Dream Wedding
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Helen Brooks
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10
CHAPTER ONE
‘YOU aren’t Bennett and Bennett? Tell me you aren’t Bennett and Bennett.’ The hard grey gaze was uncompromising as it swept over their faces, and Miriam swallowed deep in her throat before forcing a smile to her lips.
‘The very same.’ She gestured to her brother. ‘Mitch Bennett, and I’m Miriam. How do you do?’ As she held out her hand the tall dark figure in front of her turned abruptly, stepping back into the sumptuous hall with a cursory flick of his head.
‘You’d better come in.’ The tone was rude and aggressive, and for a moment they stood in bewilderment on the top step before following Reece Vance into the gorgeous, lavishly decorated surroundings.
‘Mr Vance, I think—’
‘Look, there’s been some sort of a mistake.’ Again he turned and fixed them with that icy glare. ‘I was told I was going to meet the joint partners of a successful and thriving catering firm who could get me out of the mess I’m in with the minimum of fuss.’ He eyed them angrily. ‘Not a pair of teenagers who clearly—’
‘My brother and I took over our father’s catering firm on his death five years ago, Mr Vance, as I’m sure Mr Craven explained,’ Miriam cut in quickly, desperately holding onto both her temper and her aplomb by the skin of her teeth. ‘I’m aware we don’t look our age, but that’s hereditary, I’m afraid. However, we’ve had plenty of experience—’
‘How old are you?’ He almost ground his teeth at them. ‘Both of you?’
‘My brother is twenty-six and I’m twenty-five—’
‘For crying out loud!’ It was meant to be insulting, and as Miriam felt her face flame she remembered what Frank had told her.
‘The man’s under a lot of pressure, Miriam—his sister’s wedding only two weeks away and the catering firm he’d employed under investigation by the police for fraud. He might be a little…touchy, but nothing you can’t handle.’
‘Excuse me,’ Mitch said at her side, his tone almost as aggressive as Reece Vance’s. ‘It might have escaped your notice, Mr Vance, but no one dishes out any favours these days. It’s dog eat dog. When my sister and I took over the business it wasn’t doing too well.’ The understatement of the year, Miriam reflected silently as she remembered the mound of debts and unpaid bills. ‘And now we employ five other people besides ourselves—’
‘Very creditable, I’m sure.’ His tone was scathing. ‘But this particular job would entail a staff of at least twenty on the day, not to mention all the preparatory work.’
‘Of course it would.’ Miriam smiled at him sunnily as she reflected that he was easily the most obnoxious, unpleasant, detestable individual she had ever met in her whole life. ‘And my brother was just about to add that we have part-time employees prepared to work at very short notice.’ Why have you done this to us, Frank? she asked silently as the grey eyes held her own violet ones in a vice. We might need work, but no one needs it this bad!
‘And you think you can cope with this contract?’ he asked icily.
‘I’ve no idea, Mr Vance.’ Her own smile died now and she stared at him straight-faced, her eyes disdainful. ‘You haven’t even begun to tell us what it entails, have you? Catering we can supply, but mind-reading comes extra.’ Steady, Miriam, steady, she warned herself quickly as the grey eyes chilled further. This job could establish Bennett and Bennett for good if you pull it off; don’t blow it on a temper tantrum.
‘I would have thought Frank would have explained,’ he said after a long moment of taut silence.
‘He merely phoned us with a minute to spare as he boarded a plane for the States and gave us a time and your address.’ Miriam tried another smile but it would have had more effect on a block of stone. ‘He said you’d had some difficulty with the present caterers,’ she added tactfully.
‘You could say that.’ He glared at her as if it were all her fault. ‘Well, now you’re both here you might as well come in the study for a moment and I’ll explain what the job entails.’
His tone said, quite succinctly, that such a procedure was a waste of time, and as they followed him into a huge room just to the right of the stairs, which seemed to stretch forever upwards, she had the mad urge to kick him hard up his dignified and very regal backside.
‘Now.’ He sat down behind a large and expensive desk in beautifully polished walnut and gestured towards two easy chairs placed strategically in front of it. ‘Do sit down.’ He spoke as if he was bestowing an honour of the utmost proportions, and just for a moment Miriam’s irrepressible humour asserted itself. What a stuffed shirt! What an overwhelmingly pompous stuffed shirt. He made her feel as though she wanted to do something outrageous to get through the hard outer skin that clothed this man like a barrier: take her clothes off and dance on his desk naked, maybe?
Her mouth curved slightly at the thought until she met the silver-grey eyes again, her gaze taking in the hard, high cheekbones and aquiline nose that at the moment was flared with something approaching distaste. No, perhaps not. On reflection, the thought of appearing anything but fully dressed in front of this man sent a little shiver snaking right down to her toes.
‘Now—’ the splintered gaze took in Mitch too ‘—I don’t know how much Frank has told you, but let me fill you in on the details. My sister is getting married at the beginning of December—the second to be exact—and she is marrying an Australian with a host of relatives who are coming over en masse for the nuptials. Something, quite frankly, that I am not particularly looking forward to. With me so far?’ They nodded silently; the tone was biting.
‘The actual wedding breakfast for the two immediate families, which at the last count numbered just over one hundred and fifty, is no problem; that has been arranged separately at an excellent hotel.’ He mentioned a name that made Miriam’s eyes widen. She knew the place; one needed to take out a second mortgage to eat there, and this man had arranged a wedding breakfast for half of Australia on its premises? Rothschilds, eat your hearts out, she thought faintly as she tried desperately to concentrate on the precise, cold voice.
‘However, Barbara, my sister, wanted to continue the rest of the celebrations in the family home—a buffet through the afternoon and evening, with dancing in the big hall and a firework display at night.’
The big hall? Miriam tried desperately to look unimpressed.
‘We have over three hundred family and friends descending on this house, expecting food and drink in vast quantities, and at this time I have no idea how I’m going to accommodate them.’ He eyed them grimly. ‘The directors of the catering firm I had employed are at the moment in police custody, so I don’t expect any help from them.’
With anyone else it would have been an attempt to lighten the conversation, but Miriam saw that he was speaking with no shred of amusement in either his face or voice, just a cold iron-hardness that was beginning to deflate even her natural optimism.
‘I would expect a large selection of seafood and English dishes, another section devoted to Chinese and Indian cuisine, with at least nine hot dishes in each besides the attendant cold foodstuffs, and, of course, the appropriate choice of desserts. The whole lot would be cleared by six o’clock and cheese and biscuits, fresh fruit and strawberries and champagne served at precisely nine o’clock, when the firework display has finished.’
He looked at them both sitting in front of him, their bodies completely motionless, and as the cool, ironic gaze lingered on her face for an instant Miriam shut her half-open mouth with a little snap.
‘You think you can handle all this? Before you reply, a word of warning.’ The arctic gaze chilled further. ‘The present catering firm will rue the day they let me down; prison will suddenly become an oasis in the desert I intend to make of their lives.’
He wasn’t joking, Miriam thought faintly; he really wasn’t joking.
‘I pay for, and expect, the best—both in quality of service and the speed and efficiency with which my smallest wish is carried out. If you took this contract on and I was satisfied, you would find me most generous, both with your remuneration and the references that would be your due. If you failed me…’ The icy grey gaze washed over their attentive faces and Miriam had to stop herself gulping like a schoolgirl.
‘So?’ He smiled grimly and rose from behind the desk. ‘I presume you would like some time to think about your answer.’ He didn’t expect them to take it. As Miriam looked up into the patronisingly superior expression that the hard features had settled in she found herself speaking before she could stop herself.
‘I would have thought time was of the essence, Mr Vance.’
‘It is.’ Just for a moment she saw a flash of surprise in the silver-grey eyes.
‘Then I think, certainly from our side, we can let you know our answer immediately.’ She felt rather than saw Mitch stiffen by her side, but something outside herself was driving her on and she was powerless to stop her next words, which she heard with a shred of horror. ‘We would be pleased to take the contract if it is offered and we can assure you that all your requirements would be met most satisfactorily.’
‘I see.’ The silver gaze narrowed. ‘And do I take it you are in agreement with your sister, Mr Bennett?’
Mitch’s voice was slightly strangled but he backed her to the hilt. ‘Of course.’ He rose as he spoke and Miriam was conscious that Reece Vance dwarfed her brother’s six-foot frame by a good few inches. ‘We are a partnership.’
Black eyebrows rose a fraction, but beyond that Reece Vance didn’t comment.
‘We’ll leave you our particulars, Mr Vance, and some brochures you may find of interest—’
‘Why?’ He cut into her polite farewell speech abruptly. ‘If you are taking the job you will surely need to inspect the premises?’
‘Taking…?’ He had called her bluff. She hadn’t expected him to offer them the job in a thousand years; it was right outside their league and he knew it. She knew he knew it.
The dark face was inscrutable, his manner relaxed, but she knew instinctively that he had responded to the challenge that she had been mesmerised into throwing down because he was a man who couldn’t resist such a situation. He hadn’t liked her response to him. She bit on her lower lip hard. And now he wanted his pound of flesh; he wanted her to admit that she had spoken foolishly. And she had.
‘Come and have a look at the kitchens.’ He was already walking out of the room and she found herself trotting after him with Mitch at her side, her brother’s face stunned with the sort of blank vacancy that she was sure must be written all over hers.
How could she have been so impulsive, so foolish? How could she? She barely noticed the magnificent surroundings that they were passing through as her thoughts raced frantically.
When she and Mitch had taken over their father’s tottering catering business on his sudden and totally unexpected death five years before, they had been met with a host of problems—not least their possible immediate bankruptcy. Their father had been no businessman; how the firm had survived as long as it had in his hands no one knew, and for two greenhorns fresh out of college, aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, to attempt to resuscitate the failing concern had seemed ludicrous to everyone but themselves.
But they had seen the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into their father’s dream of a family business and both of them had felt that they couldn’t just sit back and see the vultures move in. And so they had worked. And worked. And worked. And it had only been in the last year that they had begun to see the reward.
Their name was getting established and their reputation assured; they were, at long last, out of the red, and for the first time in several long years the nightmares that accompanied each pay-day for their five faithful employees were a thing of the past. And now she had possibly thrown it all away. She felt her heart thud painfully. She would have to eat humble pie, tell him they couldn’t possibly—
‘This is the big hall I spoke of.’ She came out of her panic to find that they had just entered what appeared to be a massive ballroom, its ceiling lofty and the high, curved walls gracious. ‘It’s an extension to the original house. My mother loved to entertain when she was alive and so my father had this place built on.
‘It has its own kitchens, which are separate from the original one which serves the rest of the house; they are situated at the back of the hall down a corridor where there is also a small flat. You would be welcome to use that if you felt it necessary to stay on the premises to oversee everything.’
Oversee it? She glanced up, and up, at the dark man by her side—the tall, powerfully built body seemed to dwarf her slim, five-foot-eight-inch frame—and noticed that the hard, tanned face was really very attractive. The thought didn’t help and she dragged her mind back to the task at hand. Oversee it? She and Mitch would be working every hour of the night and day if they took this thing on, and then some.
‘Come along.’ Like a pair of obedient puppies they followed at his heels again as he crossed the beautiful wide expanse of exquisite parquet flooring which seemed endless before opening a carved oak door at the far end and waving them through. ‘Here are the kitchens.’ A few yards down the wide, white-walled corridor was another door which he opened with a flourish. ‘I think you will find everything you need.’
As Miriam preceded him into the room, followed by Mitch, she felt a dart of excitement pierce the panic for the first time since her disastrous impulsiveness. The kitchens went on and on, gleaming bright and beautifully furnished with every available modern appliance known to man amid space and more space. To work in such surroundings would be heaven.
She glanced at Mitch and could read the same thoughts on her brother’s face. Everything could be done on site—everything—and that alone would make the whole job so much easier.
She wandered down the length of the vast room, turning to find that it went on still more in an L shape, the far end having a magnificent view over immaculately tended gardens that stretched into the distance before disappearing into what appeared to be a large wood.
‘It’s just…just—’
‘Functional?’ He’d interrupted her dazed voice drily but as she glanced at him again she saw that the dark face was smiling, and the effect was riveting. Whether or not it was the shaft of white sunlight glancing in from the massive windows, she didn’t know, but she hadn’t noticed before that his hair was so thick and black, or that the lashes which curtained the silver-grey eyes were so profuse. He was undeniably male, and the strong features and aquiline nose were too aggressive to be classically handsome, but he’d got something. He’d certainly got something, she thought weakly. ‘Come and see the flat.’
They retraced their footsteps out into the corridor, and directly opposite another door opened into a beautifully sunny little flat complete with small lounge, bedroom, shower room and a tiny but expertly fitted kitchen.
‘There’s only one bedroom, I’m afraid.’ He glanced at them with eyes narrowed against the bright winter sunlight. ‘But the sofa extends into a double bed, should it prove necessary.’
‘I—’ She took a deep breath and swallowed before trying again. ‘What exactly are the financial—?’
‘I would expect you to buy whatever you need; there will be a blank cheque with regard to that side of things,’ he said coolly, gesturing for them to be seated on the sofa as he perched on the side of a small writing desk. ‘I won’t be looking over your shoulder every two minutes, but I would expect a receipt for everything purchased, of course, and I want both food and drink to be of the best quality. The champagne for the evening supper is already taken care of, but the wines and spirits along with everything else will be down to you. Your own fee will be the same as I was offering the other firm.’
When he said the figure she almost asked him to repeat it. It was a small fortune—a small fortune.
‘And, of course, your employees’ salaries and travelling expenses will be met by me separately through you.’
She was glad that she was sitting down.
‘You can forget references or anything of that nature,’ he continued quietly. ‘Frank is an old friend of mine—as I understand he was of your father—and his word is better than any written confirmation as far as I am concerned. So…’ He stood up suddenly, his masculinity seeming to fill the small room. ‘Is it a deal or are you having second thoughts?’
‘Mitch?’ She wanted to take the job; against all rhyme and reason she wanted to take it, even knowing that they were going to be stretched to breaking point and beyond, but, as Mitch had pointed out a few minutes earlier, they were partners and she had had no right to accept it without consulting him first. ‘What do you think?’
Mitch stood up slowly and walked across to Reece Vance with his hand outstretched. ‘You have a deal, Mr Vance. If you are prepared to take a chance—’
‘Oh, I’m not taking any chances.’ The cold voice was derisive. ‘There will be schedules to meet and it’s of no concern to me whether you have any sleep in the next two weeks or not. What is of vital importance is that everything goes smoothly on the day, and to that end you will work every hour it takes to make my sister’s day a happy one. And it will be happy.’ As Miriam joined them she saw that the silver eyes were as hard as stone. ‘Won’t it, Miss Bennett?’
‘Yes.’ She raised her small chin as she spoke, her red hair flaming in the sunlight that filled the pretty room. ‘It will.’
‘Good.’ His smile was totally without warmth. ‘Then we understand each other. If you would care to accompany me back to the main house I’ll iron out some of the formalities with you and we can sign whatever needs to be signed.’ He ushered them out of the flat as he spoke and they were halfway across the vast hall before he spoke again. ‘Unfortunately my housekeeper fell downstairs this morning and broke her ankle; she and the maid are at present at the hospital. However, I can offer you a cup of coffee—or perhaps something stronger—’
‘The poor woman.’ Miriam looked at him aghast.
‘Yes.’ He eyed her grimly. ‘However, my sympathy is somewhat tempered by the fact that she was carrying far too much at the time—something I have warned her about over and over again—and the accident has had the effect of making a difficult situation well nigh impossible. A temporary housekeeper will be more trouble than she’s worth, especially now—’ He broke off as he made an exclamation of irritation. ‘And for crying out loud stop looking at me as though I’ve developed horns, would you?’
‘I’m sorry.’ Miriam lowered her head quickly before the urge to say more spilled over. She had never met such a heartless brute in all her life. Was he for real?
‘So what do you intend to do?’ Mitch asked quietly as they walked through into the main part of the house again and towards the room that they had vacated a few minutes earlier.
‘There is little I can do,’ he replied tersely. ‘Obviously Mrs Goode will have to do the best she can with limited mobility, but muddling through is not an activity that appeals to me, Mr Bennett. I can, and shall, employ temporary staff while my guests are in residence, but it’s inconvenient—damn inconvenient.’
‘Can’t your sister help?’ Miriam ventured tentatively as he waved them to the two seats in front of the desk again. ‘I know it’s a busy time for her but—’
‘Exactly.’ He eyed her frostily. ‘And frankly, Miss Bennett, once you have met Barbara you will understand why I have no intention of letting her loose on my household; the results would be chaotic.’
He raked his hand through his hair in a gesture that spoke of immense frustration. ‘And it shouldn’t be necessary anyway. Everything was organised most capably by my secretary three months ago, when Barbara announced her engagement. I paid an inordinate amount of money in order to secure the services of first-class companies to prevent this very thing from happening.’
‘Well, the best laid plans of mice and men…’ Miriam said philosophically. ‘I’m sure it will all work out in the end.’
‘Then you are more confident than I, Miss Bennett,’ he growled tightly, his scowl indicating his opinion of her optimism. ‘Now, I can spare you a further five minutes so let’s go over the bones of the thing.’
By the time they left, exactly five minutes later, Miriam knew that she loathed Reece Vance. He might be fabulously wealthy and live in the sort of mansion that she had only seen in glossy magazines; he might be more—much more, if she was being honest—than averagely attractive, with the sort of rough, he-man sex appeal that some women found irresistible, but to her he was—the pits.
She glanced at him now on the doorstep as he towered over them, his harsh, dark face and narrowed eyes infinitely cold. Definitely the pits. Rude, aggressive, unapproachable…The list was endless.
‘I shall expect one of you here tomorrow at ten o’clock to make contact with Mrs Goode,’ he said abruptly.
‘That’s no problem.’ Miriam nodded quickly. ‘I’ll come; Mitch has an appointment.’
‘Right.’ The tone was terse. ‘And you’ll bring a rough outline of what you propose, along with time schedules and—’
‘I’ll bring all that’s necessary.’ He hadn’t liked her interrupting him—she could see it in the silver-grey eyes that reflected the cold winter sky overhead—but now she smiled cheerfully as she held out a small, slim hand for him to shake. ‘Goodbye, Mr Vance. We have an appointment shortly, so do excuse us rushing off.’ It was a blatant lie but it was either that or giving in to any of a number of impulses that were running through her mind, all of which would have had dire consequences on the prospect of their employment.
‘Goodbye, Miss Bennett.’ As he took her hand in his she was suddenly conscious of the feel of his warm, hard flesh encompassing hers, and a little flicker of sensation shivered right down to her toes, bringing her soft violet eyes wide open with surprise. She wanted to snatch her hand away, to object somehow, but in the next instant she was free anyway as he turned his rapier-sharp gaze to Mitch.
She stood, more shaken than she cared to admit, and watched him as he said goodbye to her brother, noticing that there were flecks of silver in the jet-black hair that added to rather than detracted from the virile magnetism of the man.
He frightened her. The thought was there before she could control it and, once given life, shocked her. But it was true. There was something about him that had nothing to do with his outward appearance—a dark force, a fascination, compelling and cold and quite unfathomable, that she had never, ever come across in her life before.
‘Till tomorrow.’ He dismissed them with a cool nod but didn’t step back inside the house as she had expected; instead he stood and watched them walk over to their little beaten-up jalopy, his eyes burning into the back of her head. She suddenly found that she didn’t quite know how to walk, was vitally conscious of her body in a way she never had been before, and breathed a soft sigh of relief as she pulled open the door and sank down onto the moth-eaten seat.
‘Well, what do you think?’ Mitch turned to her as he slid into the car beside her with a slightly dazed grin, which faded as he noticed her pale face. ‘What’s the matter? You aren’t having second thoughts about this now, are you?’
‘Just start-the engine and drive the car, Mitch.’ She knew, without looking, that he was still there on the steps, the big, lean body relaxed and indolent as he watched them leave and the hard, superior face alert, silver eyes intent.
‘All right, all right.’ The car took several seconds to flare into life, as it always did, and by the time Mitch persuaded it into a semicircle and they passed the house Reece Vance had gone. It was only at that point that she relaxed back in the seat.
‘It’s no good looking like that, Mim,’ Mitch grumbled softly at her side as he negotiated a small patch of black ice in the middle of the long, winding drive that led from the grounds surrounding the house to the main road in the far distance. ‘You were the one who jumped in with both feet. I thought you wanted to accept the job anyway. What—?’
‘I do, I do.’ The interior of the car was even colder than the icy weather outside, and she blew on her hands before wrapping them under each armpit. ‘I’m just not looking forward to seeing any more of him, that’s all.’
‘Why?’ Mitch turned the heater on and then quickly off again as a blast of arctic frost seared their faces. ‘I’d better let it warm up a bit first.’ He turned to her for a second, his face enquiring. ‘Why don’t you want to see him again?’ he asked mildly. ‘I thought he was OK, and the deal is one hell of a generous one if we can pull it off.’
‘Of course we can pull it off,’ she said firmly, her voice determined. ‘It’s the chance of a lifetime for a small firm like ours, and if we do a good job he might recommend us to a few of his friends. It’s just…’ Her voice trailed away as her brow wrinkled. ‘He’s so rude and abrupt—’
‘The guy is in a bit of a spot, Mim,’ Mitch said quietly, his tone so reasonable that she immediately felt guilty. ‘First the caterers rocking the boat and now his housekeeper out of action. It’d make anyone…edgy.’
‘Hmm.’ Miriam eyed him carefully. ‘Well, how about if I do the Baker job tomorrow and you come back here, then?’
‘No way.’ The response was instantaneous, followed by the sheepish smile that Mitch did so well. ‘You know you’re the one to deal with any difficult customers; you never let anyone get to you like I do.’
‘There’s always a first time.’
‘You’ll be fine.’ Mitch patted her hand in a gesture that was meant to be comforting but was merely irritating. ‘You probably won’t see him again anyway. Moguls who generate that amount of power and money don’t sit at home twiddling their thumbs, Mim; they’re out making the city hum or whatever they do. Now, what we’ve got to do tonight is sort out a plan of action and go for it. If I deal with the jobs we’ve got on at present and leave you clear to concentrate on this until I’m needed does that suit you?’
‘Does it matter if it suits me?’ Miriam asked resignedly.
Mitch smiled cheerfully as he gave her a swift hug. ‘That’s my girl! How many part-timers can we call on, anyway?’
They discussed tactics and figures until they got back to the office attached to the small factory unit they rented, whereupon Mitch disappeared to organise the job for the next day, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
It was only after a good ten minutes that she found she was daydreaming about a host of possible situations she might find herself in, where she could put Reece Vance very firmly, and with great composure and coolness, in his place. Wherever his place was. She grimaced to herself helplessly. He didn’t fit into any mould or slot that she could think of, that was sure. But, like Mitch had said, it was highly improbable that she’d see anything at all of him over the next few days—of course it was.
She gave herself a mental shake and applied herself to the task at hand, but it was harder than normal to concentrate. A cold pair of silver-grey eyes kept getting annoyingly in the way—so much so that at five o’clock, when the others left, she was still far from finished.
When the phone rang at just after six she picked it up automatically, her thoughts on the time schedule she was pencilling in, and then almost dropped it as that particular cold male voice barked the firm’s name. ‘Bennett and Bennett?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice was weak and she heard it with a strong burst of self-disgust. ‘This is Miriam Bennett speaking,’ she added more firmly. ‘How can I help you?’
‘This is Reece Vance; we met earlier.’
‘Yes, Mr Vance?’ He’s going to cancel, she thought helplessly as a strange feeling coursed through her limbs. Would she be relieved? He’d obviously made enquiries and gone for one of the more up-market firms who were all window-dressing and caviare. She couldn’t blame him, but—
‘I’m afraid Mrs Goode is still in hospital,’ he said grimly, ‘which rather upsets the arrangements for tomorrow.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ She desperately tried to appear businesslike but there was a definite tremble in her voice when she spoke again. ‘She’s more badly hurt than you thought?’
‘The break is a complicated one.’ Miriam would have hated to be in the poor housekeeper’s shoes next time she saw her employer; even with several miles between them she could feel the angry vibes flowing down the phone. ‘She’ll be operated on tomorrow morning and hopefully be home within a few days. The thing is, as you so rightly mentioned this afternoon, time is of the essence.’
There was no sarcasm in the deep voice but she felt herself blushing as she remembered the emotion that had prompted her words.
‘I wondered…’ He hesitated for just a moment. ‘I wondered if you could start to organise things without her. Jinny, the maid, will help all she can, but it will put even more pressure on you, I’m afraid. Mrs Goode has been with the family since Barbara and I were born and knows everything and everyone; I was banking on her to clear the way for you, so to speak.’
‘It’s no problem, Mr Vance.’ The sudden relief she had felt told her that she did still want this job, very badly. ‘A job of this nature is ninety-nine per cent preparation work, and you’ve provided both the resources and the finances for that to go smoothly. There won’t be any problems we can’t overcome.’
‘You’re very positive.’ There was a note of approval in the hard voice for the first time and it was ridiculous how much it pleased her.
‘So I’ll still come to the house as arranged?’
‘Yes, please. I’ll be there myself and we can—’
‘There’s no need for that.’ She had spoken quickly, far too quickly, and the blank silence at the other end of the phone told her that the rapier-sharp mind knew it. ‘I mean…’ She paused as she searched the air frantically for a way to say exactly what she didn’t mean, the truth being insulting. ‘I know you must be a very busy man, and this sort of thing is my job, after all. There won’t be anything I can’t handle—’
‘Ten prompt, Miss Bennett.’ As the phone went down she stared at the receiver in her hand with her heart thudding and hot rage taking the place of embarrassment. He’d hung up on her! How dared he? She bit her lip painfully. Not even a courteous farewell or a thank-you! They were certainly going to earn every penny of this undertaking.
She lounged back in the padded seat and shut her eyes, taking a few deep, calming breaths. She wasn’t going to let him get to her. The resolution suddenly crystallised in her mind.
This was ridiculous. Here she was expending all this hot rage and energy on someone she would never meet again once the next two or three weeks were over, and it wasn’t like her—it wasn’t like her at all. She was the sunny-natured one of the partnership, always looking for a silver lining when Mitch presented them with dark storm clouds, and, what was more, usually finding it. No, for some reason which she couldn’t quite fathom she had allowed Reece Vance to get under her skin from the first moment she had met him, and it had to stop. Right now. She nodded to herself determinedly and suddenly felt miles better.
She’d do the job he was paying her so handsomely to take care of and she’d do it well. She’d pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, work twenty-four hours a day, eat humble pie till it came out of her ears, whatever it took. She nodded again. It wouldn’t be too difficult. After all, two weeks was a mere hiccup in her lifespan and Reece Vance was only a man like any other, even if he did think the world revolved around his particular orbit.
