Bestseller Collection 2010

by Carole Mortimer

  She wasn’t grouchy, exactly, more irritable. And she knew the reason for it too!

  She had been so sure on Saturday night that Nick meant to make their marriage a real one, had half expected him to come to her bedroom last night. But after reading for half an hour after they had both retired for the night, she’d had to accept that she was going to be sleeping alone, after all.

  It was sheer frustration that was making her so grumpy!

  She felt like a taut string ready to snap. And she wasn’t sure who her target was going to be when she did!

  ‘Don’t call me Gem,’ she snapped as Hugh finally left the baby and came back to the table where they had been working earlier. ‘You know how much I hate it!’

  Which hadn’t always been the case. Gemini had never particularly minded that shortened version of her name—until she’d realised Danny had called her that because when spoken it would apply to both sisters without getting him into any trouble whichever twin he was with! Since that time she had always insisted on her full name being used, and she had noted long ago that Nick always called her Gemini—probably for the opposite reason of his brother; Nick had wanted to know exactly which twin he was with!

  Hugh raised dark brows as he sat down beside her. ‘Everything okay in the Drummond household?’

  Gemini gave him a sharp look. ‘What do you mean?’

  He grimaced. ‘You aren’t usually moody, Gem—Gemini,’ he hastily corrected. ‘This morning you’re a trifle…edgy?’

  She sighed. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I’m probably just not used to having my nights disturbed—’ She broke off as she saw Hugh’s teasingly raised brows, colour heating her cheeks as she easily read his thoughts. ‘By a baby, I meant!’ she added crossly.

  She and Hugh might have worked together for years, and were very good friends, but even he wasn’t aware of the business arrangement of her marriage. There had never been any reason for Hugh to know; he hadn’t liked Danny, but he definitely approved of Nick, and so Gemini had left Hugh his illusions concerning her marriage.

  ‘Of course.’ Hugh humoured her, holding back his teasing smile. He frowned. ‘I don’t suppose, in the circumstances, that Nick feels too inclined to help out.’

  The circumstances being that Jessica was the daughter of Jemima, the woman who had once let Nick down so badly…

  She shrugged. To give Nick his due, after his first shock at Jessica being Jemima’s baby he had been more than attentive, had even taken the baby for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon so that Gemini could take a nap. No, Nick certainly hadn’t passed on the resentful feelings he had towards Jemima to the baby.

  ‘Actually, he’s been very good with Jessica,’ she defended. ‘He—’ She broke off as the door that opened onto the street was suddenly opened behind her.

  ‘Hi, Nick,’ Hugh greeted warmly as he looked over Gemini’s shoulder towards the door. ‘We were just talking about you!’

  Gemini winced at his candidness, drawing in a controlling breath and schooling her features into polite query before turning to face Nick.

  She hadn’t seen him this morning, as he had breakfasted and gone out of the house before she’d come downstairs with the baby, but she could see from the formal dark suit, snowy white shirt and conservative tie that he had been to his office this morning. Why she should have thought he might have gone somewhere other than his office she didn’t really know; maybe it was because their whole relationship seemed to be one big question mark at the moment!

  ‘Something nice, I hope?’ Nick drawled as he strolled further into the room, closing the door behind him, instantly shutting out the busy street noise.

  The salon, as Gemini liked to call it, was really just a series of rooms in a large house that had been let for office purposes. Clothes, in different degrees of preparation, were strewn around each of the rooms as she and Hugh, along with a seam-stress who came in on Thursdays and Fridays, prepared them for her next GemStone collection.

  ‘Would I ever allow anyone to say anything nasty about you?’ Hugh replied jokingly.

  To Gemini’s relief, the two men, so vastly different in masculinity, had got on together from their first meeting. Gemini accepted that a lot of the reason for that was probably Nick’s unquestioning acceptance of who and what Hugh was. In fact Hugh and his long-term partner, Alan, often came to dinner with Gemini and Nick, when a hilarious time was usually had by all.

  But at the moment, as the two men shared a moment of laughter, Gemini could well have done without the two of them getting on quite so well together!

  ‘Did you want to say something nasty about me, Gemini…?’ Nick looked across at her with raised brows.

  She would like to say something nasty to him, not about him! ‘As if,’ she returned mockingly. ‘Actually, I was just telling Hugh how wonderful you’ve been with the baby,’ she added hastily as he saw Nick was about to pursue the subject with Hugh; the last thing she wanted was for Hugh to repeat any of that conversation about her ‘disturbed’ nights!

  “’Very good” was the way I think Gemini put it,’ Hugh put in dryly. ‘Although she’s such a darling I don’t see how you could be anything else but good to her,’ Hugh added appreciatively.

  ‘Gemini is?’ Nick drawled derisively.

  The other man grinned. ‘Well, of course Gemini is a darling—that goes without saying!—but I was actually referring to Jessica.’

  A fact Nick was well aware of, Gemini knew! ‘What can I do for you, Nick?’ She cut in impatiently on their light-hearted banter; she simply wasn’t in the mood for it.

  Besides, Nick rarely came to the salon, and when he did it was usually because he had come to tell her he had to go away on business unexpectedly. The thought of him going away again at the moment, with everything feeling so—so unfinished between them, was unacceptable to her…

  He looked at her with unfathomable green eyes. ‘I called in to see if you were free for lunch,’ he finally murmured softly.

  Gemini’s eyes widened at the invitation. Lunch? Nick never took her out for lunch! At least, he hadn’t so far in the fourteen months they had been married…

  Perhaps—

  Danny…! Obviously Nick didn’t believe her about the reason for Danny’s telephone call, thought she was going to meet Danny some time during the next few days—and by inviting her out to lunch with him today Nick was making sure she wasn’t free to meet Danny!

  ‘I don’t have a previous appointment,’ she answered him stiffly. ‘But I am rather busy. And then there’s Jessica to consider—’

  ‘One excuse will suffice as a no, Gemini,’ Nick cut in harshly, his expression grim now, his eyes glacial.

  ‘We aren’t that busy, Gemini,’ Hugh put in lightly, seeming unaware of any tension between the married couple. ‘The show is months away yet. And you showed me earlier how to feed Jessica; I would love to look after her for a couple of hours,’ he added eagerly.

  She couldn’t help smiling at his barely concealed ulterior motive. ‘She’ll be spoilt rotten by the end of today,’ she complained ruefully. ‘But… okay. If that suits you, Nick?’ She looked at him from beneath lowered lashes, suddenly feeling shy at the thought of going out to lunch with her husband—even if his motives for the invitation were suspect!

  The two of them never went out alone together. Any dinners or parties they attended always involved business, either Nick’s or her own. And even though she knew there was a method in Nick’s madness—namely, keeping her well away from Danny!—she was still a little flustered. It would be almost like going out on a date. And that was something they had never done, either!

  ‘Fine,’ he accepted tersely, obviously still a little piqued at her initial excuses.

  Gemini pulled on a pale plum-coloured silk jacket over her body-hugging black top—the jacket matching the loose trousers she wore—running her fingers through her hair before standing up. ‘Ready,’ she told Nick brightly.

  ‘My kind of woman,’
Nick told Hugh dryly.

  Gemini only wished that she were. But unfortunately she knew Nick preferred women—one woman in particular!—who were less conventional and more outgoing than she could ever be.

  But they were about to go out and have lunch together. Which was definitely a first!

  She couldn’t help feeling a little unfair to Hugh as she followed Nick towards the door, and turned to face him. ‘Are you really sure you can cope?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure,’ Hugh answered indignantly. ‘I had lots of kid sisters, remember?’ he added wistfully.

  Hugh hadn’t been lucky in attaining his family’s understanding about his sexuality. Those three sisters he spoke of were all married, with children of their own; children they didn’t allow their uncle Hugh to see…

  Gemini smiled at him warmly. ‘Have fun!’

  ‘Oh, we will,’ Hugh assured her gratefully.

  She looked at Nick from beneath lowered lashes once they were in his car and driving towards the centre of town, not exactly encouraged by the harsh set of his features or the icy narrowing of his eyes The silence between them was filled with tension.

  Well, he’d been the one to instigate this lunch together; it was just too bad if he now found he didn’t particularly like the idea!

  Gemini blinked back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes, turning to look out the side window, seeing nothing, but unwilling to let Nick see how close to tears she actually was.

  ‘Would you prefer French or Italian?’

  She literally jumped a little in her seat when Nick suddenly broke the silence between them, turning to look at him, the tears firmly under control now. ‘Sorry…?’ She frowned across at him.

  Nick glanced at her impatiently before turning his attention back to the road. ‘Are you in the mood to eat French or Italian food?’ he repeated dryly.

  She wasn’t in the mood to eat at all; in fact she already regretted being more or less bullied by the two men into coming out with him. But, having accepted the invitation… ‘Italian would be fine,’ she assured him huskily.

  Nick was obviously known at the restaurant he took her to, the waiter greeting him by name before showing them to a table near the window.

  Gemini looked across the table at Nick with raised brows once they were seated. ‘A favourite haunt of yours?’ she questioned dryly; there was so much she didn’t know about this husband of hers!

  He glanced up from the menu he had been looking through. ‘It’s just around the corner from my office.’ He shrugged.

  Gemini had already realised that—and she also knew he had rather a pretty young secretary! ‘Convenient,’ she drawled mockingly.

  Nick’s gaze sharpened. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he rasped.

  She raised dark brows at his aggression. ‘Exactly what I said; this restaurant is convenient for you to come and have a meal during your lunch-break.’ Although as he was his own boss he could make that lunch-break as long or short as he wished!

  Nick gave a deep sigh. ‘Gemini—’

  ‘Nick?’ she returned coolly.

  Although cool was the last thing she felt. This was not going well. And she knew that she was responsible for most of that. But she simply couldn’t relax in Nick’s company any more. And the more she thought about it, the more she questioned his motives for bringing her out to lunch today!

  Maybe making sure she wasn’t free to see Danny wasn’t the only reason for this uncharacteristic invitation? After all, Nick still hadn’t told her what those ‘things’ were he had wanted to talk to her about on Saturday evening…

  ‘Could we forget about the tension of the weekend for a while,’ he suggested quietly, seeming to have half-read her thoughts, ‘and just enjoy having lunch together?’

  He could have no idea of just how much she wished that were possible, of how she longed to go back to the way things had been between them during the first six months of their marriage! But the truth of the matter was she was too aware of him, too conscious of her own feelings towards him, to feel in the least relaxed in his company any more!

  She gave a slight inclination of her head. ‘If that’s what you want, Nick.’

  ‘It is,’ he sighed. ‘I thought we at least liked each other, Gemini, but these last few days—!’ He shook his head grimly. ‘I’m not even sure that’s true any more.’

  Gemini certainly liked him. Probably more than she should. She admired his self-confidence, his success, his compassionate way of dealing with business. And as far as he looked—!

  She shied away from even looking at him now, firmly turning her attention to her own menu, her pulse racing. ‘I think you’re exaggerating what happened over the weekend, Nick,’ she told him in measured tones. ‘Nothing has really changed between us.’

  ‘I don’t call the fact that I almost made love to you nothing!’ he bit out harshly.

  Neither did she, and the warm colour once again entered her cheeks. But when Nick had spoken of forgetting what had happened at the weekend for a few hours, she had thought he’d meant Jemima’s and Danny’s return to their lives…!

  She swallowed hard. ‘No one got hurt, Nick,’ she dismissed abruptly.

  ‘Didn’t they? I—’ He broke off as the waiter returned to their table to take their order, and the next few minutes were taken up with choosing their food.

  A respite for which Gemini was more than grateful! The two of them kissing and touching each other, ‘almost’ making love, as Nick had put it, was a cherished memory she could take out and relish whenever she was alone. She certainly didn’t want to sit here with Nick and dissect what had happened between them, to pull it apart until it had no meaning whatsoever!

  She leant forward once the waiter had gone away, putting her hand briefly over Nick’s as it rested on the tabletop. And even that momentary touch was enough to send an electric thrill up her arm and through her body!

  ‘Let’s just do as you suggested, Nick, and enjoy lunch,’ she said huskily. ‘Neither of us will be able to work this afternoon if we end up giving each other indigestion!’ she added, in an effort to lighten the conversation.

  He looked at her for several long seconds, green eyes narrowed, and then he slowly nodded. ‘Truce, Gemini?’ he drawled self-derisively.

  ‘Truce, Nick,’ she agreed gratefully.

  He gave an acknowledging nod. ‘How’s the collection going?’

  Gemini was grateful for the abrupt change of subject. Maybe lunch would be okay, after all…

  She gave a rueful smile. ‘When I can drag Hugh away from the baby, it’s going just fine!’

  Nick chuckled softly. ‘He would have made a wonderful father, he obviously adores kids.’

  ‘Mm,’ she acknowledged wistfully. And not just Hugh, either. Nick would have made a wonderful father too…

  ‘Now I’ve made you sad again,’ Nick muttered self-disgustedly. ‘I just can’t seem to say the right thing to you at the moment!’ He shook his head impatiently.

  It wasn’t just Nick. Her emotions were all over the place just recently, and the least little thing could produce a mood-swing of almost three hundred and sixty degrees! ‘Time of the month,’ she dismissed untruthfully; the truth was much more embarrassing than discussing her body clock!

  Nick seemed to visibly relax at her explanation, sipping at the red wine the waiter had poured for them both. ‘I’ve always been grateful for that very reason that I was born male.’ He grimaced.

  ‘But it has its compensations,’ Gemini said with a rueful smile. ‘We also get to carry and give birth to the babies,’ she explained at his questioning look.

  And then instantly regretted her candidness. When had she ever given any indication that she considered being pregnant and giving birth a ‘compensation’? When had she ever thought such a thing?

  The last few days, she inwardly acknowledged. Since looking after Jessica…

  Three days ago she had questioned how she was ever going to cope with having a ba
by in the house, let alone look after her; now she knew she was going to miss Jessica unbearably when Jemima came to collect her.

  There was something so—so emotional, she supposed, about being so completely alone with a baby during the night hours, holding her, talking to her, kissing her, with the rest of the world seeming to be asleep. And unnecessary. It was the most wonderful experience, so difficult to describe, and yet Gemini knew she was going to miss those times with Jessica the most.

  Nick’s mouth twisted derisively. ‘I think most women would find the reality of that statement debatable,’ he drawled mockingly.

  Gemini laughed softly. ‘The reality of it probably is,’ she acknowledged self-derisively. ‘But we can all dream, Nick,’ she added laughingly.

  ‘I thought your dreams were all of fabrics and fashions!’ he teased.

  ‘They are.’ She nodded, sitting back as their first course was delivered to their table. ‘Mmm, this is delicious,’ she murmured appreciatively after taking the first mouthful of the pasta she had ordered. ‘Although I’m probably going to smell of garlic all day!’ she added ruefully.

  ‘Never mind, mine has garlic in, too,’ Nick dismissed.

  Gemini wondered at the relevance of his remark, but didn’t comment on it, continuing to eat her food. They seemed to have reached some level of camaraderie between them again; they were at least talking now, without one or both of them becoming defensive—and she certainly didn’t want to be the one who broke that truce!

  It was a wonderful meal, the food excellent, and the company too, as Nick set out to amuse her with stories of the nightmare business deal he was trying to put in place at the moment.

  Gemini had such a good time that it wasn’t until they were driving back to the salon a couple of hours later that she realised Nick hadn’t told her the reason for his unexpected invitation out to lunch. Because one thing she did know about Nick: he always had a reason for everything he did.

  She turned in the passenger seat to look at him. ‘Lovely as the meal was, Nick, you still haven’t told me why we had lunch together.’

  He quirked dark brows. ‘Does there have to be a reason?’