Hawaiian Affair (Part 1 of 4) (Hawaiian Affair - 30 days to sign the deal - and stay out of love) (3 page)

She
blinked her eyes – the whole marina seemed just a little out of focus. She’d
better not be getting ill. Damn travel tablets on an empty stomach. And damn
the tiny canapés - rich people at boat viewings obviously don’t eat. And damn
the expensive perfumes wafting through the air, mixed with coconut sun cream
and decadence - a world away from her normal life.  And Sadie was rapidly
becoming a world away from her normal self.

‘It’s
big
enough,’ she said finally, unable to stop the words coming out - what
was
it about this man?! And then, there it was - ‘It’s just not
long
enough...’

Why,
Sadie? Why did you say that? You know you’re just teasing him
. Was this her cobweb-covered
alter-ego coming out to play?

Oh,
it was there all right, it had happened before. One night a good-looking
policeman knocked on her door – to ask if she’d seen anything suspicious
because a neighbour’s house had been broken into. What did she do? She invited
him in and asked to see his truncheon.

With
Hot Boat Guy standing there just a few feet away, Sadie felt ‘single-girl
mischief’ rising up in her belly, stirring memories that felt alien but so, so
delicious.

And
then it hit her.

I’ll
never see him again, so what the heck.

She
smirked.

It
didn’t go unnoticed by Hot Boat Guy.

His
eyebrow raised, the corner of his mouth flickered, and a slow, languorous grin
spread across his face. Sadie was captivated by his face. Lived-in, but with an
air of intrigue. Tanned, no doubt from working at sea, but what stories could
it tell? Deep blue eyes and thick blonde-ish hair. In another life, another
lifestyle, he could have been a Bond guy. With better cheek bones…

She
snapped herself out of it as the importance of this trip came ricocheting back
into her head and smacked her between the eyes. Sadly, there could be no
renaissance for her neglected libido - not on this trip. In fact, not on
any
trip till long after the girls had gone to Uni. Not until she’d proved to
herself and everyone else that she could make it on her own. That’s what Sensible
Sadie said she should do. Or her mother did. Frequently. 

‘So…’

‘So?’
he asked.

‘So
- which way do I go to get out?’ There was a change in her tone, and he looked
like he noticed it.

‘Same
way as you came in.’

‘OK
thanks. Nice to meet you! Bye then.’ Sadie walked off – and that was that.

What
a wasted opportunity, what a shame
,
she thought to herself.
Maybe, if I come back tomorrow after the meeting, he
might still be here.
Or he’ll have sailed away on the morning tide. She
looked back and he was still smiling - just smiling - and watching. No, nothing
for it, but to keep walking.

And
walking.

And
a bit more with the walking. Until…

Ooops.

Until
she realised she was going the wrong way and had to turn right around and go right
back again.

‘That
wasn’t the way I came in, was it?’ she said, sheepishly when she reached him.

‘No,’
he said, trying hard not to laugh. ‘It’s down there.’

‘You
could have told me,’ she replied.

‘I
was enjoying the view.’

‘Are
you always this cheesy?’ she asked, and now it was Sadie’s turn to suppress a
giggle.

‘Only
with my own kind,’ he said, catching her off guard, and she inhaled a sharp
breath.
My own kind…Uh-Oh! 

Even
more reason to get the heck out of there.

‘I
have to go. I really do. Honestly. I’ve got a big meeting tomorrow.’ Sadie
said, looking into eyes that just didn’t believe her. Then, as if on cue, her
phone started ringing again in her bag. ‘Excuse me a sec,’ she said, and turned
away to dig out her mobile and answer the call.

Mac
was by now well and truly enchanted. And bemused. He wandered back up the
gangplank, picked up the dirty rag again, and resumed cleaning a piece of shiny
metal, watching Sadie totter out of earshot to take the call. A flicker of
amusement ran across his face as he watched her juggling the bag and the phone.
What is it with women and huge handbags.

He
thought about her accent and tried to place it – he was good with voices. And
hers being closer to home made it easier than most. South London perhaps –
Surrey, probably. No, she definitely wasn’t a yacht person, but now he was
intrigued – if she wasn’t a harbour inspector, what was she taking notes for?
Was she on a recce? Perhaps she was film crew. Neither did she look like any
business person he’d ever met, not in those heels. Mac pondered, and pulled up
a deck chair to sit himself down, ran his fingers through his hair and swigged
from his bottle of water. In the distant hill, something glinted, and caught
his eye, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was. Instead, the view close-by
was much more interesting. He sat watching this strange woman, wondering what
on earth she was getting so animated about.  

‘But
Mr Rosebery, believe me, salvation is truly just around the corner,’ Sadie was
saying under her breath, several yards away. ‘No, of course I’m not winding you
up…  Oh, you saw the article too, did you?... No, it was indeed all-expenses
paid. Didn’t cost me a penny – it was my prize… Well actually, it
was
hard work, really it was. Very hot and very pressurised, especially once they
offered me this deal… Well, you see that guy presenting me with the award, on
the left in the picture? He’s Bill Galloway - he produces this water called
Frish in Hawaii. And they want me to help with their international marketing
and… oh, of course, yes I’ll hold.’

Oh
God, this is all I need.
If only her bank manager wasn’t one of her mother’s ex’s. Then maybe he’d stop
acting like her guardian and leave her alone. She wasn’t that far over the
overdraft surely? And why would they bounce a payment for £40 and charge you
£30 for doing so? None of it made sense. She began working out a calculation on
her fingers and as she did so, she glanced up. Hot Boat Guy raised his bottle
towards her as if to say ‘cheers’.
Weirdo.

She
smiled and raised a hand to acknowledge him, and her bag slipped off her
shoulder an inch or two. She turned her back to him and leaned on a railing.
Funnily enough, now she knew he was sitting watching her, she found it most
comfortable to lean down on the railing and stick her bottom out ever so
slightly – just for balance, of course.

‘Oh
hi,’ she continued her phone call. ‘…Yes, of course I’ll keep you informed of
any developments.’ The bank manager was being pushy – more pushy than usual,
which meant she was in more trouble than usual. She swallowed, and tried to act
confident.

‘Yes
it must be…
Very
inconvenient… but in 30 days it could all be over, you
see – and you won’t have to keep calling me. I do apologise most profusely… yes,
“again”.’

Awkward…

The
mobile was throbbing now, she swore it was throbbing – or else her head was.
One
final
tactic, she thought when the voice just wouldn’t shut up.

‘Mr
Rosebery, how about this? I could always send in my mother to give you the full
low down on this new deal. You know how much she enjoyed seeing you last time,
and…No? Oh. Ok then, if you say so... Oh, did she? … Was it? … Oh dear, I’m
sorry to hear that. Have you tried removing it with bleach?…’
What else has
the woman been up to and not told me?
 Sadie thought.
Change the
subject, fast.

‘So
how’s the new Mrs Rosebery?... Good…No, there’s still no “Mr Sadie” in the
pipeline. It’s all about the business now… Yes it is proper business!  In fact I’m
finding…’ Sadie caught herself, and decided to take the plunge.
Think
positive
. ‘I’ve already
found
an investor for FrishCo, and they’re
paying me a lot of money to help seal the deal and do the follow up. That’s why
it could all be over in thirty days. It’s, er… it’s all being confirmed tomorrow.’
Sadie was glad he couldn’t see her crossing her fingers behind her back. ‘…Soon.
Yes, in my account soon. The money won’t take long to transfer. It’ll tie in
perfectly with my next lot of debits, won’t it. Haha. Isn’t it funny how the
universe works in mysterious ways?’

Sadie
cringed – she hated lying, one of her big things was honesty. Usually. But not
on this trip, apparently.

It
wasn’t totally a lie though – the deal
was
on the table after all, and
the billionaire investor
was
meeting her tomorrow. And it
could
indeed
happen in thirty days. Couldn’t it?

What’s
more, as she explained to a suddenly much more genial Mr Rosebery,
time was indeed
of the essence.
What she didn’t tell him was that otherwise FrishCo would
accept an alternative offer from a competitor. It was a very short deadline for
normal people. But even her pompous bank manager and Ex-Almost-Father-in-Law had
to agree – there was nothing normal about Sadie. Including refusing to call him
by his first name once he’d split up with her mother.
Formality is good in
business,
she thought to herself. Unless you’re travelling Club Class.

‘Yes,
Mr Rosebery,’ she concluded, ‘I’ll see what I can do to get some funds in the
account for now. But I can assure you, nothing – and I mean nothing – can get
in the way of this deal.’ He seemed to accept the certainty in her voice,
thank
God.

Grateful
for the reprieve, Sadie hung up and put the phone away once more and hoisted
her heavy bag. She was getting tired - and not just today. In truth, it was
nice to have a break from the shop – and her routine – and the day-to-day burden
of running her own business. To escape from it all – even if only for one night.
In any case, the babysitting credits, and the loans from Bank of Mum, were fast
running out.

Sadie
smiled, then walked over to say goodbye – again - to Hot Boat Guy. Time to get
back to real life.

‘Why
leave so soon? Got more “boats” to see?’ he asked, wandering back down towards
her. ‘I guess you agents usually see several in one trip, don’t you?’

‘I’m
not an agent,’ she replied. ‘Double, secret, provocateur or otherwise.’

‘Well
then, a sales exec for his competition?’ he said, nodding towards the Nomusa. ‘Are
you with Rigby’s?’

‘No,’

‘Geller
and Geller?’

‘No,
actually…’ she hesitated.
No point in explaining – where would I even begin?
‘Look, I really have to go. Nice to meet you. And don’t worry – someone else
will be along in a while and you can eavesdrop on them, instead!’

He
just grinned in reply. Feeling the thrill of flirtation fluttering through her
body, she gave a superior shrug, and swung her handbag slightly, trying her
hardest to look confident. But the cobbles underfoot did their best to prove
otherwise, toying with the high heels of the borrowed Jimmy Choos – they were her
sister’s, and a redundancy money treat, so ‘scuff them and die’. Sadie skipped
a little, to avoid damaging them on the rounded stones. Again he looked amused.
Or condescending, she couldn’t quite work out which.

‘Sorry
– not the best choice of footwear is it.’

He
looked down at her feet, thoughtfully.

‘Oh
I wouldn’t say that.’

The
air sizzled between them in the silence
.
Finally she spoke.

‘Nice
to meet you, then,’ she said again, and held out her hand as if to shake his,
but his dirty mitts just waved the oily rag, as if to say
bad idea
.

‘You
too,’ he said. ‘See you next open day. And don’t forget the shore is that way.’
Sadie’s look said it all. ‘Oh and good luck finding your
dream boat
,’ he
added with a wink.

Can
he mind-read?

Sadie
hoisted her handbag again, and the brochure once more dropped to the jetty.
Bending down to pick it up, even more awkwardly now she was being watched, she
then dropped her sister’s expensive sunglasses.
What a klutz,
she
thought.

Immediately
and before she could say anything, the man nimbly sprang over and picked them
up for her. This time she noticed he was barefoot. Without a word, just a
smile, he handed them back to her. His fingers touched hers and a spark of
electricity raced through her.

‘Thank
you.’

Close
up now, she could see the tiny sprinkle of silver at his temples, making him
all the more interesting. Striking azure-blue eyes, like the ocean, twinkling
with anticipation. And as for the way he was looking at her…

Wonder
what he kisses like.

Sadie!

But
her body was rebelling. Maybe – just maybe - playing along some more might be
fun, so far from home. Who’s to know? Maybe it would bring back a bit of that supreme
Student Sadie confidence she’d had at Uni, all those years ago. Just over a
decade and a half ago, in fact. Yes a bit of confidence boosting sure wouldn’t
go amiss in the scary boardroom at 9am tomorrow - better than wine.