by Jane Linfoot
‘Well, the least you can do is stop by the store now you’re here. I’ll run you down there now on the way back to your car; it’s only ten minutes away.’ Nic was onto him, and what’s more, he was in the driving seat, so he was in charge for now. ‘It’s our flagship, and you haven’t seen it since we opened the upper floors, have you? Apart from in the video clips I sent you, that is.’
‘True…’ Jackson was hoping Nic wouldn’t twig that he hadn’t actually watched the clips. He liked to know the shops were there, doing well, but he was more than happy to leave the details to Nic. But if an unscheduled shop-visit was what was needed to keep Nic happy, he would go along with that.
Nic turned to Bryony with a hopeless shrug. ‘Ten fabulous shops he’s got now, and I don’t think I’ve managed to get him into more than a couple. As for the bikes and clothing lines, turnover’s fantastic, but I can’t get him interested in the hands-on stuff.’
Jackson gave a shame-faced grimace. ‘That’s where you come in, Nic. It’s your forté, and admit it, you’d hate it if I did start to interfere. And let’s face it, so long as what we sell is high quality and good value, the only cycling clothes and bikes I’m interested in are the ones I’m wearing and riding. I turn up for your photo shoots, but that’s all I’m good for. Like all the best teams, we each play to our strengths; everyone’s happy and hopefully we all do well out of it. I know this side of the business was my idea, or rather Dan’s, but it’s your baby. You take the credit for it.’
Nic rolled his eyes at Bryony. ‘He’s got a multi-national company, and he’s dismissing it as a baby.’
Jackson gave a sigh. ‘I’ve always wanted to treat every shop as individual and do well by our employees, but apart from that, I don’t have the knowledge or the inclination to handle this side of the business.’
‘There’s always room for you though, I was hoping you might…’ Nic tailed off.
‘Might what?’ Jackson was onto him, jumping straight down his throat. If this was Nic’s way of telling Jackson there was room for him in the business because Nic didn’t think Jackson was going to cut it when he returned to racing, well, Jackson could do without it. ‘I’d appreciate your support for what I’m doing, rather than your assumption that I’m going to fail.’ He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice for Cherry’s sake. No way should she be witnessing this.
‘I’m not assuming anything, Jackson, and I know it’s a tricky area.’ Nic blew out his cheeks as he crashed through the gears. ‘But even if it’s a safety net you don’t use, I wanted you to know it’s there, and that’s all I’ll say about it.’ He turned to Bryony again with an eye-roll. ‘Sorry we’ve veered onto family stuff, but I’m sure Bryony knows how hard you are to pin down. The thing is you threw yourself into racing when we were young. No one could come out of a childhood like ours unscathed, and I think racing was a way for you to blot out the past. Dad, with his rages, the hammering we took … You probably never dealt with your issues. If you get help with that, you might find it easier to move on to something else. Have you considered therapy?’
‘Spoken like a man who’s married to a psychologist.’ Jackson gave a hollow laugh and wished Cherry wasn’t hearing this. ‘Therapy’s for wusses, Nic.’
Nic tapped the steering wheel impatiently. ‘Two more questions for you, Jackson, then I promise we can get back to discussing the weather. Okay?’
‘If you must.’ Jackson agreed grudgingly.
‘So, what are the docs saying? And any news about when you’re going back to race training with the team?’
‘Very little, and very little.’ Jackson gritted his teeth defiantly. ‘So if you’re finished, perhaps we can visit this flagship store of ours?’ He hoped Nic would back off now.
‘And finally.’ Nic grinned across at Bryony as he swung into a wide and perfectly gravelled car park behind a large quay-front warehouse. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear him say those words.’
Bryony grinned back at Nic and shot a mischievous glance at Jackson. ‘Oh, knowing how stubborn Jackson is, I think I can imagine.’
‘Stainless steel, grey paint, lots of glass, acres of space and a view through four floors up to the sky.’ Jackson stood in the centre of the store at the end of their tour, nodding his approval. ‘Fabulous stock, amazing presentation, friendly staff, stacks of customers. As always, you think of everything and you’ve done amazing things, Nic.’ Jackson gave him a hearty thump on the back.
Bryony nodded in agreement. ‘It’s wonderful, Nic.’
‘It’s a shame you can’t stay on for dinner, but I know you’ve got lots on.’ Nic rubbed his hands. ‘So, come on, one last thing – let’s get Bryony kitted out before you go. Some cycling shorts will save you a lot of pain next time you go out, and you might as well take a couple of touring bikes too. Ten miles on the trail, Bryony, I’m sensing you’re going to take to this.’
‘He’s right, Cherry – everyone should have a bike. We could try some leisure rides together.’
He watched her chew her finger hesitantly.
‘I don’t know…’
‘Come on. I won’t take no for an answer.’ Nic was nothing if not persuasive. He tipped her a wink. ‘I thought women never said no to shopping.’
And as Cherry gave in to charm from a different Gale, Jackson was suddenly very pleased that Nic had a settled wife and family at home.
The Sunday evening traffic was quite heavy as they made their way back home again. Bryony kicked off her Converse, tucked her feet up underneath her and gave a yawn.
‘Your bike shop was fabulous.’ She was musing on a long and rather strange day. Almost bumping into Matt and Tia, then meeting Nic. ‘You didn’t mention you had a chain of bike shops before?’
Jackson kept his eyes on the road ahead. ‘Maybe I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask.’
She wasn’t sure he’d been comfortable with her hearing everything Nic had said. Jackson had mentioned his screwed up home life before, but she felt it was more to empathise with her than because he wanted to share the information.
‘If ever you want to talk about…’ She hesitated. She wanted him to know she was here if he needed help, without sounding pushy. ‘…you know, if you want to use me as a sounding board, I’m always happy to listen.’
As he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, she saw his jaw clench.
After a few moments thought, he replied. ‘You know, Cherry, the great thing about us is that we’re in the moment.’ He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘We don’t need to think about the past, and as we’re short term, we definitely won’t be thinking about the future. Let’s keep it like that, shall we? Go for broke, and make the most of the next few days.’
Bryony opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again. Damn it if she felt disappointed by that. He was right of course, and there really was very little to say to that.
‘Fine. Good thinking.’ She bundled her jumper on her shoulder, rested her head against it and closed her eyes.
Chapter 32
‘Including a lighthouse was such a brainwave, Jackson. We’ll get some great shots of this when we come to film.’
Their last afternoon of work before heading back to London, they wound their way up the stone spiral staircase and emerged into the glare of the lantern room.
Jackson blinked in the brightness. ‘It doesn’t have much to do with cycling.’
‘Who even cares about that?’
He nudged Cherry’s hip, and grinned down at her. ‘Whatever happened to Ms Work-her-socks-off?’ A rhetorical question. They both knew the non-stop sex had taken Cherry’s mind clean off the job in hand. His too.
‘Good thing we got stacks done the first few days, and we’ve managed to fit in everything we needed to, working around the clock.’ She shot him a wink. ‘Especially since we stopped arguing so much.’
Good point; well made.
‘We’ve made a pretty good team these last few days.�
� He sucked back a smile and braced himself for the protest. ‘Once you let me take charge, we never looked back.’
‘I learned a lot by stepping away. Thanks for that.’
Who’d have thought, instead of the squawk he anticipated, that she would be quietly reflective?
‘Although, you are kidding yourself. Once things get physical, I’d say it’s always the woman who’s in charge, wouldn’t you?’ She slid him a smile with a whole lot of smoulder, which sent his blood rushing to one place, proving her point entirely.
‘Giving me a come-and-get-it look in a public viewing area is below the belt.’ He grappled to find a fast change of subject. ‘It’s a great view from here on a clear day like today, isn’t it?’
‘Neatly handled, Jackson.’ She sliced him a grin to acknowledge that she’d just beaten him hollow. ‘How far away do you think the horizon is, then?’
‘There’s a formula, depending on how high up you are. If you’re on the ground, it’s about three miles away, more if you’re higher.’
‘I love trying to decide the exact point where the sky meets the sea.’ She pursed her lips and scoured the distance enthusiastically.
He squirmed. The shiny eye thing had happened again, and it felt a lot like an antelope got loose in his gut.
‘So, what’s on your horizon, Cherry Bomb? Are you going to go and find yourself that family guy?’ It slipped out easy as, but once he’d said the words the thought of her bumping shoulders, not to mention other parts, with another guy left him suddenly cold. And he really hadn’t meant to get onto this.
She bunched up her mouth, uncertainly. ‘It’s not that easy. The nice guys usually only come up to my knees and I’m not that sold on the hobbit look, and even tall guys seem to find me intimidating.’
‘And no idea why that is.’ He gave an ironic laugh and cursed how jubilant that answer made him feel. ‘Although your impersonation of a human steamroller might have something to do with that.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. If she thought about hitting him, she must’ve thought better of it. ‘So, how about you? What’s on your horizon?’
He gave a grimace. ‘A couple of weeks and I’ll be back to racing. I’ll take that as far as I can.’
She was straight onto him. ‘And you think your injuries will hold up?’
Damn that the only woman in the world who ever made his guts flip could nail him down so hard.
‘They should.’ He gave a dismissive shrug, sounding a lot more confident than he should, given the way his knee had pulled every day this week. Her deep-blue gaze bored into him like a truth drug, making him change his mind. ‘Who knows, might be a better answer?’
‘So, how are you going to cope if you can’t race?’ More of the hard blue treatment coming out here. She’d obviously picked up on what Nic had said too.
‘To be honest I don’t have a goddam clue what I’ll do. I’ve always been a winner and if that goes I’m left with nothing.’
‘Right.’ She hesitated. Rubbed her nose as she thought. ‘You’ll always have the past to look back on; no one can take away what you’ve won already.’
‘Up to the accident all I’ve ever known is winning races. If that’s permanently taken away, what the hell’s left?’ He thought he could keep the bitterness out of his voice, but it leeched in, big-time.
‘Plenty, I’d say.’ Her hands were shoved deep in her jean pockets. Her feet were together, and she rolled backwards and forwards in her sneakers. ‘You could begin by playing around with your freedom?’
‘I’d have to start at the bottom and be someone else; for the first time in my life I’d be vulnerable not powerful.’ He dragged in a breath. ‘Too much time to think. It scares the shit out of me.’ He listened to the sound of the truth hitting the deck. Now he’d said it, there was some kind of relief.
She rounded on him. ‘But you’re brave, you’ve been brave every day of your life on your bike.’
‘That was easy.’
She gave a snort. ‘The times when we’re vulnerable can be when we learn most.’
‘Well let’s hope I don’t need to find out. I’m not sure I’m ready for my career to end yet. Who the hell wanted to talk about horizons anyway? Let’s get back to the job in hand.’ Planning TV shoots was so much easier than real life. ‘Shall I make notes on the voiceover for this, or have you got it covered?’
She made a grab for her bag. ‘Nope, I’m fine.’
He blew out a silent breath of relief. Princess Cherry was as much a Queen when it came to documenting information as she was with getting him to spill his innermost fears. He was confident she’d never let him get his hands on her iPad. It was maybe a bit of a cheap trick to get her off his back, but right now the future was definitely not what he wanted to think about.
Chapter 33
‘Thanks for….’
Back at her flat after dropping her off, standing in her echoing white living room with the acres of shiny floor boards, Jackson broke off, suddenly lost for words. This place spoke volumes about Cherry and her control issues. And sunny Devon seemed a long way away.
Bryony jutted her chin, gave her hair a swish. ‘Thanks for what? The sex-fest, the home truths, or the fun? Most of all I’m pleased you finally got to eat ice cream.’
So much for his fears about her becoming a limpet. Now they were back she was anything but. In-your-face brittle, but definitely not grabbing onto him. For one disturbing second, he was the one who felt like doing the holding. The thought of driving all the way north tomorrow for Team Doctor’s appointment without her in the passenger seat was a dismal one. She might be an argumentative pain in the ass, who was stubborn as a mule and twice the trouble, but her guts and spark more than made up for the shortcomings.
‘Thanks for all of it. I had a great time.’ Understatement of the decade there from him.
‘You turned out to be very different from my first impressions.’ She was leaning against the kitchen bar, curves perfectly defined in that soft dress, tapping one towering heel on the floor. Not a cupcake in sight.
He tried to prise his gaze away, and failed. Not fishing for compliments, but he had to ask. ‘Different in a good or a bad way?’
‘Let’s just say, if I had a friend in need of a great guy, I’d give you a recommendation.’
‘Right.’ He felt his eyebrows shoot upwards. Not quite what he was expecting in the way of a compliment. His stomach had gone flat with disappointment because it hadn’t been something more personal to her.
‘There couldn’t be higher praise, Jackson.’
‘Cool. I appreciate it.’ Damn that she’d noted his dismay enough to need to jump in with reassurance.
‘Right then. I’ll let you get back to that bedroom you’re going to make-over.’ What the hell? Mentioning bedrooms, like he was angling for an invitation to stay. Rookie mistake. ‘You’ll be needing to polish that princess crown of yours. Iron some knickers in time for work tomorrow.’ Sounded like a good parting line, as he screwed himself up to leave.
The trouble was, the princess was back in her castle and she was already pulling up the drawbridge, pushing him onto the wrong side. Now that he had to walk away, he was rooted to the spot. Damn that the heat was still there, welding him to her. One step forwards brought him close enough to sense her quivering. Maybe she was less decided than she was pretending. He took hold of her arm, rubbed his thumb across the tender skin on the inside of her wrist and registered her intake of breath. To hell with driving north tonight. It could wait until the morning.
‘We could make one last night of it?’ He watched her bite her lip, listened to his own heart, hammering against his chest wall. When had he ever laid himself on the line like this? And when had he been so sure of how a woman was going to react, what she wanted? ‘I’d like that.’
Fixing his eyes on hers, he held his breath and waited.
‘Mmmm.’ Behind her flickering lashes, her pupils darkened. ‘Me too.’
R
ight answer. He exhaled with relief, ran his thumb across her jaw, then cupped her face in his hands. As he dropped the lightest kiss on her lips, her thigh moved to meet his, and just for a moment he felt like his chest was going to burst. When had winning ever felt this sweet? He took her hand and as she smiled up at him his heart gave the kind of twang he’d never had before. Lust that strong? Who’d have thought?
‘C’mon, Cherry. Show me where’
Just this once, given they were at hers, he was ready to back off. Let her lead the way.
Chapter 34
‘Hello stranger. Thank Monday you’ve turned your phone on again, and come back to the office. Finally.’ Cressy gave a dramatic groan and took a swig from a can of energy drink. ‘Oh my, what a night. Hot guy, no sleep.’
For once Bryony knew just where she was coming from.
‘Nice to see you too. Any more energy drink around?’ Bryony caught the lurid blue can that Cressy flipped in her direction. She couldn’t remember a morning when she’d arrived at work this disorganised. ‘My phone hasn’t been turned off, it’s just there isn’t much signal out in the wilds. Such a pain.’ One guilty afterthought added in to cover that staying off the radar had been blissful, not to mention imperative. Much less chance of being found out that way.
‘Well, the good news is the stuff you’ve been sending through is ace.’ Cressy posted her a grin. ‘You’ve done an awesome job as usual, superwoman. Everything you sent has got the go-ahead, and Jackson Gale’s guy, Dan, has been hassling for film dates, because apparently Jackson won’t be around for long. He’s flying out to Spain in a couple of weeks for a training camp apparently. Dan wants us to wait a while before we pick up on filming his comeback.’
Bryony breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jackson had been good as his word on that one. He really had been perfect fling material, with no complications. Jackson was like a box of luxury chocolates – naughty, delicious, but once they were gone, they were gone. Having him at hers last night had been a shock. All that hunky maleness draped around the place had tipped her cool upside down and shaken it. Hard. And when he’d headed off at the crack of dawn, he’d left an aching, gaping void that she preferred to blank out.
