by Lowe, Fiona
His teasing humor faded. “I’m sorry, but it’s Dana’s house.”
She shrugged, wondering why he even felt the need to explain. “I’m staff and it’s her vacation. I get it. It’s not a problem.”
“But it doesn’t mean you work through.” He strode over to a work area and slid open what looked like a cabinet door but was actually a dumbwaiter. “I got Esther to send up lunch.”
The thoughtful gesture stunned her. “Thank you.”
This time he shrugged. “As soon as we’ve eaten we’ll drive into town to meet with your real estate agent.”
We’ve eaten? She studied the contents on the tray that was clearly set for two. “You’re not having lunch with your family?”
The tense set of his shoulders matched his brusque words. “I don’t have time for long lunches.”
The sound of pummeling feet made them both glance toward the door and the next minute Logan barreled into the office. “Annika! Dad said you were here again.”
She returned the boy’s big smile. “Hey, dude, how are you?”
Excitement poured off him. “Dad just taught me how to do a somersault off the diving platform and I wanna show you now.”
Finn gave a tight smile but when he spoke his tone was quiet but firm. “We’re working, Logan.”
The boy’s mouth formed a stubborn line and he scuffed his sneaker-clad toes against the polished boards making a loud and defiant squeaking sound. “I came to see Annika.”
“Logan.” Finn sighed as if he was bone weary. “Now’s not the best time. Maybe later.”
Why? It wasn’t like Logan was interrupting something important. Wasn’t that the point of a home office during vacation time when things were more casual? “I can come and watch you dive after work, Logan, but only if it’s okay with your mom and dad.”
Logan beamed. “’Course it’s okay. It was Dad’s idea and Mom said you should stay for supper because we’re having a cookout. You’ll stay won’t you? This time we’ll finish the sand fort.”
As she dealt with her astonishment at the unexpected invitation, she thought she heard Finn groan. “I’d love to come. I’ll bring my bathing suit so I can swim out to the platform too.”
“Awesome.” Logan bounced up and down in anticipation.
“Fabulous.” Finn’s voice sounded strained.
Annika wasn’t totally certain if Finn was against the idea of her as an employee spending time with his family or if his issue was with Logan but her natural inclination to “help” kicked in. She raised her hand for a high five with the child. “I need to get back to work now, dude, but I promise I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay. See ya.” The happy boy ran out of the office, his voice echoing back to them as he called out, “Mom, she said yes!”
“You know, you didn’t have to do that.” Finn handed her a plate covered by a massive Reuben sandwich and she realized just how hungry she was.
“Do what?” She watched mesmerized as he bit into the rye bread and how his tongue chased a strand of melted cheese that clung to the bow of his top lip.
“Offer to swim with him.”
That jolted her out of her lust-fest. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I hadn’t wanted to do it. Diving off platforms with kids is all part of summer fun, right?”
“Oh yeah, right up there with mosquitoes.” He wrenched the top off a bottle of apple juice and took a slug, his Adam’s apple moving up and down—rhythmically and hypnotically.
She tried to stay focused on his words rather than his deliciously gorgeous body and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She loved summer. It was her favorite season, although she enjoyed sunny winter days skating on the lake and cross-country skiing in the woods, and she absolutely adored fall. You love it all. But Finn didn’t seem to share her feelings.
“Geez, what happened to you in summer as a kid to make you the Scrooge of vacation?”
That familiar tension that often circled him appeared again, vibrating like electricity buzzing down a line. “I’m not on vacation.”
Now she was seriously curious. She finished chewing and wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin that had been rolled into a pewter ring with a K engraved on it. Everything in the house spoke wealth. “So if you’re not on vacation, why are you working in your father’s vacation house?”
“Company politics and business strategy.”
His words shot out as if spoken by an automaton and they didn’t tell her anything. “Oh of course, I should have made the connection given I was just reading all about it in Forbes the other day.”
His lips curved into a smile and the strain lessened. “Forbes, eh?”
She tried not to sound breathy despite the fact her heart skipped a beat. “A mayor has to keep up.” She nibbled the edge of some lettuce. “But the article also talked about cutting little brothers some slack when they called by the office.”
The tension shot right back like a bow being stretched tight by an arrow. “If you read the Wall Street Journal you would have seen the article on the fact they don’t belong in the office and if you want to keep the job as my P.A. you need to respect that.”
During his orientation yesterday, he’d never sounded so serious or so resolute about any topic—not even the confidentiality clause. She desperately wanted to ask him why the rule but given the set of his mouth, and the jet of his eyes, she’d save that question for another time. Right now, she needed the job too much for herself and for Whitetail. The fact it came with money was a bonus she was coming to appreciate. She only hoped Ellery would be okay waiting until Friday for a half payment of the month before last’s rent.
She gave him a mock salute. “Yes, boss. I’ve got your back and I’ll protect you from scary eight-year-olds.”
He smiled. “Just make sure you do.”
The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes or match the tone of his voice and she realized he was actually serious. Why was he so ill at ease with a child?
“That’s enough about little boys, Annika. Grab your file on the warehouses because we’re leaving in five minutes.”
While she double-checked she had everything they needed for the meeting with Ellery, Finn reloaded the plates back into the dumbwaiter. Just as she’d slid the documents into a bright pink folder, Bridey strolled into the office wearing a bikini top and a multicolored sarong tied low on her hips.
“Hey, big brother, I just got a text from Mom and she’ll be here this afternoon.”
Annika watched Finn’s finger go rigid on the dumbwaiter button and he stabbed it as if his life depended on it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
“You know I never kid about Mom.”
He turned to face his sister. “I don’t understand. She never comes up here anymore and we only just got through your party.” He ran both his hands through his hair. “Oh God, Dana and Kathleen in the same space. Dad will go off his head and—”
“She’s not going to be staying here, silly.” Bridey’s smile seemed overly bright. “When I invited her, I booked her into a B and B.”
“What?” Finn’s roar ricocheted off all the glass. “You invited her?”
Annika jumped at his volume but Bridey didn’t even blink. It was as if she’d expected this reaction.
Finn threw his arms out. “You invited her up here? Have you completely lost it, Bridey?”
“No.” Her eyes glinted with purpose. “I’m planning a
wedding and I need my mother around for that.”
He stalked toward her. “Damn it, Bridey. It would have made more sense for you to go down and visit her in Chicago.”
Bridey folded her arms across her chest and got the same mulish look her brother could specialize in. “This is my vacation and I can do what I want.”
“What? Cause chaos?”
Bridey pursed her lips. “Her plane arrives at three so we can meet her and then take her out for coffee at that quaint diner in Whitetail. She’ll love that both of us are spending time with her together. We’ll leave at two-thirty and that gives us plenty of time. We’ll use my car because Mom’s bound to have brought more than one suitcase and your status symbol is hopeless for trunk space.”
Annika felt like she was at a tennis match, watching the ball pass between two expert players and culminating with a lot of frenetic volleying at the net. Bridey was like a dog with a bone and a vein in Finn’s neck pulsed. Perhaps it wasn’t only eight-year-olds he wanted to be protected from.
His relationship with his family was intriguing but none of her business. She was employed to do what he asked and because she needed the job, she picked up her satchel, swung it over her shoulder and said, “I’m really sorry but Finn’s got an important meeting in Whitetail at three.”
Bridey’s smile fell and she suddenly had the air of a forlorn child. “Oh. Can’t you change it?”
Annika instantly felt sad on Bridey’s behalf and she wanted to make amends. She opened her mouth to say Finn could meet them at the diner at four when she felt Finn’s hand firm against the small of her back, and all coherent thought vanished.
With gentle but determined pressure, he guided her past his sister. “Sorry, sis, gotta go. Tell Mom I’ll call her later.”
Annika swore she heard delight in his voice.
* * *
“I use the Multiple Listing Service and I can handle the sale or the leasing. All you have to do is sit back and watch the cash appear in your account. Yes, sir, you don’t have to be in the heart of a big city to do big business these days.”
Annika listened to Ellery giving his spiel to Finn and watched both men closely. Finn had taken this meeting under sufferance and she knew Ellery would have to win him over. Some people thought Ellery too hometown-country with his warmth, sincerity and lack of guile but they’d be the fools. When it came to sales, Ellery was the man. Right now as he moved the red dot of his laser pen across the spreadsheet pointing out pertinent numbers and statistics it was enough to make the heart of any businessman sing.
Finn sat in his chair with his elbows resting on the desk and his fingertips pressed together in the shape of a diamond. Occasionally he asked questions but mostly he listened with an intensity that had every part of his body centered on Ellery.
Annika took advantage of that to sneak occasional glances at Finn, justifying to herself that there was no danger in window shopping. She watched the way recalcitrant curls formed at the back of his neck despite a neat cut and how they tickled his collar, taunting the crisp and tidy look he cultivated. She noticed that despite a close shave in the morning, by three in the afternoon ebony stubble touched his tanned cheeks and she knew by nightfall he’d have the sexy rumpled look of a pirate that he’d worn the night she’d met him. What was new to her today was the way the band of his polo shirt sleeves seemed stretched by his upper arms but that shouldn’t have surprised her given those same arms had once lifted her up as if she was a featherweight.
Finn rose from his chair, his long-limbed body unfolding like a scissor lift, and he extended his hand. “You put a good case forward and I’ll give you two months to show me what you can do.”
Ellery shook his hand. “I’ll have the papers drawn up and bring them out to Kylemore for signing tomorrow.”
Annika suppressed the urge to give a loud and emphatic whoop of delight. It was a minor victory in a huge battle but it was a start and either way, lease or sale, some money would stay in the town. “Ellery, we need to meet to talk about strategies to catch the attention of medium-to large-size companies. I’m tied up during the day but what about tomorrow night? Bring Elspeth and come for supper.”
The large Realtor suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Anni, have you been checking your voice mail?”
No, because I don’t have any cell credit. She went for noncommittal as she collected the documents she’d brought to the meeting. “Hmm, why?”
Ellery hesitated, looked at Finn and then back at Annika before speaking softly. “So you know tomorrow night won’t work out at the cottage.”
She had no clue why that would be so she played along. “Sure, so how about the night after?”
“Where?”
She smiled. “Same place, my place.”
Ellery turned to Finn. “Mr. Callahan, would you excuse us for just a moment?”
Two deep lines appeared on Finn’s forehead as if he wasn’t used to being asked a question like this. “If it involves the warehouses I’d prefer to be present.”
Annika recognized his business tone and she didn’t want to risk Finn pulling out of the deal. “Ellery, it’s fine. Just say what you need to say.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to call me back since yesterday, Anni.” His tone was both accusatory and apologetic. “The Hoffmans have decided to come up from Milwaukee and use the cottage this summer.”
Her mouth dried. “My cottage?”
Ellery nodded slowly but firmly. “I’m sorry, Anni, but because you’re two months behind in your rent I couldn’t argue against it. They’re moving in for the entire summer.”
Her legs turned to jelly and she sat down hard on the chair. The Hoffmans hadn’t used their cottage in two years and she’d come to think of it as hers. “When?”
Ellery put his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly. “Tomorrow. I’ve been trying to contact you since yesterday to tell you.”
You’re homeless.
The familiar ring tone of Finn’s cell both pierced her shock and backhanded her with an extra dose of indignity. In her stunned state she’d forgotten he was in the room. Her head fell into her hands. Oh, God, now Finn Callahan knew she was virtually destitute. Life just got better and better.
She raised her head. “Ellery, I’ll have money on Friday which will go toward my back rent and I have a job for the summer so I’m good for the rest. I don’t mind where I go. I’ll even take the unleasable cottage near mosquito flat.”
“I’m sorry, Anni, but we’ve had a rush on vacation rentals this year because Illinois folk who used to travel overseas are tightening their belts and staying closer to home. I don’t have a single cottage available.”
She pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead as if the pressure would make her think more clearly, and she tried to run through her choices. She no longer had family in town. Her parents had sold up and moved to Arizona when she’d left for college and had started a business in retirement travel. They spent more time out of the country than in it, and currently they were in Australia, loving every minute of their “third age.” Like the emails from her brother, Axel, the content of most of her parents’ messages usually urged her to leave town and reiterated the same theme of “restart your life.” But her life was here now and she wasn’t going anywhere. Any number of townsfolk could help her out for a night or two but moving every few days held no appeal, and she couldn’t impose on anyone for an entire summer. Everyone was hurtin
g financially as much as she was.
A wave of weariness rolled through her as a lump formed in her throat. Fighting the good fight when she had no reserves herself was wearing her down. She wanted to be totally self-indulgent and sit and sob but she had no time for that—she had a cottage to vacate. She rose slowly to her feet, tucked her hair behind her ears and faced Finn.
“It appears I need the rest of the afternoon off to move house.”
* * *
“What about this?” Finn picked up a dusty and battered wooden box with a brass handle unsure if it was part of the cottage’s furnishings or Annika’s private property.
He’d fully intended to drop Annika off at her cottage and drive straight back to Kylemore, leaving her to sort out the mess that appeared to be her life. But there’d been something about the slump of her shoulders that was so unlike her usual take-charge attitude that he’d felt compelled to stay.
Still, he couldn’t believe that he was here helping her pack. He never got involved in his staff’s personal lives. You never get involved in anyone’s life period. He shut down the unwanted voice. Thinking of Annika in terms of “staff” was supposed to be helping him not to think about her in any other way, but watching her walk past him holding an armful of clean laundry with a white sports bra dangling from the load, wasn’t helping. His thoughts strayed to the memory of plain white panties and long smooth legs.
Her gaze flicked over the case he held up and her usually clear eyes clouded for a moment. “Yes, that’s mine.”
He saw her look beyond the case and noticed a folded-up easel. “Do you paint?”
“Passing phase.” She dumped her clothes into the open suitcase on the couch before picking up some rolled-up canvases and putting them quickly on top and snapping the lid closed. “That’s it.”
Bridey had more gear in her vacation bedroom at Kylemore. “Your possessions are two suitcases and five boxes?”