by Emma Lea
Zoë sat back in her seat and looked him over. He looked so sad and what she’d said was true. Her family was loud and nosy and annoying, but she loved them and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without them. “My home town is a couple of hours from the city. Small place, just a blip on the map, really. It would probably bore you to tears in a couple of hours.”
He didn’t say anything, but kept his steady gaze on her. An idea formed in her mind. A crazy, stupid, ridiculous idea.
“So, I had a thought,” she said, biting her lip.
He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to go on.
“We could do each other a favour.”
“A favour?” he asked cautiously.
“I find myself in need of a buffer.”
“A what?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ve heard about my mother and her efforts to match-make me. I need someone to run interference, just for the holidays. You could come home with me and pretend to be my boyfriend.”
He shifted in his seat and her face flamed. She jumped to her feet. “Forget it,” she said. “It was a stupid idea. My friend Willa suggested it and getting stuck in the elevator and the heat and everything, I think I fried my brain. I have to go.” She stepped away from the table and turned back to him. “Thanks again for talking me off the ledge in the lift,” she said and then turned and fled.
Blake watched Zoë flee from the cafe thinking over her proposal. He didn’t know if she had been serious or whether she had just been flustered like she said, but it was an intriguing idea. He couldn’t take her up on it, of course. His plan was to try and get his family under one roof for the holidays. Well, not all his family. His mother and her new family wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near the Austin home, not that his father would let his mother anywhere near the property. But he could at least have the rest of his family close by. He hadn’t been lying to Zoë. It had been years since they were all together over Christmas, probably before his mother had left them.
He’d seen the way her eyes lit up when she talked about her family, even when she was annoyed with them. He wanted to feel that. He wanted to know what it was like to actually look forward to spending time with the people that he shared a bloodline with. For far too long they had felt like strangers to him. He wasn’t innocent in the displacement he felt. He’d pulled away from them as much as they’d pulled away from him and each other. Now he wanted to see if he could help repair some of the rift.
He checked the time on his phone and sighed. He needed to go or he would be late for his gig at the children’s hospital. He stood from the table and noticed the blue folder sitting on the floor under Zoë’s seat. He picked it up and flicked it open. It was her employment contract.
He peered through the doors out to the street but she was long gone. He would drop it back to the office and let them deal with it. It was already signed and looked to be just her copy, so there was no rush. He tucked it under his arm and pushed through the crowd to exit the cafe. He turned toward the Austin Industries building and spotted his ride. Darrel was standing at the side of the town car, looking for him. He jogged across the plaza and then braved the traffic to cross the road to the car.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m here.”
Darrel opened the door for him and Blake slid into the cool interior. He leaned his head back against the seat as Darrel manoeuvred the car into the traffic and headed for the hospital. His thoughts turned to Zoë and her offer. He would almost take her up on the offer just to see her again but getting his family together was more important. It looked like they’d be working together anyway. Getting involved with her would be a mistake, even if it was a fake relationship.
5
“Hey man,” Blake said as he shook hands with Declan.
Declan shook his head as he took in Blake’s outfit. “You were just so excited to dress as an elf that you wore it all day?”
Blake shrugged. “The difference between you and me?” Blake said, striking a pose. “I make this look good.”
Declan laughed. “You did it to piss off your brother, didn’t you?”
“You know me too well.”
“Come on, let me introduce you to Brandi and Caitlin.”
Blake and Declan had been friends for a long time. Their parents socialised in the same circles and the two of them had attended the same school and university. Declan was the first person Blake looked up when he got back to Australia. They’d both been the crazy trust fund kids who didn’t want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. They’d gone about it differently, but Blake knew that if anyone could understand the displacement he felt, Declan would.
“Brandi, sweetheart. This is Blake.”
Blake felt his eyes widen at the sight of Declan’s wife. She was gorgeous and for a moment he thought that Declan had succumbed to style over substance until Brandi smiled at her husband and he saw genuine love and affection in her eyes.
Declan took a baby from his wife and turned so Blake could see. “And this little princess is Caitlin.”
Brandi and Declan stood together looking down at their daughter and Blake felt a pang in his heart. He wasn’t ready for a kid, but he wanted what this little family had. He wanted someone to look at him the way Brandi looked at Declan; with hearts in her eyes instead of dollar signs.
“It’s so great to meet you,” Brandi said. “I see the elf costume fits.”
“This old thing?” Blake said. “It was just something I pulled out of my wardrobe.”
Brandi laughed. “I can see why the two of you are friends. I have to say, I was a little surprised when Declan told me you wanted to join this crazy circus.”
“Because I’m an Austin?” he asked, trying not to sound bitter.
She shrugged. “You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You do?”
“Brandi’s family own Sabre Management Systems,” Declan said, shifting Caitlin in his arms.
“The tech company?”
She smiled. “The very same. We all ran in similar circles although my pedigree didn’t quite let me into the same club that you and Declan were born into.”
“Please don’t hold that against me,” he said.
She smiled brilliantly at Blake. “I won’t. It says a lot that you’re friends with my reprobate of a husband. He vouched for you and I’m inclined to trust him.”
He hadn’t realised he would be subjected to an interview, but he was weirdly glad. There had been a little niggle in the back of his mind about coming back to Australia and all the trappings of his former life. He’d worked hard to shed the skin of the effortlessly wealthy as he travelled the world and lived and worked with people who’d never heard of Austin Industries or even cared what his last name was. All he wanted was to be valued for who he was, not because of the number in his bank account or his family name.
Declan made loud kiss noises to his daughter before handing her back to Brandi. He kissed his wife and Blake felt uncomfortable witnessing the private moment. Declan slapped him on the back.
“Come on,” he said, steering them away. “I’ll give you the tour and introduce you to the most incredible little people I’ve ever met.”
They stopped in a change room and Declan donned his own matching elf costume. He grabbed a large red sack and tossed it over his shoulder.
“So tell me about what you do here,” Blake said as they stepped back out onto the ward.
“Brandi started Lost in Wonderland a few years ago,” Declan said. “She used to work by herself, dressing up as Disney princesses and visiting the sick kids. We’ve expanded that now and have a roster of people and characters. We also do birthday parties and the like, but Brandi and I mostly concentrate on this side of it and the charity.”
Blake nodded. He’d never thought Declan, of all people, would become a philanthropist but it looked good on him. There’d always been something a little manic about Declan, he never seemed abl
e to sit still, but already Blake could see a difference in him.
“I’m keen to get involved,” Blake said. “Jack wants me to start back at the company in the new year but I’d still like to work with you however I can.”
Declan paused outside a room and looked at him. “You want to go back to work for Jack?” he asked.
“God, no,” Blake said. “But I’ve got nothing else in my life and my father has made it clear that if I don’t find gainful employment he’ll make my life difficult.”
“He didn’t know about the work you were doing overseas?” Declan asked.
“It seems that none of my family read my blog,” Blake said with a sigh. “But you obviously did.”
Declan nodded. “Listen, I might have an opportunity for you. Let’s talk after the new year, okay?”
“Definitely,” Blake said.
Declan slapped him on the back and turned him toward the door. “Take a deep breath and relax. These kids can smell fear and know how to exploit it better than a boardroom full of investors. Just be yourself and have fun with them. They don’t bite…much.”
The next couple of hours were a blur for Blake but he couldn’t remember having so much fun with his clothes on. The kids warmed his heart and then broke it with their stories of illness. He’d gone overseas to escape the trappings of wealth and find out how real people lived every day. It was sobering to realise he hadn’t needed to leave the country at all.
Austin House was an imposing monolith built by one of his ancestors to impress and intimidate. Blake could have bought an apartment or stayed in a hotel, but that would not help his quest to reunite his family. So he moved back into the suite of rooms he’d grown up in. His sister still lived in her wing and his father in another. Even his grandfather still lived in the cavernous house.
Blake dressed for dinner, as was the custom. Not a suit, thank fuck, but dress pants and a button-down at the very least. Since he’d been back he’d been eating in his room with a tray prepared by the cook because that was how the rest of the residents of Austin House chose to have their evening meal—unless they decided to hit the town, in the case of his sister.
Tonight was different. Tonight it was family dinner and Jack would be joining them with his family. Blake was yet to see his sister-in-law, Anita, and Blake’s two children, Jack Junior and Alexis, since he’d been back. He was looking forward to seeing the kids; his sister-in-law, not so much.
They met in the parlour for pre-dinner drinks. Blake took a breath before stepping through the door, a smirk firmly set on his face. It was his armour, a necessity in this family. It might not stop the barbed arrows from hitting their mark, but at least it would hide the effect they had on him.
“Good evening, family,” he said, striding into the room.
Anita looked the same. Although it had only been a year since he’d laid eyes on her he’d expected her horns to have developed in the time he’d been away. She sat, perfectly poised, on the edge of the settee, her blonde hair swept up into a sensible knot at the back of her head. She lifted her cheek to him and he bent obediently to brush his lips on the ice-cold skin—or maybe that was just the chill coming off her cold, dead heart.
“So you’re back,” Anita said.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” he said.
He turned from Anita, careful not to make direct eye contact with her, and shook his brother’s hand. “You remember the children,” Jack said as a way of greeting. “Jack Junior, Alexis, come and say hello to your uncle.”
The two children came obediently and shook his hand politely and he wondered when the two little rambunctious kids he’d known had turned into robots.
“Come and give your little sister a kiss, darling,” Rory said. She flashed him a mischievous grin and he couldn’t help but give her a real smile in return.
“You’re looking fabulous as always,” he said, kissing her proffered cheek.
“You expected something less?”
“Of course not,” he replied, finally turning to his father and grandfather who sat side by side and watched him with matching disappointed expressions. Story of his life.
“Father, Grandfather,” he said, crossing the room to shake their hands.
“It’s about time you came home,” Grandfather said. “It’s long past time you settled down and did some real work instead of traipsing all over the world spending my money.”
Blake pressed his lips together and inclined his head. There was no answer he could give that would satisfy either of the older men that looked at him with disdain. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t touched his trust fund since he’d left Australian soil or that he’d lived and worked alongside people who knew only abject poverty. They only saw the spoiled child who had refused to buckle under the pressure of the family business and disappointed them at every turn.
“Drink?” Rory asked, sliding a cut-crystal glass of scotch into his hand.
“Thanks,” he said, lifting it to his lips.
“So shall we do presents before dinner?” his father asked the assembled room.
“Presents?” Blake asked, his mind scrambling.
“Christmas presents,” Jack supplied for him helpfully.
“It’s still two weeks until Christmas,” Blake protested. He looked around the room, there wasn’t even a Christmas tree or decorations of any kind.
“Right,” his father said. “Which is why we’re doing it now while we’re all in the same country.”
“Excuse me?” Blake said, still not understanding what was going on.
“Anita and I are taking the kids to Disneyland in Paris for Christmas,” Jack said.
“And I’m going to New York,” Rory said.
“Your grandfather and I have business in Tokyo.”
“Over Christmas?”
“Sentimental rubbish. We’re closing down the entire corporation for the duration of the holidays but we still need to make money while everyone is off living it up or there’ll be no jobs for anyone to come back to,” Grandfather grumbled.
Blake took another drink, letting the alcohol soothe away the hurt of being abandoned at Christmas once again.
Gifts were passed around. The children received books and spending money for their Disneyland trip. No toys, although Jack could be saving them for the actual day of Christmas. Rory got him a bottle of cologne, his brother gave him a briefcase, his father handed him a book on investing and his grandfather gave him a tie pin and matching cufflinks. He would have preferred they donated the money spent on the gifts to the charities he supported through his travel blog, it would have meant more to him.
Dinner was stilted and dull. Jack, Father and Grandfather spoke about the business. Rory spent most of her time texting on her phone under the table and Anita and the children remained quiet throughout. Blake couldn’t escape quickly enough.
He stepped into his bedroom and exhaled roughly. So much for spending Christmas with his family. He crossed to the small desk, where his phone sat, and picked it up to make a call, not caring if it was too late.
“Hello?”
“Mum, it’s Blake.”
“Blake? What is it? Are you okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“Oh. I didn’t realise you were coming home.”
Did no one in his family read his blog? Fuck.
“Yes, I’m home.”
“Oh. That’s good to know.”
He rolled his eyes. “I was actually calling to find out what you were doing for Christmas.”
“Joshua, the kids, and I are going to the Whitsundays,” she said. “Joshua hired a houseboat for the holidays.”
“Do you have room for one more?” he asked.
“Oh, um…”
He sighed. “Don’t worry. It was just a thought. I should have known you would have already organised something.”
“If we’d known you wanted to join us—”
�
�It’s fine mum. Good talk.”
He jabbed the disconnect button and threw his phone back down on the desk. It skipped across the gleaming wood finish and landed on the blue folder he’d placed there absentmindedly earlier. He picked it up and flicked it open, spying Zoë’s name on the contract inside. He skimmed the document and his eyes landed on her phone number. He checked the time. Probably too late to call now…or maybe not.
6
Zoë smoothed the skirt of her summer dress and took a breath before stepping into the restaurant. She’d never been to Saint Peter’s but she’d read good things about it in the Sunday Review. It was an old brick church converted to a rustic restaurant that served modern Australian cuisine—whatever the hell that meant—and had been rated highly on Trip Advisor.
She stepped into the vestibule and was greeted by a smiling hostess. The interior remained reminiscent of a church with dark wood panelling and exposed beams overhead.
“Welcome to Saint Peter’s,” the hostess greeted her. “Do you have a booking?”
“Ah, yes,” Zoë said. “I’m meeting Blake…” She didn’t know his last name. Shit.
The woman looked down at the tablet resting on the lectern in front of her before looking back at Zoë with a calm smile. “Right this way.”
Zoë followed her through the doors into the nave that had been converted to a dining room. The pews were gone, replaced with tables set with crisp linen and sparkling silverware. Huge chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, bathing the room in intimate light. The stained glass windows shone with the last of the sun’s rays spilling a multicoloured mosaic of light across the people already seated. Along the altar, a large wooden bar had been installed and behind the bar were rows and rows of brightly coloured bottles.
Zoë had been to some pretty fancy places before, but nothing like Saint Peter’s. She tried not to gawk as the hostess led her to a table. Blake stood and their eyes connected. His blue gaze swept over her in an appreciative glance and he grinned, the dimple on his cheek winking at her. She’d done her own sweep over him and had to admit to being impressed by what she saw. The elf costume was gone and in its place was a pale blue shirt that intensified the colour of his eyes and a pair of suit pants that fit him perfectly.
