“He seems perfectly able to express himself to me,” I reply with more than a little frustration, which seems to be the overriding emotion when it comes to Nick. Well, that and the unfortunate attraction I can’t seem to ignore.
Mandy laughs. “You do seem to bring the worst out in him. But he genuinely is a very good man. And he’s having a rough time right now. Only yesterday he had a blow-up with the partners over admin wages.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. He was fuming all afternoon. The partners want to offer a five per cent increase and Nick is pushing for ten. I thought he was going to blow a gasket when he came out of the meeting.” She sets a tray of sandwiches and fruit in the centre of the table, adding napkins and glasses in front of each seat.
“He wants to offer a ten per cent raise?” My stomach does a dive into the deep end of the guilt pool at my leap to judgement.
“Yes. It might surprise you to learn, he’s a very generous man. Don’t be fooled by the gruff exterior. It’s all a front.”
“Well, he sure does a good job of hiding it.” I sigh. Looks like I keep getting it wrong when it comes to Nick the Unpredictable. I remember the kindness he showed the woman in the restaurant. What a conundrum Nick is.
“I wouldn’t take his attitude personally, Lulu. I don’t think it’s you. He simply doesn’t want things to change around here. This is the only place he ever got any attention or approval from his father, so it’s difficult for him to see change.”
It’s so not any of my business to ask, but I can’t help myself. “So, they weren’t close?”
“Hmm. That’s a difficult one. Nick idolised Norman. But he was a tough father, not the warm and fuzzy type, if you know what I mean. It didn’t matter what Nick did, what he achieved; it was never enough.”
“Jesus wept.” A bark sounds from the doorway, and Mandy almost jumps out of her smart navy pumps, shooting me a nervous glance. “Are you always where I particularly don’t want you to be?” Nick grinds out, eyes narrowed, nostrils flared.
“Not always,” I reply sweetly. “And I will be out of here in plenty of time for your meeting. As a matter of fact, I’m finished now and will be on my way.”
“Good. We don’t have time for your shenanigans this morning.”
“Shenanigans? Hmm. And here I imagined I was doing my job.” I turn to Mandy, who is trying to suppress a laugh. “It was so nice to chat while we were working. Have a lovely day.” And with that, I saunter past Nicholas the Confusing, trying and failing not to take a big deep breath of his delicious cologne.
I was so sure I had Nick pegged, but it seems like maybe I was way off base with my opinion. Which is not good at all. I could almost keep a lid on my inconvenient attraction while I believed he was irredeemable, but it’s getting harder by the day. And letting these feelings loose feels fraught with danger.
Chapter Five
Nick
IscowlasTheInterloper once again flounces away from me, her sunshiny blonde curls bouncing. I turn and glare at Mandy, who at least has the good grace to look a little sheepish. Unfortunately, our every encounter seems to end this way. The annoying piece of work pops up unexpectedly all over the office, smiling, laughing and somehow charming everyone whose path she crosses, leaving me feeling frustrated and out of sorts.
It seems she’s researching office workflow and canvasing the staff on what would make their life easier and more productive. It’s irritating in the extreme to find her constantly under foot. Even my notoriously daunting assistant appears to be under her spell. I’m positive I have returned from meetings to smell her strangely pleasant scent lingering on the air in my office, despite my clear instruction she not be allowed in at any time.
As suddenly as The Interloper began torturing us, she disappears. A week goes by without a sighting of her. Thank God. If I had to listen to her throaty laugh while trying to concentrate one more time, I think I might have redecorated the office with someone’s blood.
And so much for her being a professional. She just up and disappeared. I knew the moment I met her she was flaky. I think it was the crystal jewellery. I’d bet she even reads tarot cards.
“Haven’t seen your decorator around this week, Harry. Did she give up on us? Bit too difficult for her?” I say with a smirk as we pass each other in reception one afternoon.
“Oh, no. Not at all.” He gives his trademark hearty laugh. “She has everything she needs for now and is working on putting together the proposal and detailed costings. She expects to have it ready for us to look at by the end of next week. I’ll let you know when we have a time locked in.”
“Yeah, pretty sure I’m in a deposition that day, but good luck with it.”
Harry’s already pink face flushes further, and his bushy silver brows furrow.
“I don’t think so, Nick. I want full attendance from the partners at this meeting. We all have to agree on what we’re approving. It’s going to be pretty pricey, and I don’t want anyone saying they don’t like it after the event. I’ll give you plenty of warning so you can make sure you’re available.” And with a thump on the back, he leaves me conflicted in his wake.
Now that I know she won’t be in the office anytime soon, I can take a deep breath and relax. The past week, like all weeks, has been busy and I have lived in expectation of finding The Interloper lurking around every corner. Not having that to contend with, at least until she returns, is a relief.
I have no idea why the rest of the week drags and I’m too busy to give it much consideration. But drag it does until Friday finally rolls around.
“Nicholas,” she purrs as she slips a hand onto my shoulder, bending to brush her lips over my cheek before I can stand. Eleanor is beautiful in a composed and polished way. She looks perfect, as always. Perfectly put together. Perfectly groomed. Perfectly on time and perfectly calm. “I was so glad you called. It’s been an age.”
She slides gracefully into the chair opposite me at her preferred table in her favourite restaurant. Where all the right people dine.
