‘As I couldn’t get here until after dinner, I thought you might enjoy something from my homeland.’
‘Yum! Thanks,’ said Lucy, taking a cake slice and dividing up the dessert.
The chair which Lucy had indicated for her to take was next to Oliver. And Augi hesitated as she watched Oliver and Lucy exchange glances which were too warm, too interested, given what Augi knew. A surge of anger rose up inside of her. She hated injustice, hated it with passion born not only of her nature, but also of what she’d experienced during the last dark days of her life in Greece.
When Oliver looked up at her, Augi suddenly realised that a sense of tension had settled around them, and the conversation had dwindled to a halt.
‘Augi,’ said Kate. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘I’m sorry,’ Augi said to Kate before nodding to Lucy. She hated to cause Lucy pain, but she hated even more that Lucy was being tricked and used by this man. ‘I hadn’t intended…’
‘What?’ Kate responded with a frown.
‘To say what I’m about to say,’ Augi said. ‘I was going to wait, but I can’t.’ She turned her attention back to Oliver. How he could sit there, his handsome face relaxed as if he had every right to enjoy flirting with Lucy and accepting Kate’s hospitality, she didn’t know. ‘You haven’t told them, have you, Oliver?’ Her voice surprised even her with its coldness.
His eyes widened and smile dropped. He shook his head. At least he didn’t try to defend himself. He licked his lips, as if giving himself a few more seconds to think. ‘No, I haven’t. I guess you’re going to, though?’
She nodded. ‘It seems I have to. I’ve never liked hypocrisy.’ Icy this time.
Oliver visibly flinched. ‘I’m not —’
Augi raised an autocratic hand and Oliver stopped speaking instantly. ‘Save it…’ — she glanced at Lucy — ‘for Lucy because she needs to hear your explanation, not us.’
‘Explanation for what?’ burst out Lucy, finding her voice at last.
‘For why,’ said Augi, ‘Oliver has moved the goal posts around community consultation.’
All eyes were on Oliver. He looked at each of them in turn, a forced smile resting on his lips as if he was still in control. But he wasn’t. His gaze only faltered when he looked at Lucy, before turning back to Kate.
‘Your friend is correct. I’ve met with both the mayors of Kapiti and Wellington a few days ago and, subsequently, his team has agreed to a change in the consultation process.’
‘What change?’ asked Kate.
‘A streamlined consultation process has been approved.’
‘A… what?’ said Lucy, her face white with shock.
‘Streamlined.’
‘As opposed to… usual, to normal, to thorough,’ added Augi.
Oliver’s lips tightened. ‘The council want a Wellington development I’m also working on to begin and there were a few things uncovered about the hotel which have allowed the consultation process to be reduced.’
‘Reduced to what?’ asked Kate in a steely voice which Augi had never heard before. Her tone clearly had an effect on Oliver, too. There was no hint of a smooth smile now.
‘Ten working days notification.’
‘And that’s passed,’ she said. ‘What else?’
‘Ten percent engagement threshold.’
‘You can’t have received that yet.’
Oliver winced.
‘You have.’
He nodded. ‘At the public meeting last Monday.’
