Finally

by Miranda P. Charles

  “I will, dear. By the way, I expect to see you again soon after this. Please keep in touch.”

  Sarah smiled fondly. “Of course, Magda. I’ll see you at Bec and Zach’s engagement party. Oh, and Jeff invited me to his birthday, too.”

  “Oh good! I’m glad that the next time I see you is not because I need you as a nurse.”

  “You’re pretty healthy, Magda. It’s just that you had that accidental fall in your bathroom that made it imperative to have your hip replacement, and possibly a knee surgery sometime in the future. Otherwise, you’re fit for your age.”

  “Well, I guess I have to be grateful I even reached the age of eighty. It frustrates me, though, knowing my body’s not one hundred percent. I want to still be strong and capable for many more years. I want to be able to play with my future great-grandkids, whenever my grandsons decide to give me some.”

  Sarah chuckled. “Well, Zach and Bec are your best bet at this point.”

  Magda sighed in resignation. “I know. I just wish Jeffrey and Gregory would settle down soon, too. But I’m only the grandmother. I can’t tell them what to do with their lives.”

  Sarah could only smile her sympathy. She hoped as well that Jeff was the marrying kind, but he wasn’t. Not anymore.

  What a pity and what a waste. She wondered if there was a way she could make him change his mind about not wanting a committed relationship?

  Oh hello, Sarah. What the hell did you just think? Tell yourself you’re dreaming.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jeff hovered over his grandmother with concern. Magda had started coughing almost as soon as she got back home from the cruise. That was over a week ago now, and she wasn’t getting better. Even her breathing had become somewhat laboured.

  It was probably from the change in weather and the fact that she’d been running herself to the ground with attending charity events and various other functions. She might have gotten away with not having a big eightieth birthday party by escaping to a month-long cruise, but now that she was back on dry land, invitations had been coming thick and fast. The main problem was that Magda’s golden heart couldn’t say no to most of them.

  “Your cough seems to be getting worse, Gran. What did the doctor say?”

  “Oh, you know,” Magda said. “Old people like me are more prone to have bronchial problems.”

  “I’m sure she’s told you to get some rest.”

  Magda nodded, covering her mouth to cough again.

  “I’m going to give instructions to your PA to send ‘thanks, but no thanks’ responses to all your new invitations,” he said with authority. “If it’s for charity, just send them money. If it’s a birthday or some other special occasion, just send them your gift. You don’t need to turn up.”

  “I know. I just wanted to show my support. But you’re right. This cough doesn’t seem to want to go away—” Magda paused to have another coughing fit, “—so I was thinking I’d go to the Hunter Valley early and stay there for a few weeks. The fresh country air would do me good.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. But we won’t be around to make sure you behave yourself. For all I know, you’ll be saying hi and hello to everyone within a fifty-kilometre radius of our boundaries and tiring yourself even more.”

  Magda laughed. “I’m not that bad, Jeffrey. Besides, I’m thinking of hiring Sarah again to look after me while I’m there. She’ll know when I’m overtaxing myself, and I will listen to her. I hope she’s available for another whole month. She might as well stay there with me until Zach and Bec’s party—which will also be her birthday party.”

  Jeff couldn’t help the big grin that formed on his face. “Great idea, Gran. If you request it early, I’m sure Sarah would rearrange her schedule for you.”

  Magda nodded. “I hope she could be ready by this weekend.”

  “I’ll talk to her if you like—make sure she’s available,” he offered.

  “That would be great, dear. Thank you.”

  “Well, I better go so you can rest,” he said, kissing Magda on the forehead.

  “Ah, if only I could get a good night’s sleep. This cough wakes me up in the middle of the night, even if I take medication.”

  Jeff shook his head. If he had to pull strings so the nursing agency would make sure that Sarah was available for his grandmother, he would. He trusted Sarah. She loved Magda and took great care of her. Apart from Sarah and Rebecca, he wouldn’t want anyone else looking after his grandmother, especially when Magda would be out of Sydney.

  Zach, of course, would be unlikely to want Rebecca out of his sight for weeks unless it was an emergency, so Sarah better be available. Besides, that would give him a chance to see Sarah again before the parties. He’d been finding himself fantasising about her a lot. He reckoned it was because they’d ended their fling right at the point where it was still scorching hot. Now he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  Maybe she wouldn’t mind resuming their little affair—just long enough for him to have his fill of her. Hell, he couldn’t even douse the flame with another woman. He’d been so busy at work that he hadn’t had time to get interested in any new fling partner. So he suffered at nights remembering how hot Sarah was.

  He could understand why Sarah didn’t want their affair to go on for too long. Women did seem to want more if you stayed with them for a length of time. He appreciated that Sarah recognised that and took steps to ensure their relationship stayed within the boundaries they’d both agreed to.

  But surely a few more times wouldn’t hurt? They’d only had two nights together. That wasn’t long at all. He wanted more. What would Sarah think about that?

  *****

  Jeff stared at Sarah as they sat in a coffee shop, discussing Magda’s health and her request for Sarah to stay with her at the Hunter Valley for a month. How was it possible that she looked more attractive than he remembered?

  “I’d be more than happy to look after Magda again, Jeff,” Sarah said. “Your grandmother’s my favourite client. But I’m already lined up for another job for the next couple of months. That client has specifically asked for me as well, so that’s probably why the agency couldn’t change my schedule.”

  “How about I talk to your agency about this? Would that help?”

  Sarah’s eyes registered surprise. “Haven’t you told them yet? I thought you already had and you’ve been informed that I’m not available—that’s why you’re here.”

  “No.” He hadn’t exactly followed protocol. He went straight to Sarah. He wanted to see her.

  “Oh. Well, maybe the agency wouldn’t mind me backing out of my other job then. They usually give Magda Carmichael whatever she wants.”

  “Good. So what’s the process? What do I do next? Do I call them or something?”

  Sarah laughed. “Just like how it happened the last time, Jeff. I think it was Magda’s PA who requested the job with the agency. She knows what to do.”

  “Okay. I’ll ask her to arrange everything then.”

  “You could have just called. I could have saved you time by not having to drive here.”

  “Well, I’m here now. And this afternoon’s not very busy for me.” That was a lie, of course. He had work coming out of his ears. But he couldn’t resist the opportunity to see Sarah again. “So what have you been up to since I last saw you?” he asked.

  By the time they left the café, it was already getting dark. He went home feeling inexplicably light. He loved talking to Sarah. He loved knowing more things about her. She was guileless but also witty. He’d found himself wanting their conversation to go on and on.

  He sighed. He actually hadn’t wanted to go home yet, but he had a dinner meeting with his brothers. But in all honesty, he’d much rather spend more time with Sarah.

  *****

  Jeff pressed the buzzer to Sarah’s apartment, grinning like an idiot. He was looking forward to her expression when she discovered that it was he who had come to pick her up to take her to the Hunter
Valley with Magda.

  “Hello?” came her answer.

  “I’m Mrs. Carmichael’s driver, ma’am,” he said, hoping that the deeper voice he’d used was enough to not give him away.

  “Oh, right. Thanks. We’re coming down.”

  Jeff frowned. We’re coming down? Who was she with? He pressed the buzzer again.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m supposed to help you with your bags, ma’am.”

  “Thanks. But no need. My friends will help me carry them down. We’ll be there in a minute.”

  Friends? He shrugged, deciding to wait.

  A minute later, the building front door opened and Sarah walked out, followed by three other girls.

  “Jeff!” Her eyes were round and her mouth was open as she stared at him in shock.

  “Hey,” he said with a grin, rushing over to take a large suitcase from her.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m driving you guys today. Gran gave her driver the weekend off.”

  “Oh,” Sarah said, standing stock-still, eyes still wide.

  He looked past her to smile at her friends. “Hi, I’m Jeff.”

  One of the women brushed past Sarah. “Hi Jeff. I’m Amanda.”

  The other two ladies introduced themselves as Gemma and Brenna.

  “I thought it might be a good idea for them to say hello to your grandmother today,” Sarah said, recovering from her shock. “Magda said she’d love to meet them, and since they happen to be here to see me off...”

  “Oh, sure. The car’s parked around the corner. That was the closest spot I could find.”

  He started walking, pulling Sarah’s suitcase and engaging her friends in conversation. They seemed genuinely intrigued that he’d come to pick Sarah up, although they didn’t verbalise it. He was sure they knew about his short affair with Sarah. Didn’t she say she couldn’t keep a secret from this bunch of women?

  They reached the car and Magda opened the door to get out, a quizzical but accommodating look lining her features.

  “Hi Magda,” Sarah called out. “My friends came to say goodbye to me and I thought I’d introduce them to you. You’ve said you wanted to meet them.”

  “Oh, yes! Hello, girls.”

  Jeff watched as Magda embraced the women like they were her long-lost granddaughters. Well, with Rebecca marrying Zach, the whole family was bound to see more of Sarah and Rebecca’s best friends. For Magda, knowing what the two nurses were like was enough for her to decide that their friends were just as loveable. What was more, he suspected that his grandmother was longing for young female company to balance out the male energy he and his brothers exuded.

  “You’re all coming to the engagement party and staying the weekend, right?” Magda asked.

  The three nodded their heads.

  “We’re looking forward to it,” Brenna said.

  “You know, you can all come early if you want? Stay for a few nights before the engagement party. There’s plenty of room for you to stay,” Magda offered.

  “Yes, why don’t you girls come a week early?” Jeff interjected. “That’ll be my birthday and I’m officially inviting you to my party.”

  All the girls looked at him in surprise.

  “I’m serious,” he continued. “Sarah and Bec would be there all of that week. Besides, you can help out with spotting problems before our official reopening. You can give us your feedback and tell us your experience at Magda’s Place so we could iron out whatever kinks that might still exist.”

  “Say yes,” Magda encouraged. “My grandsons and I would be inviting a few friends and relatives to stay at various times for that very purpose, to make sure the hotel is fully ready before opening again to the public. You might as well be a part of it.”

  “Um, If you’re sure...” Gemma murmured.

  “Of course we’re sure,” Magda said. “What’s more, I like being surrounded by young people. It makes me feel young.”

  Jeff was watching Sarah the whole time. He could tell she was willing her friends to take the offer with her eyes. He grinned. He missed that lively, lovely face.

  “Okay,” Amanda said with an excited smile. “I accept, thank you. I still have to ask work to give me that week off but I’ll plead and beg if I have to.”

  Brenna and Gemma echoed Amanda, and Sarah’s face split into a wide grin. Ah, there was that smile that melted everything in its path.

  Jeff mentally shook his head. His intention to resume an affair with Sarah just became stronger. He could see himself making frequent trips to the Hunter Valley between now and his birthday.

  *****

  “Wow, it’s just amazing.”

  “It is, isn’t it,” Jeff agreed, enjoying Sarah’s awed reaction as she stared at the sight ahead of her. He’d taken a detour and stopped on a particular hill where they could see a panoramic view of the Carmichael vineyards. Orderly rows of green sprinkled with yellow and red-orange were before them, the vine leaves changing colour with the onset of autumn.

  “That would be Magda’s Place, wouldn’t it?” Sarah asked, pointing to a group of one-level structures occupying a large area on the perimeter of their property.

  “Yup. That smaller building beside the main one is the pool house. The building next to it is the spa. Unfortunately, our massage and beauty therapists aren’t starting work until the reopening so you won’t be able to use their services yet.”

  “The garden’s huge,” Sarah gushed, then turned her gaze to the far left, to a building separated from Magda’s Place by the vast vineyard. “What’s that over there?”

  “That’s the winery.”

  “Oh, wow. Harvesting’s finished, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. The last grapes were picked in February since we had a really hot summer. But you’ll get to see some of the winemaking process.”

  “Yay,” Sarah said, doing little hops of excitement.

  He laughed, restraining himself from giving her a hug.

  “Oh, you’ll love it, Sarah,” Magda piped in with equal glee. “I’ll take you around myself. Tomorrow we could—”

  “No, not tomorrow, Magda,” Sarah interrupted.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re supposed to rest,” Sarah said, all serious now. “In fact, I can wait until Bec gets here then we can take turns looking after you while the other has a look around.”

  “But she won’t be here for another two weeks! You’ll miss seeing some of the process,” Magda complained.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Sarah said with a definitive shake of the head. “I’m here to make sure you get well and that you don’t overexert yourself, not for me to play tourist.”

  “We have one of those golf carts for travelling around the place. I’ll be okay,” Magda mumbled before having another coughing spell.

  “Let me be the judge of that,” Sarah said in a softer voice, rubbing Magda’s back gently.

  “I’ll take her, Gran,” Jeff said.

  “Okay.” Magda said with a resigned sigh. “I would love to go too, but I guess I should get better first. I do feel a little tired now. Let’s head to the hotel. I think I’ll have an afternoon nap.”

  “Thank you,” Jeff said in Sarah’s ear as they walked behind Magda back to the car. “She can be stubborn when she wants something.”

  “I know,” Sarah said with a smile.

  Unable to stop himself, he put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him, grateful that his grandmother couldn’t see. God, he missed touching her. Hell, he plain missed her.

  Sarah glanced up at him, her parted lips and the flare in her eyes telling him she wasn’t unaffected by his action.

  Good. Because, damn it, just her proximity affected him. If his grandmother weren’t around, he would have kissed her senseless.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “This is your suite, right next to Gran’s,” Jeff said, playing porter for Sarah. They’d just taken Magda to her room, and she’d promptly gone to bed to
take her nap.

  “Do I really need a suite?” Sarah asked in a small voice, embarrassed, as she looked around the luxurious and spacious living area. Really, the Carmichaels were just too generous.

  “No one else is staying here, Sarah. When I leave on Wednesday, only you, Gran and the staff will be around. It’s not until next week that other people are arriving.”

  “Okay. But when your other guests arrive, I’m happy to move.”

  Jeff sighed and walked toward her. “Will you stop?” he asked softly, cupping her face. “You’ll only make Gran feel bad if you’re being so ungrateful about all this.”

  Her thrill at his touch was replaced by horror at his words. “I’m not feeling ungrateful! In fact, I’m beyond grateful. I just don’t think I deserve—”

  Her guilt-ridden speech was silenced by Jeff’s lips on hers, and her body immediately reacted by heating up all over. She couldn’t help the soft moaning sound that came out of her and her arms curved around his neck, unbidden.

  Jeff deepened the kiss, his hand roaming freely on her body. Oh damn, if she didn’t do something now, she’d be mindless in a few seconds. Reluctantly, she pushed at his chest.

  Jeff pulled back to look at her, but kept his arms tight around her waist. “You don’t want this?”

  She licked her lips, heart thudding hard. “I... um... isn’t our fling already finished?”

  “Then let’s start another one,” Jeff said softly.

  What? Was this a good idea? She stared at him, her eyes searching his face for the answer.

  “I still want you, Sarah. And from how you reacted to my kiss, I’d say you feel the same way,” he said gently, refusing to let go of her. To highlight his point, Jeff tightened his arms around her waist so she could feel his erection on her belly.

  “Um... will it still be casual?” she dared ask.

  He frowned. “That’s all I’m after,” he said, loosening his embrace and giving her a wary look. “Maybe I shouldn’t be pushing this, huh?”

  Sarah’s heart pounded in her chest while her body throbbed just as hard with need.

  “Okay, let’s start again,” she heard herself say.