Kiss It Better (8 page)

‘Mick’ll get independent advice before he signs,’ Theo reassured her. ‘We’re talking about some of the details of handover. I’ll need to get a manager in and a bookkeeper. We can sort a lot of that out by email, though, so I’ll be out of your hair today.’

‘I thought you were staying a few days,’ Mick said.

‘That’s when I thought you might need convincing. I’ll head back this afternoon. I should be able to catch a late flight to Melbourne.’

‘You’re welcome to stay a couple of days. A holiday, if you like,’ Cassie offered.

‘There are things I need to do back home. But thanks.’

‘Well, if you are leaving this afternoon,’ Mick dragged a notepad towards himself, ‘I have a couple of other points to cover.’

‘I’ll bow out.’ Cassie hesitated in the doorway. Her disappointment showed her how much she’d anticipated having Theo around for the week. Weird and wrong to think she knew him when she’d only met him yesterday. Her own reluctance to see him go made the decision for her. ‘Actually, I’d best say goodbye now, Theo. I’m popping out to see Aunt Gabby.’

‘It’s been an interesting twenty-four hours.’ His thoughts echoed hers to some extent. ‘I feel a bit like family, so…’

Strong arms pulled her into his hard body. He bent his head to her ear, whispering so Mick wouldn’t hear and worry. ‘Have you made that doctor’s appointment?’

It was bossy and nice. Too much, when you added in how good he looked and felt. ‘Yes.’ She pulled back. Sometimes life presented you with might-have-beens.

If she hadn’t been a mess, so depressed and exhausted, perhaps there could have been more than passing kindness between them.

‘Bye. Have a safe trip home.’

She walked out of JayBay and it felt as if she were saying goodbye to a whole lot more than a stranger, no matter how sexy and kind. The factory would no longer be in the family. She was saying goodbye to a large part of her life.

‘One month,’ she said. Then she had to build a new life.

Cassie had all the kitchen windows open, the music pumping and was half-dancing as she stirred together a blueberry-and-white-chocolate muffin mix. The month of enforced rest had been exactly what the doctor — two doctors! — ordered. Plus her blood tests had been fine, just low on iron. She’d put on weight, losing the gaunt look of strain. Her skin was healthy, her eyes clear and she had energy.

‘Watch out world, I’m back.’ Not that she’d be returning to Africa. It wasn’t fair to over-stretched health teams to compromise their efficiency with the risk of her burning out again. That and she knew for her own survival, she needed to move on.

Amazing how weeks of proper sleep enabled a woman to think clearly again. Aunt Gabby had dropped over her herbal tea mix to help with that, and Cassie had finally admitted that she needed help and taken it. One week had retrained her body and mind to shut down and rest. Bliss.

She spooned the mix into muffin tins. The phone rang and she put down the bowl and licked gooey yumminess off her fingers. ‘Hello?’

‘Cassie, it’s Trish.’ She was the local paper’s chief reporter, retired from the national news circuit to a sea-change existence. ‘Your cousin Leighton has been talking to people.’

Leighton had left Jardin Bay the same day as Theo, and Cassie had hoped he’d gone — not for good, but for long enough to change. From Trish’s tone, she knew Leighton hadn’t changed at all. ‘What sort of people?’

‘Media types.’

Cassie winced as she slid the tray of muffins into the oven. As much as she loved Trish, the media could be ruthless. JayBay had benefited from kind treatment so far, but Tall Poppy Syndrome meant that it could switch to the opposite any time. And there was plenty of incentive in the price Theo had paid Mick for JayBay. Envy was a powerful motivator.

Trish was still talking, crisp and clear despite the early hour. ‘A guy I used to work with phoned me from one of the big TV news programs. He was fact checking and thought he could get some off-the-record background from me. Brace, girl. Leighton has gone to the media with a hell of a tale.’

‘If this is the rubbish that Dad sacked him for protesting the sale of JayBay…’

‘The boy’s smarter than that. No, this time he didn’t attack the business. I reckon he calculated that now that Brigid Care owns JayBay, they would take legal action against any accusations of wrongdoing.’

‘Theo would,’ Cassie agreed.

‘Yeah. It was obvious that one took no prisoners. So Leighton attacked Theo personally.’

‘What? Is he insane?’

‘He’s your cousin.’ Trish was leaving the judgement up to Cassie. ‘Reason I’m calling you with a heads up is Leighton intends to use you to knife Theo. Like I said, brace. You’re going to get some media attention.’

‘Trish, you’re not making sense.’

‘I’m breaking it to you gently.’

‘Now that’s just scary.’

‘All right. Leighton’s story is that he’s your champion. Theo Morrigan arrived in Jardin Bay, saw that you were beaten down by your time in Africa and took advantage to steal your inheritance, JayBay, out from under you.’

‘Theo paid Dad millions. And JayBay was Dad’s anyway. I never — wait.’ She took a deep breath, leaning back against the counter, eyes on the slowly rising muffins in the oven. ‘That is such a ridiculous story. No one would give it airtime.’

‘Eligible bachelor. Vulnerable nurse. Iconic ethical brand. Big business shark,’ Trish ticked off points. ‘And according to my contact, Leighton has photos. Honey, I’m sorry to say it, but you looked like crap a month ago. Those photos alone will convince people.’

Great. But even as she cringed at the thought of people seeing her how she’d been a month ago, there were bigger issues to deal with. JayBay wasn’t the family business any more, but she didn’t want its reputation tarnished. More than that, she owed Theo for his kindness. So did her dad who’d handed over responsibility for JayBay to Theo’s temporary manager and raced north to his new project in the Kimberley. Theo had given her family the key to new lives. She couldn’t step aside and let Leighton smear him. ‘Forget the photos. What do you mean Leighton is presenting himself as my champion? JayBay’s sale has already gone through.’

‘Leighton intends to get his revenge in your name. He wants JayBay’s customers to boycott the products now that it’s owned by such an unethical bastard as Theo.’

Cassie’s pulse thudded loudly in her ears. Her cousin would sabotage JayBay, jeopardise family and friends’ jobs, and devastate her and Theo’s reputation rather than accept responsibility for his own actions. When you put it like that… ‘Trish, did you tell your friend about Leighton’s fraud?’

‘Mick didn’t press charges, so it’s not on record.’

‘In other words, no matter what, the story is going to run?’

‘Sorry.’ Trish hung up.

Cassie got the muffins out, but her appetite for an indulgent breakfast had gone. Nonetheless, she took a muffin and a mug of tea with her to the front deck and forced herself to consume both before doing anything else.

A pair of pelicans flew low, dipping over the dunes. She barely noticed their gorgeous ugliness. Further out a dinghy bobbed in the gentle swell. Someone else had made an early start, fishing.

She finished the muffin and curled her fingers around the warm mug.

Trish was convinced Leighton’s story would run and Trish had good media instincts. She’d probably warn Aunt Gabby what her son was doing now. For all the good that would do.

Leighton had cut all ties with the family. He’d left town for no one knew where and his mobile phone was disconnected. No chance he’d answer an email either.

If the story was unstoppable, then all Cassie could do was warn those most closely involved. Fortunately, her dad basically wouldn’t care. He’d be outraged at Leighton’s attack on JayBay, but his enthusiasm was now for his new project. In his mind, JayBay’s reputation would be Theo’s problem.

Theo
.

Well, she wouldn’t use Trish’s method of trying to break things gently. Theo needed a heads up and he needed it now.

Brigid Care’s receptionist didn’t quite see things that way. After a bit of a wrangle, she forwarded Cassie’s call to Theo’s secretary.

‘No.’ Cassie held onto her patience. ‘I won’t tell you why I’m phoning Theo. I want you to tell him that Cassie Freedom is on the phone and that I only need two minutes of his time, but I need them now.’

‘Mr Morrigan is busy. If you’ll leave your number — ’

‘Honestly, if the matter could wait, I’d have emailed.’ Okay. No, she wouldn’t. This wasn’t the sort of news you shared in an email, not when the scum of the earth threatening Theo was her own cousin. She owed Theo a personal conversation. ‘Two minutes, now.’

‘Very well. If you’ll hold a moment I shall interrupt Mr Morrigan’s meeting.’ Chilly reproof.

‘Thank you.’

Cassie was left listening to Brigid Care’s taped audio-commercials. She rolled her eyes and started putting away the remaining muffins.

‘Cassie?’ Theo’s voice.

‘It’s Leighton,’ she said abruptly. ‘Trish, the journalist here, heard about the trouble he’s stirring up. He’s taken a story to the media that I had a breakdown, you took advantage of my apathy to steal my inheritance, JayBay, and that since you’re so unethical, all of its customers should boycott the brand in protest.’

‘O-kay.’

‘I think the story will break tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I thought you should have a warning.’

‘Board meeting tomorrow,’ Theo muttered. Then louder. ‘How are you, Cassie?’

Her tense shoulders relaxed. ‘Good. Really good. Don’t worry about the story on my account. Although Leighton had better not show up at family dinners for the next millennium.’

‘I’m sure Gabby would hide the steak knives.’

‘Yeah. Anyway, I promised your secretary I’d only take two minutes. I just wanted to tell you myself.’

‘I appreciate it. If I can stop the story, I will.’

She wanted to ask how, but that was more than two minutes conversation and he did sound busy. There’d been an odd note in his voice when he mentioned a board meeting tomorrow. ‘I wasn’t phoning you for a miracle.’

‘Ah, but I’m a sex god.’

And suddenly he was the guy she’d met here in Jardin Bay: funny and cool, and as she’d discovered, kind.

She laughed. ‘Get back to work, sex god, before your secretary hoodoos me for breaking my word.’

‘You know, I don’t think real sex gods get ordered around by bossy women.’

‘Yes, they do. Although the women are usually wearing boots and carrying a whip — and this is a crazy conversation.’

‘At least you’re laughing. I’m sorry, but I do have to go. I’ll call you, Cassie. Take care. And don’t worry about Leighton.’

She listened to the empty dial tone a moment before replacing the phone. ‘Nope, I’m not going to worry about Leighton. I hope killer bees invade his undies. But I don’t like that it’s my cousin causing chaos.’

Nor did she like the tone in which Theo had mentioned his board meeting. That comment hadn’t been for her. He’d spoken impulsively, from whatever had already been troubling him.

Could Leighton have been devious enough to time his stupid story to maximise trouble for Theo at his board meeting?

Absolutely.

Would a board meeting for a family company be trouble for Theo?

‘You think?’ Didn’t she have a prime example of the trouble family could cause all around her?

Screw it. Her month of enforced rest was up and she was as bored as Dr G had required; hence the making-muffins-for-breakfast thing. She was free to do whatever the hell she liked.

Cassie picked up the phone. ‘George, I need a favour.’

George, storeman and poet, was also a pilot. While he set about finding someone to fly her to Perth to catch a commercial flight to Melbourne, Cassie packed her bag.

Leighton was such a snake. He’d tried and failed to make trouble in Jardin Bay, but the people at home had known him too well to believe his lies, so now he was trying a bigger stage.

Well, he wouldn’t succeed there either. If he was bringing trouble to Theo’s doorstep, then Cassie would be there to kick it back.

***

Through his office window, Theo had a prime view of daylight dying and the city lights switching on. Cars’ headlights streamed out at the tail-end of the peak hour rush. He’d sent his secretary home an hour ago. Everything was ready for tomorrow’s board meeting.

He jingled the keys in his trousers pocket. No matter how he prepared, the meeting would be ugly. Family fights were the worst because family knew where to stab their daggers and how to give them that extra nasty twist.

Cassie’s cousin’s performance was the icing on the cake. The bastard had gone to ground. What did the man think? That if he didn’t hear what the consequences of his lies would be those consequences wouldn’t happen?

Theo would make damn sure they did. Mick might have decided not to prosecute Leighton’s fraud, but Theo hadn’t made that promise. It might have been implied in the deal, but Leighton’s actions changed everything. Mick would understand the need to destroy the bastard.

Would Cassie?

She’d sounded angry and embarrassed. Ashamed.

His pleasure at hearing her voice had surprised him. He’d been so focussed on business he hadn’t realised how much he’d enjoyed meeting her. How honest she’d been in her emotions, even when she’d hated him. Honesty was like solid ground while walking through a swamp.

Tomorrow, whom could he trust? Who might suddenly change their minds, or be convinced by the strangest reasoning?

He could have done without Leighton’s contribution. He’d asked a lawyer friend to investigate the story, which media had it and if they could be convinced to kill it unaired. It freaking annoyed him that he’d had to go out of the company for help when he had lawyers in-house, but he couldn’t trust their loyalty. The head of the legal department was a crony of his dad’s. They played golf together.

Unfortunately, Josh, Theo’s friend, had come back with the news that the media were going with the story. ‘They asked for a comment from you, mate.’ Josh was sympathetic, but time was against them. The media didn’t care that Leighton might be charged with fraud in the future. At the moment there was nothing on record. And Leighton wasn’t around to be threatened.