Holiday Affair (9 page)

Lissy smiled. “Mrs. Mac, you are naughty. I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better.” Taking a deep breath, she outlined her dilemma in simple terms.

“I have some important decisions to make and I decided to come home and apply some of my research methodology to the problem, without interruption. I really miss Gramps. He was always my sounding board.” Mrs. Mac raised an eyebrow at Lissy, indicating that she understood what Lissy really wanted was to get away from the professor for some thinking time.

“Gramps told me to follow my destiny before he died.

He didn’t approve of my thoughts on love and marriage.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Mum’s been married four times, and she always falls in love and says that she has found the ‘one.’ I was lucky when she married Greg McIntyre, because he provided such a stable background for me through my teens. But Greg was too busy working and Mum got bored, and she met Lincoln at one of her courses and divorced Greg.” She paused and took a sip of her tea.

“I stayed on at boarding school and Greg paid for me to finish my schooling and helped me with my university costs. I lost touch with him when he remarried, but I’ve kept his name because he was the only father I ever really had.”

“So your Mum is with Lincoln now?” asked Mrs. Mac.

Lissy gave a rueful sigh.

“No. Now Mum is with Lars. The new ‘the one’ and I’m waiting to see how long that lasts. Although Gramps reckoned he was the one this time. So you can see why I don’t believe in romantic love.”

Mrs. Mac shook her head. “Lissy, you mustn’t let your mother’s experiences taint your view on life and love.”

“That’s what Gramps always said. Now I have a lovely man who’s considering proposing to me. I like him very much, and I trust that he wouldn’t let me down. I think we could have a good life together.” She reached for another piece of bread and paused as she slathered it with butter.

“Then there’s the professor. We have this explosive effect on each other; however, I don’t like the man. He’s untrustworthy and has no integrity. Now I have to work with him and try to fight my attraction for him, and to top it all off, I live next door to him.” Mrs. Mac shook her head. “Oh Lissy. You can’t do an empirical analysis of this one. I would be like your Gramps and tell you not to rush into a convenient relationship just because you don’t think you believe in love. You’re the only one who can truly know what’s best for you.” A little smile played around her mouth.

“But, I am the landlady and I can evict any tenant.

Especially if he is hassling my favorite tenant.”

“Oh no, Mrs. Mac, you can’t do that, I wouldn’t expect that. I’m going to consider Tom’s offer…”

“Tom! Not Tom Richards who picked you up the other night? But he’s Nick’s brother. They’re a lovely family…

and then there was Olivia. Oh, Lissy. You poor thing. You do have some serious decisions to make, don’t you?” Lissy gently pulled her hands from Mrs. Mac’s tight grip and stood up. The old lady bustled over to the stove, served a bowl of soup and insisted Lissy take it home.

“I’m a big girl now and I have an associate professorship that I really want, no matter who I have to work with. Thanks for the soup, and don’t worry about me.

I’ll be better in no time.”

Lissy was pleased with the composure and professionalism she maintained for the rest of the week. She survived three meetings with Nick in the first week they worked together.

As she became absorbed in his research, she realized there were many similarities in the viewpoints they had been exploring. In his office one day late in the week, she said, “Nick, the parallels in our research documents are remarkable. My research from the primary sources, and your first-hand research and the oral histories you’ve recorded in the Cook Islands, indicate almost the same pattern of Polynesian migration.”

“The only place our research differs is the date of the first migration to New Zealand. The Cook Islanders are convinced that the great Maori migrations to New Zealand began from Rarotonga possibly as early as the fifth century AD. Current thought is that the starting point was Ngatangiia on the eastern side of Rarotonga. There is a gap in the fringing reef at the widest part of the island’s lagoon.” Nick looked across at her.

“I’m going to have to make one more trip out to record the last hereditary chief before I can finalize my report. I’d like you to come with me.” Lissy raised her head slowly and looked directly at him.

He put his hands up. “No hidden agenda, I promise.

I’d like you to see the research happening firsthand. It’ll help you write the report. I would invite whoever was working with me on the same trip, even if it wasn’t you.

We’re professionals and can be civilized about this, can’t we?”

She continued to look at him as thoughts raced through her head. She looked back down at her work. “I look forward to that, Professor.”

She thought about how far they’d come this week. A common interest in the research had made them put their personal differences aside. What Nick didn’t know, and never would if she had anything to do with it, was how difficult the week had been for her. How did a woman ignore a man, who could make her respond with a look, an accidental brushing of hands, or even the sound of his voice at the end of the telephone? She was even a shaking mess when she saw an email pop up from him!

The phone on Nick’s desk rang and after greeting the caller briefly, he held the phone out to her.

“It’s Tomas, for you,” he said tersely. She raised her eyebrows, surprised at his curt tone.

“Hello, Tom,” she said guardedly. Nick sat there and watched her as she spoke to his brother, his arms folded across his chest. She turned her back on him.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” She paused, listening to Tom. “Yes, we’ve been busy, it’s a very tight time frame until the report is due.”

She glanced at Nick, who stared at her with his lips set in a straight line. She glared back at him.

“Lunch, tomorrow, that would be great. See you at 12:30. Bye, Tom.”

Gently placing the telephone on the desk in its cradle, she turned to Nick and put her hands on her hips. “What exactly is the matter with you now, Professor Richards?” He continued to look at her without saying a word.

He stood slowly, and walked over to the desk and took her elbows in his hands, keeping a distance between them.

It was the first time he had deliberately touched her in a week and she felt her heart rate escalate and a warm tingling shot up her arms. Pulling away from his grip, she tossed her head angrily, and the usual recalcitrant curls fell out of her clip. He reached up and tucked the stray curl behind her ear, and a shiver ran down her back as his fingers brushed her neck.

“Lissy, if I asked you reasonably and seriously not to see my brother, what would you say?”

“I would ask why.” She turned her face away from him and closed her eyes, shutting him out before he could see past her expression of indifference. All she really wanted was to reach out and touch him. Turning back to him, she looked up into a granite-like visage.

She was wearing flat pumps today and had to lean back a little to see his eyes. As she stepped away, he reached for her again and pulled her close. Lowering his head, he moved his face close to hers so she could feel his breath on her skin.

“My brother’s an easy target,” he said. “He was hurt badly about ten years ago, and he’s always had this life plan mapped out. We all tease him about it, but I know he’s serious about being married and settled by thirty-five.

Somehow, you’ve gotten into his good graces and I think he’s starting to look at you with a view to marriage. I want to warn you, before he springs it on you. You need to stop leading him on, before it’s too late.” Once again, Lissy could feel the slow burn of anger that Nick always seemed to light in her, starting in the pit of her stomach and working its way up to heat her cheeks.

She pulled her arms from his and stepped away from him.

“And what if I was to tell you that it’s too late, we’ve already discussed it, and I’m seriously considering it?” Nick’s face darkened. He spoke slowly and enunciated each word clearly, locking his gaze with hers and holding her elbows firmly in a tight grip.

“I would tell you that I would stop it in any way I could… any way.”

“That sounds like a threat, Nick. I’m sick to death of your attitude. You treat me as though I’m a total gold digger, with no morals and certainly no feelings. Obviously, in your mind, I’m not good enough for the hallowed Richards family.” She took a deep breath and poked a finger into his chest.

“Let me remind you, it takes two to tango, and you slept with me on the islands too.”

She turned away from him in disgust, letting her breath out slowly. “I’ve done enough work with you today. I think I’ll be sick if I have to spend another moment listening to your holiness. What’s it like to be perfect, Nick?” She picked up her laptop and strode to the door.

“I’m going to work in my office. I have enough to work on until next week. Please don’t bother me unless it’s urgent.” She opened the door and turned to him.

“And if it
is
urgent, email me.” She made it back to her office before she lost her temper completely. She flicked the lock on her office door and with shaking hands, put her little kettle on and made herself a cup of tea.

It’s an improvement on the tears anyway.

She was trying to figure out why their holiday relationship had made him so bitter. She recalled the evening they’d had in the restaurant on the island, and the rapport that had developed between them. Although neither of them had been honest about their backgrounds, it had still been an enjoyable evening that had culminated in the most unforgettable night of her life.

Admit it to yourself, Lissy. You would love to be with
him again.

She almost dropped her teacup as she realized what had just gone through her mind.

You are falling for the man. Just like your mother, a
sucker for looks and charm… although he has been a bit
light in the charm department lately.

She put her teacup on the saucer, walked over to the window and looked down at the sweeping lawns of the university. It was lunchtime, and everywhere she looked, there were couples entwined on the grass and walking hand-in-hand.

…

Nick was angry at himself. He already regretted showing his hand to Lissy and asking that she not see Tom anymore.

He walked into his office and shut the door firmly, pulling his tie off and throwing it onto the desk.

He sat in his swivel chair and placed his feet up on the deeply varnished desk. He hated these stints at the university and the complication of this one in particular, with Lissy’s involvement doing his head in. He was much more comfortable out in the Islands in shorts and bare feet, heading out for a surf when the day’s work was done.

Even my demeanour changes when I’m in this work
situation
.
If only Tom hadn’t called when I was there, I
wouldn’t have even brought it up.

Shaking his head, he reached over and booted up his laptop, ready to start work and hoping to get it done sooner so he could get the hell out of this situation.

The next day Lissy met Tom for lunch. He greeted her in the foyer, reached over, and kissed her cheek, taking her hand to lead her into the restaurant where there were small intimate tables covered in white linen tablecloths.

Gleaming cutlery was on the table and a black-suited waiter was waiting to seat them.

“I’ve never been in here before, Tom. I usually grab a sandwich at the student union,” she said looking around, taken aback by the opulence of the staff restaurant.

He smiled at her. “This is where all the high-powered decisions and finances of the university take place.

Business lunches with a very good wine list. Would you like wine with your lunch?”

“No, thank you, I have a lot of work to finish this afternoon. I’d fall asleep at my desk,” she said laughing.

“How are you finding working with Nick? He can be a hard taskmaster.”

She held back all of the words that came to mind and pulled out her most professional response.

“It’s extremely challenging, but I’m learning so much.

He has so much experience in the field.” Tom reached over and put his hand on hers.

Lissy looked down and realized that she had absolutely no reaction to his touch. No matter that he was a nice guy who was being very sweet and showing an interest in a lifelong relationship with her. She felt more reaction when she turned the hot water tap on, she thought sadly.

“You look tired, Melissa. I hope you haven’t been losing sleep over my proposition.”

She looked across the table at him. His white shirt and subtle tie complemented his dark blue suit. His hair was immaculate and his grooming impeccable.

“No, Tom. I’ve been giving it lots of thought, but I haven’t lost any sleep over it. It’s a pleasant proposition and not one that causes me too much worry. I think…that your idea has merit. I don’t believe in romantic love and I think we’re compatible.”

As she spoke, Nick’s strong face intruded on her thoughts, and she pushed him out of her mind. The fact that he had asked her to stop seeing his brother made her even more determined to consider Tom’s offer.

His face lit up. “That is wonderful news, Melissa,” he said, taking her hand between both of his. She looked down at his soft, white hands and could not help comparing them to Nick’s strong tanned hands.

“Melissa, while I am thinking of it, I will have to cancel Friday night this week. A small family occasion has come up.”

She nodded at him.

“Not a problem. I’ve been invited to Clare’s thirtieth birthday dinner on Friday night, so that works out well.” He looked relieved and passed her the menu.

“However, my mother asked me to invite you to a barbeque on Saturday afternoon at the farm, if you’re free.”

Well, that would be one way to annoy Nick,
she thought.