“And yet you say you love him.”
“Oh, Flo, I really think I do. It doesn’t matter that things don’t make sense in my head. Whenever I’m near him, I just melt.” She sighed. “He’s totally gorgeous, and he’s all I can think about.”
“Wait, let me get this right. You love him, want him, and he’s all you think about, but he doesn’t seem that interested in you?”
Amber screwed up her face as she tried to put the contradiction she felt in him into words. “He kind of does seem interested on one hand, but on the other he runs a mile at the first sign of intimacy. I can’t fathom it out.”
Flo came over and sat on the coffee table opposite Amber. “Please, do me a favor, Amber. Don’t lose your heart to this guy unless he’s going to lose his to you. I can’t bear the thought of you falling for another guy who is Trouble. And that’s Trouble with a capital T.”
“This isn’t like last time.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s not a sleaze. Not like, you know.” She couldn’t bring herself to name the guy who’d brought her so much grief. “He was clear right from the beginning what he wanted.”
Flo glowered. “Shame it was you.”
“Yep,” said Amber, pressing her lips together in regret.
“So,” Flo sighed, sitting back. “He’s not a sleaze… that’s good. A definite improvement. And he seems to be interested, and yet you’re not totally sure.”
“That about sums it up.”
“Then do me a favor, find out for sure if he’s interested in you before you totally lose your heart to this guy. I don’t want you hurt again. None of us do.”
“Sure,” said Amber, jumping to her feet. She went and looked over Flo’s shoulder. “So what are you up to? Paperwork?”
Flo waved the papers triumphantly. “A contract! My new solicitor has come up trumps with finding me funding for the house.”
“Really? Wow, that’s just what you’ve been wanting.”
“I know. Maddy helped so much by providing me with a regular flow of guests, but I need investment. And it looks like I’ve found it.”
“Who is the investor?”
Flo shrugged. “Some anonymous finance company who sees the potential in Akaroa and is happy to fund me with the lowest interest rate around.”
“Oh,” said Amber, doubtfully. Even to her unbusiness-like ears, it sounded odd. “What’s in it for them?”
“My solicitor said that the company wants to preserve Akaroa’s heritage buildings.”
Amber grunted. “I wish they owned our EarthFoods building. Anyway”—she kissed Flo on the cheek—“I’d better go, mouths to feed, the public to greet, a café to run.”
Amber left the house thinking it was already too late not to lose her heart. That horse had already bolted. But, still, it wouldn’t hurt to do as Flo suggested—to find out whether David really was interested in her—because Amber sure was curious.
A few days later,across the other side of the peninsula, in a central Christchurch gym, David was trying to work off his bad mood. He’d hardly had any sleep the last few nights because all he could think about was Amber. Max had been right to warn him off. He had no right flirting with her, knowing that there was no future. Trouble was, he was falling for her. When she’d leaned over and kissed him, it was all he could do to move away.
And seeing that unexpected fear in her eyes, when she’d talked about what she wanted, had brought out that part of him which hated to see people afraid. It was the same with his sister—he’d do, and had done, anything to make sure her life was happy. There was a part of him which was too noble for his own good. He wanted to set the worlds to rights, beginning with his sister and then working outwards, saving everyone, one person at a time.
He wiped his face, slammed the towel onto the bench, stripped off his clothes and got under the cold shower, waiting for the freezing pricks of ice to numb his senses. Unfortunately, they only went skin deep.
His mood hadn’t lightened by the time he reached the office. After receiving a telling off from his sister, David finished the call with a glower. He loved his sister dearly, but he really could do without her nagging him.
He’d made the mistake of telling her about Amber. He always told Zoe everything but had intended to keep Amber to himself. But every minute he spent with Amber, he became more involved and so had ended up telling Zoe about her. Including his reluctance to take it further. He drew the line as to why he didn’t want to take it further. He didn’t want his sister to know quite how devious he’d become in the pursuit of his obsession to demolish every potentially dangerous building in the city.
Telling Zoe about Amber had proved a big mistake. She’d asked to meet her; he’d refused. But he suspected Zoe had already gone to the café to check Amber out because Zoe had told David in no uncertain terms that he’d better not mess this one up. David was still gritting his teeth with annoyance when his partner, Angus, strode in and went to the window.
“They are there again. Bloody nuisances! I thought you said you had a plan to stop them. If you have, it’s not bloody working!”
