other than her parents was watching them closely.
It was her cousin Monique, standing quietly in the background as she watched the reunion unfold before her.
“Did you and Monique arrive together?” Alex asked Simon in surprise and he nodded, releasing her from his arms.
“Hello, you!” Alex said in delight and moved across the room to hug her cousin. “I had no idea you and Simon were travelling home together. I thought you were still in New Zealand.”
“I was,” Monique explained. “But I decided to change my flight so that I could come home with Simon.”
“Well you look great. Have you had a lovely time?”
“Yes, wonderful. You haven’t been to New Zealand have you?” Monique hooked her arm in Alex’s and led her away from the family.
“No, I haven’t.”
“I can’t believe that in all the time Simon’s been there you didn’t manage to get there yourself.”
“It’s been hard to get away from work. You know how it is.”
“Yes, I know,” Monique agreed and then lowered her voice a little so that only Alex could hear. “I hope you don’t mind that I linked up with Simon for the trip home. I really hate taking flights by myself. The take-offs scare me half to death.”
“Of course not,” Alex assured her. “I’m glad you both had the company. Simon told me you cooked for him. He would have loved that. You know how he hates any meals which are shop bought.”
“That’s the least I could do after he’d shown me around Auckland for a whole day.”
“Well now you are making me feel guilty,” Alex confessed. “I must try and get over there for his next trip.” With that Alex looked over at Simon who had his sharp eyes firmly fixed on the two girls. As he heard Alex’s last words he wandered over to her and slid his arms around her waist.
“I’m afraid there won’t be any more opportunities for you to go to New Zealand, unless we want to go for fun.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked as her heart began to pound away in her chest.
“I’ve sold the whole business.”
Alex gaped at him, dumbfounded. “What? But I thought you were only going to sell part of it.”
“They made me an offer. I’ve jettisoned the whole business. And that means …” he began suggestively, raising his eyebrows.
“You can come back to Australia for good,” Alex finished, plastering a smile on her face, waiting for the inevitable upshot of his news.
“And that means you and I don’t have to wait any longer to get married. Let’s book the church and do it.”
Alex nodded in response to his ecstatic look. “Yes … yes, of course.”
Simon’s smile dissolved. “You don’t look as happy as I expected you would.”
“No, I am happy Si, really.” Alex reassured him and summoned everything she could from within herself to reflect his own happiness.
But then Alex’s eyes caught her mother’s. Mary Farrer had been watching her future son-in-law and her daughter and she was now staring at Alex with a look of intense disapproval.
Alex felt sick. Did her mother see something that no one else in the room could, something that even she was having trouble recognising?
At that moment the doorbell rang again. Alex jumped into movement, mainly to escape the scrutiny of her mother and fiancé.
Thankfully her father had been unable to hear the bell over the conversation in the kitchen so she had a free run to collect her thoughts and calm her nerves as she made her way down the hallway. It had all been too much, that was for sure. First, those intense minutes in the car with JP, then the big announcement from Simon. Alex wasn’t sure she could take much more.
JP heard the sound of heels clicking on a timber floor within before the front door was swung open.
“Oh no!” Alex shook her head in disappointment and disbelief as she took in the sight of him outside her parents’ door.
“That’s a nice way to greet your boss,” JP replied with a sardonic smirk.
He was enjoying
It was her cousin Monique, standing quietly in the background as she watched the reunion unfold before her.
“Did you and Monique arrive together?” Alex asked Simon in surprise and he nodded, releasing her from his arms.
“Hello, you!” Alex said in delight and moved across the room to hug her cousin. “I had no idea you and Simon were travelling home together. I thought you were still in New Zealand.”
“I was,” Monique explained. “But I decided to change my flight so that I could come home with Simon.”
“Well you look great. Have you had a lovely time?”
“Yes, wonderful. You haven’t been to New Zealand have you?” Monique hooked her arm in Alex’s and led her away from the family.
“No, I haven’t.”
“I can’t believe that in all the time Simon’s been there you didn’t manage to get there yourself.”
“It’s been hard to get away from work. You know how it is.”
“Yes, I know,” Monique agreed and then lowered her voice a little so that only Alex could hear. “I hope you don’t mind that I linked up with Simon for the trip home. I really hate taking flights by myself. The take-offs scare me half to death.”
“Of course not,” Alex assured her. “I’m glad you both had the company. Simon told me you cooked for him. He would have loved that. You know how he hates any meals which are shop bought.”
“That’s the least I could do after he’d shown me around Auckland for a whole day.”
“Well now you are making me feel guilty,” Alex confessed. “I must try and get over there for his next trip.” With that Alex looked over at Simon who had his sharp eyes firmly fixed on the two girls. As he heard Alex’s last words he wandered over to her and slid his arms around her waist.
“I’m afraid there won’t be any more opportunities for you to go to New Zealand, unless we want to go for fun.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked as her heart began to pound away in her chest.
“I’ve sold the whole business.”
Alex gaped at him, dumbfounded. “What? But I thought you were only going to sell part of it.”
“They made me an offer. I’ve jettisoned the whole business. And that means …” he began suggestively, raising his eyebrows.
“You can come back to Australia for good,” Alex finished, plastering a smile on her face, waiting for the inevitable upshot of his news.
“And that means you and I don’t have to wait any longer to get married. Let’s book the church and do it.”
Alex nodded in response to his ecstatic look. “Yes … yes, of course.”
Simon’s smile dissolved. “You don’t look as happy as I expected you would.”
“No, I am happy Si, really.” Alex reassured him and summoned everything she could from within herself to reflect his own happiness.
But then Alex’s eyes caught her mother’s. Mary Farrer had been watching her future son-in-law and her daughter and she was now staring at Alex with a look of intense disapproval.
Alex felt sick. Did her mother see something that no one else in the room could, something that even she was having trouble recognising?
At that moment the doorbell rang again. Alex jumped into movement, mainly to escape the scrutiny of her mother and fiancé.
Thankfully her father had been unable to hear the bell over the conversation in the kitchen so she had a free run to collect her thoughts and calm her nerves as she made her way down the hallway. It had all been too much, that was for sure. First, those intense minutes in the car with JP, then the big announcement from Simon. Alex wasn’t sure she could take much more.
JP heard the sound of heels clicking on a timber floor within before the front door was swung open.
“Oh no!” Alex shook her head in disappointment and disbelief as she took in the sight of him outside her parents’ door.
“That’s a nice way to greet your boss,” JP replied with a sardonic smirk.
He was enjoying
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