Finally Page 8
“I thought it ended when the cruise ended.”
“Well, we’ve started again.”
“I hope you’re not leading her on, Jeff,” Zach said, his tone holding a strong warning.
“I’m not. I swear. This is mutual.”
“Why don’t you just tell her about Bianca then?” Greg asked.
Jeff shrugged. The thought actually filled him with dread, but he didn’t want to admit that to his brothers. “I’ll tell Sarah about Bianca only if we decide that Bianca would be working with us for the long term. I don’t see the point in creating a problem with Sarah if we’d be sacking Bianca after a couple of months.”
Greg smirked. “And he calls it a fling,” he said to Zach.
Jeff frowned at the knowing looks exchanged by his brothers. Sometimes, they really annoyed him. “It is a fling.”
He might already have moved on from Bianca ages ago, but seeing her again did reinforce something. Flings—not serious relationships—were what worked well for him. So he was sticking with flings. He only hoped that Sarah was open to a very long one with him.
*****
“Mmm. This is just as good as I remember.”
Jeff smiled his agreement. He and Bianca were dining in one of Sydney's popular restaurants, and they’d ordered the dishes that had been their favourites for years.
He was having a pleasant time so far, like he was having dinner with an old friend.
He was relieved with that. It certainly made things less complicated, since it was imperative that he worked well with Bianca.
“So how’ve you been these last two years?” Bianca asked.
“I’ve been well, thanks. You?”
“Not bad,” Bianca said. “I’ve read a lot about you... in the papers and magazines and on the internet.”
He snorted. “I hope you didn’t believe everything you’ve read.”
“Of course not. Some of the claims they made about you were ridiculous.”
“Like what?” He’d stopped reading the gossip that got written about him and his family. Most of it was untrue or grossly exaggerated. It just irritated the hell out of him.
“Well, more than one publication had said that you’re a big playboy—changing girlfriends like you change your clothes,” Bianca teased.
Jeff rolled his eyes in mock frustration. While there were photos to prove that he’d been out with those women, the fact was he hadn’t slept with half of them. Some were just his friends and a few were business acquaintances he’d had lunch meetings with. Of course, the truth didn’t make for juicy stories that sold magazines.
“I did find that very hard to believe,” Bianca continued quietly. “That wasn’t the Jeff I knew.”
Bianca’s eyes were round—questioning and searching—as she stared at him. He squirmed at her attention.
“What made you decide to come back to Australia? New York no longer working for you?” he asked, steering the conversation back to the topic of work.
“Career-wise it was a great decision to go there,” Bianca answered. “Not only did I learn so much, but I’ve developed connections with very influential people. But I was lonely,” she continued, still staring at him intently. “Like you, I didn’t get into any serious relationships.”
He raised his eyebrows at her assumption, but he couldn’t really dispute that fact. “I’ve been busy,” he said with a shrug.
Bianca’s lips tugged into a wide, pleased smile. “Mind you, I didn’t lack admirers,” she said lightly. “I just didn’t meet anyone who interested me enough.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d lack admirers, Bee. I already have someone from our legal department asking who you were. Maybe I’ll introduce him to you. You know I don’t have issues with workplace romance as long as it doesn’t affect productivity.”
Bianca rolled her eyes. “How’s Gran?” she asked, changing the subject.
“She’s not too bad. She had mild pneumonia but she’s a lot better.” He wasn’t at all surprised that Bianca still called Magda ‘Gran’. She’d done so for years, as Bianca’s auntie was a friend of his grandmother’s.
“Oh. Do you think I can see her and say hello sometime this week?”
“She’s not in Sydney. She’s resting at Magda’s Place. The fresh country air is doing her a lot of good. And as you know, she loves it there.”
“I see. Maybe I can see her in a few weeks’ time. I’d like to make it earlier, but there are still a few things I need to do to get myself settled back here. My weekends are a bit busy.”
Jeff nodded, his mind flying to Magda’s Place—specifically to Sarah.
It truly surprised him how much he was missing Sarah. He couldn’t wait to see her again. If he didn’t have important meetings in Sydney, he’d choose to work from the Hunter Valley while she was there.
“Who’s with Gran, apart from hotel staff?” Bianca asked
“Sarah,” Jeff answered, his lips curving into a smile.
“Who?”
“Oh. Her nurse,” he answered, feeling himself blush. Gee, that was a first!
“Right,” Bianca said, her brows creasing. “Does she need full-time, in-home care now?”
“Only because she’s not well.”
“Is she all right there without you guys?”
“Sarah looks after her well. She’s looked after Gran before, when Gran had a hip replacement last year. Sarah’s also the best friend of Zach’s fiancée, who was also Gran’s nurse.”
“Zach’s getting married?” Bianca asked, surprised.
“Yup.”
“Wow. When?”
“They haven’t finalised a date yet. They just got engaged.”
“Oh, give them my congratulations.”
“I will.”
“Um, it’s your birthday soon, Jeff.”
“Yes. It is,” he said hesitantly. He hadn’t wanted to bring that up.
“Are you doing anything special?”
“Nothing big. Just family and some friends.”
“At your place?”
“No. At the Hunter Valley.”
“Magda’s Place?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. I’m sure you’ll have fun,” Bianca said.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Bianca might hint on wanting an invitation to his party. Fortunately, she hadn’t. Bianca shouldn’t be around Sarah.
He found himself praying that he hadn’t just jumped into a mud-pool of complications by agreeing to hire Bianca.
CHAPTER TEN
“Bec! Amanda!” Sarah cried as she spotted her best friends walking through the front door of Magda’s Place.
“Hi darling!”
“How are you, Sarah?”
“I’m good, and so excited that you guys are here. And you’re definitely staying until the engagement party, Amanda?”
“Yup,” Amanda said. “I was able to take a couple of weeks off work.”
“Is Gran okay?” Rebecca asked.
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s hardly coughing now and she’s getting active again.”
“Good. I told Zach I’ll stay from today if you and Gran need me. But if not, I’ll go home tomorrow with him and we’ll be back next weekend with Brenna and Gemma for Jeff’s party.”
“I’m surprised he doesn’t mind letting you out of his sight for a whole week,” Sarah teased.
“Well, he did say he’ll only share me with Gran if she’s truly not well. He said he’ll miss me too much,” Rebecca said with a swooning sigh. “Frankly, I don’t want to be away from him too.”
Sarah and Amanda glanced at each other and rolled their eyes mockingly.
“Hey, wait till you meet your New Year’s Resolution Guys,” Rebecca said. “You’ll be as bad as I am.”
“We can only hope,” Sarah said as a handsome Jeff popped into her mind. “Anyway, where’s Jeff?”
“Jeff? I don’t know,” Rebecca said.
Sarah shook her head to clea
r it. “I mean Zach. Where’s Zach?”
Amanda snorted. “I think we’re starting to have another bad case here, Bec.”
Rebecca looked at Sarah warily. “I hope not. Anyway, Zach’s parking the car. He dropped us off at the front door because it’s raining. How are you liking it here?”
“Great! I’m really enjoying myself. I’ve never been more relaxed in my life. But I’m glad you guys are here. Magda and I are ready for some more company.”
“This place is gorgeous,” Amanda gushed, looking around the impressive lobby that conveyed luxury while exuding a welcoming country warmth.
“I know. Wait till you see the whole place. And oh, the suites are fantastic. I’m staying in one. We could share it, Amanda. It’s huge!”
“Are you sure you want to share with me?”
“Yeah. Apparently, some of the people invited for Jeff’s birthday are coming a week early. I’m imagining they’d want a suite if they could get it. I’m feeling guilty occupying one all by my lonesome, but Magda wouldn’t hear of me moving to another room.”
Amanda laughed and leaned in to whisper, “That’s not what I mean. Don’t you want to share with Jeff?”
“I can always sneak into his room when he’s around,” she responded naughtily.
“And how is it with you and Jeff?” Rebecca asked. “You’ve been very cagey on the phone. It’s so unlike you.”
“We’re sleeping together again,” she admitted to Rebecca.
“Really? What does that mean?” Rebecca asked, sounding thrilled.
“Don’t get excited. It doesn’t mean we’re together. It’s just still casual. Nothing more.”
Both her best friends stared at her in consternation.
“Is that what you really want?” Amanda asked.
“I need to get him out of my system, guys. I thought the best way to do that was to have my fill of him so I could move on.”
“And is it working?”
She blushed, feeling all shades of foolish. “No.”
“Oh Sarah,” Rebecca said with worry.
“Look, I don’t have any illusions about where this would lead. As you know, expectations are the source of heavy disappointments. Well, my expectation of a happily ever after with Jeff is a big, fat zero, so I’ll be fine.”
Rebecca hugged her. “I hope so, honey. I’d hate for you to get hurt because of Jeff. I don’t want you to feel awkward around my future in-laws.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. But even as she assured Rebecca, Sarah knew she was lying.
“Hello, girls!” they heard Magda call out.
“Gran!” Rebecca cried, rushing to hug Magda.
“Ooh, I love it when you call me Gran,” Magda said, kissing Rebecca on both cheeks. “Hello, Amanda. It’s good you can come here early.”
“Thanks again for having me, Magda. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here for two weeks. I promise not to disturb Sarah when she’s working.”
“Don’t be silly, dear. We’re excited to have you here. The more the merrier.”
“You must be well enough by now to say that, Gran,” Zach said from the front door.
“Hello, dear. Yes, I’m much better.”
“Has she been a good patient, Sarah?”
“She’s been the model patient, Zach. That’s why I love looking after her.”
“That’s a relief. That means you won’t need Bec to stay this week, would you? She said she’ll stay only if Gran needs her.”
“Oh, Rebecca can still stay,” Magda said.
“No, Gran. You’re well enough. Plus Sarah and Amanda are here to keep you company. I need my fiancée with me,” Zach said, pulling Rebecca to him and kissing her on the forehead.
Sarah felt envious as she watched the besotted couple. Ahh. It made her miss Jeff even more. What time would he be arriving? She could barely wait.
Oh God, she was in big trouble. How could she have fallen so fast?
*****
The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Sarah was showing Amanda and Rebecca around the garden when, from their vantage point, they spotted two women getting out of a car in front of the hotel. She gasped when she recognised them.
“Who are they?” Amanda asked.
“Marilyn and her grandmother Olga,” Rebecca said. “Olga is one of Magda’s friends. Both of them were on the cruise with us.”
“And Marilyn is one of Jeff’s former fling partners,” Sarah added.
“Oh.”
“They must be staying here for the week,” Rebecca said as they watched the porter unload two large suitcases from the back of the car.
“Marilyn wouldn’t be happy to see me here,” Sarah murmured. “She pretty much ignored me during the last days of the cruise, as if I was someone who didn’t exist on planet Earth. I wonder why Jeff didn’t mention she was coming.”
“Maybe Jeff didn’t know that you know about him and Marilyn having a fling before,” Rebecca suggested.
Sarah shrugged. “Well, I suppose he didn’t need to tell me anything.” Still, she was more than disappointed. How awkward would it be that Jeff’s ex-fling would be under the same roof as her for one whole week.
Another car arrived, and Sarah’s heart skipped before galloping in her chest. “That’s Jeff,” she said.
Sarah couldn’t see Marilyn’s face clearly because of the distance, but she was sure Marilyn’s face broke into a wide smile as Jeff parked his car behind Marilyn’s. When Jeff got out, Marilyn immediately jumped to give him a hug.
Sarah held her breath as she tried to read Jeff’s response. His arms did go around Marilyn, but thankfully not too tightly and only for a second. The two spoke for a moment before walking together toward the hotel entrance.
“Is that jealousy on your face, Sarah?” Rebecca asked softly.
“I’m afraid so.”
Her friends sighed loudly.
“Can you still simply walk away when he tells you it’s all over?”
Sarah glanced sharply at Rebecca, her face expressing the hurt she immediately felt at the thought.
“Oh dear,” Amanda murmured.
“I know. My bad,” Sarah said, knowing her friends could tell the extent of her feelings for Jeff. “What do I do?”
“What do you want to do?” Rebecca asked
“I want him to fall in love with me too.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Then you girls would need to console me and feed me chocolates and let me cry on your shoulders like you did the last time.”
“Easily done,” Amanda said, putting an arm around her. “We’ll also take you to the movies, send you for massages, help you find your New Year’s Resolution Guy...“
Sarah smiled gratefully. “Sounds great, girls. Maybe I should end it all now and take up your offer.”
She laughed with her friends, but of course, she preferred Jeff over all those. Her mind played scenes of Jeff’s sweetness and tenderness the last time he was around. But did that mean he was starting to care about her too? Or was he like that in all his casual relationships?
Hopefully, the next few days would give her some answers.
*****
“It’s so peaceful here. Inspiring really,” Rebecca said as the three of them sat in the large gazebo in the garden, gazing at the mesmerising view of vineyards and distant hills. “Oh look, there’s a couple of kangaroos over there!”
They watched as the large marsupials hopped their way between rows of vines.
“It’s surprising to see them out in the middle of the day,” Sarah said. “Usually, I don’t see them until late in the afternoon.”
“I see why you enjoy being here with Magda,” Amanda said. “But aren’t you missing the city?”
“Sometimes I do miss it,” Sarah answered. “But there’s enough to do around here that it doesn’t get boring. There’s the pool, the spa, the gym, the library, and sometimes I play tennis with one of the staff when they’re on a break. A couple of t
imes, Magda and I went to visit friends of hers and that was good too. One of them has an olive farm and the other owns the main restaurant in town. But I’m glad you girls are here. You’re the ones that I miss the most. And I can’t wait for Brenna and Gemma to get here next week.”
“What about me? Didn’t you miss me?”
Sarah jumped at the sound of Jeff’s voice from behind them. She was sure her heart jumped much higher. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he said, smiling warmly and sitting on the bench directly in front of her. “Hi girls,” he said to the other two, as if noticing them for the first time.
“Hi Jeff,” said Rebecca and Amanda, while Sarah drank him with her eyes.
“So?” Jeff asked, looking again at Sarah with a raised eyebrow and a cute grin.
Gosh, you’re so hot, Jeffrey Carmichael. “So... what?” was what she said out loud.
“Didn’t you miss me?”
Her lips tugged upwards. She couldn’t believe that Jeff was openly flirting with her in front of her friends! “Just a tad,” she answered, hiding her thrill.
“Just a tad, huh?” Jeff repeated, his eyes narrowing. “I thought you said you’ll miss me a lot.”
“Did I say a lot?”
“I thought you did. Unless, of course, that was just a product of my wishful thinking.”
Sarah couldn’t help the big grin that split her face. “You want me to change my answer?”
“That would be good.”
“Well, my new one would depend on how much you say you missed me.”
“If I say a lot, would you say more than a lot?”
“Um, do you guys want to be left alone?” Amanda interrupted.
Jeff smiled lopsidedly, glancing up ahead. “I’d say yes, Amanda, but it’s not a good idea to be alone with Sarah right now. Maybe later, when no one apart from her best friends could witness how hot she’s feeling right this moment.”
Sarah gasped out loud at Jeff’s cheeky comment. “Speak for yourself,” she chastised, knowing her grin betrayed the fact that she wasn’t the least bit annoyed.
“They’re coming,” Rebecca murmured.
Sarah turned her head to see who Rebecca meant and found Magda walking toward them with Zach, Olga and Marilyn.
She swallowed her disappointment. Of course, those people—except for Zach—must not know. With Olga and Marilyn around, she and Jeff would need to be careful with their flirtations for Magda’s sake.