Three offers? She would take the deal I’d offered her. I had made it impossible for her not to. If one of them outbid me … the thought made me anxious. It made me want to go back in and grovel, apologise for not calling, apologise for remaining silent during that meeting …
It was best not to spend time analysing the need I felt to have her back in the business. She was the best person placed to help Oliver succeed, and that was that. Purely professional.
Unlike my desire to paint her fucking walls.
She missed Holiday Nick.Fuck –I did too. How did I tell her that Holiday Nick wasn’t real? That he wasn’t someone who appeared at that bloody resort once a year. That I had actually never metHoliday Nickbefore … before her.
There was another Nick once who was similar, but he did not survive his marriage.
And then Regular Nick’s driver was parked looking at him, waiting for him to get off a fence in front of a girl’s house and get in the bloody car. So I did.
***
Our apartment in Sydney is fantastic. We own the top floor of a harbourfront building I got for a steal. I’d bought it years ago and then had it renovated when I realised how much time we might need to spend there, with the acquisition. When the neighbouring apartment had come up, I bought it for Ollie, though he is mostly at mine. So I was not surprised when I opened the door and saw his feet on my dining table.
‘How’d it go?’
I rolled my eyes. I had expected her to text ayes pleaseby now. ‘Fine.’
‘So she’ll come back?’
A short breath escaped my mouth, and I nodded and then shook my head as I reluctantly admitted, ‘I don’t know.’ I went and sat at the table opposite him, also putting my feet up on it. He slid a glass of single malt to me. ‘She’s getting other offers, and she was …’ I drank. ‘Upset with me. With us … Mostly with me.’
‘Well,wecan hardly blame her. We both sat there and acted as though she was a stranger to us, while an employee of ours accused her of being a slut and stealing money. She might be able to forgive me … I’m charming and handsome, but you were her lover on that holiday, and you are an ugly, miserable old bastard and thereforeyouare fucked.’
I ran my hand through my hair and pulled at my T-shirt, uncomfortable with how accurate and blunt he was.
‘Did you speak to her … on a personal level?’ Ollie asked.
‘We have nothing to discuss of a personal nature.’ My voice was clipped.
‘You get to lie about that now, Nick. But the minute she signs that contract, you will disclose to me if that changes. You will follow the Northby rules. Am I understood? It will actually be my business, so I’ll need to know if you are having … feelings … of a personal nature.’
I scoffed. Clearly he had forgotten the Northby rule about who was the actual boss around here. And that I would never mix personal with business, and that I was a fucking master of control.
Determined to make a liar of me, Abbey popped into my head. I don’t know why I thought to say what was on my mind to Ollie, but it just came out. ‘She was painting her bedroom by herself and there is something about her house that is so warm, so her. Oh, and her sister is fucking terrifying.’
‘Really?’ Oliver laughed. ‘I don’t know why that surprises me.’
‘How did you find Bondi Beach?’ I asked. He had declared this morning that he was going for a surf and had to purchase a board – apparently, he thought the minute one arrived in Australia one could surf.
‘Fucking horrendous. The ocean here is angry all of the time. The views were lovely though,’ he said, finishing his glass with a knowing smile, and standing. ‘As a result, I have a date tonight with Marissa from Maroubra.’
‘Well, I wish you luck with that.’ I lifted my glass at him.
‘Why don’t you come? Australian women love our accent. And all women love our money.’
I shook my head. ‘No thank you, Ollie. Have a lovely evening.’
‘Nick.’ He looked at me with a serious expression. ‘You can take risks in life as well as business.’ He shrugged a shoulder at me, then gave me a slap on the back. He left, not waiting for a response.
I sat there, drinking Scotch, watching as the sun set with Hollywood-film-like perfection and then, as the evening darkened, the harbour was lit by a thousand glittering lights. Waiting.
Fine.
I sat up, reaching for my phone. I snorted and my heart pounded. It was such a passive-aggressive response, and it had come hours after I’d expected it. I could feel how pissed off she was at sending it. She’d wanted to say no to me.
Okay.
