Kitabı oku: «The Incorrigible Playboy», sayfa 2

The death knell to a happy birthday, Elizabeth thought. Not only would she have to watch Michael being fascinated by her sister, she’d also have to put up with Harry getting under her skin all the time. She slid him a vexed look. His mouth quirked at her, seemingly with more irony than amusement, but that probably didn’t mean anything. No doubt he was anticipating having heaps of fun at her expense.

This lunch was going to be the lunch from hell.

Elizabeth didn’t know how she was going to get through it without throwing in the towel, having hysterics and drowning herself in the marina.

CHAPTER THREE

ELIZABETH knew she’d be paired with Harry for the stroll along the boardwalk to the marina, and she was. There was no point in trying to fight for Michael’s company. His preference for Lucy to be at his side had been made so clear, pride dictated that the arrangement be accepted with as much dignified grace as she could muster.

The two of them walked ahead and it was sickening watching the connection between them flourishing. Lucy, of course, was never short of a word, and Michael was lapping up every one of them, enjoying her bubbly personality. It wouldn’t last, Elizabeth told herself, but that was no consolation. The damage was done. Lucy had achieved in one minute flat what she had been unable to draw from Michael in two years. Even if he turned to her later on, she would never be able to forget that.

The boardwalk ran along the water’s edge of the park adjoining The Esplanade, and she tried to distract herself with the people they passed; couples lounging under the shade of trees, children making use of the play areas set up for them, boys scaling the rock-climb. It was a relief that Harry was leaving her to her silence for a while. It was difficult to cope with him at the best of times, and this was the worst.

She could have chosen to tell Lucy about her secret passion for her boss. That would have warned her off although she wouldn’t have understood it. It simply wasn’t in Lucy to pine for a man who didn’t respond to her as she wanted him to respond. She probably would have looked aghast and said, ‘Throw him away, Ellie. He’s not that into you if you’ve waited this long for him to make a move.’

That truth was staring her in the face right now.

And it hurt.

It hurt so badly, she had to keep blinking back the tears that threatened to well into her eyes. Her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe. She’d been a fool to hope, a fool to think today might be the day. It was never going to happen for her.

‘Ellie …’

It was a jolt to her wounded heart, hearing Harry speak her childhood name in a low, caressing tone.

‘I like it,’ he went on. ‘Much better than Elizabeth. It conjures up a more carefree person, softer, more accessible.’

Her spine stiffened. He was doing it again, digging at her. She shot him a hard, mocking look. ‘Don’t get carried away by it. Lucy simply couldn’t say Elizabeth when she was little. She calls me Ellie out of habit.’

‘And affection, I think.’ There was a look of kindness in his eyes that screwed up her stomach as he added, ‘She doesn’t know she’s hurting you, does she?’

Her mind jammed in disbelief over Harry’s insightful comment. ‘What do you mean?’

He grimaced at her prevarication. ‘Give it up, Ellie. You’re not Mickey’s type. I could have told you so but you wouldn’t have believed me.’

Humiliation burned through her. Her cheeks flamed with it. She tore her gaze from the certain knowledge in Harry Finn’s and stared at his brother’s back—the back Michael had turned on her to be with her sister. How had Harry known what she’d yearned for? Had Michael known, too? She couldn’t bear this. She would have to resign from her job, find another.

‘Don’t worry,’ Harry said soothingly. ‘You can keep on working for him if you want to. Mickey doesn’t have a clue. He’s always had tunnel vision—sets his mind on something and nothing else exists.’

Relief reduced some of the heat. Nevertheless, it was still intensely disturbing that Harry was somehow reading her mind. Or was he guessing, picking up clues from her reactions? She hadn’t admitted anything. He couldn’t really know, could he?

‘On the other hand, it would be much better if you did resign,’ he went on. ‘It’s never good to keep being reminded of failure. And no need to go job-hunting. You can come and work for me.’

Work for him? Never in a million years! It spurred her into tackling him head-on, her eyes blazing with the fire of battle. ‘Let me tell you, Harry Finn, I have never failed at any work Michael has given me and working for you has no appeal whatsoever.’

He grinned at her. ‘Think of the pleasure of saying what you think of me at every turn instead of having to keep yourself bottled up around Mickey.’

‘I am not bottled up,’ she declared vehemently.

He sighed. ‘Why not be honest instead of playing the pretend-game? Your fantasy of having Mickey fall at your feet is never going to come true. Face it. Give it up. Look at me as the best tonic for lovesickness you could have. Balls of fire come out of you the moment I’m around.’

‘That’s because you’re so annoying!’

Her voice had risen to a passionate outburst, loud enough to attract Michael’s and Lucy’s attention, breaking their absorption in each other. They paused in their walk, turning around with eyebrows raised.

‘It’s okay,’ Elizabeth quickly assured them. ‘Harry was just being Harry.’

‘Be nice to Elizabeth, Harry,’ Michael chided. ‘It’s her birthday.’

‘I am being nice,’ he protested.

‘Try harder,’ Michael advised, dismissing the distraction to continue his tête-à-tête with Lucy.

‘Right!’ Harry muttered. ‘We need some control here, Ellie, if you want to pretend there’s nothing wrong in your world.’

‘The only thing wrong in my world is you,’ she muttered back fiercely. ‘And don’t call me Ellie.’

‘Elizabeth reigns,’ he said in mock resignation.

She bit her lips, determined not to rise to any more of his baits.

They walked on for a while before he started again.

‘This won’t do,’ he said decisively. ‘We’ll be at the restaurant soon. If you sit there in glum silence, I’ll get the blame for it and that’s not fair. It’s not my fault that Mickey’s attracted to your sister. Your best move is to start flirting with me. Who knows? He might suddenly get jealous.’

This suggestion stirred a flicker of hope. Maybe …

The shared laughter from the couple in front of them dashed the hope before it could take wing. Nevertheless, Harry did have a valid point. If she didn’t pretend to be having a good time, even Michael and Lucy would realise this birthday treat was no treat at all for her. She had to look happy even though she couldn’t be happy.

She sighed and slid him a weighing look. ‘You know it won’t mean anything if I flirt with you.’

‘Not a thing!’ he readily agreed.

‘It’s just for the sake of making a cheerful party.’

‘Of course.’

‘It’s obvious that you’re a dyed-in-the-wool playboy, and normally I wouldn’t have anything to do with you, Harry, but since I’m stuck with you on this occasion, I’ll play along for once.’

‘Good thinking! Though I take exception to the playboy tag. I do know how to play, which I consider an important part of living—something I suspect you do too little of—but that’s not all I am.’

‘Whatever …’ She shrugged off any argument about his personality. Arguing would only get her all heated again and she needed to be calm, in control of herself. Harry was right about that.

They’d walked past the yacht club and were on the path to the cocktail bar adjoining the restaurant when Harry made his next move.

‘Hey, Mickey!’ he called out. ‘I’ll buy the girls cocktails while you see the maître d’ about our table.’

‘Okay’ was tossed back at him, his attention reverting to Lucy with barely a pause.

‘No doubt about it, he’s besotted,’ Harry dryly commented. ‘How old are you today, Elizabeth?’

‘Thirty,’ she answered on a defeated sigh. No point in hiding it.

‘Ah! The big three zero. Time to make a change.’

Precisely what she had thought. And still had to think now that Michael had proved his disinterest in her personally.

‘Go with me on this,’ Harry urged.

‘Go with you on what?’

‘Something I was discussing with Mickey this morning. I’ll bring it up again after lunch. Just don’t dismiss it out of hand. It would be the perfect change for you.’

‘You couldn’t possibly know what’s perfect for me, Harry,’ she said sceptically.

He cocked a teasing eyebrow. ‘I might just be a better judge on that than you think I am.’

She shook her head, her eyes mocking this particular belief in himself.

He grinned. ‘Wait and see.’

She wasn’t about to push him on it. Harry enjoyed being tantalising. Elizabeth had found her best course was simply to show complete disinterest. In this case, she couldn’t care less what he had in mind. All she cared about was getting through lunch without showing how miserable she was.

Michael left them at the cocktail bar, striding swiftly into the restaurant to speak to the maître d’, obviously in a hurry to get back to Lucy. Harry led them to a set of two-seater lounges with a low table in between and saw them settled with her and Lucy facing each other.

‘Now, let me select cocktails for you both,’ he said, the vivid blue eyes twinkling confidence in his choices. ‘A Margarita for you, Elizabeth.’

It surprised her that he’d actually picked her favourite. ‘Why that one?’ she asked, curious about his correct guessing.

He grinned. ‘Because you’re the salt of the earth and I revere you for it.’

She rolled her eyes. The day Harry Finn showed any reverence for her was yet to dawn. He was just making a link to the salt-encrusted rim of the glass that was always used for a Margarita cocktail.

‘You’re right on both counts,’ Lucy happily volunteered. ‘Ellie loves Margaritas and she is the salt of the earth. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s always been my anchor.’

‘An anchor,’ Harry repeated musingly. ‘I think that’s what’s been missing from my life.’

‘An anchor would only weigh you down, Harry,’ Elizabeth put in dryly. ‘It would feel like an albatross around your neck.’

‘Some chains I wouldn’t mind wearing.’

‘Try gold.’

He laughed.

‘Do you two always spar like this?’ Lucy asked, eyeing them speculatively.

‘Sparks invariably fly,’ Harry claimed.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say she invariably hosed them down, remembering just in time that flirting was the order of this afternoon, so she gave him an arch look and said, ‘I would have to admit that being with Harry is somewhat invigorating.’

Lucy laughed and clapped her hands. ‘Oh, I love it! What a great lunch we’ll all have together!’ Her eyes sparkled at Harry. ‘What cocktail will you choose for me?’

‘For the sunshine girl … A Piña Colada.’

She clapped her hands again. ‘Well done, Harry. That’s my favourite.’

‘At your service.’ He twirled his hand in a salute to them both and headed off to the bar.

Lucy was beside herself with delight. ‘He’s just what you need, Ellie. Loads of fun. You’ve been carrying responsibility for so long, it’s well past time you let loose and had a wild flutter for once. Be a butterfly instead of a worker bee.’

At least she didn’t say moth, Elizabeth thought wryly.

‘I might just do that,’ she drawled, encouraging the idea there was a connection between her and Harry.

‘Go for it,’ Lucy urged, bouncing forward on her seat in excitement. ‘I’m going for Michael. He’s an absolute dreamboat. I’m so glad I wasn’t held up any longer at the cemetery. I might have missed out on meeting him. Why didn’t you tell me your boss was gorgeous?’

‘I’ve always thought him a bit cold,’ she said carefully.

Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation at her sister’s lack of discernment. ‘Believe me. The guy is hot! He makes me sizzle.’

Elizabeth shrugged. ‘I guess it’s a matter of chemistry. Harry is the hot one for me.’ It wasn’t entirely a lie. He frequently raised her temperature … with anger or annoyance.

Lucy heaved a happy sigh. ‘Brothers and sisters … wouldn’t it be great if we ended up together … all happy families.’

Elizabeth’s mind reeled from even considering such a prospect. ‘I think that’s a huge leap into the future. Let’s just take one day at a time.’

‘Oh, you’re always so sensible, Ellie.’

‘Which is something I value very highly in your sister,’ Michael declared, picking up on Lucy’s words and smiling warmly at Elizabeth as he returned, but he seated himself beside Lucy, who instantly switched on a brilliant smile for him, fulsomely agreeing, ‘Oh, I do, too. But I also want Ellie to have fun.’

‘Which is where I come in,’ Harry said, also catching Lucy’s words as he came back. His eyes danced wicked mischief at Elizabeth. ‘Starting with cocktails. The bartender will bring them over. Here are the peanuts and pretzels.’

He placed a bowl of them on the table and settled himself beside Elizabeth, too closely for her comfort. She wanted to shift away and somehow Harry knew it, instantly throwing her a challenging look that made her sit still and suffer his male animal impact. If she was really attracted to him, she would welcome it. Playing this pretend-game was not going to be easy, but she had to now in front of Lucy.

Her sister turned her smile to Harry. ‘What cocktail did you order for Michael?’

‘A Manhattan. Mickey is highly civilised. He actually forgets about sunshine until it sparkles over him.’

Lucy laughed. ‘And yourself?’

‘Ah, the open sea is my business. I’m a salty man so I share Elizabeth’s taste for Margaritas.’

‘The open sea?’ Lucy queried.

‘Harry looks after the tourist side of Finn’s Fisheries,’ Michael answered. ‘I take care of buying in the stock for all our franchises.’

‘Ah!’ Lucy nodded, understanding why Harry was dressed the way he was and how very different the brothers were.

Why she was attracted to Michael and not Harry was beyond Elizabeth’s understanding. Sunshine and sea should go together. They both had frivolous natures. It wasn’t fair that sexual chemistry had struck in the wrong place. Why couldn’t it strike sensibly?

The bartender arrived with their cocktails.

Harry handed her the Margarita and clicked his glass against hers. ‘Happy Birthday, Elizabeth,’ he said warmly, making her squirm inside even as she forced a smile and thanked him.

The others followed suit with their glasses and well-wishing.

Elizabeth settled back against the cushions and sipped her cocktail, silently brooding over the totally non-sensible ironies of life. Was there any reward for being sensible? The old saying that good things come to those who wait was not proving true for her.

She wondered how long was the life of a butterfly.

Probably very short.

But it might be sweet if she could bring herself to be a butterfly—just cut loose from all her safety nets and fly wild for a while, thinking of nothing but having a good time. She should take a vacation, get right away from whatever was developing between Michael and Lucy, try drowning her misery with mindless pleasures.

The Margarita was good. And it packed quite a punch. Maybe if she stopped being sensible and had two or three of them, her mind would get fuzzy enough to put this whole situation at an emotional distance, let her float through lunch … like a butterfly.

CHAPTER FOUR

ELIZABETH stared blankly at the luncheon menu. Food. She had to choose something. Her head was swimming from two Margaritas in quick succession. Bad idea, thinking alcohol could fix anything. It didn’t help at all.

‘I bet I know what you’re going to order, Ellie,’ Lucy said with a confident grin.

‘What?’ Any suggestion was welcome.

‘The chilli mud crab.’

Chilli. Not today. Her stomach was in too fragile a state.

‘Actually, I can’t see that on the menu,’ Michael said, glancing quizzically at Lucy.

‘Oh, I didn’t really look. I just assumed,’ she quickly defended. No way would she admit that her dyslexia made reading menus difficult. ‘What have you decided on, Michael?’

Lucy would undoubtedly choose the same. She was so adept at hiding her disability, hardly anyone ever guessed she had a problem.

‘How about sharing a seafood platter for two with me, Elizabeth?’ Harry said, leaning closer to point out the platter’s contents on the menu. ‘You get crab on it, as well as all the other goodies and we can nibble away on everything as we please.’

‘Harry will eat the lion’s share,’ Michael warned.

Yes, Elizabeth thought, relieved to have such ready help, making it easier for her lack of appetite to go unnoticed.

Harry instantly raised a hand for solemn vowing. ‘I swear I’ll give you first choice of each titbit.’

‘Okay, that’s a done deal,’ she said, closing the menu and slanting her food-rescuer a grateful smile.

‘Sealed with a kiss,’ he said, bright blue eyes twinkling wickedly as he leaned closer still and pecked her on the cheek.

Her teeth grated together as heat bloomed from the intimate skin contact. The flirting agreement flew right out of her mind. His ability to discomfort her on any spot whatsoever had her snapping, ‘You can keep that mouth of yours for eating, Harry.’

He gave her his evil grin as he retorted, ‘Elizabeth, I live for the day when I’ll eat you all up.’

‘That’ll be doomsday,’ she slung back.

‘With the gates of heaven opening for me,’ Harry retaliated, his grin widening.

Lucy’s laughter reminded her just in time that flirting shouldn’t have too sharp an edge, so she swallowed her hell comment, heaved a long-suffering sigh and shook her head at Harry. ‘You are incorrigible.’

‘A man has to do what a man has to do,’ he archly declared, sending Lucy off into more peals of laughter.

Elizabeth declined asking what he meant.

Nevertheless, as the birthday luncheon progressed, she schooled herself to respond lightly to Harry’s banter, pretending to be amused by it, making a show of enjoying his company. At least he was very persistent in claiming her attention, forcefully distracting her from Lucy’s and Michael’s stomach-curdling absorption in each other, and he did eat the lion’s share of the seafood platter without trying to push her into trying more than she could manage.

It was weird finding herself grateful to have Harry at her side, but just this once she actually did. Without him she would feel wretchedly alone, facing the worst scenario of lost hopes. How she was going to cope, hiding her feelings from both Lucy and Michael in the days to come, she didn’t know. She hoped they would go off somewhere together after this luncheon, give her some space, release her from the tension of keeping up a happy pretence that everything was fine.

A waiter cleared the table and offered them the sweets menu. Elizabeth decided on the selection of sorbets since they should just slide down her throat without any effort. As soon as the orders were given, Harry leaned an elbow on the table and pointed a finger at his brother, claiming his attention.

‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’

‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ came the quick advice. ‘Once you confront him you can’t leave him there. The potential for damage …’

‘I know, I know. But it’s best to confront him with his replacement. We walk in and turf him out. No argument. A done deal.’

‘Agreed, but you don’t have a ready replacement yet and the longer he stays …’

‘Elizabeth. She’s the perfect person for the management job—completely trustworthy, meticulous at checking everything, capable of handling everything you’ve thrown at her, Mickey.’

Confusion over this brother-to-brother business conversation instantly cleared. This was what Harry had intended to bring up after lunch—the perfect change for her. Except it wasn’t perfect. Working for him would drive her bats.

‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael protested.

‘I’m in more need of her than you are right now. Lend her to me for a month. That will give me time to interview other people.’

‘A month …’ Michael frowned over the inconvenience to himself.

A month …

That was a tempting time frame—manageable if Harry wasn’t around her all the time. The resort wasn’t his only area of interest and responsibility. A month away from Michael and Lucy was a very attractive proposition.

‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.

No way—not with him getting under her skin at any given moment!

Michael glowered at him. ‘You’re not stealing my PA.’

‘Her choice, Mickey.’ Harry turned to her. ‘What do you say, Elizabeth? Will you help me out for a month … stay on the island and get the resort running as it should be run? My about-to-be ex-manager has been cooking the books, skimming off a lot of stuff to line his own pockets. You’ll need to do a complete inventory and change the suppliers who’ve been doing private deals with him. It would be a whole new challenge for you, one that …’

‘Now hold on a moment,’ Michael growled. ‘It’s up to me to ask Elizabeth if she’ll do it, not you, Harry.’

‘Okay. Ask her.’

Yes was screaming through her mind. It offered an immediate escape from the situation with Michael and Lucy; no need to explain why she wanted to go away; a whole month of freedom from having to see or talk to either of them; a job that demanded her complete attention, keeping miserable thoughts at bay. These critical benefits made the irritation of having to deal with Harry relatively insignificant. Her heart was not engaged with him. Her head could sort out his effect on her, one way or another.

Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, realising he’d been pushed into a corner by his brother. ‘It’s true. You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort,’ he conceded, giving Elizabeth an earnest look. ‘I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month …’

You’ve just lost me forever, Elizabeth thought.

‘… but I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while….’

‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested.

He frowned. ‘Too stodgy. No initiative.’

‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued, rather bitchily, liking the fact that Michael found him stodgy. He’d obviously found her stodgy, too, in the female stakes.

‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry slid in, grinning from ear to ear.

She shot him a quelling look. ‘I’m up for the challenge of fixing the management problems, nothing else, Harry.’

‘Brilliant!’

He purred the word, making her skin prickle. It instantly gave her the unsettling feeling she might have bitten off more than she could chew with Harry Finn. But he wouldn’t be at her side all the time on the island. Going was still better than staying at home.

‘That’s it, then,’ Michael said with a resigned air.

‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.

‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ Elizabeth assured her—particularly with Michael dancing attendance.

The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered.

‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.

‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed.

‘Today,’ Harry decided, checking his Rolex watch. ‘It’s only three o’clock now. We could be over on the island by four-thirty. Have him helicoptered out by six. We leave here when we’ve finished our sweets, hop on the boat …’

‘It is Elizabeth’s birthday, Harry,’ Michael reminded him. ‘She might have other plans for today.’

‘No, I’m good to go,’ she said, recklessly seizing the chance to be relieved of staying in Michael’s and Lucy’s company any longer.

‘What about clothes and toiletries and stuff?’ Lucy put in. ‘You’re going for a month, Ellie.’

‘You can pack for her, Lucy,’ Harry said decisively. ‘Mickey can take you home, wait while you do it, take Elizabeth’s bags and arrange their shipping to the island.’

‘No problem,’ Michael said, smiling at Lucy like a wolf invited into her home to gobble her up.

Lucy happily agreed with the plan, her eyes sizzling with sexual promises as she smiled back at her new lover-to-be.

Elizabeth shovelled the sorbet down her throat. The faster she got out of here, the better.

‘Ready?’ Harry asked the moment she put her spoon down.

‘Ready,’ she answered emphatically, grabbing her handbag and rising to her feet, wanting to run but knowing she had to discipline herself to suffer goodbyes.

Lucy wrapped her in a big hug, mischievously saying, ‘Have a lovely time with Harry, Ellie.’

‘I will,’ she replied through gritted teeth. Denials of that idea would not only be a total waste of time, but also prolong this whole wretched togetherness.

Michael kissed her cheek, wryly murmuring, ‘I’ll miss you.’

I won’t miss you, Elizabeth thought fiercely, barely managing to force a smile. ‘Thank you for my birthday lunch, Michael.’

‘Pleasure,’ he replied, his gaze sliding to Lucy.

‘We’re off,’ Harry said, seizing Elizabeth’s hand and pulling her with him.

His hand was strong and hot, wrapping firmly around her fingers, shooting warmth up her arm, but she didn’t care if heat travelled to her brain and fried it right now. He was acting fast, taking her to the freedom she needed, and she was grateful for that. Once they were outside, he led her straight to the long wharf where rows of million-dollar yachts were docked on either side.

‘Where’s your boat?’ she asked.

‘Right at the end. No shuffling around. A quick, easy getaway. Full throttle to the island.’

‘Good!’

He slid her one of his devilish grins. ‘I must say I admire your decisiveness.’

She gave him a baleful look. ‘Save your chatting up for some other woman, Harry. I played your game in front of Michael and Lucy because it suited me to do it, and I accepted your job offer because that suited me, too. As far as I’m concerned, there’s work to be done and I’ll do it. I don’t expect to have a lovely time with you.’

His eyes held hers with a blast of discomforting intensity. ‘No, not right now,’ he drawled. ‘Having had your expectations comprehensively dashed, I daresay you’ll be a sourpuss for some time to come. But the island is a lovely place and I hope it will work some magic on you.’

A sourpuss …

The shock of that description halted her feet. She stared back at the blazing blue eyes, hating the knowledge she saw in them, knowledge of her hopes and the humiliation of seeing Michael respond to her sister as he had never—would never—respond to her. She couldn’t wipe away Harry’s perception of the situation, couldn’t deny the truth, but was that any reason to be sour on him? He’d been her saviour today.

‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted out. ‘I haven’t thanked you.’

His sexy mouth moved into an ironic tilt. ‘No thanks necessary, Elizabeth.’

His voice was soft, deep, and somehow it made her heart turn over.

She shook her head. ‘That’s not true, Harry. You were very effective in covering up my … my difficulties with how things went down today. I am grateful to you for rescuing me every time I hit a brick wall.’

‘You’ll bounce back, Elizabeth. Look on tomorrow as the first day of a new life—a butterfly breaking free of its confining cocoon and finding a world of sunshine. Come on—’ he started walking down the wharf again, tugging her along with him ‘—we’re on our way there now.’

The first day of a new life …

Of course, that was how it had to be.

There was no point in looking back, mourning over foolish dreams that were never going to come true. She had to put Michael behind her. Lucy would still be there along the track, her episode with Michael gone and forgotten, flitting along in her usual ditzy way. Her sister would always be her sister. It was she who had to start a different journey and being sour about it was just going to hold her back from getting somewhere good.

Harry helped her onto a large, deep-sea fishing yacht, which undoubtedly had powerful motors to get them to their destination fast. ‘Do you get seasick, Elizabeth?’ he asked as he released the mooring rope. ‘There are pills in the cabin you can take for it.’

‘No, I’ll be fine,’ she assured him.

‘I need you to be in top form when we arrive.’

‘What do you consider top form?’ She needed to know, get it right.

He jumped on board, grinning at her as he stored the rope correctly. ‘Your usual self. Totally in charge of everything around you and projecting that haughty confidence you do so well.’

‘Haughty?’ she queried, not liking that description of herself, either.

‘You’re brilliant at it. Subject me to it every time.’

Only because Harry was Harry. It was her defence against him.

‘I want you to give our target a dose of it when we confront him. No chatter. Just freeze him off.’

‘No problem,’ she stated categorically.

He straightened up and headed for the ladder to the bridge, tapping her cheek in passing, his eyes twinkling as he said, ‘That’s my girl!’

She barely stopped her hand from clapping her cheek to rid it of his electric touch. She clenched it into a fist and swiftly decided there would have to be some rules made about this short-term job on the island—like no touching from Harry. No kissing on the cheek, either. He was altogether too cavalier about taking liberties with her.