Nothing to Gain

by Claire Boston

  Fleur frowned. “What’s going to happen?”

  “He’s going to demolish it and build something new.” Her chest tightened and she clenched her hands. Fleur slowed the car. “You’re joking!”

  “If only.” Mai stared out of the window at the dense green shrubbery rushing by.

  “And what are you supposed to do?”

  She shrugged. She hadn’t had a chance to assess the proposal he’d given her. “He’s given me six months to vacate.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Can he even do that? You’ve got a lease.” Fleur’s voice got louder as she spoke.

  A fraction of the weight lifted off Mai’s shoulders. “I’m not sure.”

  “What did your mum say? She deals with that kind of law, doesn’t she?”

  Mai grimaced. “I haven’t spoken to her yet.” And she didn’t want to go running to her mother for help. It was bad enough that Bian had advised her against signing the original lease, had advised her against opening her own bakery.

  “I’m sure she’ll help you sort it out,” Fleur said as she pulled into Kit’s drive.

  “Yeah.” Mai forced a smile.

  Tall karri trees lined the dairy farm’s gravel drive. In the distance, black and white cows moved away from the large, silver milking shed. Mai wound down her window to listen to the cows mooing to each other and to smell the rich, earthy scent of the land. Some of her fatigue evaporated as she inhaled deeply. Coming out tonight had been the right decision.

  They pulled up next to a white 4WD parked outside the low chain-wire fence. Inside the boundary, the farmhouse took centre stage – a beautiful old building with white wooden cladding and a wooden verandah that ran all the way around it. The metal roof curved at the edges, welcoming visitors inside.

  They walked up the short gravel path and a huge brindle-coloured bull mastiff ran towards them from the backyard.

  “Looks like Hannah’s here,” Fleur said.

  Mai patted Hannah’s dog, Joe, before climbing the wooden steps into the house. She found Hannah in the country kitchen balancing on one foot as she mixed up a frozen cocktail, her crutches leaning up against the pantry. The red bows clipping back her short blond hair were cute, matching her knee-length red dress, but the white leg plaster did spoil the look a little.

  “Need a hand with that?” Mai asked, opening the fridge to find a spare shelf for her cake. Rows of salad bowls, meat platters and bottled drinks greeted her. A bit of creative reordering was needed.

  Hannah groaned. “It’s only been a week and this leg is driving me crazy.”

  “At least you’re alive,” Fleur reminded her.

  Hannah grimaced. “You’re right.”

  Mai shivered. Hannah had almost died when she was attacked by a stalker. “Are Ryan and Felix coming?”

  “They’re already here,” Hannah said. “Ryan’s taken Felix down to the shed to watch the milking. He couldn’t stop babbling about it.”

  Mai could imagine eight-year-old Felix bouncing up and down in excitement. Hannah’s boyfriend and his boy were a new fixture in Blackbridge and she liked them both. “What else needs to be done?”

  “The ice needs to go into the barrels,” Hannah said. “Kit arranged everything else before she left.”

  Mai lifted the ice bags from the sink and carried them out the back to where two metal barrels sat in the middle of the lawn and tipped them in. Fleur and Hannah were right behind her, Fleur carefully carrying three cocktail glasses full of pink goodness and Hannah cautiously negotiating the grass on her crutches. Mai took a strawberry daiquiri and Fleur motioned towards the two garden sofas which had been moved underneath one of the big gum trees. Kit’s garden was like Kit, no fuss and practical – an expanse of lawn with a few trees around the edge and some vegetable beds close to the house.

  With a groan, Mai sank into the cushioned seat.

  “Hard day?” Hannah asked.

  “Long,” she replied.

  “Plus, her landlord wants her to move out,” Fleur added.

  “Wait, Aaron wants you to move out?” Hannah asked.

  “No, the jerk sold it to someone else,” Fleur said.

  Hannah gaped at her. “But you had an agreement.”

  “It was only verbal,” Mai told her. She’d been foolish enough to believe he’d keep his word. “If I’d known he would do this I would have put it in writing.”

  “So who bought it?” Hannah asked.

  “Shadbolt Property Developers.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  Before she responded, Lincoln and Jamie Zanetti walked into the yard. Mai waved a greeting. They were a gorgeous pair. Both brothers reflected their Italian heritage and were tall and dark-haired, but while Lincoln was clean-shaven, Jamie had designer stubble. She’d grown up with them both, and they were like brothers to her.

  “Have you got the night off, Sergeant?” Fleur asked.

  “Yeah,” Lincoln answered.

  “That’s great,” Hannah said. “You should get time in lieu for all the extra work you did helping me before Christmas.”

  Lincoln shrugged. “That’s the life of a small town cop.”

  “Which is why I became a teacher,” Jamie said. “So many school holidays,” he joked.

  “And still you don’t visit us enough,” Fleur complained.

  “I know.” He grimaced and sat next to Mai, giving her a hug. “How’s it going, Mayday?”

  She inhaled his aftershave, spicy with a hint of citrus. “I could do with some more sleep, but I’ll live.” She missed his easy smile and good-natured teasing when he was in Perth. They needed to convince him to move back to Blackbridge.

  “And some wanker from Perth wants to demolish her bakery,” Fleur added.

  “What?” Jamie shifted to stare at Mai, mouth gaping.

  Mai told the story again, nausea circulating her body. She took a gulp of her drink. “I’ll work something out.” There had to be something she could do.

  “Will you move back home?” he asked.

  She cringed. “Not if I can help it.” She loved her independence, loved not having to say where she was going, or when she’d be back, loved having space that was just hers.

  “Hannah, guess what?” Felix spilled into the backyard, his father not far behind. “Kit let me milk one of the cows and then I got to feed the calves.” Breathless, he stopped in front of them, his short, brown hair a little dishevelled with some hay in it.

  “Did the calves suck your fingers?” Hannah asked.

  He nodded. “Their tongues are so rough.” He spotted Joe lounging on the lawn in the sun and raced off again.

  “Is it wrong that I’m jealous of his mobility?” Hannah asked.

  Ryan bent down and kissed her. “Not at all. You’ll be back to normal in no time.”

  A stab of wistfulness went through Mai. She’d been so busy building her business that casual flings were all she had time for. Men generally didn’t understand why she went to bed so early. She’d been hoping that after she expanded the bakery and hired another baker, she’d be able to take some more time to herself. It was a shame Nicholas had turned out to be a douchebag because he was really easy on the eye.

  “Is Kit with you?” Lincoln asked as he slapped Ryan on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, she said she’d be right out.”

  Just then the booming bass of a rock song blared out from the house and Kit walked out dressed in jeans and a low-cut white top, her brown hair loose and flowing. She put a hand on her hip and called, “Let’s get this party started!”

  Mai grinned as a surge of energy shot through her.

  They had great music and all her friends were here.

  It would be a fantastic night.

  Nicholas glanced down at the mud map he’d been given and then turned off the main highway. This was stupid, going to some random New Year’s Eve party where the only person he knew was the cop who’d come out to investigate the break-in at his garden shed last night. B
ut after spending all day researching Blackbridge’s history and finding nothing about his building, he needed a drink. It would be good to meet some of the locals, especially if what Mai said about the building was true. The more people he got on his side the better.

  Plus being alone on New Year’s Eve was kind of tragic.

  He’d brought a lot of beer to share and arrived late so the party was well under way. The easier to slip in unnoticed in case the cop, Lincoln, had got it wrong and it wasn’t the more the merrier. But he wasn’t the only one turning up late because a black van followed him down the driveway.

  The line of cars in a nearby paddock soothed his concerns. One extra person definitely wouldn’t be noticed. He shook his head as he followed the home-made sign pointing him towards a paddock for parking. He definitely wasn’t in Perth anymore, though his BMW navigated the few ruts with ease.

  He inhaled deeply, the scent of hay and dirt mixing with the meaty barbecue smell coming from the backyard. The music pumped out loud and was actually decent – Kent Downer’s latest song, rather than the country music he’d been expecting. Floodlights and fairy lights lit up the yard, illuminating the large group of people mingling and kids dancing. Adding his drinks to the converted metal oil barrel, he scanned the crowd and zoomed in on a woman in a short, pink dress. Her back was to him, her long black hair shining under the light, and the cut of the dress accentuated her petite curves. That looked like a great place to start networking. Clasping one of his boutique beers he wandered over, spotting Lincoln in the group. Even better.

  He raised his bottle to catch Lincoln’s attention and the man smiled and waved him over. “Glad you could make it.”

  “Thanks for the invite,” Nicholas said.

  “Everyone, this is Nicholas. He’s in town for a couple of weeks. Nicholas this is Kit, your hostess, and Fleur, Mai and my brother Jamie.”

  The woman in the pink dress gasped.

  Wow.

  It was Mai. The white pants and shirt she’d worn in the bakery really hid her curves. She was beautiful, her dress floaty and feminine, not words he would have associated with her. Without the tight bun, her hair softened her face, although her tight lips and the line between her brows showed she wasn’t very happy to see him. “Nice to see you again, Miss On.”

  “Do you know Mai?” Lincoln said.

  “Nicholas is the guy who bought my building,” Mai answered.

  Lincoln winced. “Oh.” He glanced at Nicholas. “Mai just told us about that.”

  And from the glares from the women, he was public enemy number one. Great. He forced a smile. “Well from what Mai said, the building might be on its way to being heritage listed.”

  “That old thing?” Jamie scoffed. “I doubt it.”

  Mai nudged Jamie and he coughed.

  That was interesting. “She said it was one of the only surviving buildings after the bush fire of twenty-two.”

  Fleur nodded, trying to conceal a smile. “Yes, that one. I remember now.”

  Son of a bitch. Mai had been lying.

  He’d wasted the whole day searching for information that didn’t exist. He didn’t need petty games right now. But at least it was one less thing to worry about.

  “Let me introduce you to some more people.” Lincoln gestured towards the house.

  He definitely had to put some distance between himself and Mai. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch next week,” he said to Mai.

  “I can’t wait.” She flashed him a fake smile.

  When they were out of earshot Nicholas said, “I should go.” He wasn’t staying where he wasn’t welcome.

  “Don’t worry about it. Looks can’t kill and the musketeers won’t murder you while I’m around.” Lincoln grinned.

  Nicholas found himself smiling back. “Musketeers?”

  “Mai and her friends, Kit, Fleur and Hannah. They’ve been friends since primary school and if you argue with one, then you take them all on.”

  “And I’ve just become the enemy.”

  “That’s right.” Lincoln sipped his beer. “So tell me, what are you planning to do on the site?”

  Perhaps Lincoln could talk some sense into Mai and her friends. “It’s not quite the shopping centre Mai’s expecting,” he said. “It’s a set of eight units with a central car park.”

  “So Mai can lease one of the shops when it’s done?”

  The probing wasn’t subtle, but Nicholas had nothing to hide. “Yes, that’s part of the agreement.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “She hasn’t told me yet.” Sure, it would take six months to build the new complex but she would be compensated for the loss of business.

  “Mai’s a shrewd business woman, but the bakery is her baby.”

  Nicholas grimaced. Business and emotion were never a good mix. They needed to stick to the facts, the dollars and cents.

  When feelings were involved, when you cared what happened, that’s when things got messy.

  He wasn’t making that mistake again.

  Mai’s eyes tracked Nicholas as he walked away with Lincoln. He should look completely out of place here in his black pants and a blue dress shirt with its long sleeves rolled halfway up. All the other guys wore jeans and T-shirts, but Nicholas pulled off casual and classy at the same time. What a shame he was a bottom-dwelling, blood-sucking arse.

  “You neglected to mention how hot he was,” Kit said.

  “I already called dibs,” Mai told her absently and flushed when her friends laughed. “I didn’t mean it. I’m not interested in him.”

  “Sure you are,” Fleur said. “Any single, straight woman would be. Maybe he won’t turn out to be so bad after all.”

  “The man wants to demolish my bakery.”

  “And if anyone can convince him to change his mind, it’s you,” Kit said.

  Maybe she was right. Perhaps instead of giving him the cold shoulder she should sweet-talk him. But right now she couldn’t reconcile that this sexy man would rip her dreams apart. Part of her wanted nothing to do with him, while another purely physical part wanted to have some fun. He was very attractive.

  “Have you checked out his business?” Jamie asked.

  She shook her head. “I’ve been working non-stop since I found out.”

  “We should do it tomorrow,” Fleur said. “Gather as much intel on him as we can. We might find something we can use as leverage.”

  Mai knew she could count on her friends. They were behind her one hundred percent, and they would help her make plans. It gave her hope.

  Tonight she’d watch Nicholas, see what he did, who he talked to, maybe even chat to him herself.

  Know thine enemy.

  Wasn’t that the first rule of battle?

  The night wore on and Mai went through her second, third and fourth wind. She should call it a night, but the music still pumped, the bass a heavy throb, and she doubted she’d sleep through it. She circled around the house heading for the daybed on the front verandah to see if it was any quieter. Only a single porch light pierced the darkness and just out of its reach two people stood close together. Mai stopped at the corner of the house. No way would she interrupt a romantic tryst.

  “It’s as good as the stuff you’ll get in Perth,” one guy said, his voice kind of familiar.

  “All right. How much have you got?” The other guy held out his hand.

  “A couple of grams.”

  Mai’s pulse sped up. Kit would have a fit if she caught anyone doing drugs on her property.

  The guy dealing shifted and moved into the light from the front porch, his shaved head reflecting the light, and anger replaced the fear. She stormed forward. “Gordon, what are you doing?”

  The men whirled around and Gordon swore, shoving something into his pocket. “Nothing, Mai.” He glanced around. “What are you doing out here?”

  “That’s my question to you,” she snapped. “Are you really dealing at Kit’s party?”

  Gordon fidgete
d and the other guy, a blond she didn’t recognise, said, “Why don’t you fuck off?”

  Mai raised her eyebrows. What a lovely member of society. “Why don’t you?” She turned back to Gordon. “How could you do this after all that Kit went through with her father? You know what happened. You were dating her.”

  Guilt flashed across Gordon’s face, but he stood tall. “A lot has changed since high school. You wouldn’t understand.”

  Mai shook her head. Gordon had always been a bit of a loser but she hadn’t thought he’d sink this low. “You need to leave.”

  “Don’t be like that, Mai,” he wheedled. “I’ve got to make a living. I’ve got my family to provide for.”

  Gail would be horrified if she knew. “Either you leave or I’ll get Lincoln.” She glanced at the blond. “That’s Sergeant Zanetti if you don’t know him.”

  Gordon swore. “Fine. I’m leaving.”

  “You should mind your own business,” the blond growled, taking a step forward and bunching his fists.

  The hair on Mai’s arms stood up, but she stared him down until he followed Gordon out of the yard. Her heart thudded, and she waited until they drove off separately before wrapping her arms around herself. Arseholes.

  No longer tired or wanting to be alone, she returned to the backyard where Lincoln had commandeered a spot on the lawn for a bocce game. Gordon probably wouldn’t be back, but if he was, he’d see her near the police.

  Lincoln and Ryan were teamed up against Jamie and Nicholas. She’d never seen a better looking group of men. It wasn’t going to be a hardship to watch them play for a while. Mai settled on the grass.

  Good natured insults were flung about as Nicholas tossed his ball and it landed right next to the jack. He flashed a look of pure triumph which lit up his face. “Beat that,” he challenged Lincoln. He spotted Mai and winked, and a wave of desire spread through her with a delicious shiver.

  Down girl.

  “Mate, don’t you worry, I will.” Lincoln did not like to be beaten. Maybe this would teach him not to invite strangers to parties.

  That wasn’t fair. Lincoln was inherently nice and always welcoming. Of course he’d invite a guy who was alone. She just wished it hadn’t been the guy who would ruin her life.