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‘You’re late,’ he accused bitingly.
Caitlin barely repressed what was almost an irrepressible smile. Then it burst on to her lips like irradiating sunshine. ‘I was thinking of you.’
David looked taken aback by her response. He was uncertain of her. That was the problem. He didn’t like being uncertain of her, but he was. She had acted in an unpredictable manner this morning. He wasn’t sure which way she would jump now. His applecart had been upset, his sense of purpose and direction severely changed.
To Caitlin this was proof enough that she was important to him. She did have some influence over his thinking. This was not the time, however, to break any more of his rules. She was not supposed to be a recipient of roses from him, so it would be unwise to thank him openly for them until they were out of the office and away from work. Nevertheless, she could let him know her feelings without being direct.
‘I didn’t mean to hold you up, David,’ she said in quick apology, ‘but you’re full of surprises today.’ She looked at him meaningfully.
‘So, too, are you,’ came the somewhat uncertain reply.
She gave him another brilliant smile as she walked briskly forward and sat in the chair she used for taking dictation. Even looking as stern as he did, David was devastatingly handsome. He was wearing a navy-blue suit. It was the fashionable colour in the corporate world. It looked superb on David. A silk tie diagonally striped in red and navy and silvery grey was perfectly aligned on his white shirt. Very impressive. As he always was with business.
‘Ready when you are,’ she prompted.
He stared at her for ever so long, as though weighing her present mood against the crackling hostility that had burst upon him earlier. He did not relax and smile, but his expression softened.
‘The German delegation will be here in less than an hour,’ he stated, perhaps as a reminder of how unreasonable she had been in asking him to take the day off.
‘I’m sorry about this morning,’ she said, letting him know she was in a far more reasonable frame of mind now.
‘So am I,’ he murmured reasonably, and immediately came back to business. ‘The delegation desperately want the licence to manufacture, but they’ll try to work the price down by finding faults in our design.’
‘I know this deal is important to you,’ Caitlin added, reassuring him of her complete co-operation. It made her happy to think he was genuinely sorry for their earlier contretemps.
His brows lowered. His eyes sharply probed hers. ‘Are you concentrating on what I’m saying?’
‘Every word. All the unsaid ones, too.’ She smiled again to show there were absolutely no hard feelings left on her side.
His face took on a wary expression. He rapped out his instructions as though testing her shorthand speed. ‘Arrange for Paul Jordan to come in and announce that we have the Sutherland contract. That’s to be half an hour after we start. Make sure his timing is perfect. When I want you to come and sit in on the meeting and take notes, I’ll buzz you on the phone.’
‘Fine,’ she said, her pen flashing over her notepad.
He seemed bemused momentarily. ‘Is the boardroom fully prepared?’
‘I haven’t checked it yet. I’ll do that immediately.’
Caitlin rose to her feet with crisp efficiency. She was in such buoyant spirits that her walk to the door was unconsciously jaunty.
‘Wait!’
She swung around, her eyes brightly expectant. Anything David asked her to do she would carry out to the very best of her ability. She would most certainly be an assistant he would be proud to present in front of the German del-egation.
He appeared to be wrestling with some private dilemma. She could feel tension flowing from him, swirling around her. His penetrating blue eyes were intensely concentrated on hers, as though trying to read her mind.
‘I want to say...’ He paused, cleared his throat. ‘How much I appreciate...’ Again he stopped, seeming lost for words.
‘Understood,’ Caitlin responded, realising he was trying to bridge the awkward gap left by their previous parting. ‘I do, too.’
‘What?’
‘Appreciate the...uh...what you’re trying to say.’
He weighed that for a moment, then looked relieved. ‘Well, as long as everything’s working out all right...’
‘Yes. I hope it is.’ A new dance was definitely in progress, although where it would lead was by no means settled yet.
‘Good!’ He nodded his approval. The apples were back on his cart.
Caitlin had a moment’s disquiet. She recollected his cynical taunt, ‘Barter-time, is it?’ Were the roses simply a timely gift to keep her sweet? Caitlin didn’t like the thought at all. She brushed it aside, not wanting to spoil her pleasure in the gift. Besides, David had returned his attention to the papers on his desk and it behoved her to get about her busi-ness immediately.
CHAPTER THREE
CAITLIN set out everything that might be required on the boardroom table, then zipped back to her office to put in a call to Paul Jordan before heading to the kitchen to load up a traymobile with the usual refreshments.
The call to Jordan was deferred by the arrival of a delivery boy with another gift basket for her.
Caitlin was stunned by the contents. Nestled in a froth of red ribbons were a heart-shaped box of hand-made Swiss chocolates, and an enormously expensive set of Beautiful toiletries by Estee Lauder. These included perfume, skin lotion, bath oil and talcum powder. Most amazingly and endearingly of all, there was also a soft toy puppy.
Of all the soft toy animals David might have chosen, that was the second-best. The perfect choice for her would have been a pony, but Caitlin couldn’t remember having ever talked about Dobbin to him. Therefore he wouldn’t, couldn’t, know any better.
Surprises were certainly coming thick and fast this morning! Caitlin’s head was spinning with them. It was the way David did things, turning situations around so quickly. He was leaving her breathless and utterly enthralled by what he could do when he set his mind to it.
She suddenly realised time was slipping by. She postponed the call to Paul Jordan and raced to the office kitchen. Coffee, tea, milk, cream, plain and fancy biscuits and mixed sandwiches from catering were mandatory. By five minutes to ten it was all in the boardroom, ready for her to serve when needed. She had barely returned to her office when Jenny called to announce the arrival of the German delegation. Caitlin buzzed David, then went to meet the visitors at reception and escort them to the boardroom.
She carried out her duties with the charm David expected of her. Once everyone was settled around the table, she was free to prime Paul Jordan with what was expected of him. She would drag the Sutherland contract out of the filing system. Paul might as well take that with him.
David smiled at her as she left the boardroom. She hugged the smile to her heart, drifting back to her office on a cloud of happiness.
She couldn’t resist dabbing some Beautiful on. It was wonderful perfume, well named. She hadn’t been in the mood to bother with perfume this morning. She was now. She hoped David would recognise and appreciate the scent when she sat near him to take notes of the meeting. This was turning out to be a lovely morning, a really beautiful morning.
The phone rang just as she reached for it. Caitlin lifted the receiver, intending to take a very quick message so she could call Paul Jordan straight afterwards.
‘Caitlin?’ Her mother’s voice.
‘Hi, Mum! Happy wedding anniversary! How’s everything going for the party? Anything you need?’
The sound of sobbing. ‘Mum, what’s wrong?’
More sobbing. ‘Mum, please, please, please tell me what’s happened.’
‘There isn’t going to be a party.’
Caitlin was staggered. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. ‘Why?’ she asked, then collected her wits sufficiently to enquire, ‘Why not?’
‘Your father...’ Her mother’s voice quavered. She burst into more tears.
Caitlin’s worst fears were aroused. Her father had a history of heart disease. ‘Tell me the worst,’ she said bravely.
‘He...he...he...’
‘Yes, yes, yes?’ Caitlin prompted.
‘He walked out on me!’
Caitlin’s head spun. This wasn’t making sense at all. ‘What do you mean—he walked out on you?’
‘I mean what I said!’ her mother replied, a touch of asperity in her voice. She didn’t like to be contradicted or have her communications misunderstood.
Caitlin used her most sympathetic voice. ‘He couldn’t do that to you.’
‘Thirty years of looking after him hand and foot,’ her mother wailed. ‘I’m disgusted at what he’s done. I’ll never forgive him. Never! Even if he is your father.’
‘There must be a reason,’ Caitlin soothed gently. ‘Perhaps if I talk to him.’
‘You can’t do that,’ her mother snapped peremptorily.
‘Why not?’
‘I don’t know where he’s gone to.’
‘He can’t go too far without money,’ Caitlin suggested.
‘Oh, he’s got money. Too much of it, if you ask me. He’s been secretly hoarding everything I gave him without telling me what he was doing.’
‘Mum, there has to be a way.’
‘Oh, there’s a way,’ her mother said grimly between sniffles. ‘He’s done this as a symbol. When I catch up with him, I’ll give him a symbol. I’ll kill him!’
‘Mum, let me think about this.’ Caitlin had the feeling that time was passing very rapidly. She still had to get in touch with Paul Jordan. ‘Can I get back to you?’
‘There’s no need, Caitlin. I’m on my own. After thirty years of suffering through your father’s moods, this is all the thanks I get. There isn’t going to be a wedding anniversary party tonight. There’s nothing for you to do. There’s nothing anyone can do.’
Caitlin had had no idea that her parents’ marriage had been cracking up. On her recent visits home, her father had occasionally been somewhat withdrawn about her mother’s current projects and plans, but there had been no indication of a serious falling out. After all the years they had spent together, surely there was some meeting ground left?
‘Mum...Mum...’ Caitlin tried to catch her mother’s attention.
‘Everything’s ruined. It’ll be the talk of the town!’ her mother cried.
And that, Caitlin thought, was probably the crux of the matter. Her mother had always worried too much about what others thought. ‘I’ll do my best to patch things up,’ Caitlin said on a rueful sigh.
‘My life is in tatters, Caitlin. Totally and irretrievably ruined.’
Caitlin tried to give a glow of hope. ‘Somehow it will turn out right.’
‘No, it won’t.’ Her mother gave another wail of absolute distress and despair, and hung up.
Caitlin ran through a mental list of places where her father might have stormed off to. Before she recollected the important business tactic she had to set in motion, the door to her office opened and in strode David Hartley, emitting enough sparks to start a conflagration.
Caitlin’s mind exploded in horror. Time had passed too quickly. It was now too late to call Paul Jordan!
David came to an abrupt halt. He glared at the splendid arrangement of red roses. He glared at the beribboned basket containing the puppy and the chocolates and the luxurious toiletries. His glare swung back to the roses, fastening even more fiercely on the elaborate Valentine Card. Finally, he fired bolts of blue fire straight at Caitlin.
‘What the hell is going on out here?’
Caitlin started guiltily from her chair. ‘Nothing.’
‘Well, something has been going on in there.’ David pointed to the boardroom. ‘The delegation is not only muttering about alleged design flaws, they’ve been talking to Crawley.’
Michael Crawley was David’s main rival. The mere mention of his name was enough to set David aflame. There was litigation pending between the two companies over patent infringements.
‘I’m sorry...’
‘I’ve been trying to contact you for the last twenty minutes,’ he grated. ‘Your line has been tied up. You’ve made me look like a first-class idiot.’
She flushed. ‘My mother called.’
He looked at her incredulously. ‘Where’s Jordan?’
Caitlin tried to think of an appropriate reply.
His gaze flashed savagely to the roses, then back to her fiery cheeks. ‘Did your mother send the roses?’
‘No. You did,’ she reminded him.
He looked at her as though she had gone stark raving mad. ‘I did no such thing. What do you mean...I gave them to you?’
A great bottomless pit formed in Caitlin’s stomach. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She fought down the feeling of emotional panic. ‘If you didn’t send them, who did?’
‘Ask your mother.’ His voice dripped acid. His eyes raked hers with scathing disbelief at her dereliction of duty. ‘In the meantime, can we get back to running this business?’
Her chin came up in fighting mode. Everything had to be done to the beat of his drum. He didn’t listen to her. He didn’t understand that she had problems as well as he. He didn’t give her roses or consideration or caring. She had duped herself into thinking David had relented in his tyrannical attitude towards her. He had not bent one iota.
‘David, I think we’re finished,’ she said tightly.
‘Damned right!’ he agreed. ‘Get Jordan up here. He might do the job required of him.’
A stinging rebuff.
She watched him as though from a far distance as he swung on his heel and headed back to the boardroom.
Cold, hard and ruthless. As his competitors saw him. As Michael Crawley must see him. As the German delegation must see him. As Caitlin now saw him.
With a heavy hand, she lifted up the phone. There was no answer from Jordan’s office. She rang Jenny.
‘Where’s Paul Jordan?’ she asked bleakly.
‘He stepped out for half an hour. Call that the rest of the morning. He thinks he’s got a potential deal with the Kirrawee Business College.’
