Jeff stared at mock-ups of covers and articles for major publications—international ones included—and a long list of reputable online sites that would feature the reopening of Magda’s Place to the public. “Are all of these confirmed for next month?”
Bianca nodded.
“But aren’t we blowing the April budget with these? The hotel isn’t big enough to warrant this kind of advertising in so many top places at the same time. Wouldn’t it be better to stagger them throughout the year?” he asked with concern. Return on investment was something he and his brothers scrutinised very closely.
“The April budget is intact, Jeff. I negotiated for these for almost no extra cost. You know that’s what I do best. This line-up is important for rebuilding the brand and profile of Magda’s Place after being closed off to the public for a lengthy period. In addition, most of these publications—bar a couple—have agreed to feature a Carmichael business again in a few months’ time. I was thinking the launch of your new bottle would be perfect for that.”
Jeff grinned. “That’s why you get paid top dollar,” he said admiringly.
Bianca went on to talk about her suggestions regarding a year-long project-awareness campaign that would culminate in the unveiling of their new luxury complex in Sydney’s southern suburbs next year. Jeff was very impressed. Bianca clearly wanted to be given the whole Carmichael account, and she was pulling out all stops to achieve that. She didn’t have to work on anything else but the advertising program for Magda’s Place. Not only had she excelled in that, she’d also put together a cohesive program for the rest of their upcoming projects.
“So what do you think?” Bianca asked as she finished outlining her proposal.
“I like it. If you could email me your formal recommendations, I’ll discuss them with Zach and Greg.”
“Thank you,” Bianca said, beaming. “Does Gran still join you in board meetings?”
“Not anymore. She’s fully retired, although we still give her regular updates about what’s happening within the company. And as a twenty-five percent shareholder, she still provides her input on areas that she feels strongly about. But she leaves the final decision to the three of us.”
“Hey, I had lunch with Trish and Anthony today,” Bianca said, abruptly changing the topic.
“Oh really?” he asked, wary about the new direction of the conversation.
“Yes. They said they haven’t seen you for a while and are looking forward to your birthday party.”
“Yes, it’s been a few months since I last caught up with them,” he said. “How are they?”
“They’re good. Busy with their baby son, whom I’ve met for the first time. He’s so cute.”
“Yeah, he is. He was a newborn when I last saw him.”
“Well, they’re bringing him to your party, so you’ll see how much he’s grown. Anyway, Trish said she hopes to see me there, but I said you haven’t invited me yet,” Bianca said with a laugh. “I said I’ll see if I could wrestle an invitation out of you.”
Jeff shifted in his seat. How awkward was this? This was the first time that he’d had to contend with the complications of him and Bianca having mutual friends. It hadn’t been an issue before because she’d been overseas.
“Jeff, do you still hate me?” Bianca asked.
He glanced at her in surprise. “Hate you? No, I don’t hate you, Bee. You wouldn’t be working for us if I hated you.”
“That’s good to know,” Bianca said tentatively. “It’s just that sometimes, I think you’re still distant and cold towards me.”
“I’m sorry if you feel that way. I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Bianca nodded, then looked at him with pleading eyes. “I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life two years ago, Jeff. May I ask if you’ve forgiven me for that?”
He stared at her for a long moment. “I don’t hold any grudges against you, Bee.” He knew that was true. Mentally scanning his body, he didn’t feel any bitterness towards Bianca. All he had for her was gratitude for her work ethic.
She smiled with relief. “I’m glad, Jeff. When I was with Trish and Anthony, I’d wondered if we’ll ever be in the same room at the same time with our mutual friends again. I was hoping that soon we could catch up with them together—like during important occasions such as birthdays. Maybe we could start with yours? For friendship’s sake?” she added hopefully.
His lips tugged up reluctantly. “You never did have a problem crashing parties.”
“No, and I still don’t,” she joked. “Jeff, I’d really love to say hello to your Gran and visit Magda’s Place. I thought your party might be the perfect time for that since I’d also get to see old friends. Besides, being your advertising account manager, it would help for me to see the new changes you’ve made to the hotel. You know I work best if I experience the projects I’m working on first-hand. And I’m assuming you’ve invited some business colleagues. It would help a lot if I networked with them.”
Jeff leaned back on his seat and considered Bianca’s request. The only reasonable excuse he could find to turn her down was the fact that it might upset Sarah.
But if they were going to make Bianca the advertising account manager for the whole Carmichael account—which in all fairness she did deserve—then he’d need to tell Sarah about his working arrangement with Bianca anyway.
So perhaps inviting Bianca to his party wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, he fully intended to show everyone then that Sarah was his girl. With him publicly displaying his relationship to Sarah in front of Bianca and everyone else, it should show Sarah that she had nothing to worry about, right?
“Okay,” he said out loud to Bianca. “I’m officially inviting you to my party.”
“Yay!” Bianca said with glee. “I’m looking forward to it.”
*****
“So you and Sarah are getting serious?”
“Yes,” Jeff answered Greg.
“Wow. Well then, it’s very brave of you to ask Bianca to your party.”
Jeff stared at Greg, his brother’s comments increasing his doubts on the wisdom of what he’d done last night. “But I’ll be letting Sarah know about Bianca on Friday anyway—before the party.”
“So what do you plan to tell her? ‘Oh darling, by the way, my ex-fiancée’s coming for my birthday tomorrow. And have I told you she’s our new advertising account manager? That means I’m working very closely with her, since I personally oversee all marketing and advertising matters.’”
“Well, what do you suggest I say?” he asked, starting to get worried.
“You’re asking the wrong person, bro. Sorry. I’ve no idea,” Greg responded.
“Some help you are,” he muttered.
“Hey, maybe Sarah doesn’t have to know who Bianca really is. You can ask Bianca—and everybody else—not to tell Sarah that Bianca’s your ex.”
Jeff scowled at Greg as if he’d lost his mind. “That’s an even worse suggestion. As if you can make everyone shut up about that.”
“Ask Zach then. He’s engaged. He should have an idea what to do.”
“Okay,” he said, tapping his phone to call his older brother and putting him on speaker.
“Hey bro, what’s up?” Zach answered.
“Hey Zach. Can Bec hear you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Could you make sure she doesn’t, please?”
“Okay, hang on,” Zach said.
Jeff heard Zach tell Rebecca he had to go to his study to check out something for him.
“Now tell me what’s going on,” Zach demanded.
Jeff told Zach his conundrum.
“Geez, bro. Didn’t you think before you opened your mouth?” Zach berated.
“I thought at the time it was a good idea,” he said defensively. “And anyway, I plan to let everyone know I’m with Sarah, not Bianca, during my party.”
“Sure, if Sarah’s feeling lovey-dovey with you on the night. Consider these. First
, you kept it from her that your ex-fiancée is back and that you’re working together again. Second, you’ve invited said ex-fiancée to your birthday party for Sarah to meet for the first time. How do you think she’d feel?”
Shit. Jeff felt worse by the second.
“I think if you kept it professional with Bianca, it might be easier to explain to Sarah,” Zach continued. “But you’ve made it personal by inviting Bianca to your party.”
“What do I do now?” he asked desperately, rubbing his hand on his face.
“Un-invite Bianca,” Zach suggested.
He sighed. “I can’t. Bianca’s already told a few of our mutual friends that she’s going to the party. She’s also already connected with a couple of our business partners who are also attending, and they’re going to have a business meeting while they’re there. Plus, un-inviting her might cause too much speculation and I don’t want any drama being sniffed out by the gossip rags.”
“You should have thought of the consequences earlier, shouldn’t you?” Greg asked wryly.
“I know. I’m fucking stupid,” he lamented.
“Well, I suppose you don’t have any other choice but to make sure you explain yourself well to Sarah on Friday,” Zach said.
“And cross your fingers,” Greg quipped.
Jeff did cross his fingers. He could only hope Sarah would be understanding.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sarah was floating face up on the water of the heated indoor swimming pool when she heard Magda’s startled cry.
“Bee!”
Sarah scrambled to her feet in sudden panic, looking around for those little stingers that could make her day hell.
To her relief, she didn’t spot a bee. But standing at the edge of the pool was one of the most stunning women she’d ever laid eyes on. Even in a casual outfit, the blonde stranger looked like she’d just walked down the runway at New York Fashion Week.
“Hi Gran!” the woman cried.
Magda continued to stare at the visitor in shock, seemingly lost for words.
“Surprise!” Miss Gorgeous said with a nervous laugh.
Magda shook her head, as if to get her bearings back. “I’m sorry, Bee. I just didn’t expect to see you.”
“I know. Sorry I came without notice. I wasn’t expecting to be in the area until this weekend, but everything happened faster than I’d anticipated. I just finished having lunch with Aunt Lynn and I thought I’d drop by to say hello to you. Jeff told me you were staying here.”
“I didn’t know you were back in Australia,” Magda said, heading for the steps of the pool.
Sarah hurried to give Magda a hand in getting out while glancing at the other woman surreptitiously. Was she a relative? Why did she call Magda ‘Gran’?”
“Oh, ah, Bee, this is Sarah,” Magda said, still a little flustered, as she accepted the towel Sarah handed her.
“Hi Sarah. You must be Gran’s nurse. Jeff told me you’re staying here with her.”
“Hi Bee. Good to meet you,” she responded with a smile, shaking the woman’s hand. “I thought for a moment Magda was warning me there’s a buzzing bee around.”
Bee chuckled. “And that’s exactly how my nickname is spelt. B-E-E. It’s actually short for Bianca.”
Sarah froze.
Bianca?
No.
Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe.
“So are you in Australia for a visit, Bee?” Magda asked.
“No. I’m back here permanently,” Bianca answered, making Sarah’s ears prick in hyper-attention. “In fact, I’m running the ad campaign for Magda’s Place. I was head-hunted by the advertising agency you’ve contracted. It was great timing, as I’d already made up my mind to come back home.”
“Really?” Magda asked in disbelief.
“Yes. When I told a few people in New York that I was ready to go back to Sydney, the agency called me and offered me a package I couldn’t refuse. Imagine my shock when I learned that they were lining me up for the Carmichael account. I went to Jeff first to make sure that he—and all the rest of you—would be okay with it. He assured me it’s not a problem.”
Magda nodded absently, looking deep in thought. “Well, I guess you were the one working on our account before you left for New York anyway.”
Bianca’s smile was nostalgic and dreamy. “It’s great to be working closely with Jeff again. It’s been really good. We’ve already accomplished so much in so little time. I guess it’s because we tend to discuss work even when we’re out on a lunch or dinner,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve really missed him. Uh, I mean, I missed all of you guys.”
“Would you like some tea?” Magda asked politely.
“Oh, no thanks, Gran. I’m still full from lunch. But can I ask a favour? I’m surprised that Jeff hasn’t told you that I’m back, but he’s also invited me for his birthday this weekend. But since I’m already in the area today, I was wondering if I could stay from tonight? I wanted to check the renovations so I could make some tweaks on our marketing materials. With friends of mine and Jeff’s arriving tomorrow for the party, today’s probably the best time to do some work.”
“Um, I can’t see why not,” Magda murmured.
“Great! I think Jeff’s already told someone in reception which room he’s reserved for me. My bags are in the car. I hope you don’t mind me being so presumptuous,” Bianca said with an apologetic laugh.
Magda smiled. “I’ll instruct one of the staff to show you to your room.”
“Thank you,” Bianca said happily. “I’ll grab my stuff now. They’re not heavy.”
Sarah watched Miss Stunning strut out of the pool house. She was too shocked to do anything else but stare. Did she hear everything right?
‘You must be Gran’s nurse,’ Bianca had said. Was that how Jeff mentioned her to his ex-fiancée? His gran’s nurse? Well, sure she was that, but wasn’t she also his girlfriend now? And why didn’t he even warn her that Stunning Bee was going to be around?
The phone call Jeff received last Sunday before he left flashed in her mind. ‘Bee’, the screen had shown.
Bee was Bianca.
Jeff saw Bianca on Sunday night.
Jeff had refused a ‘last round’ with her to hurry to Bianca.
“Sarah?” Magda asked gently.
Sarah roused herself from her frozen state. “What do you want to do next, Magda?” she asked with feigned cheerfulness.
Magda’s smile was suspiciously sympathetic. Did she know?
“I need to talk to one of the staff to help Bianca settle in, then I want to sit out in the garden and have a cup of tea. Would you care to join me?”
“Sure,” Sarah answered. She really wanted to be alone. Her heart felt so damned heavy that it would take super-human effort to cover up her distress.
But she wasn’t getting paid to cry. She was there to look after Magda. And her employer wanted to have tea with her.
*****
“Magda, Bianca is Jeff’s ex-fiancée, isn’t she?” Sarah asked in as nonchalant a tone as she could manage.
“Yes, she is,” Magda answered, concern evident in her tone.
Sarah put on a fake smile. She figured she had three choices while she and Magda stared out at the vineyards and sipped tea. One, she could stay silent and pretend she was okay. Two, she could chat about nothing and pretend she was okay. Or three, she could whittle out some information from Magda and pretend she was okay. The third option seemed best.
“Bianca sounded close to you, Magda. I guess you know her well from her previous relationship with Jeff?”
“Her Aunt Lynn is a friend of mine. Lynn and her husband live not far from here.”
“Oh. You must have been very sad when Bianca and Jeff broke up,” she murmured.
“I was,” Magda admitted reluctantly. “But that was two years ago now.”
Sarah nodded, the sharp pinching in the region of her heart was getting more painful.
“I’m sorry, S
arah,” Magda said in an almost whisper. “I don’t know what this all means. But right this minute, it mustn’t be easy for you.”
Sarah’s eyes flooded. “You know?”
“Of course, dear. It’s pretty obvious since Jeffrey’s attention is all on you every time he’s here.”
Sarah blushed. It warmed her that, all along, Magda seemed to have approved of her and Jeff being together. But that warmth was short-lived in the shadow of the stunning Bianca, who was now somewhere in the Carmichael property, inspecting the changes to the place.
Why hadn’t Jeff told her about working again with his ex? Wasn’t that an important fact a couple like them should be discussing? Especially the bit about seeing his ex last Sunday night?
Did Jeff really consider them a couple now? Or did he just agree to that because he’d wanted to fuck her last weekend and that was the only way she’d let him?
A tear fell, and she discretely wiped it away. For the second time in her life she felt cheap and used.
Magda exhaled loudly and reached out for her hand. “I don’t know what to say, dear. I don’t know what’s going on in Jeff’s mind.”
“He didn’t even warn me about her coming here,” she blurted out with hurt she couldn’t hide.
“That was very insensitive of Jeffrey,” Magda said with displeasure. “I can’t believe he didn’t even say something to you or me before Bianca turned up here. I’m going to have a word with him about that.”
Sarah shook her head vigorously. “No, Magda. No need. That will make me feel even worse. From the very beginning, Jeff had only wanted a casual relationship and nothing more. It’s me who’s at fault for letting my heart get involved. I don’t want him to know how much this has affected me. Please leave me with my pride.”
Magda gave her a sad smile, eyes also moist. “I was hoping your story would be like Zach and Rebecca’s.”
“Oh, Magda,” she croaked, bittersweet tears flowing from Magda’s touching words.
“Don’t cry. You’ll make me cry too,” Magda demanded lightly.
She chuckled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
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