prayed that he would listen. ‘I’d like the chance to address those issues, now that I’ve had time to assimilate what’s happened.’
Please, God, she wouldn’t forget the speech rehearsed three times on the frantic taxi trip here.
‘What’s to address? I sacked your employee. I’ve sacked your agency. End of story.’ With an irritated growl, he rose and stalked across the thick beige carpet until he stood before her.
Over six feet of annoyed, affronted male, and her agency was responsible for his anger. She quaked. But something else happened, too. Something quick and unexpected when her gaze zeroed in on thick-fringed hazel eyes. A mixture of curiosity and interest flowed through her, locked her breath in her throat. Shock and dismay followed. She couldn’t be attracted to him? It must be some sort of nervous reaction, surely?
Yes, that must be it, and just as well, because all other facts aside she was too busy for a relationship with a man right now. Busy. Inadequate. Just look at your relationship with your parents, a silent voice interjected. ‘All I ask is a few minutes of your time. If you’ll hear me out, those minutes will be well invested.’
‘Will they, Ms Kellaway? You seem very sure of that.’
Lily adjusted the weight of the tote bag slung over her shoulder, tugged her green skirt into place and smoothed the matching blazer. ‘I have a solution.’
‘Do you? For the past week I’ve been sexually stalked while your employee ignored her duties.’ His narrowed eyes revealed his distaste. ‘My working life has been thoroughly wrecked, culminating in this morning’s episode. Your agency is responsible for that, and you want to solve my problem?’
Lily drew a sharp breath. Something mellow and male drifted across her senses. Cedar wood and citrus, heated by warm man. ‘I do apologise…’ The words trailed off as her attention seemed to shift of its own volition to the black leather sofa in the corner.
He followed her gaze, and his lips thinned. ‘Were you aware I would walk in on that particular sight today? Perhaps your agency condones such behaviour in its temp secretaries?’
‘I was certainly not aware that Rochelle had behaved in such a way, or that she might do so.’ Lily had no doubt that this indelible piece of conversation would stick like a barnacle to the inside of her head. ‘If I’d known, I never would have employed her. Until now, I’ve not had a whiff of trouble from any of my employees.’
‘Then how did it happen, Ms Kellaway?’ He strode away, clasped the edges of the desk in long-fingered hands. An intense and focussed scrutiny demanded her answer. ‘How was it that I walked into my office this morning to find Rochelle Farrer waiting naked for me on my sofa?’
Lily’s hand shook as she snared a few errant strands of hair and pushed them back off her face. Rochelle had believed if she’d stripped off and waited this man would leap at the chance to have her, and afterwards to keep her. She hadn’t hesitated to say so, when Lily had confronted her by phone as she’d rushed here to try to put things to rights. ‘Rochelle…appeared to be under the misapprehension that she could, uh—’
‘Marry a rich husband and live off his wealth for the rest of her life?’ He inserted the words with freezing helpfulness. ‘And she only needed to throw herself at her potential victim to get her wish?’
‘Well, yes.’ Lily’s mouth tightened into a stiff pucker. He might be angry, but the interview with Rochelle hadn’t exactly been pleasant for her, either! ‘I didn’t know Rochelle would sell herself that way for the chance to become a wealthy man’s wife. When I interviewed her, she seemed very genuine and businesslike.’
His prolonged silence made her want to fidget. And she wanted desperately to use her notebook to try to get down what they had said so far.
At least she only had to be here long enough to get him to agree to take Deborah on. Then she could return to the safety of running her agency from her small apartment. To days filled with the transcription typing that allowed her to remain out of harm’s way, where her shortcomings couldn’t get her into trouble. To only venturing out when she felt up to the challenge.
He examined her with disconcerting thoroughness. Eventually, he dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. ‘Surprisingly, I believe you.’
‘Thank you.’ Her knees sagged with the weight of that gratefully received reprieve. ‘I’m so pleased to hear you say—’
‘Not that it changes anything.’ He burst her bubble of hope expertly and without waste of words. ‘Rochelle didn’t exactly deliver on your agency’s promise of “a reliable secretary with previous experience in busy, challenging office environments”, did she?’
‘No. She didn’t.’
And, while Lily stood in his doorway and attempted to sort this out, she was at a distinct disadvantage. ‘I respect your concerns, and the distaste you must feel for all that you’ve been through. But I have an offer to make that can turn this situation into something more positive. I believe it will be in your company’s best interests to hear it.’
After a long moment, he sighed and waved an arm towards the studded visitor’s chair that faced his desk. ‘All right, I suppose I can spare you a few minutes in comfort. If we’re lucky, the phone might even stay quiet for that long.’
He didn’t clarify, ‘a few minutes to settle this permanently before I contact a more reliable agency and get them to send me a decent secretary’, but she had no doubt he thought it.
‘Thank you.’ She started towards the chair. ‘All I want is enough of your time to allow me to resolve this matter.’
‘As far as I’m concerned the matter is…’ His words faltered. His gaze locked on the movement of her hips beneath the conservative green skirt. His eyelids dropped, but not before she saw the mixture of knowledge and curiosity that confirmed his interest in her—willing or not.
If she’d felt a certain tingling something just now too, well, that was because being here gave her the fidgets. It was nerves that sent ripply feelings down her spine, and made her skin feel too tight, certainly not some reaction to him.
Even as she denied any interest in him, a small part of her catalogued the harsh face with its angry frown line and strong jaw, and the thick, dark brown hair.
Lily shook her head and dragged her thoughts back to business. She would finish this. Then she would leave, with a dignified, impersonal handshake. This…interest, or whatever it was, would quickly be forgotten.
‘I hope you don’t expect to be paid for the week Rochelle stalked me around the office, ignored her work and made a mess of everything?’ Zachary gifted her with a glare from beneath his brows.
‘Certainly not.’ That loss of revenue was only one of her worries right now. ‘I would never ask such a thing of a valued employer.’
‘But you’re here to ask something.’
‘Yes, and please believe me when I say I do realise how serious this is.’ This was the most important part of her speech. The part that had to convince him to give Best Secretarial Agency a second chance.
Yet now she struggled to drag the words from the recesses of her mind, and panic rippled. She needed this man’s forgiveness. If not that, then at least another chance to show him that her agency could live up to expectations.
‘You have every right to be affronted and offended. Repulsed, even.’ Her pencil flew across the notebook, recorded the basics of the conversation in the special, easy code learned through endless repetition.
If the matter is in any way important, always keep a record. Even before her mentor had told her that, she had done so. Religiously, in fact, since she’d discharged herself from the hospital. Since she’d walked away from her parents’ shame, and from her broken dreams.
Zach inclined his head. ‘It was a shock to enter my office and find…that. If I’d had anyone with me—’
‘It would have been even worse. I agree. And I didn’t mean you’d be repulsed, repulsed. That is, I’m sure the media testimonies to your, um, interest in women are true.’
Oh, good heavens. Did she have to go on about that? She really needed to focus!
‘I’m relieved to know that the Powers That Be acknowledge my healthy heterosexuality.’ Sarcasm dripped from each word, but something in his glance revealed that at least some small degree of that healthy maleness was currently focussed on her.
She came back to earth with a thump when he finished saying something and waited expectantly.
Press rewind, and play back—no. Nothing. Whatever his words, she couldn’t remember them. Just that one little slip in concentration…
A familiar icy feeling stole through her.
Drat it, Lily. Keep your mind where it should be! Give yourself at least half a chance to get a positive outcome from this.
‘Yes, well, um…’ Oh, why had Rochelle done this awful thing? And with absolutely no sense of shame or remorse, before or after the event. ‘I apologise fully on behalf of Best Secretarial Agency for this unacceptable occurrence. I’ve let Rochelle go.’
‘I doubt you’ll consider it a loss.’ His mild nod of approval was at least something.
‘No. Most likely not.’ She might as well be honest about that. Her pencil continued to fly. ‘But let me present my offer.’
He leaned forward, his expression intent and far from acquiescent. ‘I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it short.’
‘You’re in need of a replacement secretary. I’m ready and able to provide one.’ Each fact went into her notebook. ‘To ensure there will be no further difficulties, I want to send Deborah Martyn to you. Deb is my second-in-command, a middle-aged, reliable woman with a lot of office experience behind her.’
She drew a hurried breath and went on. ‘I can have Deb here within…’ She checked her book rapidly and found the note stating Deborah’s availability. ‘Within the hour. As an added incentive, I’d like to offer an extra two weeks of work, free of charge, after the end of the existing contract. It can’t be easy to obtain a good secretary at a moment’s notice. This will save you the time and effort of that search.’
Her breath stuck in her throat until she forced her lungs to move again. ‘I presume you haven’t already made alternative arrangements?’
‘I haven’t had time.’ He gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Let’s say I agreed to consider a replacement, which I haven’t.’
She had expected some opposition, and sat forward, pencil poised. ‘Yes?’
‘I don’t think it would be wise to take on another unknown female, after the problems I’ve just experienced. Now if, instead of Deborah Martyn, you could give me a male secretary? Skilled? Fully experienced?’
He emphasised each question with a tap of his finger against the blotter on his desk. ‘Preferably one with a wife and kids at home. Someone you can guarantee will be here to work and nothing else. I might consider that. Might.’
No male employees, married or otherwise, existed in her retinue of available staff. She had no one to offer but Deborah—a wonderful worker, but definitely female. ‘Not a male, no, but I can assure you Deborah is a very happily married—’
‘Woman?’ He ran a hand over the back of his neck, said it as though the very word were a plague. Yet his gaze lingered on her.
‘A very responsible woman,’ Lily began, only to be stopped by an upraised hand.
He shifted his focus beyond her to the outer office. ‘From my standpoint, it would seem safer to approach a different agency. One more established, perhaps, so that the reputation it’s built can truly be trusted.’
‘Please. I want the good will of your company.’ She had told herself she wouldn’t beg, but knew she was close to it right now.
The ‘girls’ relied on her to keep them in work. All five were great women, and all needed the money brought in through their efforts. They were a tight little band, formed within the first month of the agency’s opening nine months ago. Rochelle had come later, and had never really fitted in. Lily should have asked herself the reason for that, should have remembered to check all Rochelle’s references thoroughly, and perhaps she might have thought twice about taking Rochelle on at all!
Now she owed it to her girls to fix this problem. And she admitted she needed to do this for herself, too. What would she have left if her agency went under? ‘I’ll do whatever I need to, in order to regain your good will.’
‘No. I’m sorry.’ He got to his feet. ‘I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept it.’
He couldn’t end the interview. Not yet.
‘I’ll raise the added free service to a month.’ Lily stood, too. How her budget would stretch to such a commitment, she had no idea, but she had to convince him.
‘You’re certainly determined.’ His gaze bored into hers with shrewd evaluation, and again with that hint of not entirely concealed male interest. ‘And probably worried sick that I’ll sue your company.’
Her heart fluttered in response to that look, but the flutter stopped abruptly as she absorbed his words. She feigned a calm she didn’t feel. Shook her head. ‘Not at all. I—’
She had considered it. Indeed, she had almost made herself ill thinking about it on the way here. If he took legal action, her agency could be deemed culpable of all sorts of awful things and might sink in a sea of murky corporate waters, never to be seen again.
If he denigrated her agency to his business colleagues, that alone would bring about the same result. Neither option was acceptable. ‘Is that what you have in mind?’
‘No.’
Just that. Flat. Unequivocal. Decided, she suspected, before he even brought the matter up.
He went on, a considering look in the backs of his eyes. ‘But I’m impressed by your commitment to your agency, and by your resourcefulness. I’ve decided there is a way you can placate me.’
‘Anything.’ Words poured out. ‘A line of dedication to you on my tombstone. Jemima’s firstborn kitten—if I don’t manage to get her spayed before that happens. All Betty’s eggs for a year.’
She sounded too desperate, managed at least to stop herself before she admitted to her eBay addiction, too. Heat stung her cheeks. ‘Well, naturally you wouldn’t care about any of that, but what did you have in mind? If it’s within my power to do so, I’ll make it happen.’
‘Jemima? Betty?’ He murmured the names, and for a brief moment warm humour lit his eyes.
There was something so appealing about a man who could smile…
Then he shook his head, and the expression vanished. ‘Initially, all I thought I wanted—needed—was someone to keep things in basic good order while my regular secretary took her long-service leave.’
‘Yes.’ Her vigorous nod made her hair swing against her cheeks. ‘I understood those were your requirements when you first contacted us.’
He took a step forward. Reached one hand towards her cheek, stopped, shoved both hands into his pockets. ‘Things have changed.’
‘I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.’ She tightened her grip on the red and black pencil. Had he really been about to stroke her face? Her skin begged her to make it happen.
‘A woman in your position would have to be well-versed in all aspects of office skills?’ he prompted.
‘Well, yes, I am.’ Her pencil traversed the page at warp speed, making her odd-looking squiggles. Why make this personal—about her, specifically? Fresh unease built up.
‘You’d have worked on a number of temporary jobs, Ms Kellaway?’ A muscle in his jaw tightened, and his dark gaze shifted just once to her mouth before moving away. ‘Do you still do that?’
It took all her effort not to raise a hand to her lips. To touch them, as though, by simply looking at them, he had changed their texture or shape and she needed to feel that change for herself. ‘I keep my hand in, yes, with short assignments that don’t take too much away from my other responsibilities.’
Assignments that allowed her to appear in a good light to those business people she chose for the purposes of keeping her skills fresh. ‘My commitment to the agency doesn’t allow for more than that.’
That was true, too, if not all of the truth.
‘If circumstances demanded it, you could do more. You would adapt. I suspect you would be good at that.’ His words held a husky timbre that made her wonder just what sort of adaptation he was thinking about.
Then he gave a brief nod. ‘So here’s my proposition. I want you in this office, to sort out my problems and deal with my backlog.’
With each statement, her eyes widened. A mixture of anxiety, incredulity and fear stormed through her. He wanted her? She could stay here for a couple of weeks, but even that wasn’t in her plan. ‘I can’t leave my work—’
‘You’d be surprised what you can do, Lily Kellaway, if the need and the motivation are there.’ Unshakeable demand in each word, he continued. ‘I want you to make my office run the way it has done for the past eleven years, with barely a hiccup to disturb me. When Maddie comes back, I want things to be so shipshape, she won’t even know she’s been gone.’
‘Really. I’m sorry.’ Lily had wanted a second chance, but not like this. She would make a fool of herself, would reveal her weaknesses in front of him. No. It was out of the question. As was explaining her reluctance to take up what he must see as a reasonable challenge. ‘But I couldn’t—’
‘Yes, you could, and you will. You’re the right person to take it on, because you care enough about the outcome that you’ll make sure it all works out.’
He didn’t move, but she sensed the mental dusting of hands as he presented her with what he must view as a fait accompli. If he had any lingering concerns about feeling attracted to her, they were well buried.
Perhaps he had simply shut that attraction off? Not that she couldn’t do the same. The stress of this situation had blurred her ability to act decisively, that was all.
He went on, his voice deepening with each word. ‘I’m sure your organisational skills will be more than up to the task, and it’s only a few months when all’s said and done.’
‘Only a f-few months.’ He really wanted her to do this work herself. Had made his mind up and would refuse to accept anything else. As for her organisational skills, she choked back a bitter laugh. Lily organised her life to death, and it still wasn’t enough.
The inescapability hit her. The notebook slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Pages fanned out like a startled lizard’s ruffle. Her carefully controlled world fell on its ear at the same time.
With the addition of the month she had stupidly tossed in, it would be three months and three weeks. She couldn’t afford to be here anywhere near that long.
She would have to prevaricate. Would have to accept his ultimatum for now, and convince him later to take Deb in her place.
‘You don’t have any choice, you know.’ He retrieved her notebook and gently passed it to her.
The book was a symbol of her weakness, if he had but known it. Within its pages she attempted to maintain control of her life. Everything from shopping lists, to appointments, to work demands, to names of people she might need to call again.
‘I’ve quite made up my mind, you see. So put your wonderful Deborah in charge of your agency. Let her do whatever it is you usually do.’ His tone lowered to calm, focussed intent and he went on. ‘And you, Lily Kellaway, give yourself to me.’
CHAPTER TWO
ZACHARY Swift had given Lily fifteen minutes to organise her agency matters. Lily’s small electronic timer counted down the seconds even now. As a result, her phone conversation with Deborah was limited. It would help if she wasn’t so aware of Zachary, seated in his office with the door open, working through twin mountains of paperwork with a determined diligence. She even liked that about him—drat the apparently hard-working man!
‘I’ll look after everything, Lily. Don’t worry.’ Deb’s words barely registered.
It was difficult to notice anything but the man in her peripheral vision.
He glanced up as though sensing her gaze on him, and she felt heat warm her cheeks as she quickly looked away.
‘Thanks, Deb.’ Lily couldn’t afford not to take notice of this conversation. She jotted Deb’s agreement to take over until further notice into her diary. ‘You have the key to my office and the tapes…’
Where had Lily left the tapes? She couldn’t visualise them. ‘They should be beside the computer. If they’re not, I might have left them in the top drawer of the desk. Re-direct the phone to your place. I’ll call you tonight to catch up properly.’
The moment Lily ended the call, she scribbled self-help instructions on several sticky notes and slapped them into place above the phone, on the filing cabinet, over the dictation machine. She wished she could put up ‘Don’t be Aware of the Boss’ notices, too.
And she was wasting mental energy when her fifteen minutes were almost up! She needed to take stock. Put steps in place to ensure she could emulate the operation here and seem reasonably competent during the standard ‘unfamiliar territory’ phase. But surely once things settled down a bit Zachary would be ready to take Deborah in her place?
‘Do you have everything organised with your assistant, so you can focus solely on your work here from now on?’ He stood in his office doorway, shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loosened.
What if she couldn’t turn off the way she noticed him? What if this awareness of him didn’t go away? Just kept increasing and deepening, as it was even now? ‘Yes. It’s all organised, although it involved a certain amount of reshuffling.’
She wished he would comb his ruffled, unruly hair. And, while he was at it, don the jacket he had removed the moment she’d agreed to his demand.
‘I’m glad you’re organised, because you’ll need to be to do a good job here.’ His mouth lifted at the corners as though to soften the challenging statement.
Why did he have to attract her, anyway? He was so not her type. If she ever took another man into her life—which was highly doubtful—he would be gentle, perhaps scholarly or poetic.
A man who would dress in twill trousers and misshapen pullover sweaters, not power business-suits of darkest grey that emphasised every muscle and sinew.
‘I’ll do the very best for you that I can, Mr Swift.’ She deliberately avoided mentioning duration of time, and tried not to let anxiety get the better of her. She should be able to fool him long enough.
Her mentor at the institute might have said she should be open about her limitations, should tell people up front. But he didn’t know what it was like to see the change in their faces, to read the pity, and worse, in their eyes.
And she would get over this mild, unexpected reaction to Zachary Swift. She would! She flipped her diary open and put it in a prominent place where she would be sure to see it at frequent intervals. ‘I’ll go through all this clutter, sort it out, and get to work on the most urgent of it.’
‘Zach will do.’ His hands rested loosely at his sides. ‘And the clutter will have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid.’
‘If not this muddle…’ She waved a hand. ‘What do you want me to tackle first, exactly?’
‘There’s a group of proposals on tape on the desk somewhere that should have been done Friday.’ He lifted a pile of papers as though to search for the tape, seemed to think better of it, and replaced them. ‘Standard beginning for each one, but individualised for the last couple of pages. And a meeting scheduled for 12.30 today in the conference room for ten people, plus us.’
‘No problem.’ Just a heap of overdue proposals and a lunch meeting to prepare for all in the space of, oh, what—an hour and a half? Panic snapped at her heels, scrambled up her ankles and sank its claws into her calves. She swallowed hard, and forced a calm tone she didn’t feel. ‘I’ll attend to typing the proposals. What’s required for the meeting?’
‘I’ll want a copy of the proposals for each guest, plus one of each for myself. You’ll also organise the meal, and take notes of anything pertinent said while we meet. Is that all clear?’ He glanced up in time to catch her scribbling furiously into her notebook, and his face softened a little. ‘You’re certainly diligent, taking notes of everything…’
‘It’s the way I work.’ She tipped her chin up and hoped he wouldn’t question her about it. ‘I’ll get started straight away. If that’s all for the moment?’
As soon as Lily said the words, she wanted to hyperventilate because she’d gone blank. She couldn’t remember any of his instructions. Not a one. They’d fallen into one of those holes inside her head, and disappeared. If her notes didn’t make sense once he turned his back, she was toast.
‘That’s all.’ He started to turn away, and then stopped. For a moment he watched her, as though he wanted to puzzle her out. ‘There are millions of dollars tied up in today’s meeting. The largest project belongs to a man who can be difficult. I don’t want him to have a reason to criticise my company.’
In other words, Lily had better not let Zach down! She focussed on breathing deeply in and out. ‘I understand.’
He must have believed the act, because he gave a short, satisfied nod. ‘I’ll leave you to it. I trust I’ll have the proposals very soon.’ He walked into his office and shut the door.
Please let me get these things done in time. Lily re-read her notes. Fortunately, they made sense. Then she scribbled the meeting details onto the wall chart and into her diary, sticky-noted the need to find, type and collate the proposals, and dived for the phone book.
Thankfully she could cajole people when needed. That is, people other than the unshakeable Zachary Swift. Minutes later, with the meal agreed upon and delivery promised by 12.15 for a 12.30 start, she began to type.
The proposals were out, copied and onto Zach’s desk with just minutes to spare. A convincing summation of several of Swift Enterprises’ recent success stories, and individual offers to each company or business.
If his guests weren’t duly impressed, well, Lily was. He dealt in big business. The knowledge of his prowess was quite…stimulating. Intellectually.
Even as she thought it, she studied his down-bent head from her vantage point in front of his desk, and acknowledged that no other male had appealed to her as much or as quickly as he had. What was wrong with her? Since moving to Sydney she had avoided even the slightest interest in men. It hadn’t been difficult to make that choice until now.
‘Good work.’ Zach skimmed the final page of the last copy, and rose to his feet. ‘Very accurate. Your typing speed must be as fast as your short—eh, note—taking.’
So he had noticed already that her code wasn’t the usual shorthand script. If he asked, she would explain it as a newly developed recording style, which was nothing but the truth. Sort of. But it worried her that he had picked up on that so quickly. What else might he see and wonder about?
When he stretched to relax his shoulders, she tried not to let her gaze be drawn to him. But she failed dismally. The man appeared to have some rather nice muscles under that suit, and something in her feminine make-up was attracted by that knowledge. In defence against her own thoughts, she crossed her arms.
‘I’m glad you’re happy with my work, although I know Deborah would have done just as well.’ She had to get that in, the first building block towards her own imminent exit. ‘These offers will mean a lot of new work, if they’re all accepted.’
His gaze tracked over her hair, then her shoulders, before taking a leisurely path downward, and back up again. It was cold comfort to her to know that in this case, unlike when they’d discussed the Rochelle debacle, the attraction appeared to be mutual. She didn’t want to want him, whether it was reciprocated or not.
He seemed to catch himself, and his glance shifted to the windows. ‘Yes, but we’re geared to handle that sort of influx. It’s what my finance and planning gurus thrive on.’
His forehead creased in thought. ‘This lot are an interesting mix of people. It’s not always those in financial trouble who need a partner or to sell out. Two of them, for example, are estate inheritances.’
‘Estate inheritances.’ She repeated it while her fingers itched foolishly to smooth the attractive wrinkles from his brow. ‘Stuck suddenly with a monstrosity they’re not prepared to take on? Yes. I can understand why some people would simply want out. And you can make all these businesses profitable?’
He turned, his eyes lit with interest. ‘I’ve already suggested other avenues for the ones that wouldn’t have been.’ Her temporary boss smiled, moved to sit on the edge of the desk, and leaned back just enough that she had a breathtaking view of the cleft of his chin and the long, tanned neck. ‘You think like a businesswoman. I can see you’re going to be even more of an asset than I’d hoped.’
‘Well.’ She tried to ignore the view, the elevation of her pulse. The warm feeling it gave her to receive his praise, however prosaic. She didn’t plan on being here long enough for him to appreciate her very much! ‘We’d best make our way to the conference room.’
‘Let’s hope they’re all on time for the meeting. What did you choose for the food?’ He rose, scooped up the pile of meeting notes and handed them to her.
Their fingers touched. Warmth. The slightest sandpapery feeling as his skin grazed hers. She experienced a swift, sharp wish to feel those fingers stroke her forehead, her jaw, her neck.
His gaze locked on her face, roved it, touched her eyes, nose, and lingered on her lips. ‘Lily…’
‘We…ah…’ Her mouth dried. This was not anticipation, and he was not about to kiss her. For heaven’s sake. When had she developed such an overactive imagination? She hurried into her office. Anything to gain a moment’s reprieve.
And he had asked a question. The food! He had asked about the menu. The food…
Something good that would keep people happy.
That was all she could recall. So innovate, Lily! ‘You’ll like what I’ve chosen. Just wait and see.’ There. Good enough, but she should have written the choices down as she’d agreed to them. ‘I just need to get a couple of things and I’ll be ready.’
‘Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Lily’s mellow words sounded calm. Unfazed. She looked completely relaxed as she worked to put their visitors at ease.
But Zach stood at her side at the entrance to the conference room and felt the tension that radiated from her. He nodded, smiled, shared a few words with each delegate, but he wasn’t relaxed either. Wasn’t calm. He hadn’t been since that accidental touch as he’d handed her the approved proposals for this meeting, when a flood of heated response had rushed his system.
Indeed, he had wanted her from the moment they’d met, and he would be a fool to pretend otherwise. He might not like the knowledge, but he prided himself on facing the truth. Now he just had to find some way to overcome this unwelcome interest in her.
Since Lara had showed him five years ago what his life had to be, he had dated women casually. No friendships, no commitments, no compulsions driving his interest. He wasn’t about to alter that credo. He couldn’t.
But he and Lily stood so close now that they breathed the same air. And all he wanted was to snatch her up and get answers to the questions that pounded through his bloodstream. If he kissed her, would the lips that drew his gaze press in passion against his?
If he drew her close, would their bodies fit as though meant to be together? Would it feel right? Would desire flame in an instant, or ignite slowly? It was ridiculous. Too much. They had only just met, yet he couldn’t seem to stop the distracting thoughts.
‘Wallace. Please make yourself comfortable with the others.’ He gestured towards the oval table laid for the upcoming meal, but part of his thoughts remained with the woman at his side.
She smelled of lily of the valley. Had she always worn her signature scent? He wanted to search out every pulse point and hidden place that carried it.
He suppressed a groan, and stuck out his hand as the final delegate arrived. ‘Hardy. Welcome.’
‘Am I?’ Hardy gripped his hand with more force than was necessary. ‘We’ll soon see when I read the proposal you’ve concocted.’ The man puffed out his ample girth. ‘It had better impress me, or you can forget any chance of a sale. I’m only considering this move. Haven’t decided yet.’
‘Whatever decision you make will be respected.’ But they both knew Hardy’s trophy wife had run the company into the ground since he’d bought it for her.
‘Hmph.’ Andrew Hardy’s gaze narrowed. ‘Fashion can be a fickle business, might well turn around of its own accord before too long.’
‘Anything’s possible.’ Zach tried not to show his disbelief.
When Hardy spotted Lily, his demeanour changed. Predatory interest rose in the florid face. ‘And who might this beauty be?’
Mine. The thought was instantaneous. Unsettling. Possessive. Outrageous, because he and Lily had met only hours ago. ‘Hardy, this is Lily Kellaway, my assistant. Lily, meet Andrew Hardy.’
The words fell from his mouth with bland disinterest. But his body growled, a rumble of warning deep within, and his gaze communicated that warning to Hardy. The man’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he absorbed the silent message.
‘Nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your time with us today.’ Lily’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. With her free hand, she pushed a folder towards the man’s mid section.
The aggressive heat in Zach eddied away. She hadn’t been taken in by Hardy’s façade, had recognised something in the known womaniser that made her cautious.
‘You’ll find the proposal for your business in there.’ Lily waggled the folder. ‘You might care to take your seat and peruse it while lunch is being served.’
She was as cool as green salad. Zach suppressed a grin as Hardy stepped back to clasp the folder. A moment later, he had moved on.
They took their seats at the table. Lily sat at his right, and it felt as though she belonged there.
‘Now that they’re all seated, can you name them again for me, please?’ She turned her face to his. ‘Start with the person on my left and work your way around the table. Don’t leave anyone out.’ Her notebook rested on her knee, her pencil at the ready once again.
If he hadn’t seen her hand clenched around that notebook, he wouldn’t have known she was anything less than utterly confident. The knowledge that she was uneasy, a little uncertain, only made her more human in his eyes, more appealing.
Zach lowered his head to murmur the name and a short description of the business of each person. She scribbled it all into her notebook, and nodded now and then to show she was keeping up.
He could brush her ear with his lips, and he doubted anyone would notice. His breath soughed across the object of his thoughts. She shivered, gave a soft gasp and looked up into his eyes.
So responsive. His gaze moved over the honey-gold hair, then shifted to her mouth, to kissable lips and a short, straight nose. To blue eyes the colour of deep tropical seas beneath a hot sun. Without conscious thought, he supplied the final name and relevant details.
She noted the information in her book, released her breath on a choppy sigh and leaned back. ‘Thank you. That will make it easier to match up any comments I need to record.’
Did she know that her eyes took on a dreamy hue when she looked at him? Not avaricious or predatory, like Rochelle’s, but something soft, almost vulnerable, and definitely sexy.
‘Now, you wanted to know about the menu.’ Lily’s lashes fluttered as she whipped out a hand-written sheet of paper Zach had watched her garner from one of the waiting staff when she’d first entered the room. She dropped her gaze to the sheet. ‘We discussed a few options, but what I chose in the end was seafood cups and mini beef-and-vegetable pies for starters…’
‘Which gives us a chance to sample both red and white wines.’ Zach no longer wanted to hear about the menu. He let his gaze linger on her. He wanted to kiss her instead.
She outlined the rest of the menu, and looked into his eyes. Warm spots of colour formed on her cheeks, but she only murmured, ‘Your wine bill will be sky high. I thought you’d want the best.’
He dipped his head. ‘Money is no object in this exercise.’
The guests perused their proposals while the meal was set out. Lively discussion ensued. Zach did his best to throw himself into it and put thoughts of Lily Kellaway’s soft skin, and his desire to touch it, out of his mind.
‘Once a proposal is accepted, it’s handed to one of my team of experts.’ He leaned forward as he explained the procedure to the man seated across the table from them. ‘They either supervise the buy-out, or move straight in to manage the re-shaping if it’s a share situation. No time is wasted. We’re about making things work in the fastest, surest way we can.’
Over the entrées and a fine Sauvignon Blanc, Lily scribbled into her notebook, and picked at delicate prawns and Tasmanian scallops. Zach answered questions, parried comments and told himself he was doing well.
But all the while he was aware of her. In every break in discussions, his gaze went to her unerringly.
He looked at her now, and felt each bite of food she took explode on his own tongue, wanted to meld those tastes in exploration of her mouth. ‘You chose the caterer well. Is it one I’d know?’
‘Possibly not.’ She glanced at the group discreetly situated at the far end of the room, then looked at him again. ‘They—they’re sort of like a galloping garçon. Zippy little van, go anywhere in a hurry. Several local offices have used them.’
‘And you know this because you phoned other secretaries, rather than going at it blind and ringing restaurants and caterers first. Clever.’
Clever, determined, so eager to do her work well, that he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if she’d be equally as enthusiastic and unwavering about pleasing a man under the enveloping cloak of a long, sensual night. It wasn’t a question he should be considering.
But his praise brought her gaze back to his face with startled gratitude.
‘I have to—I try to think outside the box.’ She made it sound like an impediment, and hurriedly took a taste of saffron-rice paella, closing her eyes to savour the sharp, tangy fragrance and taste.
Despite his best intentions, his lids drooped as he watched her enjoy the food.
‘Mmm.’ She glanced at her plate. ‘I have to admit, this is very pleasant.’
He ate salade de boeuf with buttermilk mash, and noted the fineness of her bone structure, the delicate shoulders beneath the blazer. His body twitched. Yes, this was pleasant—in a torturous sort of way.
Her attention focussed on him. The colour in her face deepened, and she looked quickly away again.
‘You’ve done a good job with the lunch, Lily.’ He tried to bring his thoughts back to business. Was it to be like this any time they got closer than the width of a desk away from each other? ‘If the rest of your work for me is equally as professional and useful, I’ll be very pleased, indeed.’
She straightened in her chair, primmed her mouth and clutched at her notebook again. ‘You can rely on Best Secretarial Agency to take care of your business needs. You won’t be let down again.’
When the desserts arrived, conversation lulled in favour of enjoyment of the delicate fare. Lily relaxed, let go of the deathly grip on her notebook and turned her attention to her food.
Instead of relaxing with her, Zach’s tension increased. Why hadn’t he been able to banish personal thoughts of her from his mind?
Maybe it wasn’t his mind that was causing the problem. Maybe he needed to indulge his curiosity. He twirled the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. One little taste test. Just to see. So he could put it out of his thoughts once and for all…
‘The coffee crème is delicious.’ She turned to him and smiled. A simple smile, yet he wanted to rush her into the supply closet at the rear of the conference room and kiss her among the broom sticks, buckets and mops.
He was losing his mind. Could only think of tasting her, nothing else, even though every fibre in his being warned him it was dangerous to think this way. Even for a moment. ‘Um—’
‘I hope the lemon panna cotta and fruit coulis equals it.’ She dipped her spoon into the confection again. ‘Would you like me to ask the caterers to give you a serving of the coffee crème, too? I’m sure they’d have some spares, if you’d like to try both.’
‘No. Thank you.’ He cleared his throat, forced civil words out, couldn’t quite hide the deeper timbre of his voice. ‘I’ll be fine with…what I have.’
He tried his lemon panna cotta, praised her choice and tried not to think about her mouth. They were in the middle of a conference meeting, and his awareness of her was off the scale.
She blinked. That rapid flutter again of her lashes. ‘That’s very good. I’m glad you’re enjoying your…dessert.’
‘Yes.’ The coffee arrived. With relief, he turned to the man on his right and engaged him in conversation until things began to wind down.
Finally, the time came to deliver his short closing speech. He got to his feet. ‘You’ll all need time to think, to confer with colleagues, to run the figures. I suggest phone conferences tomorrow and Wednesday to conclude our business. Phone Lily in the morning. She’ll let you know what time slots are available.’
From the corner of his eye, he saw Lily scribble something in her notebook and underline it.
With murmured thanks, the guests moved out. Zach saw them off at the door while Lily set the caterers to work on the clean up. She returned to his side just as Hardy clamped an unlit cigar into his mouth and said around it, ‘A phone conference doesn’t suit me. Come to my office tomorrow at 4.00 p.m. I’ll give you my answer then.’
‘I’m not available at that time.’ Zach tried to instil regret into his tone. ‘Nor will I be available for anything but phone conferences for the rest of the week. You’ll understand that I’m busy.’
As a concession, Zach acknowledged the other man’s probable commitments. ‘I’m sure you must have a full schedule, too. Perhaps you’d like to call on Thursday or Friday. I’m prepared to extend the deadline for you.’
‘We’ll see.’ Hardy barged out the door, proposal tucked beneath his arm and a scowl on his face.
‘Nice exit.’ Lily’s chuckle washed over Zach, sensual and free. She looked into his eyes, the smile still lingering on her lips. ‘Do you think he’ll accept your proposal?’
‘I expect he will, eventually.’ He dipped his head closer to her face. Wanted her. Didn’t want to.
She gasped. A soft sigh of sound that revealed her reaction to him. ‘Well, um, I’ll just have one last word with the caterers, then. To make sure they’re, um, all finished catering.
‘Don’t wait for me. You go on back.’ She drew in a shaky breath. ‘I’ll join you when I’ve calmed—in a minute. I’ll join you in a minute.’
He left. It was either that or snatch her into his arms and kiss them both senseless, momentary acquaintances or not.
CHAPTER THREE
‘CAN I help you?’ Lily closed the filing-cabinet drawer, and offered a questioning smile to the boy who stood in school uniform in the middle of the reception area of her office, his shoulders hunched, his profile to her.
Two and a half weeks had passed since she’d started work at Swift Enterprises. Two and a half weeks filled with a growing, unspoken awareness between her and a man unlike any she had known.
Clients had come and gone. Lily had managed the appointments, ploughed through the pile-up of work, and hadn’t bungled anything too badly. Earlier today, Hardy had finally signed on the dotted line, yielding to what he knew was a great deal, just as Zach had predicted he would.
Lots of things had happened, but this was the first time Lily had seen a child in the offices. The boy should have seemed out of place, yet somehow he didn’t.
‘Oh, hi. I didn’t see you there. Is Zach ready?’ He turned fully to face her, slung his backpack onto one of the chairs and pushed his hands into his pockets in a gesture she had seen Zach use countless times. ‘He said we’d have to go by four o’clock.’
‘And it’s almost that now, isn’t it?’ Slowly, she returned to her desk as she tried to assimilate what she was seeing. This boy was the image of the man on the other side of the closed office door. The same thick-fringed hazel eyes, same hair. Same mannerisms, same frown. Everything. It was all there.
Zach’s son?
The possibility hadn’t occurred to her until now. Faced with it, she felt…unnerved. Her mind leapt immediately ahead. Where was the mother of this child? What relationship did Zach have with her? Why didn’t the boy call his father ‘Dad’?
And what game had Zach been playing with her? He was a well-known and, it was assumed, carefree bachelor, and had been sending out ‘attracted to you’ signals since they’d met. Those signals had only grown stronger on both sides, she had thought, even though Zach had been clearly fighting them all the way.
She’d had no intention of acting on them, either, of course. Had intended to put a stop to her side of things just as soon as she worked out how. Hadn’t she?
Of course she had! But what had Zach been thinking?
‘Um, your fath—Mr Swift—is taking a phone call.’ The boy shouldn’t be made uncomfortable because of her surprise and shock. And she was shocked. ‘I’m sure he’ll be finished his call in a moment.’
The boy nodded. ‘I’ll just wait, then.’
‘Yes. Make yourself at home.’ She pretended to go back to work, but all that showed up on her screen as she typed was meaningless gibberish.
At times recently, she had wanted to yield to Zach’s interest, and to her own. To step forward instead of stepping back, just once, and see what happened. She shouldn’t have wanted that. She was living a deception. He wouldn’t want her if he knew her secrets, and she needed to protect herself, too.
But it appeared he also had secrets.
Zach opened his door and came out. He glanced at her, and his eyes flared with familiar heat.
Then he turned and spotted the boy. His face softened in affection and pride. In two strides, he had the young man in a headlock, ruffling his hair as he hugged him close. ‘Dan. Good lad, you’re right on time. You didn’t have any trouble with the buses?’
The boy wrapped wiry arms around the man, pushed his head into his chest and put all his effort into getting loose. He grinned when he broke free. ‘Nope. I’m ready to go. You’re getting weaker, you know. You barely held me that time.’
A bittersweet smile touched Zach’s face. ‘You’re the one getting stronger. You’re growing up too fast.’
Zach made a show of getting his briefcase, but Lily saw the tenderness he tried to hide and, despite her confusion, her heart softened. Zach clearly loved this child.
He rattled off a few instructions to her before he turned back to Daniel. ‘Did you two meet? This is Lily. She’s filling in while Maddie is away. The other secretary…’ he cleared his throat ‘…didn’t work out, so Lily has taken over.’
Lily finished jotting his instructions into her diary. She closed it and looked at the boy. ‘Hello again.’
‘I’m Daniel.’ He shook her hand, mumbled, ‘You’re prettier than the last one,’ and turned a little red in the face. ‘I mean—’
‘Thank you.’ She turned back to her desk to save him from further embarrassment. And to avoid having to look at Zach. ‘I won’t keep you both. You clearly have somewhere you need to be.’
A slight frown between his brows, Zach nodded. Then the boy drew his attention.
‘Mum said you’re invited to dinner again tonight, if you want. She’s running errands this afternoon, but she’ll bring home something nice.’ Daniel gathered his school bag and slipped it over his shoulders. He gave Zach a bit of a glare. ‘I could go to the orthodontist by myself, you know. If I can manage a couple of buses, I can manage—’
‘All the buses. Yes, but I promised when you first got the braces on that I’d take you to every appointment.’ Zach ruffled the dark hair again. ‘And I always—’
‘Keep your promises, I know. But I’m not a baby. You don’t need to mollycoddle me.’ The boy sighed, and made for the door.
Lily watched him, and tried to contain the anger and dismay that had filled her at Daniel’s innocent words. Zach was still involved with the mother of his child! He had been toying with Lily. She felt stupid for not having realised his interest wasn’t sincere. Felt second-rate, as she had when Richard had ended their engagement.
‘I’m not mollycoddling.’ Zach waved Daniel off. ‘Go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you at the elevators.’
As the boy left, Zach turned back into the room. ‘Is everything all right? You seem agitated.’ A rather ferocious expression closed in on his face, and he said without any inflection at all, ‘Don’t you like children?’
‘No, it’s not that. Everything’s fine.’ His protectiveness of the boy made Lily ache for things she didn’t have, for family to stand by her. But it didn’t change the fact that Zach was now clearly and utterly out of bounds to her. And, right now, she really didn’t like him very much. At all!
She busied herself putting a dictation tape into the machine, fiddled with the wishbone earpieces, then placed her hands in readiness against the keyboard. As she did so, she realised the child’s name had slipped from her memory. She sought for it, but didn’t find it. Darn it! ‘It was nice to meet your son, but shouldn’t you be going?’
‘Ah.’ His eyes narrowed as he studied her. ‘I think you’ve just explained the sudden chill in the air. If there’s a child, there’s got to be a mother, and therefore—’
‘You’re having dinner with that mother. You’re clearly very close.’ Oh, couldn’t he just go? She didn’t want to have this discussion. ‘It’s got nothing to do with me.’
‘Hasn’t it? You and I have been—’
‘Hurry up, old man. We’ll be late!’ The warning floated down the corridor, affection wrapped up in the cheeky words. A moment later, the boy poked his head back into the room. ‘Are we leaving some time this millennium, or what?’
Zach hesitated, gritted his teeth and strode to join the boy. ‘Yes, Daniel. We’re leaving. Let’s go.’
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. His name is Daniel. Lily pretended not to watch their exit. As soon as they left, she wrote the boy’s name down, although she suspected it would now stick firm for her. Usually, if she could get a piece of information beyond that short-term memory area, it stayed with her for good.
An hour later, after swinging from chagrin to anger and back again, she was doing her best to force Zach Swift out of her mind. She would go on doing that until she crushed every memory of the attraction she had experienced towards him. Utter rejection should have been her response from the start.
As she began to pack up her desk, a middle-aged woman stepped into the room. ‘I hope I didn’t startle you, dear. Are you about to leave?’
‘Hello. Yes, it’s almost closing time, but is there some way I can help you?’ Lily pushed the last of the folders into the drawer and gave the woman her full attention.
‘There is, I hope, but this isn’t really a business matter.’ The lady smiled. ‘Let me introduce myself. I’m Anne Swift, Zach’s mother.’ She stuck out a hand.
Lily snatched up a sticky notepad and scribbled ‘Anne Swift’ onto it, then took the other woman’s hand and looked into kindly yellow-green eyes. She couldn’t help returning the warm smile she found there, even as her picture of Zach shifted for the second time this afternoon.
She had assumed he had no family at all. That he lived for his company, utterly focussed on making money. Lily had even felt a connection, because she didn’t have any significant family ties either. Not any more.
Within the space of an hour, Zach had a son, a mother of that son, and a mother of his own.
‘I’m afraid Zach’s not in. He took Daniel to an orthodontist appointment.’ And, later, he’s going to have dinner with the mother of his child. They’ll probably make love once Daniel’s asleep.
‘Just as I hoped. I timed it so he would be gone when I got here.’ A warm chuckle erupted from the small, well-rounded frame. ‘Now, I know you’re just new, dear, but I need you to join me in a teensy-tiny conspiracy against my darling son.’
Well, that sounded interesting, if rather dangerous! Why would Zach’s mother want to conspire against him? ‘I’m not quite sure I can help you…’
‘You can, and it will be for his own good.’ Anne gave her merry laugh again. ‘I just need to explain. Come to coffee with me?’
The next morning, Zach greeted Lily with a watchful expression. Lily didn’t know what to think. During their stop for coffee, Anne Swift hadn’t mentioned anyone special in Zach’s life. But, then, Zach’s mother had been focussed on other things and perhaps had seen no reason to say anything.
I hope Anne enjoyed her meal, anyway.
The older lady had bought enough take-out containers of food during that jaunt for coffee to supply several hungry eaters. Perhaps she froze portions for herself. Or maybe she had invited guests that night.
‘Re-direct the phones. We’ll go to lunch early.’ Zach spoke in a silken tone from his position in the doorway that connected their two offices. His words made her jump, because for once she’d had no clue of his nearness.
He shifted his stance slightly. ‘There’s a pub not far from here that serves good, fresh battered fish and chips.’
‘I can’t.’ Lily didn’t quite meet his gaze, stared instead at a spot on the wall behind him. I won’t make myself vulnerable to you by getting too close. ‘I’m busy.’
‘Let me make this clearer. It’s not an invitation, Lily.’ He looked down his nose at her, let her see the glitter of anger and frustration for a moment in his eyes before he hooded them. ‘Your presence is required.’
Maybe this wasn’t personal. Maybe she had done something, made some mistake here in the office?
Her mind raced with possibilities. She’d been skirting around him since she got here this morning. Had that made her lax in her duties somehow? Or had her shortcomings found her out?
Zach hustled her out of the office while she was still worrying. He rattled off their order to the bistro lady at the pub without consulting Lily for her choice, then led Lily to their allocated table and proceeded to drum his fingers on the polished surface.
‘What if I hadn’t wanted whiting fillets?’ She took the paper serviette from around her cutlery, and set everything just so in front of her. It might not be smart to goad him, yet she couldn’t help herself. ‘I might have preferred the roast pork, or the chicken pot-pie.’
His fingers came to an abrupt stop. He said, apparently out of nowhere, ‘Did you know that Daniel loves fish and chips?’
‘Does he?’ She kept her voice neutral, but wondered about that smooth-as-glass tone of his. ‘That’s nice.’
Their meals and drinks arrived. He held her gaze over the rim of his beer glass until they were alone again. ‘Daniel and I live just around the corner from each other. He stays overnight with me often, drops in evenings and weekends during the day. It’s pretty much open house to him any time I’m home.’
What about Zach staying the night with Daniel’s mother, or vice versa? Not that Lily cared about his bed partners, she told herself fiercely. And he was baiting her right now. She was sure of it. She glared at him, and took a defiant sip of her lemon squash.
Not another word would pass her lips on the topic. If he had something to say, then let him say it.
After eating most of the meal in loaded silence, she began to toy with her half-empty sachet of tartare sauce. Anything to keep her gaze from his, really, but in the end she couldn’t help it. Her resolve teetered, and fell. ‘You mentioned Daniel. What about his mother? What’s her name?’
‘His mother is the same one I have, actually. I wondered how long it would take you to ask.’ He speared a chip with his fork, seemed to take delight in the aggressive movement. ‘Our mother is Anne. Anne Swift.’
While he ate the chip, Lily drew a deep breath of pub-laden air and tried to assimilate this news. Zach and Daniel were brothers. There was no woman with a long history of involvement with Zach. Lily had jumped to a massive conclusion.
Her heart began to beat out an uneasy, rapid rhythm. ‘But that’s not, that can’t be—’
‘Daniel was a change-of-life baby, conceived three months before our father died.’ He laid down his cutlery, drew two well-thumbed photos from his wallet and flipped them one after the other across the table to her.
‘The first is of me and my parents the year before Dad died. It was an aneurysm.’ He spoke without particular inflection, but his fingers clenched. ‘He didn’t suffer. It was very fast.’
‘I’m so sorry.’ She suppressed the urge to touch his hand, and repeated the information over in her head because she couldn’t bear it if she were to forget this later. At times like this she hated her impediment!
‘I miss him.’ The understatement somehow made Zach’s loss all the more real to her. His gaze dropped to the other photo. ‘The second is Mum, Daniel and me. It was taken last year when we visited the Imax theatre here in Sydney for a treat for Dan’s birthday.’
‘In the first, you look about eighteen.’ He looked young and happy, as Lily had felt before her accident. She was still happy, she told herself, but for ever changed, just as Zach must have been by his father’s death.
But Zach hadn’t started this conversation to elicit sympathy. He had wanted to confront her mistake, to make a point about her jumping to conclusions. That was clear to her, and not entirely fair. ‘Why didn’t you say something when I—?’
‘Drew that conclusion with no help from me? By the time I realised what you thought, Dan had interrupted and I had to go.’ He reached for the photos. Their fingers touched, and he kept his grip on hers. ‘And then I wondered if it might be best to let you believe it.’
Anger gave way to something different. Something deeper. She sought the answer in his eyes, and found a wary, reluctant awareness that echoed deep inside her.
‘Yet you’ve told me. What changed your mind?’ She pulled her hand free, and hoped he couldn’t see how much she had wanted to leave it in his grasp.
‘Honesty.’ His gaze remained steadfastly on hers. ‘I don’t like deceptions.’
Deceptions such as secretaries not confessing their limitations to their boss, and planning to get out of working for him, even though he’d insisted on it? But her situation was different.
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