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“Where are the kids now?”
“Should be back from school any minute, but they won’t stop to talk—the waves are too good. They’re all mad keen surfers. That’s why they’re with me. They’re preparing for the nationals and this location is unbeatable. Milk? No—just black? There you are, pull up a chair if you like.”
“No thanks, I’ll take the coffee over to the sh—sleep-out?—and start settling in if you don’t mind.”
“Suit yourself. Dinner around eight okay for you?”
She shook her head and put on a smile. “That’s kind, but no thanks. I’m beat. I’d like to have an early night.”
It was true she felt light-headed with exhaustion, but there was also no way she was going to eat anything out of that kitchen till she’d had time to fumigate the house. Coffee mug in hand, she began heading out, her system singing in anticipation of a cigarette.
“One more thing. This is a smoke-free zone. Several of the boys have quit. I’m sure you understand.”
She turned to look at him. He looked back.
“Sure,” she said slowly, her fingers tightening on the mug. “I understand.”
Back in her quarters she kicked off her heels with vehemence, opened her bag and for a second gazed longingly at her cigarettes. Later, when they were all eating dinner, she would sneak one behind the sleep-out. From under her cigarettes she pulled out her BlackBerry. Sure enough, no reception. Great. The toughest challenge of her career and here she was, stuck in the remotest corner of the bottom of the world with no line out.
Sass was good at her job, damned good. Some called her The Great Persuader, others The Great Manipulator. Whichever, she was the original fix-it gal. But she’d had to work twice as hard and be three times better than any male colleague just to be noticed. For seven years, Sass had given her life to her job, her sole goal being to one day make senior partner, aka join The Boys who ran Paradise Resorts. Her break had finally come last week when she’d been summonsed to Mr. Brixby’s office.
For the first time since she’d started at the company, he’d led her to the sofas in the corner instead of consulting over his desk. They’d sat and he’d looked her right in the eye.
“Sass, we are sending you to New Zealand. I’ll be honest with you. Profits are down and the company desperately needs the injection from a new resort. Something fresh. I know,” he said, raising his hand as Sass went to speak, “Branston’s idea is fanciful. But we need something that will make people sit up, take note. We need a new direction and we’re all counting on you to make it work. Will you do this for us, Sass?”
And Sass, contrary to her usual thoroughness in checking out details beforehand, had looked back into those shrewd eyes and said, “Why of course, Mr. Brixby.”
He’d even patted her hand. “I knew we could rely on you. Your level thinking and charm might make all the difference.”
He didn’t say outright that this might secure her place with The Boys in the vacancy McKenna’s retirement had left, but the way he’d said it… Her heart had leaped and his words had continued to warm and sustain her right up until she’d seen Kurt’s smirk. Then she’d realized he believed she stood no chance at all, and that she’d take the rap for his enormous blunders. Worse, while she was trapped in this black hole, he’d be right there, ingratiating himself with The Boys.
Unable to stand being inside, she wandered out, down the steps of the deck toward the beach. Walking barefoot on grass brought back memories of racing late to school, playing catch…and it felt strangely good. She drifted to the ragged edge of the lawn and down the bank onto the sand. That felt good, too. She wrapped her fingers around her mug of coffee, took a sip, then grimaced. That was another thing she needed. Already she was making a shopping list in her mind.
The water was wonderful and she stood ankle-deep, feeling her frustrations ebb into the sea. The sun was gentler now, sinking low in the sky, and she raised her face to it. She hadn’t just stood, enjoying the feeling of sun and water, for who knew how long. She breathed in deeply, eyes closed, the salty tang carrying the whisper of romance and exotica.
Her eyes snapped open. She was most certainly not here on holiday, and she pulled her thoughts back to the ridge behind her, with its p
Her host’s casual appearance didn’t deceive her. She’d seen the stubborn lines around his mouth, had noted the pugilistic set of his jaw. In the past Jake would have been in the front line of battle; with his height and reckless determination he would have led the men behind him and intimidated those he faced. Well, she wasn’t about to be intimidated. All the same, she needed to tread very carefully. If he caught one whiff of what she knew, then the deal—and her whole future—would be toast!
CHAPTER THREE
“LAST MAN HOME MAKES breakfast,” yelled Brad as he leaped down the hill from the ridge. The rest of the boys broke into a run, chasing him with whoops and threats, their surfboards bouncing and swinging as they raced.
Jake let them go, glad to have this moment to himself. Dawn had broken while they were out on the water, turning the waves pink and yellow, and now he breathed in, enjoying the soft salt tang. The sky was translucent blue and the harbor stretched out in tranquil high tide. It was unthinkable that this early morning peace and beauty, unchanged for a thousand years, should now be threatened.
The boys, still whooping, had disappeared around the corner of the house when, inexplicably, their cries died midyell. Curious, Jake loped down the steep driveway, and as he rounded the house, saw what had silenced them. Sass, in a black swimsuit, had emerged from the sea and was making her way slowly up the beach toward them. Brad whistled under his breath; Paul gulped. The twins blushed red and exchanged abashed, sideways grins. Jake couldn’t blame them. Though her swimsuit was modestly cut, it molded to her. Clearly, they grew them tall and lithe in Texas, with long legs that could—Jake swiftly blocked the highly inappropriate thoughts that crowded into his mind. An understandable reaction, he told himself. The natural response of a year’s self-enforced celibacy.
She smiled, but Jake was surprised to see her pause as though unsure, shy even, as she eyed the lineup of young males.
“Hey, you must be the gang Jake spoke of.”
“Yeah,” said Jake, collecting himself. “The lanky one is Paul, the twins Mike and Mark—don’t worry if you can’t tell them apart, no one can—and Brad’s the one with his tongue hanging out.”
Brad threw him a look as he shifted his board to his other arm and held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you.” His formal manner, however, was undermined by the thoughts so clearly written all over his adolescent face.
Sass moved forward and Paul swallowed again as she shook Brad’s hand. “I’m Sass. Pleased to meet y’all.”
Then she turned to shake the other boys’hands, spell-binding each in turn with her smile, which, Jake had to grudgingly admit, was friendly and in no way playing up the obvious effect she was having on them all.
“Nice swim?” he asked.
“Yes, the water was lovely. I woke early—jet lag I guess—and it looked so inviting I couldn’t resist. How was the surf?” Her Southern voice floated lazy and warm, complementing the early morning air.
“It was awesome! Do you surf?” Brad asked.
She shook her head. “I almost never went to the sea when I was a child, and I live in New York now. Closest I’ve ever got has been watching First Break.”
“We can teach you, can’t we, Jake?”
But Sass just smiled. “I don’t think so, thanks. I’m a flat water gal. But I’d sure like to see you in action sometime.”
“We need some action now. Showers and breakfast pronto.” Jake sounded more abrupt than he’d intended, but seeing her bewitch his boys, he felt absurdly betrayed. Only last night they’d all been so indignant at the mere thought of a New York lawyer. “We’re going into town soon and if you aren’t ready by the time we leave, you’ll have to stay home, clean the house and miss out on the paintball.”
The threat worked. In seconds the boys said hasty farewells, dropped their boards and disappeared into the house, forming a bottleneck at the door as they fought to be first to the shower. Jake shook his head, but Sass laughed. “They remind me of my brothers.”
He had forgotten she’d mentioned having brothers. He’d imagined she must have sprung fully grown from some Mattel factory, a perfect Barbie. “I hope they weren’t like that disreputable horde.”
Sass’s face was unreadable—no wonder she was a hotshot lawyer. “Mmm,” was all she said before asking, “Am I going to meet your brother today?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind working on a Saturday.”
“On the contrary, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Jake just bet she was—looking forward to racing things through, just like that Branston bastard had.
“Fine, I’ll drive you in. What time suits you?”
“The earlier, the better. We’ve a lot to get through.”
Jake had never known anyone could sound so brisk and businesslike in clinging Lycra. He saw the fine hairs on her arms rise in the early morning breeze.
“You’d better hop into a shower yourself. The sleep-out has its own tank, so you’ll have plenty of hot water. How about we meet in an hour—does that give you enough time?”
“More than enough, thank you.” Her voice was still polite, but had cooled a few degrees with the boys’ departure.
“Help yourself to breakfast, as well,” he added.
“Thanks, but I usually skip it. I’ll see you in an hour.”
SASS CHOSE HER OUTFIT with care. No heels, she realized now. No suits. Well, that eliminated half her luggage. No one had warned her of just how informal these Kiwis were, and she certainly didn’t want to put their backs up. At the same time she wanted to make sure they knew she wasn’t a pushover, either. In the end she opted for black trousers and a soft white shirt she’d hung up the night before, along with several other options. It was still a little crumpled, but she had absolutely no intention of letting Jake see her iron.
Makeup and hair also required thought. She kept the former to a minimum, just enough to enhance her eyes and lose that soft, girlie look she despised. She glossed her lips with a subtle no-nonsense red, then tied her hair back into a French roll. Finally, she selected a pair of black pumps with unmistakable Italian chic that only had a slight heel.
It wasn’t easy to see the overall effect in the small mirror tacked to the wall, but having twisted this way and that, Sass decided it was probably good enough. Drawing in a deep breath, she ran her hands down her sides. This was it.
The first meeting was crucial. As with runners before a race, so much of the final outcome lay in the first confrontation. Her whole future hinged on this. Blow this one and she blew her shot at the top.
The unwelcome image of Kurt’s smug smile flashed through her brain, and her fingers curled into a fist. No way! How smart could these guys be, anyway?
But even as she braced herself with this tough talk, she was bothered by the image of Jake as she’d seen him half an hour earlier—with the water beading on his tanned biceps and pecs, his curls flattened from his swim but already beginning to spring up again as though refusing to be tamed. His long legs and the glimpse of flat abs, mostly hidden by the board, had done something to her stomach. She was in no mood to wonder exactly what.
Standing there, wearing only surf shorts, he’d still looked to be one of the most dangerous men she’d ever seen, despite the unexpected charm of his smile. Not that he smiled much. Well, not at her, at any rate. Good. She didn’t want to be friends, either. She wanted to allay fears, clinch the deal and get the hell out of here.
“Go get them, girl!” she told herself, although she’d never really been the cheerleader sort. Picking up her briefcase as though it were a shield, she stepped out into the sun.
THIS TIME THEY TRAVELED in a beat-up old van, with the boys sprawled in the backseats. Sass had to smile. The twins shared an iPod, with an earpiece each, while Brad was immersed in playing games on his cell phone. Paul sat right at the back, staring out the window, lost in his own world.
Sass turned to look at the stern profile beside her. “I hope your brother doesn’t mind meeting on a Saturday,” Sass said to break the awkward silence.
“Not at all. No doubt you’ll have been filled in on the major objections to the resort, but Rob thought it might be helpful to have a chat before the town meeting on Tuesday night.”
They wanted to check her out. “Sure, it’s an excellent idea. I’m keen to meet him, too. He’s a lawyer, right? Does he work for a big firm?”
Jake shook his head. The sun was streaming in his side of the car, backlighting his curls. His elbow rested on the open window and the hairs on his arm glinted gold. His eyes were very slightly narrowed, but Sass wasn’t sure if that was because of the sun. Her own sunglasses were opaque and she took advantage of this to check him out. He must have dressed up for the occasion, she concluded. The shorts had been replaced by battered jeans that sat snugly on his hips. A crumpled, short-sleeved green shirt was loosely tucked in—a concession to formality, maybe.
“Rob’s gone independent,” he said.
It figured. Sass guessed that independence would be pretty important to both Finlayson brothers.
“Brave,” she said. “Gets rid of office politics, but probably produces other challenges.”
Did the laughter lines around his eyes crinkle or was that still just the sun? “Yeah, dirty nappies for a start. Rob works from home so he and Moana can share child care.”
Her heart rose. A part-time lawyer sounded ideal. How hard could this be? Then she looked at Jake’s long jawline and uncompromising chin, and felt her heart flutter back down again. Still, she kept her tone light and easy.
“Really? It must get tricky balancing everything. Is she a lawyer, too?”
Jake shook his head again. To give the guy some credit, he seemed oblivious to how good his curls looked tossed about in the sun. If it’d been Kurt, she’d have known he was doing it for effect.
“She’s a psychologist and uses the same office for consultations. It’s amazing how they manage, but it seems to work.”
Jake and Sass fell into silence again and he flicked on the radio. A Haydn violin concerto filled the car, surprising her and drawing protests from the boys. Jake ignored them, and the muttering soon died away.
The music was turned up loud, hiding the rumbling of her stomach. She was jet-lagged and hungry, but still determined not to avail herself of Jake’s hospitality. Thank goodness she’d sneaked a cigarette before her swim.
WHANGARIMU PROVED TO BE an attractive town set at the top of the harbor, where it narrowed into a marina. Restaurants and gift shops lined the water’s edge and palm trees made it feel tropical. The center was compact, clustered with small shops that reminded Sass of towns back home before huge shopping malls had taken over. But she also saw that some frontages were nailed up and that there were a number of people just sitting around the marina, looking at the boats. She’d seen that slumped-shouldered lethargy before, in trailer parks, and wondered what the unemployment numbers were.
“Right, hop out,” Jake ordered the kids as they pulled up at a red light. “We’ll be a few hours max. I’ll text you when we’re ready to pick you up. Don’t keep me waiting.”
The boys scrambled out with hurried goodbyes, and Sass was sorry to see them go. They hadn’t eased the conversation, but their mere presence had helped her relax. Without them, the silence in the van seemed to swell.
Fortunately, it was only a few minutes later that the van drew up in front of a cottage painted a jaunty yellow with blue trim. The garden was a tumble of flowers and the overall effect was charming, except Sass wasn’t prepared to concede anything at this stage.
“We’re here,” Jake announced unnecessarily.
He ushered her through the front door and into a tiny office immediately off the hall. A man rose to greet them.
“It’s great to meet you,” he said, and actually seemed to mean it. “I’m Rob Finlayson.”
Rob was also tall, with straight hair and a kinder expression than his brother. He met her eyes and smiled warmly, but she still knew she was being appraised. His handshake was firm and Sass realized that he, like his brother, was not to be underestimated. Instinctively, she liked him.
Unfortunately. She didn’t want to like anyone. This resolve was further tested when Moana came in with a wide smile of welcome. Her skin was cinnamon-brown, her hair black and luxuriant, reaching right down her back. M
“Hi, welcome to New Zealand. Can I get you some coffee? I’ve also baked some muffins.”
The aroma of freshly ground beans had struck Sass the minute she’d walked through the door. “Black coffee and a muffin would be wonderful, thank you.”
Not risking the indignity of a growling stomach was even better.
“Two minutes,” Moana promised as she slipped away.
Sass avoided Jake’s eyes as she took the chair he proffered, and said, “Shall we get straight to business?”
As she set her briefcase on her knee and clicked open the locks she saw the guys exchange glances. Mistake! She’d forgotten time might not mean money here. You might have to put your watch forward seventeen hours upon reaching New Zealand, but it seemed you also had to dial back some years.
“Of course,” said Rob. “Would you like to put your briefcase here?” He pushed papers aside to make space for her.
“Thanks.” She drew her chair to the desk, then wished she hadn’t. It brought her closer to the brothers, and their combined height and, well, maleness made her uncomfortable. She glanced up in relief when Moana returned with a steaming mug and a plate with the muffin.
“Now, I don’t want you ganging up on our visitor. Jake, you come with me. I’ve a new painting that needs hanging and Rob has been less than no help these past two days.”
“I’ve always said you chose the wrong brother,” Jake pointed out. “Rob’s the lazy one.” Suddenly Sass saw a completely different man—one relaxed with laid-back good humor, and a wicked glint of mischief in his eye.
“She chose the best-looking one,” his brother retorted. “Besides, I did try to hang the damned thing but gave up after she changed her mind half a dozen times.” He ducked as his wife took a swipe at his head.
“Excuses, excuses, ay.” Moana exchanged a woman-to-woman look with Sass. “That’s all men really excel in.”
Sass couldn’t help smiling back, but felt off balance. This wasn’t like the business meetings she was used to.
“Right,” she said, trying to take control once more by lifting a sheaf of papers from the briefcase and passing them to Rob. “I’ve some data here that might interest you.”
“Good luck,” said Jake, though it wasn’t clear who he was speaking to. She could almost feel his body heat as he passed behind her chair and disappeared out of the room after Moana. Sass was glad to see his back. With him gone, she’d be able to concentrate.
Rob bent over the projected incomes Paradise resorts expected from their Aroha enterprise, a report that Kurt had prepared.
“You’ll see it will bring considerable amounts of money into your community,” she pointed out.
He shook his head. “These numbers seem pitched a bit high to me. Not that I’m fully conversant with the resort business, of course.”
Sass had also thought they were optimistic, but The Boys had okayed them.
“We have every faith that your beautiful country will attract huge numbers of visitors, given the right advertising. Your weak dollar will also make it affordable for families on modest incomes.”
“We try to keep a handle on tourist numbers here in New Zealand. Don’t want to spoil our clean green image with hordes tramping over the countryside.”
He smiled and she smiled back. The first clash of swords.
“Speaking of which,” he continued, “we haven’t received full information about the massive infrastructures of roads, water, sewerage, etc., you’ll need to install for a resort this size.”
“That’s all in the pipeline,” she said confidently, crossing her fingers. Kurt had been maddeningly vague. “I’ll get them to you soon.”
“Our biggest concern, however, is the fairy tern.”
“The bird. Yeah, right. I understand there are only seven birds nesting on the spit.”
“Seven is a considerable number when the bird is listed as severely endangered.” Rob’s voice had acquired an edge.
“Please believe me my company has no desire whatsoever to hasten this bird’s demise.” Sass was at her most sincere. “We’ve looked into options to save it and already have several we’d like to put to you.”
“We need Jake for that. He’s the expert on the fairy tern. He’s writing a book about them.”
“Really?” It was hard to think of Action Man reading a book, let alone writing one. She really didn’t like the way the guy kept knocking her off-kilter. “Well, as he’s not here, let’s get back to the resort development.” She handed Rob another piece of paper. “You will see here we’ll be generating a lot of jobs for the community.”
And so the meeting continued for another twenty minutes, with Sass and Rob circling each other as only civilized people locked in legal combat can. By the end, each had developed a healthy respect for the other, but Rob surprised her when he pushed all the papers aside and leaned forward, hands clasped and looked into her eyes. “Sass, would you do one thing for us?”
“I’ll try,” she said, instantly wary.
“You say you’ve come to listen, not to steamroll over us. That’s a relief and we’d appreciate it if you’d take time to become acquainted with the community and Aroha Bay. Will you do that? We have so much riding on it all.”
Me, too, buddy, she thought. Me, too.
Her professional smile remained bright. “Sure, I’ll be happy to. In fact, I was going to ask, do you have any books about the area? I’d be interested to learn more about the layout of the land and even some of its history. It all helps to get a better picture.”
Rob beamed, clearly delighted by her interest. “Yeah, I’ve got a couple of excellent ones that I’d be delighted to lend you, as a matter of fact.”
“Great. I also want to meet with the—” Sass broke off as she flipped through some papers “—the Aroha Bay Organization for Resort Development, the ABORD Committee. I believe they are all for the resort.”
Rob grimaced.
“Yeah, well, I’m here to listen to all sides,” she continued, “before I make my recommendations. My report to the company will of course be confidential, because in the end the final decision rests with them. Whatever conclusions I come to, they’ll be made with due consideration and in everyone’s best interests.”
As those words slipped out, she experienced a small twinge of conscience. The bottom line was she’d been sent to get these guys to not only accept the resort, but in the end to be glad about it, thus saving her company time and money in court.
“Fair enough.” Rob’s smile had all the sincerity hers lacked. “Jake will show you around, then.”
Her smile froze. “No need. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“We wouldn’t hear of it! New Zealand is not easy to get around in without a car, and there’s no better guide than Jake. He knows the land like the back of his hand, plus he can tell you about the birds. He’s nuts about them. You guys’ll get along well, I know you will.”