She opened her eyes to the early morning light streaming in through the window. The bathroom door clicked open and Hagen walked out, so handsome, so tall, and so unreachable. Her heart cracked.
He gave her a long, slow, lazy smile. Dressed in a towel, his immediate thought on seeing her awake was obvious. “It’s seven. We slept in.”
“I can get dressed in an instant.” Closing off her expression, she sat up immediately and swung her feet over the side of the bed so fast that she almost overbalanced.
He looked resigned. “I’ll make breakfast while you’re in the shower.”
“Good idea.” She found fresh underwear and her work clothes in the dressing room and transported them to the bathroom, showered, and dressed. Then she took a few minutes to pack her bag. She carried it down the stairs to the kitchen, wondering if it was ethical to let him give her breakfast when she was leaving him.
He eyed her bag. “Is bacon and eggs overkill after last night?”
“It’s always overkill, but not something I have often enough to complain about.” She put her bag by the garage doorway. “I’ll set the table.”
He turned his back and cracked the eggs into the pan. His system was messy with another pan used to fry the bacon but who was she to complain when she didn’t have to clean up? While he started the bread toasting, she set the breakfast room table. The silence seemed overloaded, but perhaps because she didn’t know what to say to him. On a normal morning, she would talk about the projected day. “I think we’ll make it to work on time.” She glanced at him.
“It doesn’t matter for me, because I set my own working hours, but if you’re late you’ll be docked.”
Her mouth twisted into a smile. “Even if I’m sleeping with the boss?”
He looked inscrutable. “If you tell everyone you’re sleeping with me, that would be a different matter. Will you?”
“Of course not.”
“Sit, and I’ll bring over the plates.” He placed her breakfast in front of her and her throat felt as if she had swallowed a tennis ball.
Her appetite deserted her. Willing herself, she loaded her fork and then she ate as fast as she could. Prolonging her time with him was too hard. “Do you want orange juice?”
“Thank you.”
She scraped out her chair and left for the kitchen where she poured two glasses. He followed with the two used plates. They each drank a glass of juice while leaning against the countertop, facing but not speaking.
“What?” he finally said.
She placed her glass in the sink. “I’m leaving.” She kept her back turned.
“So I imagined when I saw your bag. Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t like the idea of sleeping with the boss’s son for a promotion.”
“Is that what you were doing?”
She slowly turned and met his gaze. “Not initially, no, but last night you said you would find a better job for me. Would you have said that if I wasn’t about to leap into bed with you?”
He stared into her eyes, his expression a mask. “I wasn’t serious.”
She hardened her heart. “You were using your position for your own purposes.”
His voice deepened. “Tell me the truth.”
“Maybe I was simply reliving the past, seeing if I made a mistake the first time around,” she said, wearily. “But I didn’t. We don’t share the same values. Aside from that, this was a fling. You’re a good-looking man, and I was lonely.”
“You’re a good-looking woman, and I was lonely, too. I thought we had something going for us.”
“I’m really not your type. I’m not sophisticated enough.”
His mouth formed a grim line and his eyes turned a hard shade of blue. “I’ll see you at work then.” Losing her gaze, he moved across her to rinse his glass.
“I hope this won’t—”
“No, it won’t. We need you until Tiggy gets back.”
She swallowed and grabbed up her bag on the way to her car in the garage, glad he hadn’t extended the moment. Now she only had to face him at work but she suspected he could evade her easily enough. They’d already had to try to find moments together at AA & Co.
She arrived before he did, of course. He would give her a head start so that she could be out of his way when he set foot into his office.
“Morning,” Sandra said, lifting her head and smiling. “How was last night?”
“The dinner? Elegant. Enlightening.” Marigold’s voice came out husky.
A crease formed between Sandra’s eyebrows. “How is Hagen this morning?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“Oh. Right.” Sandra went back to her typing.
Sitting at her desk, Marigold tried to concentrate on her next design for the school gymnasium. AA wanted four single-bedroom units, but she had the idea that the other occupants of the development wouldn’t like student accommodation so close by. She had meant to discuss this with Hagen. Now she couldn’t. She also couldn’t concentrate. She kept imagining him with Scarlett. The other woman was sophisticated, beautifully dressed, and would match his lifestyle the way Mercia had.
Marigold’s eyes hurt. She heard his voice in the vestibule. His door clicked shut. Safe to leave, she moved swiftly past Sandra, who said, “Hagen said he enjoyed last night, too. Then he slammed into his office. Maybe the drinks were spiked.”
Marigold frowned at Sandra. “The drinks were elegant.”
“So, the guests were enlightening?”
“Some were, yes.” Marigold stalked off to the staff room. Coffee would help her concentration. She switched on the machine and waited.
Demi walked into the room, carrying a cardboard tray of sweet things. “Morning, darling. Did you have a good time last night?”
“Sure did,” Marigold said with faked enthusiasm. “You must have sprung out of bed before daylight to have made all those.”
“The pastries? I buy them from a nice little Greek bakery.”
“Why did I have the idea that you did all this yourself?”
“I used to, but Mercia, my darling ex-daughter-in-law said it was mumsy when I could buy pastries every bit as good and save myself the time.”
“Mumsy? And you accepted that?” Marigold frowned. She couldn’t imagine perfect Mercia saying anything quite so crass.
“In a way, she made sense.” Demi sighed. “I still make everything for my family, but it was time consuming to keep the office supplied as well. Not all her ideas were bad, though. To change a subject I shouldn’t be discussing, you and Hagen looked perfect together last night, Marigold. Your bright hair and his light hair, well, you make the perfect golden couple. Hagen had a hard time trying not to look besotted.”
Marigold cleared her throat. “I’m sure he didn’t. Looks are deceiving. I think you might have the wrong idea about us. We have a working relationship. It would be poor form to mix work with pleasure.”
“I know, darling, but sometimes these things can’t be helped. He has watched you with hungry eyes since he was eighteen. That’s more than ten years.”
“He hasn’t seen me for six of them.” Marigold crossed her arms.
“That’s his pride.”
“He married Mercia.”
Demi sighed. “There’s no denying he made a mistake or two. But I mustn’t interfere. He has made a mess of his life, and I thought…”
“He made a mess of his life?” Marigold blinked in amazement.
Demi lifted her shoulders. “I will say no more on the subject. Not that I actually know a lot more. Hagen has been a mystery to me since he was born. He’s the strong and silent type like his father. Though, I always did like a good mystery,” she ended in a vague voice. “Oh, I’ve forgotten the pods for the coffee machine. I must go out to the car to get them.”
Rubbing her fore
head, Marigold watched her leave. Hagen’s mother thought he had made a mess of his life? Perfect, golden boy Hagen? As far as Marigold could see, Hagen had had his golden life blessed since the minute of his birth—except for the loss of Mercia.
She wandered back to Tiggy’s office, her coffee in her hand, deciding to forget Sandra asking her how Hagen was this morning. His assistant had made a silly slip of the tongue. She couldn’t possibly suspect that good-as-gold Marigold was sleeping with her boss.
Chapter 12
Hagen’s mother burst into his office. He’d immersed himself in paperwork since he had arrived this morning. Every time he came up for air, he thought about Marigold. Not for a moment did he believe she had moved out because he had considered finding her a more suitable job with the company. If she had honestly wanted one, she could be slotted in, but she had decided to wipe him out of her life for another reason entirely. She wouldn’t risk loving anyone. And, unfortunately, he understood.
Ma planted herself onto his black bench seat and crossed her legs as if she meant to stay for a while. “We need to talk.” Her mouth firmed.
He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to act, but he couldn’t grab Marigold and tell her he loved her and that he had never loved anyone but her. She didn’t trust him now any more than she had the first time she had tossed him aside. Although he hadn’t known about her mother’s deteriorating condition, Marigold had assumed he wouldn’t have supported her during her mother’s long illness. She could have been right, but he wanted to think she was wrong. However, after living in a household where the women outnumbered the men, he knew telling one she was wrong would get him exactly nowhere.
This time he knew she was wrong. And she was lying. She had reverted to Marigold-mode and used words to distance herself from him, assuming that like her father, at the click of another’s woman’s fingers, Hagen would pack up and leave. He loved her, but so far he had done a hopeless job of showing her that. He needed to tell her instead. Right now. With only Marigold on his mind, he rose to his feet to usher his mother out of the room.
Ma held up a stopping palm. “Sit, please. I have something to say, and I’m not leaving until I’ve said it. This morning, I accidentally told Marigold that you used to be besotted with her. She seemed surprised.”
He shrugged. “And?”
“Oh, you’re as bad as she is.” She firmed her lips. “I don’t know why Tiggy bothered giving up her job for Marigold if you didn’t intend to do something about her.”
He frowned. “About Tiggy or Marigold?”
“What could you do about Tiggy? Don’t answer. I mean about Marigold. We thought if we got you two into a situation where you had to speak, you would resolve whatever needed to be resolved. Last night, it looked as though you had.”
“I thought we had.” He sat on his desk chair, rubbing his forehead and staring into his mother’s earnest brown eyes. “But we were a social situation. Marigold is always beautifully behaved in company.” He tried to outstare his mother, also a waste of his time.
Ma offered him a reproving smile. “She is, isn’t she? It’s a shame she doesn’t handle her private life as well.”
“I doubt that you interfering will help.”
She let out a weighted sigh. “We got you two talking again, didn’t we? Therefore, I’ll give you my unsolicited advice. If you want Marigold, now is the time, Hagen. You won’t keep getting opportunities with her. She is a highly intelligent woman. She won’t wait forever for you.”
“Hah.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“She has already decided I’m not for her.”
“Of course you are.”
He stared at the papers on his desk. “You tell her. She won’t believe me.”
Ma pulled her chin back. “Well, she won’t if you tell her. You have to show her.”
“I did show her. I didn’t tell her, but I’m not giving up this time, or not without a good try.”
“I’m glad to hear that. She is not at all confident. Mercia has given her a lot to compete with.”
“I thought you didn’t like Mercia.”
“She was beautiful, confident, and, well, beautiful.” Ma lifted her shoulders.
“I love seeing you trying to be tactful.” He almost smiled. “Mercia was loud, opinionated, and rude to you. Do you think I didn’t know? I assumed she would be right for me, as my opposite. You always said I was too reserved.”
“And she made you more reserved. She alienated your family, and we thought for a while we would lose you. I know you don’t like hearing this. I know you were always loyal to her and although I wish you hadn’t been, I do admire you for that. But you have a chance to start again, and I don’t want you closing in on yourself and not taking the opportunity we presented to you.”
“We?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Tiggy presented this opportunity by taking an unwanted holiday?”
“If we couldn’t get Marigold out of her house, we could never put you two back together again. Tiggy hoped Marigold wouldn’t be able to refuse her if she asked for a favor.”
“And she didn’t.”
“It was a good idea of Tiggy’s,” Ma said defensively. “We hadn’t been able to get you two together previously. Before you married Mercia, we asked you to dinner and we asked Marigold to dinner but as soon as either of you heard the other had been asked, you backed out for some flaky reason or another. That’s when I started getting suspicious. Something must have happened between you.”
“Nothing much happened between us. We were just beginning when her mother got sick. She couldn’t deal with both of us at the same time.”
Ma inclined her head to the side. “That’s understandable. Taking on a serious relationship would have been difficult at that stage.”
“Especially taking on me and my oversized ego.”
“Now, now. You were no worse than any other rich man’s son.”
With a wry smile, he lifted his shoulders. “We do our best but we weren’t the ones who made the millions. We either have to spend it, lose it, or prove we deserve our privileged positions. We have our families’ reputations to carry and at that stage I wasn’t sure I was good enough.”
“Possibly she picked up on that, but you’re older now and your father and I are very proud of the man you have become. He won’t have any misgivings about leaving the company in your capable hands.”
For a moment he dropped his gaze, stunned by the praise. He knew he worked hard, but taking over the family company had always seemed a distant aim. He had grown emotionally since Mercia had died. Now he was ready to take what he wanted from life. And what he wanted was Marigold by his side, supporting him as she had at his dinner party, and as she had last night. He nodded and stood. “Conversation over. Thanks for your input. You have helped me straighten out my mind.”
“So you will tell Marigold you love her?”
“That’s what I meant to do before you plonked yourself into that chair.”
“Tell her she made last night a delightful social occasion for the lucky investors who sat either side of her. I saw each of them laughing. No one ever laughed when they sat with Mercia,” Ma said, and she left with her head held high.
No one had laughed with Mercia because she’d always found business dinners a chore. Marigold didn’t. She liked people, and she shone during social events, which was why he had insisted on waltzing with her at his last school formal. He shouldn’t have, but just once he had wanted everyone to notice how special she was. Soon enough someone more worthy than he would carry her off. Hagen would be too busy trying to live up to his family’s expectations to find time to woo anyone.
And now he had to work out a way to win her, his golden delight.
He prepared himself with two deep breaths, rose and left the office, meaning to stroll into Marigold’s. Sandra ar
ose from her desk as he shut his door behind him. “I hope she gave you a good talking to.”
“Who? My mother?”
She lowered her head and looked at him over her glasses. “Someone needed to wake you up to yourself.”
“I had every intention of waking myself up,” he said in a mild voice.
“I hope you’re not going to make matters worse.”
He examined the wary expression on her face. “How loud was our conversation?”
“I’ve been sitting outside your door for four years.” Her eyebrows wriggled. “You don’t always close it properly and neither did your wife when she visited, and she had a propensity to be loud. In that time, I’ve heard a lot. I hope you are planning on telling Marigold the truth. You won’t win her with evasions, like you can with your mother.”
“I didn’t evade anything,” he answered defensively.
“Oh, yes you did. You always stick up for Mercia. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but I’ve heard much too much to believe what you want everyone to believe. In a way, I was sorry for her but that doesn’t excuse her behavior.”
He firmed his jaw. “I’m not about to discuss Mercia with Marigold.”
“I think you have to. She has the wrong idea entirely.”
He scratched his eyebrow. “Without any of you knowing my business, you are all determined to tell me how to run it,” he said, exasperated.
“Because you’re doing such a bad job on your own.”
“So, tell Marigold the truth? She has never asked me for the truth.”
“You haven’t let her close enough. She is a woman who needs closeness. Tell her everything, Hagen. You might even discuss your feelings, though that’s a hard ask.”
“Could you do one thing for me?” he asked politely. “Take yourself off for half an hour.”
She turned back to her desk, opened the bottom drawer, removed her handbag, and said, “If you make a mess of this, I’ll resign.”
“You’re fortunate that I want to keep you.” He watched her march off and then he took a breath deep enough to feel in his toes and knocked on Marigold’s door.
Golden Opportunity Page 19