Tempting the Negotiator

by Zana Bell

Colin laughed as he got to his feet. “Yeah, there’s one in the admin block. Okay, champ, have it your way. See you in a couple of weeks.”

  THE OLDER MAN’S WORDS stayed with Jake, however, and as he drove home, his thoughts were bleak. It wasn’t only his desk that was a mess, his whole life needed systems. He was already past one deadline for the book he was writing on the fairy tern. How could he tell the publishers he’d stalled with it? All his energies, he told himself, were being used up in the battle to keep the invading Americans at bay. How could a man work when his home was threatened?

  Damn Rob for saddling him with the woman. It just added to Jake’s responsibilities, this need to make her fall in love with Aroha Bay. If she had eyes in her head, she’d see for herself what a travesty a holiday resort would be in such a place. The last thing in the world he needed right now was to play host to some insufferable hotshot.

  As for the boys…he’d bitten off more than he could chew there. It had been a great idea at the time—just like the book had been—but the reality was considerably more difficult than he’d expected. He’d had some cool idea that it would be like a surf camp and that as long as they were focused on surfing, the rest of their lives would sort out. Instead, the house was constantly a wreck and the boys seemed to need feeding every minute of the day.

  What’s more, he had a feeling that even though it was still early in the school year, they were probably not doing as well as they should. The boys never seemed to do any homework, but Jake didn’t want to harp on about assignments and tests. God, he’d sound like his old man, and Brad was always squaring up against him as it was. What was up with the kid? He pretended it was all a joke, but he never missed an opportunity to make a dig at Jake, to defy his authority.

  Jake still believed that Aroha Bay was what the boys needed, but Janet, their social worker, seemed unconvinced a single male was the best guardian for them. She’d been clearly unimpressed by the state of the house the last visit, and had said she’d drop by again soon. Despite her smile, it had sounded like a threat, and he knew she’d be along any day now. He really needed to clean ASAP, stock the fridge with fresh salad, that sort of thing. That’s what she’d be looking for. He could lose the boys otherwise. As he could lose the battle for Aroha Bay and the fairy tern.

  Jake hated the mere thought of losing.

  As he swung down the driveway to the house, his stress levels mounted. What he really craved was a surf but instead he’d have to cook dinner and sort through some of the bills that were cluttering the table. He probably also ought to entertain the American, though how, he couldn’t imagine. Well, he could. But that image was sharply repressed.

  The first thing he saw, sitting jauntily next to the sleep-out, was the car. A red convertible. Bloody typical! He might have guessed she’d get something like that. He was amazed the boys weren’t all standing around it, tongues hanging out and begging for rides. Brad would be itching to drive. Oh, man, yet another battle Jake simply didn’t need. He pulled up next to the convertible and jumped out, slamming his door. There was no sign of Sass, but music was pounding out of the house. No guesses where the boys were, then. Delicious smells wafted across the grass. Cooking? No one in the house cooked. Jake bounded up the deck steps, then stopped short in the doorway. For a second he thought he must have the wrong house. The wrong boys.

  “Hi, Jake,” Paul said with one of his shy, sidelong looks that substituted as a smile. He was polishing the glass of the bay window.

  “Did you bring a game home?” Mike asked. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, putting all the loose DVDs and Xbox games into the right cases and stacking them.

  “We were hoping you might pick up that new racing one,” Mark added from his perch on top of the sofa, where he was cleaning the cobwebs from the corners.

  “Oh, you’re home,” Brad said as he passed through the lounge, lugging a vacuum cleaner. “Did you see the car? Isn’t she a little beauty?”

  “What the hell is going on?” Jake roared.

  The boys all paused.

  “We’re cleaning,” said Brad in a “well, duh” tone.

  “But you guys don’t clean. You are the worst pigs I’ve ever met. If I tell you to put something away, you act like I’m the most unreasonable brute in the world.”

  Brad grinned. “Ah, but that’s because you’re a crap cook.”

  Jake shot him a look.

  “Sass said she’d make Mexican if we cleaned the house. It’s got to be spotless. She’s an amazing cook,” one of the twins elaborated.

  “How do you know?”

  “She made us Texan burgers when we came back from school this afternoon. Said her brothers were always starving when they were our age. You’ve never tasted anything like these burgers. Then she offered us a deal. She’ll cook while she stays here so long as we keep the place clean.”

  Jake couldn’t begin to untangle his thoughts and feelings on hearing that. Of all the managing, bossy, conniving…As for the boys, what a bunch of mercenary turncoats. At the same time, something did smell fantastic.

  “Where is she?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  Jake went through and there, sure enough, was Sass stirring a pot. She was humming, her back to him, and looking like every man’s fantasy in a short denim skirt and a clinging white tee. Her blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail and a big Texan belt was slung around her slender hips. She didn’t hear him come in and he took a minute to look around the kitchen. Everything had been scrubbed, polished and put away. Every surface gleamed. He didn’t know that things on the stove could smell so good, either. He was not, however, so easily bought as the boys.

  “What the hell is that?”

  Sass turned. “Oh, you’re back.” It was a statement of fact, not a welcome. “That’s an espresso machine.”

  “I can see that. Where did it come from?”

  “A shop called Brisket or something like that.”

  “Briscoes. What’s it doing here? I don’t drink coffee.”

  “But I do.”

  “You’re only here for a week.”

  She leaned against the counter and folded her arms across her chest, as calm and cool as ever, despite the heat of the kitchen.

  “Trust me, you don’t want to be around if I don’t get my daily caffeine fix. I’ll leave it for your next guests. How’re the boys doing? Dinner’s nearly ready.”

  “I guess I should thank you.” He didn’t feel in the slightest bit grateful.

  “No need, I didn’t do it to please you. Would you like to go and wash up? I’m serving in ten.”

  INSTEAD OF EATING with plates on their laps, as was their custom, they sat at the cleared, cleaned table. When Jake came through, the boys were already there, looking surprisingly civilized and decidedly hungry.

  “Flowers?” he said, with a nod to the vase of yellow roses. “A bit of a waste on five blokes, isn’t it?”

  Sass blushed, but before she could reply Paul said softly, “My mum used to put flowers on the table.”

  Jake and the other boys stared at him. He never spoke about his mother. She’d died eighteen months earlier.

  “Did she?” The annoyance on Sass’s face disappeared and she smiled at Paul. She began handing out plates for the boys to help themselves. Jake saw from her eyes that she’d registered Paul’s use of the past tense, but her voice was light when she asked, “Did she enjoy gardening?”

  Paul gave her a hesitant smile. “Couldn’t get her out of it—especially in summer.”

  “I bet. A garden’s the one thing I’d really like in New York.”

  Jake was impressed, despite himself. Paul wasn’t one to volunteer information, and he almost never smiled. There was something in Sass’s manner that the boys were instinctively turning to. It wasn’t that she was motherly—more like a big sister. She must have been great with her own brothers.

  “It looks good,” he said, prepared to have a truce with a person who could tame this brood. />
  Brad grinned. “It tastes even better. Oh, and you owe Sass three hundred and forty-eight bucks.”

  “What?”

  Sass threw Brad a reproving look. “I told you not to mention it. It’s not a big deal.”

  “What three hundred dollars?” Jake demanded.

  “For the electricity,” Brad continued, ignoring Sass. “They cut the power off this morning.”

  “Bastards!” Jake was mortified that Sass should see he wasn’t coping.

  “We found the bills in the pile of shit over there—” Brad waved toward the overflowing in-tray on top of the piano “—and Sass rang and paid over the phone with her credit card. Man,” he continued admiringly, “you should have heard the way she sweet-talked the guy into reconnecting us immediately. Tell you what, you’re going to have a fight on your hands if Sass decides against you guys.”

  “Can it, motormouth.” Sass glared at him, then looked at Jake. “It’s not an issue. I’d have been paying to stay in a hotel. Consider this my contribution to staying here, instead.”

  “Thank you,” said Jake stiffly, “but I won’t hear of you paying my bills.”

  They locked eyes. Sass’s head tilted before she shrugged and smiled. That polite smile of hers, not the real one she kept for the boys, for Rob and Moana—for everyone except him. “Sure, pay me back whenever.”

  She then turned the conversation to surfing, a guaranteed way to get the boys talking, leaving Jake to enjoy his Pyrrhic victory. In silence he devoured his meal. It was as good as it smelled but he wished it had been burned or undercooked or something. She made him feel so damned incompetent. The dining room, like the kitchen, had been transformed. She must have had the boys working like galley slaves all afternoon. Not that it would last long. Jake pulled these ungracious thoughts up short. Here he was with a clean house, electricity and dinner, and she wasn’t even looking for his gratitude. She’d done it purely to suit herself. He ought to enjoy it. He ought to, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was invading every facet of his life. Typical American, the original invader.

  The phone rang and he left the table to answer it.

  “Hi, it’s Moana. I’m just phoning to remind you about the party on Saturday night.”

  He swore.

  “I knew you’d forget! Look, Rob and I think it would be nice to invite Sass along, too.”

  “She wouldn’t be interested.”

  “Ask her.”

  “You ask her,” he said gracelessly.

  “Oh, Jake.” Moana sighed. He could picture her shaking her head. “Put her on the line then.”

  Jake called out to Sass, “Moana wants a word.”

  As he took his place again at the table he could hear her soft American intonations that conjured visions of large white Southern mansions with those mile-long, tree-lined drives that were always in movies.

  “You’re inviting me out? That’s so sweet of you, I’d love to come.” She listened. “Yeah, it’s a cute little red car…A bit strange getting used to driving on the other side of the road…No, he hasn’t mentioned it…We’re having dinner right now…” She laughed. “No, I cooked…Yes, I can cook! What do you think I am?” She laughed again. Jake knew Moana was liking her more and more. Was this interloper going to bewitch everyone? Couldn’t they see? “Yeah, see you tomorrow night at the meeting…The boys’ parents will be there? Well, I’ll look forward to it. Bye for now.”

  She hung up and returned to the table.

  “So I get to meet your folks tomorrow night.”

  “You’re going to meet Jake’s dad?” Brad laughed. “That’ll be a trip for both of you.”

  Great, Jake thought, just great.

  But, as usual with life, the moment he thought things couldn’t get any worse, there was a knock at the door. He went through to the lounge and his heart plummeted. Through the glass doors he could see Janet’s small, square frame topped with frizzy hair and hazel eyes that saw far too much. He’d known this moment would come, but he was in no way ready for it. Drawing in a deep breath he forced a smile as he threw open the door. “Janet! Great to see you.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  JANET SMILED

  . “I hope this isn’t an inconvenient time to call.” Her last visit had really caught him on the hop. He’d seen her nose wrinkle at the mess spread across the floor, the unmade beds, the remains of baked beans, fried eggs and toast in the kitchen.

  “Not at all. Perfect timing, in fact. We’re all here. Come on in.” His voice had all the assurance he lacked.

  She stepped into the lounge and looked around, astonished. “What an improvement. Well done. To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d ever be able to get the place sorted out.”

  “Yeah, it looked terrible, but it was all superficial. Nothing that couldn’t be taken care of in an afternoon.” Well, that last sentence was true, at any rate. “Come on through and see the boys. We’re having dinner. Will you join us?”

  “Oh, no, this is just a quick visit, thanks. It smells delicious, but I’m having dinner at a friend’s—” She broke off. Jake couldn’t blame her. Reentering the dining room he was struck by how homey everything looked—the glossy tabletop, the steaming bowls, the boys’ blissful faces and yes, dammit, even the flowers. Janet’s surprise was compounded, however, by Sass’s presence. She stood staring, a small frown between her eyebrows that did not smooth out as Sass rose and held out her hand.

  “Hi, I’m Sass Walker.”

  As they shook hands, Jake explained. “Sass is from Paradise Resorts.”

  “Oh, I see.” Clearly, Janet did not. She turned back to him. “I thought you were petitioning against it.”

  “I am. Sass is in New Zealand to fight the petition.”

  “Here to find an amicable solution,” Sass countered smoothly. “Jake and the boys are kindly letting me stay in their sleep-out.”

  She was quick, Jake had to admit. She’d immediately seen Janet speculating as to their relationship, and was making it quite clear where she slept.

  Janet nodded. “I see,” she repeated, but this time in a different tone. Then she turned her attention to the boys. “Hello, everyone.”

  “Hi, Janet,” they chorused. Then, to both Janet’s and Jake’s amazement, Brad rose, looking sheepish, followed by the others. Jake shot a look at Sass, standing just behind Janet, and caught her tiny nod of approval to the boys. She must have communicated some need for manners to Brad with a jerk of her head. But it worked. Janet was taken aback but impressed.

  “Do sit,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t want to disturb your dinner. I’ll catch up with you individually after school one day next week. Is that okay?”

  They all smiled with a quick raise of their eyebrows, which, in Kiwi teenage malespeak, served as affirmation, before falling on their food again.

  “I must say,” said the social worker, gazing around, “the house looks amazing.”

  She glanced speculatively at Sass. Jake held his breath. Sass gave her Southern-girl-I’m-so-charmed-by-everything smile.

  “Doesn’t it,” she agreed. “When I first arrived, I couldn’t believe the way these guys looked after the place.”

  She was better than good. She was downright devious. But now that he knew she was, for the moment, on his side, Jake could relax and enjoy the show.

  “Have you been here long?”

  “Only a few days.”

  “Mexican food, I see. Did you cook it?” The question was tossed off, but Janet’s eyes were steady. Sass held her gaze.

  “Yes, Jake didn’t want me to, of course. He’s such a host, but I insisted. I was missing my kind of food and thought the boys might like it, too.”

  Jake could feel himself flush. He knew what a crap host he had been.

  “Jake’s so busy,” Sass continued, her voice all molasses and summer breeze lilt, “yet he still does all the work for these boys. I’ve been telling them it’s time they learned to cook some.”

  “It’s
true,” Brad interjected. “She’s going to teach us how to make American pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.”

  “Is she?” Janet nodded, then turned her sharp eyes back on Sass. “I can’t believe how this place has been transformed.”

  A tiny frown of incomprehension formed between those deep blue eyes of Sass’s. “Yeah? I’ve only been here a few days, of course.” Her apologetic shrug clearly said she didn’t know what Janet was talking about.

  The social worker smiled. “Well, I won’t keep you from your dinner. I would hate the food to get cold. Delighted to see everything’s going well. Nice meeting you, Sass. We may bump into each other again.”

  “I sure hope so,” she said.

  Janet bade farewell to the boys and Jake saw her back to her car. He noticed her glance at the sleep-out and was glad that Sass had, by chance, left a light on.

  “I have to tell you, Jake,” said Janet, stepping into the car while he held the door for her, “I had my doubts about your ability to cope after my last visit.” She shook her head. “But I can see tonight that you’ve obviously got everything under control. My congratulations. If this continues, you can be sure of my support. You’ll be going to the parent interviews at school tomorrow, I take it?”

  He’d put it completely out of his mind, despising the whole idea. This wasn’t what he’d thought he was buying into when Moana first suggested he mentor the kids, but Janet had told the boys to set up the interviews on her last visit. And now she was looking expectantly up at him.

  “Of course.” He smiled as he closed her door, but was glad that, in the dim light, she couldn’t read how false it was. Damn, the meeting was tomorrow night and he’d also promised to help Mac up on the farm with building a fence. He’d just have to fit it all in somehow.

  Janet wound down her window and stuck her head out. “That American. How long is she staying?”

  “Just a few more days.”

  “She’s very beautiful.”

  “I guess—in an American sort of way.” His tone was dismissive.