unknown critter in the mud. ‘You know Dad. Mum’s a teacher.’
‘You never mention her.’
‘I do. You and I haven’t actually known each other long.’
‘True. It feels longer.’
She agreed. ‘Mum divorced Dad when he started JayBay. She never really liked the life in Jardin Bay and when he quit his job at the local council, they fought. A few years later she remarried. Richard is a primary school teacher, like her. I have a stepbrother, David, and a stepsister, Kylie, who is still at school. David is working at the mines. Mum and Richard wanted him to go to uni, but that’s not David.’
‘But you’re closer to Mick?’
‘I stayed with Dad after the divorce. My decision. All my family and friends were in Jardin Bay — except for Mum’s parents who were always pretty distant anyway. I stayed with Mum most school holidays.’ She dragged an ottoman over and put her feet up. ‘How will tomorrow go down?’
‘The board meeting’s at eleven. We break for lunch at one, and any additional business is dealt with after that. I’d like to introduce you before the meeting and then if you could attend the lunch, that would be great.’
‘Wouldn’t that look odd, family board members and me?’
He laughed. ‘You’ve got the wrong idea. Lunch is a Morrigan family free-for-all. All the board members bring partners and kids, and Morrigans who sold their share in the company years ago still turn up. It’s an annual lunch where we book the restaurant on the corner and make way too much noise.’
‘Wow. Okay. Is it dressy?’
‘Not what you’d wear to the office or out to the opera, but Mum wears her pearls.’
Cassie translated that as smart-casual . ‘I’ll go shopping.’ He started to protest. ‘No, I meant to shop while I was in Melbourne anyway.’
Although tomorrow morning wouldn’t be about a fun shopping spree. She’d have to hit the boutiques here in St Kilda early, pray that at least one opened at 9am and not a fashionable ten or eleven o’clock. Whatever fit her, she’d buy.
‘I’ll meet you at the office at what? Ten thirty? What excuse do I give for popping in?’
‘The truth. I’ll say that I wanted everyone to meet you before lunch.’
‘Before the board meeting.’
‘That, too.’ He considered her thoughtfully.
‘What?’
‘I was just thinking it’s a good thing you’re not shy. The Morrigans can be overwhelming.’
***
He wasn’t kidding, as Cassie discovered in the morning, but by then she had other problems. It was one thing to anticipate Leighton’s lies about Theo exploiting her burnout and swooping in to steal JayBay; it was quite another to see photos of her at her worst on a TV talk show, hear people chewing over the story on radio talkback — Fridays must be slow news days — and glimpse it splashed across newspaper pages.
She felt dirty, outraged and embarrassed. She knew it was shallow, but mentally she added an extra digit to the amount of money she was willing to spend on the outfit for today. All of Theo’s family would have seen the news and the photo of her sagging with defeat.
Theo switched off the small TV on the kitchen bench. ‘I should have tried harder to kill the story.’ It was an apology.
‘He’s my cousin. I should have pulled his tongue out years ago.’ She felt violently vengeful.
‘Family knows where to aim, how to hurt the most.’ Still in his shirtsleeves, Theo stacked their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. ‘We’ll go with ignoring the story in public. Best-case scenario, it’ll die a death over the weekend.’
‘Worst-case scenario?’ She watched him shrug into his jacket.
He tugged at the sleeves, straightening the cuffs. The dark grey suit, almost black, was sharply tailored and emphasised his lean strength. He wore a tie in a subdued striped pattern of lighter grey and blue with a white shirt. No one seeing him now would have guessed that when she’d first met him, he’d been wearing leathers. He
‘You never mention her.’
‘I do. You and I haven’t actually known each other long.’
‘True. It feels longer.’
She agreed. ‘Mum divorced Dad when he started JayBay. She never really liked the life in Jardin Bay and when he quit his job at the local council, they fought. A few years later she remarried. Richard is a primary school teacher, like her. I have a stepbrother, David, and a stepsister, Kylie, who is still at school. David is working at the mines. Mum and Richard wanted him to go to uni, but that’s not David.’
‘But you’re closer to Mick?’
‘I stayed with Dad after the divorce. My decision. All my family and friends were in Jardin Bay — except for Mum’s parents who were always pretty distant anyway. I stayed with Mum most school holidays.’ She dragged an ottoman over and put her feet up. ‘How will tomorrow go down?’
‘The board meeting’s at eleven. We break for lunch at one, and any additional business is dealt with after that. I’d like to introduce you before the meeting and then if you could attend the lunch, that would be great.’
‘Wouldn’t that look odd, family board members and me?’
He laughed. ‘You’ve got the wrong idea. Lunch is a Morrigan family free-for-all. All the board members bring partners and kids, and Morrigans who sold their share in the company years ago still turn up. It’s an annual lunch where we book the restaurant on the corner and make way too much noise.’
‘Wow. Okay. Is it dressy?’
‘Not what you’d wear to the office or out to the opera, but Mum wears her pearls.’
Cassie translated that as smart-casual . ‘I’ll go shopping.’ He started to protest. ‘No, I meant to shop while I was in Melbourne anyway.’
Although tomorrow morning wouldn’t be about a fun shopping spree. She’d have to hit the boutiques here in St Kilda early, pray that at least one opened at 9am and not a fashionable ten or eleven o’clock. Whatever fit her, she’d buy.
‘I’ll meet you at the office at what? Ten thirty? What excuse do I give for popping in?’
‘The truth. I’ll say that I wanted everyone to meet you before lunch.’
‘Before the board meeting.’
‘That, too.’ He considered her thoughtfully.
‘What?’
‘I was just thinking it’s a good thing you’re not shy. The Morrigans can be overwhelming.’
***
He wasn’t kidding, as Cassie discovered in the morning, but by then she had other problems. It was one thing to anticipate Leighton’s lies about Theo exploiting her burnout and swooping in to steal JayBay; it was quite another to see photos of her at her worst on a TV talk show, hear people chewing over the story on radio talkback — Fridays must be slow news days — and glimpse it splashed across newspaper pages.
She felt dirty, outraged and embarrassed. She knew it was shallow, but mentally she added an extra digit to the amount of money she was willing to spend on the outfit for today. All of Theo’s family would have seen the news and the photo of her sagging with defeat.
Theo switched off the small TV on the kitchen bench. ‘I should have tried harder to kill the story.’ It was an apology.
‘He’s my cousin. I should have pulled his tongue out years ago.’ She felt violently vengeful.
‘Family knows where to aim, how to hurt the most.’ Still in his shirtsleeves, Theo stacked their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. ‘We’ll go with ignoring the story in public. Best-case scenario, it’ll die a death over the weekend.’
‘Worst-case scenario?’ She watched him shrug into his jacket.
He tugged at the sleeves, straightening the cuffs. The dark grey suit, almost black, was sharply tailored and emphasised his lean strength. He wore a tie in a subdued striped pattern of lighter grey and blue with a white shirt. No one seeing him now would have guessed that when she’d first met him, he’d been wearing leathers. He
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