Holiday Affair (15 page)

The next morning, she dressed in a suit with a turtleneck sweater underneath; she missed the warmth of her hair. The last thing she wanted was to catch a cold before they left for their research trip to the Cook Islands.

She carefully made up her eyes, a little more than usual, and found big dangly earrings.

“Not bad, Dr. McIntyre,” she said to her reflection in the mirror before she left for work. “Looking confident.” That was not the reaction she got from Nick later that morning. He dropped by her office to see her about some research before morning tea and the loud roar that emanated from him when he saw her hair brought Jenny running from the reception desk.

“By God, woman.” He looked at her in disbelief.

“What have you done?”

She and Jenny looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Getting ready for the tropics, Professor.” He glared at her for a minute and then grunted before disappearing into his office.

Lissy heard laugher and the buzz of happy conversation as she made her way around the back of the Richards’s farmhouse on Sunday afternoon. The barbeque had been a hot topic of conversation in the history faculty; many of the staff had been invited and apparently the Richards were renowned for their hospitality. Since it was a casual affair, she had dressed in jeans and an olive green cashmere sweater that brought out the deep green of her eyes. Her new trademark dangling earrings complemented her short curls. She’d decided as the week progressed that Nick had done her a favor, and she felt liberated by the freedom the short haircut had given her.

Tessa moved toward her as she walked up the steps, hands outstretched in welcome. “Melissa, it is wonderful to see you again. Look how beautiful you are.” Lissy touched her short curls as Tessa gently kissed both cheeks, Italian style.

“Amazing what a good haircut can do.”

“Thank you, Tessa, you’re the only person who likes it!”

Tessa reached up and touched her face with an elegant hand. “It shows off your beautiful green eyes.” Lissy laughed, a little embarrassed by Tessa’s attention.

“My hairdresser was almost weeping as she cut it.”

“I think it looks spectacular,” said Tessa, “and if you’re happy then that is all that matters.” She looped her arm through Lissy’s. “Come and meet my nieces. They are visiting from Italy.”

Lissy’s cheeks warmed and she looked across the garden, sensing someone watching her. Nick was sitting at the table under a big tree next to an attractive blond woman, and raised his glass in a silent toast to her.

Tessa followed her gaze. “Don’t worry about Nick, Melissa. He’s been in a bad mood all week and we’re ignoring him.”

Lissy shrugged her shoulders. She knew what Nick’s problem was.
If only I could ignore him so easily,
she thought.

“Isabella and Talia, this is Melissa, Tom’s friend from the university. She also works with Nick, and I’ve already apologized for his bad mood.” Tessa introduced the two young women standing together in the doorway. The girls giggled and the older of the two said, “
Tessa da zia
, we have already met Melissa.” They both smiled at Lissy. “At the restaurant, last weekend.”

Lissy laughed with them. “As if I could forget! That was a night to remember. I believe I owe you for finding my keys.” The girls spoke perfect English, and as they chatted together, Tom walked around the corner, holding the hand of a small dark-haired young woman.

He looked pleased to see Lissy, came over, and kissed her cheek. “It really is good to see you here, Melissa.” Lissy knew he meant it. He was a great guy and she was sorry she had misjudged him at the restaurant. It looked like it had all blown over and there were no hard feelings.

He turned to the young woman by his side.

“Melissa, this is Jill. She just moved to Armidale and works in the finance department at the university. I thought it was a good opportunity for her to meet some friends.” Jill seemed very shy, and Lissy was pleased to see the coy way that she was watching Tom and that he continued to hold her hand as they stood with the group.

Lissy’s neck prickled and knew without looking that Nick was within her vicinity. She turned and saw him walking over. Before he could reach them, Tessa broke from the group and joined him on the lawn. As the conversation continued around her, Lissy could hear Nick’s voice and he sounded angry. She saw him shrug his shoulders and relax as Tessa spoke to him quietly, her hand on his arm. He looked over and saw her watching, and he raised his glass to her again. Tessa gave him a gentle push in the direction of the group gathered on the veranda.

Walking over, he stood next to her and said politely, but with no warmth in his voice, “What can I get you to drink, Melissa?”

“White wine, please,” she said, smiling brightly at him, determined not to let him ruin her afternoon. He had tried his best to upset her life and career plans, but she had decided it was time to take control. Once the trip to the Cook Island was over and the research paper was completed, she was going to reconsider her options. Other universities focused on Pacific history research and she would be well placed for an associate professorship after their current paper was published. Leaving Nick behind would be hard, but she had to do it if she wanted any chance at happiness in her life and career.

Nick returned with a glass of wine for her and as she took it, their fingers brushed and she was surprised that the arc of electricity that flared between them didn’t crackle through the air. Conversation flowed around her and she was content to observe the social interactions of her friends and colleagues. When Sophie, Ally, and Lucy arrived with their families, Lissy was welcomed as an old friend. As more guests arrived, the function livened up and a game of cricket began in the back garden. Lissy moved to a hammock chair on the veranda, content to sit back quietly and watch the cricket game as the conversations drifted around her. The smell of meat and onions cooking on the barbeque wafted across the lawn and guests began to drift to the buffet table.

The evening passed pleasantly. Even though it was meant to be a function to get the faculty together before the trip to the Islands, Nick studiously ignored Lissy after giving her the glass of wine. He remained on the far side of the lawn umpiring the cricket game and she took a perverse pleasure in ignoring him back. Despite the tension with Nick, she enjoyed spending the time with her friends from work and left early to go home and pack for the trip.

…

Determined not to let Nick’s attitude ruin her trip to the Cook Islands, Lissy welcomed him professionally as they shared a taxi to the airport on Monday morning. Fog had delayed the flight from Armidale to Sydney and they arrived in Sydney with only minutes to spare. They had to run to catch the bus to the international terminal to catch the flight to Rarotonga.

“Why did you wear such high heels?” Nick was still surly. She ran along behind him as they sprinted for the bus.

“Faster,” said Nick. He held his hand out and she grabbed it. Lissy was thankful their luggage had been checked and she only had a small bag to hold as she ran along behind Nick. They picked up their boarding passes at the Polynesian Airlines counter with only minutes to spare. There was no time for a coffee or a snack before they were called through customs for their passport check.

They boarded the large jet and were preparing for takeoff. Nick was polite but distant and focused his attention on the cabin staff delivering the safety instructions. Lissy settled into the window seat and took great care in moving as far away from Nick as she could, which was difficult in the confined space of the shared double seat.

Lissy looked down at the ocean below with her hands clasped tightly on her lap. She had always had an irrational fear of flying over water. Nick looked across at her and gave her a reassuring smile when he noticed her white knuckles. It was the first smile he had given her since they’d been at Gramps’s cottage. She nodded and turned back to the window. Staring at the water, even though it made her feel light-headed, was better than looking at Nick.

A light meal was served an hour into the flight and after they finished their coffee, Nick was soon immersed in his laptop and Lissy examined him surreptitiously under lowered lids.

Nick’s hair had darkened since he had been away from the Pacific and he had lost his tan. The man sitting beside her bore little resemblance to the swaggering sailor she had first met on the yacht two months ago. He looked the part of an academic now and Lissy sensed that it didn’t sit comfortably with him. She recalled one of their first true conversations where his love of outdoor adventure and the ocean had been so obvious, and she knew that most of his time at the university was spent in sedentary activities.

No wonder he has been testy and hard to read,
she thought.
Being stuck in an office indoors must be hard for
him
. Lissy glanced up and realized that Nick was returning the intense scrutiny she had been giving him.

“Everything okay, Lissy?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. He nodded and looked down at his work.

Lissy put her head back against the soft padding of the seat and closed her eyes.

No matter how terse or rude he was to her, she could not get over the deep attraction she felt for him. She was going to have to move away when they finished their report. She started to daydream about what life would be like if she could trust her feelings for him and he returned that trust.

She slipped into sleep, lulled by the monotonous hum of the engines. As she slept, her lips turned up into a little smile. She fell into a deeper sleep, her head rolling to the side, landing gently on Nick’s shoulder.

…

Nick looked down at the short red gold curls tickling his chin. He had been so angry when he saw Lissy’s haircut.

Not at her, but at himself, because he knew he was the sole reason she’d cut it off. Because he had been foolish enough to say how much he loved running his fingers through her curls…and showing her.

He’d been fighting his feelings for her for weeks. He looked down at her breathing gently, and sighed softly before leaning back and closing his eyes. The turmoil of his emotions over the past few months since he’d seen Lissy sitting on the side of the yacht and he had sung that silly ditty to cheer her up, had thrown him. He couldn’t remember feeling this emotional in either of his previous serious relationships. Although, he thought with a grimace, he and Lissy were not in a relationship, as Lissy kept reminding him.

And if she had her way they never would be…

Well, how do you feel about that?
he thought.

Not good.
She gave a soft little moan and snuggled deeper into his shirt.

Nick’s protective instinct kicked in and he put his arm behind her head and settled her more comfortably into him. She didn’t stir. He noticed the dark smudges under her eyes and realized she was losing as much sleep over the situation as he was. He was determined to sort it out this week. Although they would be busy with the final research and writing it up at night, they would still have time to get to know each other and do some serious talking.

I will not touch her all week,
he vowed to himself.
We
need to step back and get this physical attraction figured
out.

He was ashamed she thought that was all he was in it for.

Lissy slept until they began their descent into Rarotonga.

She started to stir and Nick managed to remove his arm before she woke up.

She looked up at him, her eyes heavy with sleep and her cheeks rosy. “Sorry, I hope I didn’t dribble on your shirt. You know, it’s even more beautiful here than in the Whitsundays,” she said looking up at Nick with delight.

It had been a long trip and the sun had started to set over the ocean as the shuttle pulled up in front of the resort at Avaiki Beach on the western side of Aitutaki.

They had traveled by launch from the main island and Lissy felt contentment settle over her as they crossed the water. The majority of their research was on this small island and they had meetings organized in some of the small villages in the center of the island.

An unspoken truce had sprung up between them, and Nick was polite and responsive to her conversation as the launch ferried them to their final destination.

They were shown to their rooms in the small resort by a valet, who advised that their luggage was already there.

“I’ll meet you in the bar about seven. Does that work for you?”

She nodded and the valet showed her to her room.

Lissy clapped her hands in delight when she entered her suite. They told her at reception that she had been upgraded because of a double booking. Walking across to the large open doors, the front of her room overlooked the lagoon, and she watched in rapture as the sun, a huge golden orb, dropped below the horizon. Stepping out onto her balcony, Lissy was delighted to see her own private lap pool, surrounded by a low fence with a small path leading to a private beach.

The balcony and pool were screened by a profusion of tropical color. Frangipani trees and a myriad of flowering plants that she had never seen before cascaded in a riot of color down the lattice screen that gave her privacy from the next room. The sweet smell of the blossoms wafted into her room on the light evening breeze.

Stepping back into her room, her eyes widened as she entered the bathroom and saw a huge spa bath set in the floor, with dozens of little candles set into the edge. Two fluffy white robes hung on hooks on the side of the huge clear screen that led into the biggest shower that Lissy had ever seen.

What a waste,
she thought with regret.
This is the
honeymoon suite!
Quickly blocking those thoughts, she moved over to her luggage and began to unpack.

I’m not going there. No matter how beautiful it is. We’re
here to work.

She pulled her laptop from its case and set it up on the large desk in the lounge area of the room and checked that the wireless Internet connection was working. Satisfied that she could access her files on the university server if needed, she unpacked her small suitcase and had a shower before meeting Nick for dinner.