“I don’t know.” Suzy rubbed a hand over her eyes. “Is it worth going in with a higher bid to re-spark their interest, do you think?”
“No. I’m not getting into that ball game. It never works and only causes more problems. I’ll just have to let it go and look for something else. Er, I wouldn’t mention this conversation in the office.”
“No, of course not.”
“Nor to any, er, acquaintances?”
“Absolutely not!”
There was a second’s silence and Suzy noticed her knuckles were white from gripping the receiver.
“Okay. Let’s just forget it shall we. Water under the bridge. Changing the subject, I believe Alan’s told you that number four The Larches is ready for dressing? Can you get onto it right away?”
Suzy quelled the angry tears in her voice. “It’s penciled in for first thing in the morning.”
“Using the same bloke?”
“I guess so. Are you all right with that?”
“Whatever. Okay. Catch you later.”
The abrupt ending of the call upset her more than she could say. Jake’s clear but unspoken belief that she was in fact responsible for what she regarded as the leak worried Suzy for the rest of the afternoon. She repeatedly assured herself that it was not her fault, that there was nothing she could do about it, and she finally decided to do as Jake had done and forget the whole thing.
But that was easier said than done. Continuing to niggle away at her was the fact that he could even momentarily consider her to be so unprofessional…suspect her, for clearly he did. The manner in which he’d jumped in and questioned her told her the thought must have been there in his mind. That somehow the reversal of the Heyward’s decision was down to her, and that hurt.
Bother and blast him! I did nothing wrong.
She dialed Darren’s number and asked if he could meet her at The Larches at ten thirty in the morning.
“Sure, Suzy. I’ll be delighted to see you again and help out in whatever way possible.”
Suzy ended the call with a tight smile of satisfaction.
At least someone appreciated her.
After bringing all her work up to date, tidying her desk and finally answering her emails, she was the last to leave the office. It was six thirty and only a few shops remained open. She thought about the lasagna defrosting in the fridge and pulled her face. It didn’t appeal, and neither did an Indian takeaway. She would drive out to India’s instead. In her car she called her friend’s number.
“Come and stay over,” India insisted. “I have made the most delicious rhubarb wine you will ever taste in your life.”
Suzy laughed. “If I’m staying over it must be pretty potent.”
“It’s fruit and yeast for goodness sake, darling, not harmful.”
“Let me bring something over…salads, a quiche?”
“Nope, no need. You know me, Suzy, there’s always a pot of something bubbling away. Just get yourself over here. See you soon.”
Still smiling Suzy drove out of town, and winding the windows down, took the road along the coast. It was a glorious evening, still, clear, and warm. She turned the radio on. Take That was singing one of her favorites but for once she couldn’t appreciate it.
What, she wondered, was Jake doing?
Knowing how much he had looked forward to securing and then working on the Heyward property, she wondered if he would be sitting alone brooding about the fact that he’d lost it, and if deep down he did blame her for that. Really, she reasoned, when you considered the circumstances, he had no other option than to do so.
Waiting at the T-junction for the traffic flow to pass, Suzy felt a pleasant jolt of surprise when she spotted Jake’s car coming along. With the window down and about to wave, she stopped and watched as it went passed. He was laughing and she caught a glance of the woman by his side who, also laughing, had apparently seemed to cheer him up remarkably quickly.
Amanda Roll, blonde hair swinging, was leaning close to him, one hand resting on his shoulder.
Suzy stared at the tail lights as they disappeared down the road and chided herself for worrying about him brooding alone. Hah, she thought. What a complete waste of time that was.
He clearly had the ability to switch moods as quickly as he changed his clothes, and it hadn’t taken him long to get over his disappointment.
With Amanda, of course, to help him.
A toot from the car behind her brought her back to the present, and taking her foot off the brake she indicated left, making her way toward the lane leading to India’s.
∙•∙
As they drove along, Jake laughed at Amanda’s description of the male lead, a friend of hers she’d known for years, who kept two mistresses and a wife, all of whom were draining him financially and physically.
“Like the wren,” Jake said. “He likes a harem.”
“Excuse me?” Amanda looked nonplussed.
“Oh, nothing. Just can’t get my head around any male who wants to take on more than one female.”
“Oh. Right.”
Jake smothered a smile. Suzy would have enjoyed and been in tune with that little exchange. He’d felt uptight since the call with her, but had to admit Amanda was amusing company, and he kept telling himself he was over the missed deal now. He’d been in the business long enough to realize that if you won some, the law of averages said you also had to lose some, and that sometimes a certain losing could bite a little harder than others. And admittedly this one had irritated him more than usual because he couldn’t figure out just how he had lost it.
He’d felt so sure the Heyward’s would sign with him, been confident of it, and yet someone else had managed to find out it was for sale and slipped under the net ruining his chances. All Jake’s inquiries regarding a possible culprit had yielded nothing, so it did still rankle slightly.
“Look out for the small red brick church we take a left there,” Amanda said startling him.
“Hey, nearly missed it.” Jake swung the car down the side street to the small Globe Theater at the bottom. A steady line of people formed an orderly queue. “Must be good,” he commented.
When they got out of the car Amanda slipped her arm in his and he resisted the urge to move it.
Inside, the theater rapidly filled up. Jake studied the theater guide and tried to memorize the small cast, but his mind continually went back to Suzy and the question he’d asked her over the phone. He now felt like a rat. She had worked for her father in property sales long enough to know and work by the same rules as Tom and himself. He should never have asked her. He’d hated hearing the hurt resentment in her voice.
Lights dimmed and the curtain went up on what was a surprisingly funny and absorbing well-acted play. Jake enjoyed it, able to put work from his mind, and when it was over and on the drive home, they swapped notes, both agreeing it had been well written and performed. They drew up outside Amanda’s apartment building. She put her hand on the door handle.
“It’s still early,” she said. “Come in for a drink.”
“Amanda…”
She smiled, pushed her silky hair back. “A drink, Jake. Non-alcoholic, harmful, a wind down. Okay?”
Chapter Thirteen
“What I don’t get,” Suzy said, “is how he could even think I would do such a thing…I mean to ask me for goodness sake! As though I was a child told to keep a secret and then blabbed it to all and sundry. Ooh, I am so mad at him. And then,” she said as she waved her arm about, “I’m worrying about how upset he’ll be about it all and he goes haring past in his car, laughing his head off with a grinning female…Amanda Roll, by his side.”
“Mm.” India took a sip of wine. “You’re really upset, aren’t you? Is it because he asked you the question, or seeing him with the woman?”
Suzy stared at her friend. I’ve had too much rhubarb wine, she thought. “Because he asked me of course.”
“Well that’s all right then. You’ll get over that. For
a minute there I thought it was because of Miss Roll.”
“She’s very chic, swinging blonde hair, slim and confident. I can’t see her being interested in nests though.”
“Nests?” India waited.
“He took me to see a tiny wren sitting on a clutch of eggs in her nest, you know, where he’s building the houses?” Suzy’s voice wobbled. “I felt privileged…and very close to him.”
“Oh dear.” India looked at her. “Sweetie, you know what? I think you’re in danger of giving your heart away…if you haven’t done so already.”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head, I think, my friend. Trouble is,” Suzy said, “I don’t know how to deal with myself…with the feelings he evokes in me. It’s completely new, scary and exciting all at the same time.”
Her cell phone rang. She glanced over at it on the table. “Darren, I expect. I suppose he’s cancelling tomorrow. Tell him I’m busy, there’s a doll.”
India collected the phone, answered it, and walked back toward her, her face impassive. “Not Darren,” she said, handing it over.
Her eyes on her friend’s, Suzy said, “Hello?”
“Suzy.” Jake’s deep voice made her relax weakly into the armchair. “Look, I’ve called to apologize for my stupid remark earlier today. I should never have asked you something so crass. However the thing leaked out, I know it would never have come through you. Am I forgiven?”
Filled with a sense of joy, about to say of course, come around and join us, Suzy stopped as she heard a woman’s light voice and the tinkling of glasses.
“Of course I forgive you. I’d forgotten all about it,” she lied. “But thank you for calling. Goodnight, Jake.”
She closed her phone thoughtfully.
“He’s with someone,” she said to India. “A woman.” Checking the clock― eleven thirty―she didn’t bother to add anything further.
“Oh heavens! You need to get your head around this. Otherwise it’s going to drive you crackers. It’s not like you, Suzy, you can usually take a step back.”
“He’s different. That’s all I can say. On that note shall we call it a day? That wine has sure made me sleepy.”
“By the way,” India said as they walked upstairs. “Did you get that stuff from Darren?”
Suzy turned. “What stuff?”
“Oh I don’t know, something he said he was going to put in your mailbox.”
“He doesn’t know where I live.”
“Sure he does. Just didn’t know the number. Goodnight, hon. Sleep well.”
In the sloping bedroom beneath the eaves, Suzy undressed and climbed into bed. Feeling just a little bit fuddled from the potent wine, she tried without success to recall ever telling Darren where she lived. Her address wasn’t something she gave out readily. But the moment her head hit the comfortable pillow she fell asleep.
»»•««
Darren was already outside The Larches when Suzy arrived just before ten thirty.
“Hi”, she called.
“Morning. This is very nice.” Darren studied the modern frontage, the tall, wide windows of the building. “Who’s his architect?”
“Jake’s?” Suzy felt her hackles rise at the his. “Oh, Jake does all that himself. He qualified when he first came back to England some years ago. Shall we go inside? Alan’s left it open.”
The house would be easy to dress, was Suzy’s first thought. She skimmed through Darren’s catalogs, choosing a striking black and white rug with white chunky sofas and textural red scatter cushions for the living room, which Darren questioned. But Suzy waved his concerns aside and carried on. It took just over an hour and she wrote out another check of Jake’s.
“Cheers.” Darren pocketed it. “Now, can I take you to lunch?”
“Thanks but no. I really must be getting back. We have buyers lining up to get on here.” She looked around the estate. “The houses are going up fast, and are appealing to a diverse range of buyers. Even with the building work, the trucks and workmen, it’s easy to see how attractive the site will be when it’s finished. There’s going to be a full workload for all of us in the office these next few weeks.” Her gaze wandered over to the cotoneaster hedge and she thought about the wren.
Should I ask Jake, she thought, or just take a look myself? Almost as quickly she dismissed the idea. It was Jake’s prerogative, his little baby she felt, not for her to interfere with.
About to get into her car she stopped. “Oh, I was with my friend India, last night and she mentioned you were going to put something in my mailbox.” She smiled. “Was it anything important? I can’t remember giving you my address.”
“Mmm. I recall you mentioning the name of the lane briefly once, but not the number. As it turned out I’d forgotten to put the info on some outdoor furniture in my car so didn’t go. I love India’s pots by the way and will definitely be adding her brochure to my portfolio.”
“Good.” Suzy studied his face, saw the way his eyes narrowed, and thought, yes, Ann was right. Foxy.
The office was kept busy over the following days as the new off-plan houses were snapped up. The two show houses Suzy had dressed sold quickly and she had requests from other vendors for help with furnishings. All of which she did and enjoyed. Of Jake, she saw very little. When they met it was only for brief business exchanges, until the day he popped his head around her office door.
“They’ve hatched and they’re thriving,” he said. “Want to come and have a look?”
Suzy was out of her chair so quickly it nearly went over.
»»•««
They approached the nest site cautiously. The squeaky squawking sounds of young birds made them both smile. Jake took her hand and pulled her gently onto the grass. He passed her the binoculars.
“Oh, wow!” Suzy breathed. “Look at that. I can see four, all with their mouths agape. And here’s one of the parents back with food!” She chuckled. “It’s a bit like throwing sausages up an alleyway, they’ll never be able to fill the greedy little things, but aren’t they cute. That picture,” she whispered, “of gaping mouths and skinny necks takes me back to my childhood, but I can’t quite remember in what context. Perhaps I saw pictures of something similar. I wonder what other birds do who don’t have the ability to feed their young in that way? You know, ducks, parrots, et cetera.” She passed the glasses to Jake and was surprised to see that he was watching her.
She felt flustered and pushed her hair back, unable to understand the look in his eyes.
“What? Am I too loud?”
Jake shook his head, glancing away. “No, nothing like that. I was just appreciating your enthusiasm. It’s refreshing. Speaking of other species, take for instance, as you mentioned, ducks, who really are the most useless parents.”
“Why is that?”
He picked a blade of grass and they carried on watching the frenzy of feeding at the small nest. “Well they have no means to feed their young other than to show them how to duck and dive…pardon the pun, plus they have no way of protecting them…no sharp claws or beaks. Yet funnily enough they seem to survive very well. Parrots, I know nothing about.”
They sat close together and Suzy had an almost irresistible urge to lean her head on his shoulder. She loved hearing him talk. It would be lovely to feel my face on his shoulder. The thought made her smile, for what, she wondered, would he make of that?
But that was how he made her feel. He had the ability to draw her in, made her feel special and want to do things she would never normally dream of doing.
Suzy knew that she had led a pretty sheltered life where men were concerned. India had been right, she had had a couple of disastrous experiences a few years back, but that was all they were, disasters. She had never felt beguiled, never wanted to be with a man so much that she missed him when he was not there, and had certainly never been in love.
Love?
She gazed across at the activity in the hedge. How could you possibly know you were in love if you’d never fel
t it? And…if you were sexually attracted to a person, did it mean you loved them? She cast a sideways glance at Jake. He had the binoculars trained on the nest, and his forearms, darkly sprinkled with hair, looked sinewy and strong. His hands she admired greatly. Slender but manly, also with a fine smattering of dark hair, she could well imagine how gently they might glide across her bare skin, tightening slightly on her flesh. Her stomach lurched pleasantly at the thought. His profile fascinated her. The thick long black hair falling onto his forehead, the well-shaped nose and sensuous lips. She wondered if he’d kissed Amanda Roll last night and felt a spurt of childish jealousy.
“Enough?” Jake said, startling her. “I could watch them all day but there’s work to do.” He packed the binoculars away and rose to his feet holding out his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. She stumbled a little and found herself looking into the deep intensity of his dark eyes. Later she would struggle to remember who moved first, but suddenly she was in his arms.
The shock to her body made her gasp, and winding her arms around his neck she reached up to press her parted lips on his, her hands raking through his hair. His hold tightened and she felt his tongue search her mouth. She groaned softly as they staggered slightly. Her top had ridden up and the feel of his cool hands on her bare skin intoxicated her. But just as suddenly as it started he released her.
They were both breathless, embarrassed. Suzy straightened the top which had ridden up higher than she thought and where his hands for one brief moment had caressed her hot back. Jake turned away to put the glasses in the case, slung it over his shoulder and before walking back to his car said, “I’m sorry about that. I forgot myself for a moment.”
Suzy, whose body thrummed with desire the like of which she’d never experienced before, said, “That’s okay. It never happened.”
∙•∙
In the car driving back an uncomfortable silence settled. Sensing Suzy’s acute embarrassment, Jake felt dreadful. I hate this, he thought. She doesn’t deserve to feel this way because I couldn’t control myself. He’d certainly had no intention of letting his emotions override his good sense, but when they’d stood so close, when he’d seen the look in her beautiful eyes, well, he’d just lost it. And oh, the feel of her, the passion in her response. He fought for something to say to ease the tension.
Honorable Intentions Page 9
