Still, part of him envied Mai’s passion. She worked as hard as he did, possibly harder, and she probably earned much less money, but she loved every minute of it.
Was that why he’d dropped the ball on the Baldivis project? Because he didn’t like the work, because he didn’t care?
No, that wasn’t the reason.
He’d cared too much, he’d believed in Shane, had trusted him despite what his gut told him. He should have pushed harder, got to the bottom of it. He might have discovered Shane’s meth addiction sooner and been able to do something to help. He’d let it go too far.
With a sigh he flicked through the plans. He’d had enough for today. He was over all of it; work, the tension in his chest, the guilt. He needed a break, needed to take some time for himself.
Through the front window the ocean called to him. He wandered closer. It was a beautiful day, the sun shone bright and warm, and the swell was just right. A couple of surfers were out there taking advantage of the conditions.
A deep yearning to feel the cool spray of the water filled him. His doctor had said he should find something that would help him relax and surfing had always done that for him. And it held a lot more appeal than working.
Could he really do it?
He was already heading for the stairs when he realised he’d made his decision.
Not long afterwards, he crossed the road to the surf beach and wandered down the sandy path. To his right was a pile of towels and shoes, and to his left, a family with two young primary school-aged kids played with boogie boards. He dumped his towel where he stood and strode into the water with his board, sucking in his breath at the cold. He’d forgotten how icy the southern ocean was. He’d need to get a wetsuit if he kept this up.
His arms were burning by the time he got past the break. Relieved he’d made it this far, he sat up on the board and scanned the swell.
“Hey, Nic!”
The surfer paddled towards him, fully decked out in a wrist to ankle black wetsuit. Lucky bastard. He smiled. “Jamie.”
“Mate, aren’t you cold?” Jamie asked.
Nicholas laughed, a sound that was almost foreign to his ears. “Freezing. It was a spur of the moment decision.”
“Well you can take the next wave.” Jamie gestured.
He wasn’t quite ready, wanted time to psych himself up, but he could hardly say no. That was probably completely against the surfers’ code. So he paddled as a wave came towards him.
Then instinct kicked in and he stood on the board, surfing the wave, wobbling a little as he got the balance right. His chest filled. He’d forgotten the exhilaration of riding the wave, feeling the spray of the water against his face and listening to the shush of the wave as he sliced along it.
Just what he needed.
He briefly closed his eyes to savour the freedom and when he opened them again he was heading straight towards another surfer.
Shit.
Mai.
He turned sharply and overcompensated, losing his footing and hitting the water hard. The leg line of his board snapped straight and the swell pulled him down.
Finding the sand, he pushed up, surfacing and gasping for breath. Where was Mai?
Nicholas hauled himself onto his board. She wasn’t far from him, straddling her board, holding her head, her hand red.
She was bleeding. He’d hurt her. His heart raced.
He paddled over. “Mai, are you all right?”
She scowled. “Your board hit me in the head.”
“I’m so sorry.” He reached out to touch her and thought better of it. “It’s bleeding pretty badly. You should probably get it checked.”
Mai’s face went pale as she pulled her bloodied hand away from her head and she swayed.
Jamie paddled up and swore. “That looks bad, Mayday. Let’s get you to shore before you become shark bait.”
Nicholas froze. He hadn’t thought about sharks.
“Come on, Mai. Here’s a good wave.” Jamie gave her board a shove and Mai paddled lying down, managing to catch it to shore.
“What happened?” Jamie asked as they followed her.
“I didn’t see her in time. I fell off and my board hit her.”
Jamie shook his head. “This isn’t the way to endear yourself to her, mate.”
Yeah, no kidding.
He waded out of the surf and jogged over to where Mai sat on the sand, a towel pressed against her head. “Let me take a look.”
She shook her head, holding up a hand, her eyes closed. “Not yet.” She breathed deeply.
What was wrong with her?
“Mayday, we need to see how bad it is. You won’t see anything.” Jamie pried the towel away.
Mai squeezed her eyes tighter.
A gash about a centimetre long just above her eye was bleeding profusely. His shoulders sagged. “You might need stitches.”
“Figures,” she muttered.
Jamie replaced the towel. “Hold it tight, Mai.”
He needed to fix this. “I live across the road,” he said. “We’ll clean you up there, put a Band-Aid over it and see if that’s all that’s needed.”
“All right.” Mai’s voice was subdued and her eyes stayed shut.
“You’re going to need to lead her across, mate,” Jamie said. “Mai faints at the sight of blood and there’s a lot of it.”
Mai groaned. “Shut up, Jamie.”
That explained her swaying on the board. Nicholas helped Mai to her feet and then led her up the beach path to his place, leaving Jamie to bring the boards. At the laundry door, Mai stripped her wetsuit down to her waist revealing the very brief bikini top she had on underneath.
She had beautiful breasts.
It was lucky she still had her eyes closed, so she couldn’t see him ogling her. He snatched a towel off the washing machine and thrust it at her. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
While Jamie hosed off the surfboards, Nicholas found the first aid kit and directed Mai to sit at the kitchen table. “I’m so sorry.”
She cracked open one eye to look at him. “You didn’t do it on purpose.”
She didn’t seem mad. He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s been a while since I surfed.”
“I gathered,” she said dryly.
He deserved that. Carefully removing the towel from Mai’s forehead showed the bleeding had slowed and it wasn’t as bad as it first had appeared. He sighed as he cleaned and dried it, then applied a Band-Aid as Jamie came in. He’d stripped off his wetsuit and wore a towel wrapped around his waist.
“All fixed, Mayday?” Jamie asked.
“I think so.” She glanced up at Nicholas.
“Yeah, it’s not too deep. It shouldn’t need stitches.” He packed up the first aid kit. “How does it feel?”
“Sore.” She prodded the Band-Aid gingerly and winced.
Guilt gripped him again. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
He couldn’t help it. There had to be something he could do to make it up to her. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No—”
“I could do with a cuppa tea,” Jamie said.
Mai sighed. “A coffee would be great.”
She didn’t seem keen to stay so perhaps he’d imagined the moment the other day. That was good. He put the kettle on and went to clear the documents off the kitchen table.
“Are these your development plans?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah.”
“Can I take a look?”
“If you want to.” He left them where they were, the nerves that had disappeared now prickling at the edge of his consciousness as he prepared the drinks. Mai had made her feelings about the development abundantly clear, but Jamie might be a little more unbiased. Should he even discuss it with Mai in the room? “What do you think?” he asked as he handed Jamie a mug of tea.
“It’s kind of boring.” Jamie winced. “Sorry, mate, what I mean is it’s not as pretty as what’s
there now.”
Mai raised her eyebrows in an I-told-you-so look. He glanced away. She was too distracting wearing nothing but a bikini top and towel. His eyes wanted to look lower, feast on her breasts and that was not a good idea.
He focused on Jamie instead. “What would you suggest?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you could change the appearance of the building, what would you change it to?”
“It doesn’t fit what’s already there.” Jamie sat down and pulled the plans closer. “All the buildings are older, more twenties architecture like Mai’s building. Which unit are you having, Mayday?”
“We haven’t negotiated it yet,” she said, “but I’d like these two.”
Nicholas stepped forward to see what she was pointing at. “Two?” That was the best news he’d had all day.
“Yeah. I was going to expand into the empty shop when I bought the building.”
“I could definitely do you a deal.” His phone rang. His father. Not what he needed right now. “Excuse me, I have to get this.” He took a couple of steps away as he answered.
“I forgot to tell you that I leased one of the units,” his father said.
Nicholas froze. “What? Which one?” He walked over to the table to review the plan.
“On the corner.”
Please don’t let it be the one Mai wants. “Which corner?”
“Give me a sec.” There was a rustle of papers. “Number eight.”
Nicholas glanced at Mai. “Our existing tenant wanted that one.”
Mai’s eyes widened. He turned away.
“Tell her it’s too late. It’s gone. That’s why paperwork is so vital.”
Nicholas’s chest tightened at the dig. “Dad, please don’t lease any more units without talking to me first.”
His father laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, if I’ve got a fish on the line, I’m going to hook it. Be sure you keep the online files up to date.”
Nicholas held on to his temper. “I’m in negotiations with people down here. I don’t want you to sell something I’m negotiating.”
“Tell them it’s a possibility. It’ll make them sign it faster.” He was unrepentant.
There was nothing Nicholas could do. He needed to go into damage control, which meant he needed to get his father off the phone. “Do you want me to give a summary at the management meeting on Monday?”
“God, no. It’s best if you keep a really low profile. Send me your update and I’ll present it.”
He should be used to the backlash by now, but he wasn’t. It hurt every damned time. “Fine. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up and took several long, slow breaths.
“Which unit is gone?” Mai asked.
He needed to put on his game face. Turning he pointed at the plans. “This one.”
She squared her shoulders. “Right, in that case I want units six and seven.”
Relief filled him. “I’ll fill out the paperwork for you right now.”
“We need to negotiate first.”
“OK. What do you want?”
She shook her head and held up a hand. “Slow down. I need to put my terms together first.”
“Mai, I can’t guarantee you those spots unless you sign.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “You can’t bully me into signing an unfair contract. Your proposal clearly states there are reparations available for my inconvenience and we need to discuss those before I sign anything.”
Damn. He needed to make her understand that she couldn’t delay for long. “That’s fine, but I can’t stop my father leasing any more units.”
“Tell him we’re in negotiations.”
“He doesn’t care if there’s not a signed contract.”
Mai stood up, tension in her every muscle as she glared at him. “Are you telling me Shadbolt Property Developers’ word isn’t good enough? How would that affect your reputation if word got out?”
This was rapidly spiralling out of control. All of a sudden he saw another train wreck on the horizon, another way he’d completely messed up. He lashed out. “Are you threatening to go public?”
“Hey guys, chill for a second.” Jamie held up a both hands in a placating gesture. “It sounds like Nicholas’s father is being a douchebag, but it’s not Nic’s fault. Why don’t you set a time to negotiate?”
Mai glared at both of them, her displeasure clear. “Fine. Come to my apartment tomorrow at two. We’ll negotiate then.”
Relief coursed through him, releasing the tension. “I’ll be there.”
“Great, I’m sure you two are going to have a fantastic partnership,” Jamie said. “I’d better go. I promised Dad I’d help in the cheese factory this afternoon.” He got to his feet. “Do you want a lift home, Mai?”
“Yes. I might drop by Fleur’s and get her to examine this cut.” She put a hand to her forehead.
“Good idea.”
Nicholas had forgotten about her injury. Just another way he was hurting her. He sighed and walked them out.
“Thanks for the drink, mate.” Jamie shook his hand. “We’ll have to catch up later in the week.”
The pleasure that swept through him surprised him. At least someone was pleased about him being here. “That’d be great.”
When he returned to the kitchen, the development plans didn’t give him the sense of dread they usually did. More than half the units were almost signed. He could do the rest. After he had a shower, he’d go into town and see if he could interest anyone else.
He would succeed.
He had to.
Chapter 7
It was already dark when Mai pulled up outside the bakery but the light Nicholas had replaced shone brightly above her door.
Shutting her car door, she heard a soft tap. The street was empty, this part of town quiet. She was far enough away from the restaurants and pub not to have to worry about the noise of people out and about late at night.
As she climbed the steps, the tap came again, like a door left open in a breeze. Her skin prickled. Her door was closed, so she checked the florist shop next door, but it was shut as well.
Mai stood listening. Perhaps it was a can rolling over the pavement. A light breeze rustled leaves, a few birds chattered to each other and the occasional car on the main highway rumbled past. And then the tap.
Her chest tightened. It was coming from the corner, from the empty unit next to hers. Her light didn’t reach that far and the shadows were dark.
The creepy guy’s image flitted through her mind. She shook herself. There was no reason for him to be here. Still she had to check it out; she couldn’t call Lincoln without some proof something was wrong. She switched on the torch app on her phone and slowly walked into the corner, her car key gripped between her fingers as a makeshift weapon just in case.
Her light pierced the darkness. She gasped. The door to the vacant unit tapped against the splintered wooden frame. The faint smell of wet paint reached her.
Was someone still inside?
She glanced over her shoulder, but the car park was empty. The tap again had her whirling back around.
She wasn’t safe.
Backing away, she called Lincoln.
“What’s up, Mayday?”
His voice had her relaxing her grip on her phone. “Someone’s broken into the unit next to the bakery. I can smell wet paint.”
“I’ll be right there. Wait for me inside,” he commanded.
Her skin tightened. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
The silence as he hung up was like a safety rope snapping. Hands shaking, she finally managed to unlock the door to her bakery and opened it wide, then flicked on the hallway light.
The scent of bread that always permeated the bakery swept away some of her fear.
She stepped inside, but didn’t close the door.
If someone was still in the unit, she wanted to get a photo of them coming out. She was far enough away that she could duck inside befo
re they reached her.
Slowly she sat on the step.
The bright lights above and behind her should have been comforting, but instead felt like a targeted spotlight.
Should she switch them off?
No, the darkness would be worse.
The time dragged as she scanned the car park for movement. Checking the time again, she breathed out a sigh of relief as Lincoln finally pulled into the car park with Sue, one of his senior constables not far behind.
“Did you go in?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good. Wait here.”
Lincoln and Sue cautiously entered the building and a minute later Lincoln returned, a frown deep on his forehead.
“Anyone in there?”
“No, but I need you to look at something and I need Nicholas’s number.”
Of course. It was Nicholas’s building. She gave him the number and waited while he called Nicholas to tell him about the break in. When he was finished, he said, “Come with me.”
The unit had last been used as a clothing shop so the back storage area was smaller than Mai’s kitchen. Lincoln shone his torch into the room. The doors of the little kitchenette had been ripped off and broken up, stacked on the floor in a tee-pee shape as if someone was building a campfire. Underneath them were the blackened remains of whatever had been used as kindling and a ripped T-shirt running from the fire to underneath the nearby cabinets.
Mai’s chest tightened. It was crude. “Someone tried to light a fire.” Tried to burn down the building. Why would they do that?
Lincoln nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
Anger rose up in Mai. Some bastard had tried to burn down her home, her business. She clenched her fists. “Did they leave any evidence?”
He took her arm and led her back outside. “I can’t tell you, Mai, but I’ll need to ask you some questions later.”
“Lincoln!” He couldn’t possibly leave her in the dark. This affected her life.
He shook his head, his expression grim. “I’m investigating.”
Nicholas pulled into the car park and she held on to her temper, gritting her teeth. He didn’t need to see her lose it.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and Sue and I will drop by later?” His frown deepened as Nicholas walked over.
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