‘I believe up to ten people have gone down with this illness. It’ll be a news story – a disaster, if it’s fatal for the old man. And it’s your disaster now your brand is associated with it. Do we have a PR department?’ As he spoke, he gestured to the banners with the company logo splashed across them while Nic shuddered at his use of the wordwe.‘You need to be more diligent about which events to sponsor and attend,’ Giorgos pressed on, climbing into the car. ‘As well as Castle Enterprises being all over the publicity, your future wife accused you of vandalising the environment shortly after you gave a prize to the head of a company grabbing land fromunder your nose. In future, any tie-ins will need to be run past my marketing department if you are not properly set up for fighting fires.
‘Now can I suggest you follow me back to London and avoid any more emotional involvement with country folk than really necessary? I suspect from the secrecy around your so-called engagement that you’ve knocked her up? She’s bonny, Nicolas, but you are anything but a “small-town” man.’ Hands locked on the steering wheel, Nic began to argue but was shut down. ‘I trust you will put in place a solid NDA and an arrangement that’s agreeable to everyone involved, whatever the circumstances of this shotgun scenario. But I reserve the right to pull funding if you make any more foolish decisions.’
Keeping his eyes on the road, Nic told Giorgos he was wide of the mark, but stopped there. He had nowhere to go with his defence, as he had indeed bought himself a wife. Maybe Dad was right, and he was in over his head? Although he’d proposed a commercial transaction, he had to admit he was starting to have genuine feelings for the girl. He’d thought about her many times in London and had been proud of her grit today; while also wishing he could get his hands inside that wetsuit. After dropping Giorgos at the station, he texted her to check she hadn’t come down with a bug herself, before suggesting a chat in the morning. A professional chat about a business arrangement. He needed to take his emotions out of this and focus. The whole situation was starting to feel like a jigsaw puzzle where he didn’t have control of the pieces.
27
Rain had pounded against the roof of Aria’s hut for hours, prompting Tiger to spend the entire night sprawled across her legs, snoring lightly. Tossing and turning, she’d gone through all her options about Nic’s offer. She had an overriding instinct to pull out – it wasn’t unreasonable to say she’d made a mistake? But her campaign had been a washout aside from the newspaper coverage. Pretty much no one had taken a leaflet yesterday and only six people had disclosed their email address. On top of this, the repair bill to the hut was growing. She’d need to find a way to insulate it if she wanted to finish out the year here as the rain dripped into buckets and the slugs used her floor as a short-cut. Could she use a deal with Castle Enterprises to her advantage with a raft of demands on her side? Her mind continued to whir while her heart beat faster at the idea of being around him. More than anything, honouring the fake marriage plan would give her breathing space and a place to live, while she hustled for more freelance work and pocketed the profit for a deposit on a rental flat, if she could find anything on her limited budget. She could treat the deal like a job, couldn’t she? She sighed as she examined her growingfeelings for Nic. Starting out as her enemy, he had gradually chipped away at her resolve. Was it all charm, good looks and sex appeal, or was there a decent person underneath the nice suit? The jury was still out. But the idea of getting under those clothes was giving her butterflies in her stomach. As she dressed and set out for the house further up the hillside to have the chat he’d suggested, she still couldn’t believe she’d been bold enough to do the ‘fairy magic’ thing on his thumb. And after cleaning mustard from her belly, who knew what heat he could produce if he ever got near her knickers?
***
She quietly knocked, aware of the early hour. Nic answered after a few minutes in a t-shirt and shorts. Presuming he was still in his nightwear, she politely looked away, although part of her wanted to freeze-frame him for a hot minute.
‘I can come back, if you’ve just got up?’
‘I was working out. Apologies for the sweat,’ he said, wiping his brow. He left the door open for her – an invitation to enter. He spoke as he walked ahead. ‘Theo has drawn up a draft NDA, and I got rid of my dad last night, so we won’t be disturbed while we chat through the detail. I have to admit I was very surprised yesterday – in fact I was gobsmacked – when the fake relationship idea was upgraded to an engagement. I’m not complaining, as it’ll help my case, but I just wondered why you took it further.’
Walking into the vast room she’d once shown him around, she noticed how beautifully the morning light filtered inthrough the huge windows. And then, as he reached into a cupboard, her eyes fell on his legs – muscled and hairy in all the right places. She sucked in a breath. Should she confess how wound up she had been by Justin? No. It was embarrassing to have been in a relationship with such a dick. Also, he was in the past, while Nic was scarily part of her present. Close up, the prospect of a fake marriage seemed both exciting and alarming. Especially given the talk about an NDA.
‘Want a coffee in one of these ridiculous cups?’ He held up a large insulated glass. ‘I could take mine with milk, so you don’t look greedy.’
She wandered over to the window while he pottered around with the coffee. When he passed her the glass, she felt brave enough to ask him about the paperwork.
‘It’s not a given that you’ll want to sign an NDA, and speak up if you don’t,’ he replied. ‘But it will keep the deal confidential on both sides, which I know is what we both want. A proper contract will also set out expectations and help with any questions or nerves. I don’t know what you envisaged, but you’ll obviously need to stay here a few weeks to establish the facade of being in a romantic partnership. I thought about letting my father in on it but decided the fewer people that know about this the better.’
Aria cast an eye over a pile of washing on the dining room table – the only hint of untidiness she’d ever seen in here. True to form, he scooped it up. She noticed new pictures on the walls, and the photographs on the dresser. ‘It looks different!’
‘I picked up a few things from my flat. Thought the house was looking a bit unloved. I’m hoping you’ll also bring somestuff to help us look more credible as a couple. But not too much as I’m not a fan of clutter. You obviously won’t be expected to deal with my washing. I’ll get dressed and put it away while you look at this.’ He handed her a brown envelope.
‘You’ll struggle to pull the wool over Sophie’s eyes,’ she said, opening it and peering inside.
He nodded. ‘We’ll have to discuss a plan of action for her as she will be coming every week. Luckily everyone else in the town hates me, so I don’t have any other visitors.’
Not everyone, she thought, remembering how animated he looked chatting with Cal Lawson. ‘Before you go, please may I have your wi-fi password? I want to message Belinda and see if there’s been any news about Fred. The old man I met yesterday. He really wasn’t well at the end of the swim.’
‘Here it is,’ he said handing her a small, laminated code. ‘Send him my best.’ When he left the room with his clean laundry, she called Tiger’s name and opened the balcony door. Then she messaged Belinda, establishing Fred had been told to rehydrate as he’d overdone it in the lake. She was surprised when Tiger trotted into the room from the hallway, with a clutch of blue material in his teeth.
‘You can’t fetch stuff in this house, stupid dog,’ she whispered, gently pulling at the fabric. When he didn’t part with it, she squatted to his level, and more firmly attempted to take it from him. He growled softly and tugged back. If she wasn’t careful, the fabric would tear. She put her face in Tiger’s, wagged her finger at him at close range and pulled harder.
‘Give it to me. Give!’ she hissed. The dog dropped the garment and moved forward to lick any body part he couldget to. She stood, realising she was holding a pair of silk boxers. Jolted by the intimacy, she let the soft material glide through her fingers, imagining how they’d look on Nic. Then she went a step further and imagined them dropping to the floor. In her daydream, the legs she had glimpsed were attached to a toned back and butt, and, all of a sudden, she was envisaging the whole of him naked. She held the silk against her cheek and then against her nose, before realising how suspect that looked.
‘Are you really about to sniff a bloke’s undies? Pull yourself together,’ she scolded herself out loud before deciding to drop the evidence outside Nic’s door. Of course, he had to come out of the bathroom as she snuck down the hall. Dressed now in tracksuit bottoms, he’d slung a small towel across his broad shoulders. The light scattering of hair on his upper body sent her pulse rocketing and she noticed how it tapered in a V towards his sweat pants. Blinking, she looked down at the garment in her hands. Thank goodness he hadn’t seen her buffing her nose with them.
‘You dropped your pants…’ She held out the garment, realising what she’d just uttered. ‘Er, I meant your washing, not your…’
‘I understood you were talking about my laundry.’ He licked his lips, failing to hide a smile.
‘Must get back to the pug of all pugs!’ She quickly retreated, hearing his earthy laugh behind her. The pug of all pugs? At least she hadn’t mentioned Tiger’s mastication of his crotch.
28
Before joining her for coffee, Nic answered the third call of the day from his dad. ‘Your first was at six this morning. People need to sleep, you know.’
‘The early bird gets the deal. And thank you for enquiring: I got home safely. Glad you were so worried. I’ve been thinking about you and that Wilson woman. She is connected. Use her to get everyone on side. Let’s pull out all the stops, shall we?’ Giorgos barked. ‘Be seen about town with her. And start prepping the land. Once you get permission, you can then go hell for leather. Oh, and access to the marina is an imperative…’
Nic held the phone with his shoulder as his father threw out more rapid-fire instructions. He was glad he hadn’t told him the truth about Aria, while wondering if he talked to his younger children like they were employees. Giorgos was still issuing instructions by the time he was dressed and shaved, insisting the marina restaurant should be world class, recommending a chef who had a British passport and enough experience to put the development on the foodie map. As he wandered back into the bedroom, Nic glanced at a photographhe’d brought up from London. The last one where they were together as a family. His dad had never really understood the concept of marriage. Nic’s mother wasn’t enough for him – he’d said that loud and clear over the years. They probably shouldn’t have got together in the first place. If married couples were a mystery, divorced parents were a thriller Nic didn’t have the energy to read. He grabbed his laptop from his bedside table and went to seek out Aria. Her drink was on the balcony, but she was gone.
***
