mind. The more she could do for him, the more she could do to get him mobile again, the better and the sooner this nightmare would be over, for him as well as for her.
She held her peace for another couple of minutes until she had a steaming cup of Hawaiian coffee in front of her.
‘I could do them,’ she said slowly. ‘The paintings. It would be one way to make sure Brett can stay on until his treatment is finished.’
‘Good.’ He said it briskly and in a way that gave her to understand it was a business deal between them and nothing more. And, before he could say any more, his phone rang.
‘Excuse me, I’ll take this downstairs; it’s South Africa. Thank you for dinner, by the way.’
Harriet nodded and, moments later, she and Tottie were left alone.
‘All sorted, Tottie.’ Harriet dried sudden, ridiculous tears with her fingers. ‘Dealt with, packed, labelled and filed away, that’s me.’
She hugged Tottie then sat with her head in her hands for a while before she got up and resolutely put her kitchen to bed.
She was not to know that whilst Damien Wyatt might have sorted her out and locked her out of his life for the most part, his business life was about to become another matter. His PA, a man who’d worked closely with him for ten years, resigned out of the blue in order to train for his lifelong ambition—to climb Mount Everest.
If this wasn’t trying enough, his South African trip was cancelled and the ramifications to his business empire as the lucrative business deal involved hung in the breeze were enough to make him extremely tense.
CHAPTER SIX
‘T ENSE , BLOODY - MINDED and all-round impossible,’ Charlie said to Harriet one evening. ‘That’s Damien at the moment. It’s like living under a thundercloud. I tell you what, I really feel for the poor sods he’s interviewing for his PA position. I wonder if they have any idea what he might drive them to? I mean to say, it’s got to be a pretty bizarre ambition, climbing Mount Everest.’
They were sharing what would have otherwise been a lonesome meal—Isabel was out and so was Damien.
Harriet had made hamburgers and chips, much to Charlie’s approval.
Harriet had to laugh. ‘I feel really guilty, though,’ she said as she passed the ketchup to Charlie.
‘You!’ He looked surprised.
‘I...’ She hesitated. ‘It was because of me that he didn’t go to Perth and on to South Africa. I can’t help wondering if that...if that—’ she gestured widely and shrugged ‘—caused all this.’
Charlie frowned. ‘Why “because of you” didn’t he go?’
‘Well, he missed his flight to Perth because he came back to explain something.’ Harriet bit her lip and berated herself for ever mentioning the matter but Charlie took issue with this.
‘You can’t open up a can of worms like that then play dumb,’ he objected, ‘but let me guess. You two had some sort of issue between you after my birthday party?’
Harriet sighed suddenly. ‘Charlie, we’ve had issues between us since the day I smashed his car and his collarbone. Not to mention the day I slapped his face and he kissed me back. But his issues are...very complicated. And he wasn’t supposed to be here while I finished the job,’ she added, somewhat annoyed.
‘Ah, well, so that explains—well, some of it! I didn’t think some business deal hanging in the balance—I mean he’s weathered a few of those before—was sufficient to cause this level of turmoil in my beloved brother.’
Harriet put her hands on her waist. ‘That doesn’t help me a lot, Charlie.’
‘Or any of us! I think we’ll just have to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst. At least you can stay out of his way.’
* * *
This proved to be incorrect.
She was riding Sprite along Seven-mile Beach the next morning with Tottie at her stirrup. It was cool and crisp and the clarity of the air was amazing, dead flat calm water with hardly any surf, some pink clouds in a pale
She held her peace for another couple of minutes until she had a steaming cup of Hawaiian coffee in front of her.
‘I could do them,’ she said slowly. ‘The paintings. It would be one way to make sure Brett can stay on until his treatment is finished.’
‘Good.’ He said it briskly and in a way that gave her to understand it was a business deal between them and nothing more. And, before he could say any more, his phone rang.
‘Excuse me, I’ll take this downstairs; it’s South Africa. Thank you for dinner, by the way.’
Harriet nodded and, moments later, she and Tottie were left alone.
‘All sorted, Tottie.’ Harriet dried sudden, ridiculous tears with her fingers. ‘Dealt with, packed, labelled and filed away, that’s me.’
She hugged Tottie then sat with her head in her hands for a while before she got up and resolutely put her kitchen to bed.
She was not to know that whilst Damien Wyatt might have sorted her out and locked her out of his life for the most part, his business life was about to become another matter. His PA, a man who’d worked closely with him for ten years, resigned out of the blue in order to train for his lifelong ambition—to climb Mount Everest.
If this wasn’t trying enough, his South African trip was cancelled and the ramifications to his business empire as the lucrative business deal involved hung in the breeze were enough to make him extremely tense.
CHAPTER SIX
‘T ENSE , BLOODY - MINDED and all-round impossible,’ Charlie said to Harriet one evening. ‘That’s Damien at the moment. It’s like living under a thundercloud. I tell you what, I really feel for the poor sods he’s interviewing for his PA position. I wonder if they have any idea what he might drive them to? I mean to say, it’s got to be a pretty bizarre ambition, climbing Mount Everest.’
They were sharing what would have otherwise been a lonesome meal—Isabel was out and so was Damien.
Harriet had made hamburgers and chips, much to Charlie’s approval.
Harriet had to laugh. ‘I feel really guilty, though,’ she said as she passed the ketchup to Charlie.
‘You!’ He looked surprised.
‘I...’ She hesitated. ‘It was because of me that he didn’t go to Perth and on to South Africa. I can’t help wondering if that...if that—’ she gestured widely and shrugged ‘—caused all this.’
Charlie frowned. ‘Why “because of you” didn’t he go?’
‘Well, he missed his flight to Perth because he came back to explain something.’ Harriet bit her lip and berated herself for ever mentioning the matter but Charlie took issue with this.
‘You can’t open up a can of worms like that then play dumb,’ he objected, ‘but let me guess. You two had some sort of issue between you after my birthday party?’
Harriet sighed suddenly. ‘Charlie, we’ve had issues between us since the day I smashed his car and his collarbone. Not to mention the day I slapped his face and he kissed me back. But his issues are...very complicated. And he wasn’t supposed to be here while I finished the job,’ she added, somewhat annoyed.
‘Ah, well, so that explains—well, some of it! I didn’t think some business deal hanging in the balance—I mean he’s weathered a few of those before—was sufficient to cause this level of turmoil in my beloved brother.’
Harriet put her hands on her waist. ‘That doesn’t help me a lot, Charlie.’
‘Or any of us! I think we’ll just have to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst. At least you can stay out of his way.’
* * *
This proved to be incorrect.
She was riding Sprite along Seven-mile Beach the next morning with Tottie at her stirrup. It was cool and crisp and the clarity of the air was amazing, dead flat calm water with hardly any surf, some pink clouds in a pale
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