Authors: Sally Clements
“Let’s go
dance.”
There were
people everywhere. Despite Annie’s declaration, the music was fast and loud,
couples hurling each other across the dance floor like missiles. It seemed to
be breaking the ice anyway. Laughter filled the air.
“Oh my God.
This can’t be the dance of love, can it?”
“More like
the dance of broken bones.” She grinned and jerked him out of the danger zone.
“There’ll be a
slow one next. Come on, let’s get a drink.”
At the
punchbowl, a familiar giant was chatting to a small, pretty woman he hadn’t met
before.
“Jack, this is
my cousin Michael and his wife Grainne.”
Jack nodded.
“Michael and I have met. But this is the first time I’ve met Grainne.” He stuck
out his hand and shook hers. “Pleased to meet you, Grainne.”
“Likewise.”
She had an open and friendly face. “Michael’s told me all about you.”
Annie was
looking puzzled. Her gaze flicked between them. Of course, she didn’t know about
Michael coming to the house on ladies night. The night he’d brought the
supplies for the boat. The night he and Bull had discovered Michael’s secret.
His heart
fell. He hadn’t told her Michael’s secret. But he’d told Bull hers. He closed
his eyes in dread. Waiting for the blade to fall.
The music
changed, softened into a ballad. The mournful lilt of the singer perfectly
matching his mood.
“Annie,
they’re playing our song.”
Her eyes
opened wide.
“Okay, it
might not be ‘our song’ but it’s the first slow one. So you’re dancing with
me.” He did the whole macho thing of leading her out into the middle of the
dance floor. He had to get her away before Michael let something slip. Jack
pulled Annie into his arms and breathed in the fragrance of her hair. Her body
molded itself to his in a sweet torment. He couldn’t give in to it. He had to
talk to her before anyone else did.
“Annie.” She
moved sensuously against him, swaying in the circle of his arms. It was
torture. “Annie.” Sharper. Her steps faltered and she cracked open her eyes to
gaze up at him. “I need to talk to you about something.”
****
She stilled in
his arms. This was it. He was going to say he loved her. She just knew it. She
breathed in. It was the perfect ending of a perfect day. Her thoughts tumbled
over each other, working out the details, mile a minute. He’d go back to New
York for a few days and be back before the festival was over. And all the time
she’d be thinking of him. Planning out the future they’d live together. Maybe
they could buy somewhere in Dublin, somewhere near his grandmother, close
enough so they could sail back here for holidays.
She waited.
“While you
were in Dublin I spoke to your father.” He didn’t look happy. In fact he looked
so serious she almost interrupted before remembering what had happened the last
time she’d jumped in. He’d spoken to Bull? Had he asked her father for his
blessing? It was archaic, but she felt sure Bull would have approved.
She nodded,
silently willing him to continue.
“Did Bull tell
you?” His brow creased in a fascinating puzzle of wrinkles.
“No. He
didn’t. Why don’t you?” She smiled. He obviously needed some encouragement.
“Oh.” His face
fell. He was really milking the moment for all it was worth. She was happy
enough to let him. It wasn’t every day she got proposed to on the dance floor.
“I spoke to
your father about you being the next matchmaker.” The swirling couples and the
mournful music faded away. She felt her jaw drop open, like a cartoon
character.
It couldn’t be true.
“What?” Her
legs were barely holding her up. She needed to sit down, quick. She stumbled
and his hands gripped her upper arms steadying her.
“Let’s sit
down and talk.”
She glanced
around the room full of romancing couples. They sat on chairs around the dance
floor, talking and flirting.
“Outside.” Her
feet couldn’t rush her out of there quickly enough, but she resisted the urge
to run. Outside, she sank down onto one of the chairs set up under the
darkening sky.
Annie’s hands
twisted and squeezed in her lap. She bit the inside of her mouth, one part of
her not wanting to hear the details, the other desperate to. Jack’s voice was
low as he started talking.
“I met Michael
during ladies night. Later, Bull, Michael and I were talking. Michael wanted to
help out matchmaking during the festival. His lifelong dream is to be a
matchmaker. Bull told him he could help, but that the job of matchmaker had to
come to you. It was your legacy as his only child. Michael was disappointed.
Even though he’d always known you would inherit the mantle. He told Bull he’d
be happy to help. I couldn’t let Bull turn him down. Not when I knew you didn’t
want the job. I insinuated that you didn’t want it. You know you dread it.” He reached
for her hand again, but Annie shifted in the seat, rejecting his touch. She
stared out at the water. It was unforgivable. He’d betrayed her trust. Spoken
to her father against her wishes.
“Isn’t it time
for you to be going?” There was cold anger in her stare. “You don’t want to
miss your plane.”
“Annie, don’t
be like this…” There was a warning note in his voice, but she ignored it. Not
this time. This was a step too far.
“You betrayed
me, Jack. I asked you not to say anything. Did you even think of that when you
decided to take matters into your own hands and tell him my innermost
thoughts?”
He was silent.
“Well, did
you?” His betrayal hurt. No, more than that, her entire body ached as if
mugged. Especially her heart.
He glanced at
his watch and cursed aloud.
“I have to go
otherwise I’ll miss my flight. If I miss this one, I’ll miss my meeting. I
can’t stay, Annie. If we lose the contract it could be catastrophic for the
company.”
“Just go,
Jack.”
Walk away. And don’t bother coming back.
She told herself she’d
survive, and she knew she would. But she wouldn’t be happy. She didn’t think
she would ever be happy again.
“I’m going.
But I’ll be back. Think about it while I’m gone. I’ll be back for the end of
festival party.” He bent down and brushed her unresponsive lips with his warm
ones. “This isn’t over. I care about you, Annie. I’m not giving up.”
His long legs
rushed him to the car in moments. She sat in the dark and watched the lights of
his car grow smaller until they finally faded into the distance.
Chapter Fifteen
The fact his
office had the perfect view over Central Park didn’t interest Jack in the
slightest. He buzzed Roxie and asked her to come in. “Did you book the
restaurant?”
Roxie and Mark
were having dinner with him tonight. They were leaving straight from work. The
pile of paperwork on his desk was steadily shrinking. It now resembled a small
hill, rather than the mountain it had been when he returned to the office three
days ago.
“Yes, it’s all
arranged.” She’d brought her notebook in with her. She always did. Usually when
he called he’d need her to. Not this time though.
“Sit for a
couple of minutes, will you?”
She tossed
back her shining cap of black hair. Sat on the white leather chair opposite his
and crossed her long, elegant legs. She was uncharacteristically quiet. “Will
you need me to take notes this evening?”
He’d never
taken his secretary for dinner before. Apart from meetings when they would be
discussing a client’s requirements. She’d always had to combine the tasks of
eating with note taking. He was a terrible boss.
“This evening
is just for us all to talk. We won’t need your notebook.” Jack ran a finger
around his collar, loosening the fit. He hated the constriction around his
neck. Being in Durna, he’d quickly got used to jeans and tee-shirts. And
talking about his feelings.
“The meeting
went well?” Roxie’s eyebrows raised questioningly, giving her a slightly
startled look. She tilted her head sideways like a curious rabbit. She must be
wondering where her driven boss had gone. The aimless man facing her bore very
little resemblance.
He nodded.
“Yes.” He’d worked with Mark to redo the presentation, and had let Mark give
it. Jason Mecredi wanted him there, but Jack had insisted on only sitting in as
an observer. Mark was running the show. It wasn’t fair of the client to dismiss
Mark’s efforts. Jack had made that quite clear to Jason in a phone call before
the presentation. Mark was a damn good worker. He had vision and style. There
was no way Jack would take that away from him. After an hour of presentation
and the subsequent discussion, Mecredi Cars announced they were satisfied.
Miller Advertising had won another prestigious contract. He should be bouncing
off the walls. Instead, his thoughts returned unerringly to Durna, and to
Annie.
“I want you to
know there are going to be some changes.”
Roxie crossed
and uncrossed her legs. She was nervous. Everyone dreaded change.
“In a good
way,” he hastily added. “I want to talk to you and Mark because I consider you
both the most important people in the company. I’d like you to think about
taking on a bigger role, Roxie.” She’d always talked about becoming a creative,
and Mark was all for it. Roxie’s knowledge of the company’s workings had been
invaluable while he was away. She’d more than proved herself able for the job.
“Mark agrees.
He was very impressed with your work while I was away. The company is
expanding. I’ve offered Mark a directorship and he’s agreed. We’d like you to take
the position of Mark’s assistant. Eventually take on clients on your own. When
you feel ready, of course.” She was beaming at him. Not smiling, actually
beaming. “We’ll have to employ someone to take over your position, and you’ll
need to spend some time training them in. Then you’ll be working with Mark.
It’s one of the things we’ll be discussing this evening. I just wanted to give
you a heads up.”
The other item
on the agenda was his determination to take the organization global. Starting
with Ireland. He would break the news over dinner.
Roxie pushed
her hair behind her ears. It was only just long enough. She pulled in a deep
breath. “I’d love that, Jack. You know it’s what I’ve always wanted.”
He nodded;
she’d never been shy about stating her goals. “You deserve it, Roxie. You’ve
worked hard and you’re a real credit to the company.”
He walked
around the desk and offered her his hand. “Now, let’s see if Mark is ready to
go. I think we can close up early today. Don’t you?”
****
After a
hellish couple of days, Susan Goff rang to make Annie an offer she couldn’t
refuse. The chance to have samples of her winning chocolates grace every table
at the presentation ceremony. The organizers had produced small, two-chocolate
sized boxes with Devine Chocolates printed on top. Along with acres of violet
ribbon to dress them.
It was an
impossible task to complete in her kitchen at home, and they’d cleverly
provided the perfect solution. A miniature army of six professional
chocolatiers from the catering college had been provided, along with everything
they’d need. The hellish part was that there were one hundred and fifty guests.
The resulting nightmare of producing a mountain of chocolates had been one unforgettable
experience.
Now, one
hundred and fifty boxes filled with her winning entry sat on a side table ready
to be placed out onto the tables at the end of the meal. The guests were a hand
picked, select group of international buyers and restaurateurs. All of whom
would be tasting her chocolates before the night was through. As well as the
publicity and substantial check, getting her chocolates in front of the buyers
would be the catalyst to getting her company off the ground. She should be
feeling ecstatic. Instead, she was exhausted.
She was
stacking the final boxes on the side table when a tall, elegant lady dressed in
a flowing silk dress walked up to her. “Annie? I’m Susan Goff.” Annie placed
the boxes down carefully. “Miss Goff.” Speech deserted her in the face of the illustrious
judge.
“Susan.” She
cast an expert eye over the boxes, then gestured to a chair. “Call me Susan.
They look fantastic.” They sank onto two chairs abutting the nearest table. “I
wanted to get a chance before the ceremony to meet you. To find out if you have
any concerns that need my attention.” Susan Goff’s long red nails lay in her
lap. Her tone was so warm, Annie relaxed instantly.
“I did want to
talk to you about something.” She pulled in a deep breath. “The shop.”
One of Susan’s
eyebrows rose. It was an impressive trick.
“I wanted to
know what would happen if I decided not to take it.”
The eyebrow
fell, and Susan leant closer. “In the event of you not taking the shop, we
would have to award it to the runner-up. You would still be the winner of the
competition, of course, but the lease for the current tenant runs out in a
month, and such prime property…” She hissed out a breath. “Well, we couldn’t
leave it empty. Are you planning not to take us up on our offer?”
It was late in
the day for making such a momentous decision, but she needed to explore all her
options.
“I haven’t
decided yet.” Her eyes clouded and she clenched her jawline tight. “I’ll let
you know by the end of next week.”
****
A sumptuous
suite of rooms formed part of Annie’s prize. It was decked out with fruit,
flowers and champagne. The two-roomed suite meant her parents could stay the
night in luxury too, which had been a relief. Her flat was too small to
accommodate them, and she didn’t want them traveling back to Durna so late. It
was a long drive. Annie soaked in a leisurely bath and got dressed.
The extension
rang just as she was putting the final touches to her hair. She’d decided to
put it up in honor of the occasion, and was fiddling with the jeweled hair
chopsticks she’d bought on holiday. The mauve butterflies made of Swarovski
crystal were a perfect match to her dress.