by Holly Ford
‘Darling,’ Lizzie said, without thinking, ‘you’re not even the worst person in this house.’
Ella sat up. ‘There is something wrong. What’s going on? Are you cross with Richard?’
‘No,’ Lizzie lied.
‘What did he do?’
‘Nothing.’
Ella just looked at her.
‘All right,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘He stood us up for dinner last night.’
‘Really?’ Ella frowned. ‘That was rude.’
‘Yes,’ said Lizzie, ‘it was.’
By the time she got back to the kitchen, Jules and Seb were up, too.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Seb, looking up from the coffee machine. ‘We thought for once we might manage to make our own.’ He smiled at her. ‘Would you like one?’
‘That would be lovely.’ Lizzie kissed his cheek, sighing only inwardly. Seb made the most godawful coffee.
She looked around the kitchen for something to do. Jules and Seb had done a beautiful job of clearing up last night. She was just reconsidering making eggs when Richard emerged from his room.
Glaring at him, Jules opened her mouth. Seb put his hand on her shoulder.
‘Good morning.’ Richard’s smile looked a little shaky.
Jules turned her back on him and pointedly sipped her coffee.
‘Coffee?’ asked Lizzie, briskly.
‘No, thanks.’
For the first time, Lizzie noticed the bag at his feet.
‘I have to get going, actually — something’s come up.’
‘Again?’ said Jules. ‘Does it ever go down?’
Richard ignored her. ‘My agent just called. There’s a meeting he wants me to take in LA. It can’t wait, apparently.’
Lizzie stared at him.
‘I’m sorry. I have to fly out today if I’m going to make it.’
‘Of course,’ she told him. ‘Go.’
No one else spoke.
‘Well.’ Richard checked his watch. ‘My flight’s at two. I’d better get going.’
‘I’ll um’ — Seb coughed — ‘help you with the rest of your bags.’ He looked at Jules. With a shake of her head and a final glare at Richard, she followed Seb down the hall.
Richard picked up his bag. Lizzie walked around the bench towards him, mindlessly dusting her hands on her jeans. Putting his free hand on her shoulder, he kissed her cheek.
‘Thanks for everything,’ he told her.
Chapter EIGHT
Ella pulled Lizzie’s new oversize outdoor beanbag out of the shade. Surely a little sun wouldn’t kill her. Not for years, anyway. Stretching out, she untied the neck of her bikini, slipped her earbuds in, and closed her eyes.
A shadow crossed her patch of sun. Ella opened her eyes to find a man looking down at her. He appeared to be smiling. Tugging her earbuds out, she fumbled for her bikini strap.
‘Hi.’ He pushed his dark glasses up to reveal a dazzling pair of green eyes. ‘Is Lizzie around?’
‘She’s taking some friends to the airport.’ Suddenly conscious of how very alone they were, Ella pulled her sarong around her. ‘She should be back soon.’
‘I’m early.’ He grinned. ‘I made better time than I’d thought.’
Ella looked past him to the gleaming grey sports car parked in the drive. She didn’t know a lot about cars, but wasn’t that an Aston Martin? Richard used to have one of those …
‘So. You must be Ella.’ The green gaze slid over her.
For the first time, she noticed the bag slung over his shoulder. No way: this was the investment guru her mother had coming to stay? The one who’d advised her to buy the vineyard — or was it not to buy the vineyard? Ella couldn’t remember. She’d been picturing someone grey and wise, and yes, perhaps a little portly. This guy didn’t look more than thirty, and his tailored white T-shirt was clinging to abs that had clearly seen some workouts. Ella looked him up and down again, taking in the designer loafers, the fashionably battered jeans, the Aviator shades. On second thoughts, he did look a lot like money.
‘Yes,’ she said. Oh dear, she should know his name, too. What had Lizzie told her it was? Lewis? Liam?
‘Would it be too rude,’ he asked, ‘if I offered myself a drink? It’s been a long drive.’
‘Of course.’ One hand still clutching her bikini strap, Ella swung her legs off the beanbag.
‘Don’t get up.’ His mouth curved into a mischievous half-smile as he pushed his shades back down. ‘I know my way around.’
Ella let out her breath as he headed up to the house. With a quick glance over her shoulder at his retreating back, she redid her strap and looked down. Thank God — everything was where it should be. Getting up, she wrapped the sarong around her and tied it securely behind her neck.
Oh Christ, now who was here? Ella looked up in disbelief as a dirty ute crunched up the drive. Had her mother put out some kind of sign?
‘Hope I’m not disturbing you.’ Charlotte Black swung out of the cab, an envelope in her hand. ‘I’m just on my way back from town. Jen asked if I’d drop these in. They’re those photographs of the Opal Lakes Jules wanted to see.’
‘You’ve missed her, I’m afraid — they flew out today.’
‘Oh.’ Charlotte looked a bit guilty. ‘I was supposed to do it last week when I took Quentin and his lot to the airport. They’ve been sitting in the car.’
There was a pause.
‘We can send them on,’ Ella offered, ‘if you want to leave them.’
‘Thanks.’ Charlotte paused again. ‘Amy said to say goodbye, by the way.’
‘Yes, I got an email from her.’ And a full day’s pay, actually, which was nice, considering how little use she’d been.
‘Sandro and Vito’ — Charlotte checked Ella’s face as she stressed the second name — ‘said to say goodbye to you, too.’
Ella looked away. It was a little late, she thought, for Charlotte to start trying to be friends with her now.
‘Vito seemed a bit sad to be leaving—’ Charlotte froze. ‘Who’s that?’ she demanded, looking over Ella’s shoulder.
Ella turned, following her gaze. ‘Oh,’ she said, as he walked across the lawn towards them, two tall glasses of something cold and clear in his hands, ‘this is Mum’s investment consultant—’ She stopped, still unable to think of his name.
‘Luke Halliday,’ he supplied. ‘Hello, Charlotte.’
Ella turned back. For a moment, Charlotte remained stock still. Then, thrusting the photographs into Ella’s hands, she turned on her heel. ‘Excuse me.’
Ella watched, fascinated, as Charlotte strode back to the ute and performed a three-point turn so fast that it made her fear for her mother’s windows. As gravel chips bounced off the Aston’s paint, she checked Luke’s face. It remained impassive.
‘Do you always have that effect on people?’ she asked.
‘What can I say?’ He watched Charlotte’s ute disappear down the drive. ‘It’s a gift.’ The lazy little smile returned to his face as he handed a glass to Ella.
She sipped it tentatively.
‘Bombay Sapphire,’ he told her. ‘I hope that’s okay.’
‘It’s good.’ It was perfect, actually — just the way she liked it. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Resisting the urge to check her bikini again, Ella looked away from his eyes. What was she supposed to do now? Could she ask what had just happened with Charlotte?
‘Um, would you like me to show you your room?’
‘Please.’ He extended a hand behind her. ‘Lead the way.’
Surreptitiously, she tugged at the hem of her sarong. ‘Oh look!’ A surge of relief swept through her. ‘Mum’s here.’
‘So she is.’
They watched the Land Rover pull up.
‘Luke!’ Climbing out, Lizzie swept across the lawn. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you so soon.’
‘Not at all. It’s my fault — I got here ahead of time.’
‘
You’ve met Ella, I see.’
‘Yes, she’s been looking after me.’
‘Oh good,’ Lizzie beamed. ‘I’m pleased to hear it.’
Feeling suddenly redundant, Ella followed them into the house.
‘I’ve put you in the same place as last time,’ Lizzie told Luke, opening the door to Richard’s old room. ‘I hope that’s okay.’
‘Perfect.’ Luke dropped his bag on the chair and, with the barest of glances around, followed her mother back to the kitchen. ‘Did you have time to go over those figures I sent you for the Queenstown deal?’ he asked, settling down at the bench.
‘Yes.’ Lizzie headed for the fridge. ‘They look good.’
Leaving them deep in debentures, Ella slipped away to her room to change out of her bikini. The day was cooling off anyway. The sun was just dropping behind the hills and — she looked through the windows — yes, in a minute or two, the light would be perfect. The magic hour, when everything turned to gold, was on its way. Pulling on a T-shirt and shorts, she grabbed her camera gear and walked out into the vines.
The light was already fading by the time she’d worked her way around to the rocks below the southern boundary. There should be a great view from up there. Hoping to catch the last finger of sun on the tip of Black Peak, Ella scrambled up. God, it was nice to be mobile again — she’d been beginning to think her foot would never heal.
‘Hi,’ said a voice above her.
Ella nearly fell back down again. ‘Luke.’ Making the top of the rocks, she sat down beside him. ‘Hi.’
‘Lizzie’s just making a couple of calls,’ he said, staring out at the view. ‘I thought I’d get out of the way.’
Ella raised her camera. ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’
Luke studied the peak ahead. ‘It’s been a long time,’ he said, ‘since I was down here.’
Ella frowned — but hadn’t he stayed at the vineyard before? It couldn’t have been that long, then. Lizzie had only moved in a month ago.
Ah, there it was! Ella got to her feet and stepped back as the sun hit the peak, hunting out the perfect frame. Luke was kind of in the way, so she moved around behind him. Although, on the other hand, it was a pretty interesting portrait, him sitting there. The light that was hitting Black Peak was also hitting his eyes. Wow, they really were an extraordinary shade of green. If he let that spiky hair grow, he’d be almost as pretty as Vito. Ella sidled around the rocks to his other side.
‘You know,’ she said, watching him through the lens, ‘I’m sorry, but I just have to ask — what on earth did you do to Charlotte Black?’
‘Nothing.’ He looked at her with his little half-smile. ‘It’s what I tried to do that’s the problem.’
‘What did you try to do?’
‘Marry her.’
‘What?’ She stared at him: he was kidding, right? ‘You … and Charlotte?’
‘Yeah.’ The green eyes danced. ‘She couldn’t see it either.’
‘Did she break your heart?’ Ella joked, sure that if he had a heart it was somewhere safely under lock and key. A Swiss bank vault, perhaps.
Luke looked away. Ella zoomed in. Catching the look in his eyes, she stopped. Oh my God, it was true. She had broken his heart.
‘So what happened?’ she asked him, more gently this time.
‘I fucked up,’ he said, still not looking at her. ‘Badly. She never forgave me.’
‘How long ago was that?’
‘Four years,’ he said quickly. ‘I hadn’t seen her since. Until today.’
Ella pressed the shutter. Luke turned back, looking down the lens at her. ‘Let me see.’ He held his hand out.
Without thinking, Ella gave him the camera. ‘Do people always give you what you want?’ she asked curiously.
Luke grinned. ‘Not nearly as often as they should.’
She watched him flick through the shots. ‘Hey!’ she cried, as he pressed delete.
‘Sorry.’ He held her gaze. ‘No unauthorised portraits.’
Ella dropped her eyes first.
‘You like pointing this thing at people, don’t you?’
‘I’m a photographer,’ she told him; well, she was working on making that true. ‘It kind of goes with the territory.’
‘What is it about this’ — he weighed the camera in his hand — ‘that you like?’
‘I don’t know …’ Ella struggled to find the right words. ‘I guess it helps me to see things better.’
‘And what about being seen?’ Luke brought the camera up to his eye. ‘Do you like that, too?’
Ella stared defiantly down the lens. ‘I’ve never had a problem with it.’
‘You know,’ he said, moving around her, ‘you’re right. This is fun.’
‘Okay,’ she smiled firmly, trying to be a good sport, ‘you can give it back now.’
Luke handed the camera over. ‘Do men always give you what you want?’ he said, studying her face.
Ella couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Almost never, actually.’
‘Really?’ Luke raised his eyebrows, then, dropping his lazy little smile, he gave her an open grin. ‘You must be asking the wrong ones.’
‘How do you tell the right ones?’ she sighed.
‘Easy. The answers they give you.’
Ella put her camera away. ‘Come on.’ She offered him a hand up. ‘We’d better head back down.’
‘There you are,’ said Lizzie, looking only mildly surprised to see them walk into the kitchen together. ‘Dinner should be about half an hour,’ her mother went on, still in that slightly too-bright tone she’d been using ever since Richard had left a day earlier than planned. ‘Ella, darling, would you set the table? I think we can still eat outside if we light the fire.’
‘I can do that,’ Luke offered.
Right on schedule, Lizzie delivered up another amazing meal. Ella shook her head in admiration: did her mother never tire?
‘What is this?’ she asked, piling posh-looking salad onto her plate.
‘Oh,’ Lizzie waved her hand. ‘Some Tunisian bread thing — I forget what it’s called. It was in a magazine.’
‘It’s delicious.’ Luke poured them all more wine.
‘This pinot’s delicious,’ Lizzie said, rolling another sip around her mouth. ‘You really shouldn’t have.’
‘Not at all — it’s the least I could do.’
‘What time do you have to get away tomorrow?’ Lizzie asked him.
‘My first meeting’s not until two, so nine-ish ought to do it.’
Ella looked at her mother.
‘Luke’s company has just started work on a big development outside Wanaka,’ Lizzie explained.
‘And the way things are going so far,’ Luke sighed, ‘I have a feeling I’m going to get to know the road to it well.’
‘Oh.’ Ella tried to look interested. ‘Actually, Mum, that reminds me — can I borrow the car tomorrow? I want to pop over to Glencairn.’
‘Glencairn?’ Her mother looked startled. ‘What for?’
‘Carr said I could come and have a wander around. I want to take a few shots.’ Ella took in her mother’s furrowed brow. ‘It probably won’t take all day.’
‘I’m sorry, darling, but I’ve got a meeting at the winery tomorrow.’
‘Oh.’ Dammit, she’d been looking forward to that.
‘Glencairn — that’s south, right?’ said Luke. ‘I don’t mind making a detour. I can drop you off there, if that’s any good.’
‘That’d be great.’ Ella looked hopefully at Lizzie.
‘All right. I suppose I could pick you up after the meeting,’ her mother sighed. ‘But I won’t be able to get there until three or so.’
‘That’s okay — I’m sure Carr won’t mind me hanging around for a bit.’
Lizzie sighed again.
‘Thanks, Mum.’
Happily, Ella cleared the plates and loaded the dishwasher. By the time she sat down at the table again, the sky was dark and Lizzie was alrea
dy trying to escape to her bed.
‘Do you mind?’ her mother smiled. ‘I’m sorry to be rude, but I’m absolutely shattered. It must be the drive.’
Ella watched her mother head off to her room. She wasn’t surprised that Lizzie was exhausted. On the other hand, she was far from convinced that that was all that was wrong. In the otherwise silent night, the wood fire crackled. Ella cast a quick glance up at the hills: the first stars were just rising over Black Peak. Across the table, in the light of the storm lanterns it was hard to read the expression on Luke’s face.
‘Well,’ Ella started to rise, ‘I’d better turn in, too. Early start, and all.’
‘Don’t go yet.’
She looked at him, surprised.
‘It’s so quiet here.’ Luke stared out at the dark. ‘Would you mind— Do you think you could stay here and … talk to me for a while?’
Ella sat back down in her chair. ‘Of course.’ She knew what it was like not to want to be left alone with your own thoughts.
Luke refilled their glasses. Trying not to stare at him, she sipped her wine in silence.
‘Those photographs on the wall in your room,’ he said, after a while. ‘Are they yours?’
Looking over her shoulder, she followed his gaze to the far end of the house. She must have left a light on down there — through the sliding doors, you could see her room quite clearly.
‘Yes.’ She turned back, a little embarrassed. ‘Mum hung them there.’
‘I noticed them earlier,’ he said, ‘when I was out walking.’
Really? Boy, there was far too much glass in this house. She hoped she hadn’t left any underwear on the floor.
‘Do you think,’ Luke asked, ‘I might be allowed a closer look?’
Ella hesitated. Was that a good idea? Oh, for heaven’s sake, she told herself, what do you think is going to happen? You’re not fourteen anymore, you’re allowed a boy in your room.
‘Sure,’ she said briskly. She should turn that light off, anyway. Getting up, she led the way along the terrace and slid open the doors.
Behind her, Luke stepped over the threshold and stopped. ‘Is that Richard Bourne?’
‘Yes, it is. He’s a friend — well, a friend of Mum’s, really.’ She hoped that was still true.
