Honorable Intentions

by Pauline Saull

  “Oh, my goodness!” Suzy’s hand went to her mouth.

  “He told me,” Jake said calmly, “that we were the only people he’d approached regarding a sale and he appeared to be content with everything I offered.”

  Barbara shrugged. “That’s probably true, but this person…whom I haven’t met, contacted Norris and apparently came out here late last night to give him the information regarding you, which is why Norris backed off.” She pushed a stray curl over her ear. “Of course, should I choose to oppose what Norris has done, it’s quite within my rights to do so. It is my house after all.”

  Jake nodded. “Mrs. Shepherd. This may seem impertinent, but I have to ask. Do you know who this person is?”

  Barbara Shepherd looked from one to the other before speaking. “No. I haven’t a clue. I suppose it’s someone my son met in a pub…his frequent hangouts, and I have to say that I’m really am not happy with this arrangement of his, not one little bit. I have never reneged on a deal or gone back on my word in my life, and the fact that Norris chose to do so, and left me to sort out the ugly mess has irritated me beyond belief. I’ll be honest, until I had a good look at you both I wasn’t really bothered who bought the place. I just want out. But since I recognized you,” she said to Suzy, “I don’t think I can go along with Norris on this. I find that I like you both, and, oh goodness…” She frowned. “Wait a minute, Norris did mention a name, although I wasn’t taking much notice. What did he say now? Fall…or maybe it was Hall? Darren, David? I really can’t be clear on that, I’m sorry. Like I say, my memory…”

  Suzy felt her stomach contract. Bile rose in her throat. Darren.

  “Could that be…?” Jake turned to her, a puzzled look on his face.

  Before Suzy could answer Barbara spoke. “My dears. I do wish I could offer you something to drink. Sherry perhaps?”

  “I would love a cup of tea, Mrs. Shepherd,” Suzy said quickly. “If you have no objections to me rummaging about in your kitchen I’ll gladly make a pot.”

  “Wonderful! Rummage away. The kitchen’s at the end of the corridor. Thank you, dear.”

  In a daze Suzy walked down the corridor to the kitchen unable to think straight. She was the only person besides Jake who knew about Northcote. Jake had told her that when he gave her the details which she’d entered in her diary. It would not be going into the office, he’d said, until it was safely signed. And now, after Barbara’s name fumbling, she knew Jake was beginning to connect Darren with Norris, which meant only one thing as far as she could see. Jake’s only possible conclusion, given her association with Darren, was that he had obtained the information about the proposed sale from her.

  Suzy felt nauseated. She found tea and the teapot and filled the kettle. But how? She wondered biting her lip, How had he possibly managed that? She went back over their conversations the day of the fishing trip, racking her brain desperately trying to think. Had she inadvertently let something slip?

  No. I definitely did not, would never have done anything so foolish!

  The kettle boiled and she poured the water into the teapot, collected cups, saucers, sugar bowl, and spoons, and like an automaton, set them on a tray and walked back to the drawing room.

  The look on Jake’s face as she walked in almost caused her to drop the tray. It was stony, cold, and hard. She placed the tray on the table with shaking hands.

  “Good news,” Jake said coolly. “Mrs. Shepherd has decided to sell Northcote to me after all. I feel very fortunate.”

  “Well I don’t know about that, Jake,” Barbara said, clearly in his thrall. “There’s a heck of a lot of work to do. But consider it yours.”

  Suzy felt that she made the appropriate noises, but inside the nauseated feeling persisted. Jake thought she had betrayed his trust, and looking at it from his viewpoint, how could she expect him to think anything less?

  From his briefcase he took out a contract form which, while Barbara appreciatively sipped her tea, he filled in.

  “I know you said you were happy with my original offer,” he said to her, “but I’m upping that by ten thousand.”

  “Jake!” Barbara protested. “Really, there’s no need.”

  “Maybe not. But I’ll feel happier. Maybe you can treat yourself to a cruise,” he said with a smile. He handed the contract to her and sat next to her to go through everything he’d filled in. Barbara asked for his pen and signed immediately.

  “That will show him,” she said, a smile curving her mouth. “He thought he could do as he liked with me, well I’ve shown him he can’t. I shall,” she added, “be very interested in seeing what you do with the old place, Jake.”

  “I’ll call in if I may and show you once the plans are drawn up. When do you expect to move to your new home?”

  “Oh.” Barbara waved a hand airily. “Maybe within the next two weeks. I shan’t be taking any of this heavy old stuff with me. I want light bright and a bit of Feng Shui for my next place. Do you mind if I leave it all, Jake? Norris certainly won’t want it.”

  “I think I could put some of your furniture to good use. Thank you, Barbara, that’s most generous of you. If,” he added with a tight smile, “you need any help with furnishing your new place, I’m sure Suzy would be pleased to help you out…free of charge of course.”

  “How very kind. Ooh, I shall look forward to that. I want to be modern, Suzy,” she said with a girlish laugh.

  In a sort of stupor Suzy left Jake and Barbara alone while she cleared the tea things away, and in the kitchen, washed and dried everything. Her head was spinning.

  When she walked back into the living room, Barbara thanked her warmly for her trouble.

  “I’d like you to visit me when I’m in my new home, my dear. Will you?”

  Suzy assured her that she would and Barbara saw them out. Suzy continued to wave until the front door closed.

  In the car both avoided any further mention of where, how, or by whom information regarding Northcote had leaked out, but Suzy could tell Jake was angry by the tense set of his jaw. He was an astute businessman and would want answers. Unable to keep quiet any longer she bit her lip before saying, “What are you thinking?”

  “Suzy.” He sighed. “That information leaked out somehow…”

  “I know, but if you imagine I had anything to do with it then you might as well tell me now.” Her voice had risen.

  “Can we just leave it,” Jake said.

  Suzy clenched her hands in her lap. “No, we most definitely can’t. I want to know if you think it came from me.”

  Jake swung onto the High Street. He didn’t look at her. “Where else can it have come from?”

  “I see.” Suzy’s voice shook with suppressed anger. “Well let me tell you this, Jake Mason. I did not leak any information regarding Northcote…or Hawk’s Nest for that matter. And if you think I did, then as far as I’m concerned, our working relationship has run its course. I shall resign from Porterhouse.”

  Jake drove onto the parking lot and yanked the handbrake on. He turned to her. “I won’t accept it.”

  “You’ll have to. I can’t work with you if there’s no trust.”

  “Look…” Jake raked his hair back. “We’re both uptight at the moment. Let’s take a step back. Okay?”

  “O-kay.” Suzy nodded. “But I have to know…do you trust me?”

  Jake turned the engine off. “Yes,” he said shortly. “Oh, and by the way, to give us both a well-deserved breather I’ll take off for a while before work starts on Northcote.”

  Suzy felt her heart plummet as he delivered the little nugget of information. “That will be nice for you,” she said. And before Jake could answer, she climbed from the car and walked briskly into the office.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Suzy was kept too busy to dwell for long on The Leak, as she’d come to call it. The only time it crept up was in conversation with her father in one of the regular phone calls from Spain.

  “I know he still holds
me responsible, Dad, and who can blame him when only the two of us knew about the deal? As for the rumors the person has spread, well, it’s just jealousy, surely?” Her thoughts slid to Darren and his motives, for there was no doubt in her mind now that he had been responsible for putting Norris off dealing with Jake.

  “Perhaps. But you know, darling, if your conscience is clear you must stop fretting about it. I think it will have been a shark,” her dad said. “A chancer on the lookout, perhaps hoping to do the deal himself. Try to forget about it Suzy. It will all settle down eventually. And at least Jake eventually signed up the place.”

  “Mm. I just wish I didn’t feel so responsible…crazy when I know I did nothing wrong.”

  Suzy ended the call thoughtfully. Yes, she thought, Dad’s right, Jake may have landed Northcote, but it certainly hasn’t made him any warmer toward me. He still somehow blames me. She sighed and picked up the next contract for one of the new houses. At this rate they’d be sold out before the end of the year.

  The day passed quickly and as planned she drove out to see India when work had finished.

  »»•««

  They dined on a vegetable lasagna and crisp green salad followed by fruit and yogurt.

  “I have,” Suzy said, licking her spoon, “got to start eating like this more often. Look at you, you glow with health.”

  India looked at her. “It’s not just my diet. I have no stress in my life. You, my love, seem to be continually screwed up with it just lately. You should just forget this Northcote thing now and get on with your life. I’m beginning to think you need a change of scenery.”

  Suzy nodded. “I know. It has crossed my mind. But I feel if I left now it would sort of be admitting guilt. Can you see that?’

  “Suppose.”

  “The thing is, although I’m sick of hearing myself say it, Jake does blame me…I know he does. He’s too well-mannered to have another go about it, but I saw the look on his face that day and he truly thinks I betrayed him. Damn. I know I couldn’t I have let anything slip.”

  “You’re sure it was this Darren bloke who’s involved?”

  “Yup. Coming from Mrs. Shepherd like it did, even though she floundered to come up with the right name, I’m sure it was him.”

  “Can you confront the bloke?”

  “You’ve met him. I’m not too sure I’d feel comfortable doing that.”

  India tucked her feet beneath her. They sat on her wide comfortable divan which was covered with a variety of colorful quilts. “Did you get…hey don’t get this wrong, I hate asking, but on the fishing trip, did you get, you know, cozy?”

  “Definitely not,” Suzy said firmly. “I’m just not interested in him at all, at least not that way, so there were no tender moments when I might have blabbed something out. Oh, I hate the idea of Jake being so disappointed in me.” For a brief moment her thoughts flitted to her diary in her bag that day…but, no, he couldn’t have seen it, could he? And anyway, why would any man want to go through a woman’s purse? Besides, she’d hidden it under the blanket…

  “Mm.” India pulled a tress of dark hair forward and examined the ends. “Well here’s what I think, like it or lump it. You’re either in love, or falling in love with Jake Mason, aren’t you? Hey!” She held a hand up. “Don’t look so mad!”

  Suzy smiled. “I’m not mad. I’m just very confused. At first I thought, yeah, he’s great, I find him attractive, sexy, charming, but very quickly realized as I spent more time in his company that my feelings were beginning to go deeper than that. Love, though…I honestly don’t know. At times I’ve kidded myself that it’s only because we have a fantastic working relationship, but I realize it’s not quite normal for me to feel as I do about my boss, however well we get on.”

  “And has he never given you any indication of how he feels?”

  Suzy shrugged, a small smile lighting her face. “Not really.” She looked away dreamily. “Though we did kiss briefly and it was bliss.” She sighed. “But that was it. If only he’d give me chance to talk to him, trouble is he’s avoiding me like the dratted plague. I walk in, he walks out, that sort of thing. He’s never rude enough not to wish me good morning, afternoon, evening, but I think it’s been noticed in the office that there’s been a shift in our relationship.” Suzy sighed. “I’ll be seeing him tomorrow, though unfortunately his main man will be there too, so there’ll be little chance to try and bring back any feelings of closeness.”

  “You have got to get him to talk to you, Suze. By whatever means.” India stifled a yawn.

  “Hey, gal. You’re shattered and here am I parroting on.” Suzy rose and leaned over to kiss India warmly. “You’re a great pal. I’m very lucky to have you.”

  “Aw, buzz!” India said with a wide pleased grin.

  »»•««

  Jake rolled the drawings for Northcote Manor and wandered around to the side of the house. The views were magnificent across wide sweeps of green lush lawn toward the sea, but although his brain registered the beautiful scenery, the tremendous excitement he’d felt when he’d first set eyes on the place had quickly dissipated. And he well knew the reason for this. Feeling that he could no longer trust Suzy had been like a blow to the solar plexus; it had really stunned him. All his own fault, he knew, for hadn’t he warned himself at the beginning to keep her at arm’s length, make sure the employer-employee relationship stayed just that? Well he’d broken his own rules and now look where he was…longing to retrieve the close friendship they’d shared. He missed her company more than he could say. Their avoidance of each other, it seemed to him, was pitifully clear to all around them, but how to bridge that gap? Suzy made it clear, without any words being said, that even though he hadn’t actually accused her, she felt he’d laid the blame entirely at her feet. That day in the car, saying that he trusted her, had sounded hollow and false even to his ears, so he could imagine how it sounded to Suzy.

  Did he trust her, believe her?

  If he wanted to get their budding relationship back to what it had been he knew he had to. He also knew he had to apologize, beg her forgiveness if necessary, tell her he truly believed and trusted her.

  He sighed. Hard to do when his thoughts were so muddled.

  Then there was the problem of how to approach her when she now looked at him with such disdain. And his own stubborn male pride? The thought in his head―and he couldn’t stop it constantly resurfacing―of Suzy cuddled up somewhere cozy with the furniture bloke, maybe forgetting herself, talking, and inadvertently saying something. These things did happen in intimate moments.

  Damn!

  Jake shoved his hand through his hair and cursed. Here he was a grown man acting like a twelve year old. He had a longing to contact the guy, Darren at Arighi Furnishings, certain that he was the one who had approached Norris Shepherd, and no doubt the Hayward, but what good would that do? In all probability the guy would laugh in his face and tell him, quite rightly, to mind his own business.

  Jake sighed.

  The other alternative course of action, and one he probably wouldn’t have hesitated using had it been anyone else, was to accept her resignation. But…

  He heard the vehicles draw up together and hurried to the front of the house.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was the first time Suzy had looked at Jake properly for some time. He looked lean and fit in chinos and a pale blue shirt. His hair was wet, slicked back from his forehead, and for a moment their eyes locked briefly, causing the familiar tug low in Suzy’s stomach, the quickening of her pulse.

  “Morning,” Jake addressed them both.

  “Gee, Boss,” Alan enthused. “This is fantastic! What a spot.”

  “Isn’t it.” He took a key from his pocket. “Mrs. Shepherd is in town today and has said we are free to look around at our leisure.” He opened the door and they wandered into the wide hallway.

  “Wow,” Alan murmured. “Stunning.”

  Suzy hadn’t noticed before how the wide s
taircase divided at the top to service the galleried landings with ornate railings. The ceilings were high and lavishly decorated and the oak paneled walls looked in perfect condition.

  “Take a gander round upstairs,” Jake said. “I’ll wander down here.”

  After half an hour of opening and closing doors on the two upper floors, Alan and Suzy went downstairs to explore and found Jake.

  “It’s a warren of rooms!” Alan explained.

  “I counted twelve bedrooms, five bathrooms and numerous others stacked with old furniture,” Suzy said. “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Jake.”

  He turned to look at her and she imagined she saw the sparkle back in his eyes.

  “Good,” he said. “I love a challenge. Well, if we’ve finished let’s go for lunch, shall we?”

  “Not me, thanks, Jake,” Alan said. “The landscape garden people will be on site soon so I’ll get back. Catch up with you later.” And with a cheery wave he walked out.

  Suzy and Jake stood in the quiet empty hallway. Suzy fiddled in her bag for her keys.

  “I’ll get back too,” she said.

  “Suzy.” Jake caught her arm and she froze. “Look…I, um feel we need a little time together alone,” he said. “There are things we need to discuss. Don’t you agree?”

  Suzy turned to look into his eyes and her heart lifted with what she saw there. “Yes, I do,” she replied.