Socialite's Gamble

‘You’re my guest and therefore my responsibility,’ he said obliquely.

Her eyes met his briefly and then she turned back to the cases on the bed and kept packing.

Aidan felt like throwing his hands in the air. What had she expected him to say? That he wanted to protect her? Wanted to look after her? That he was jealous? ‘Look, I’m not myself right now,’ he growled.

‘Why not?’

He took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want to get into it but—’

‘Is it Martin Ellery? I heard Ben mention him over lunch and you didn’t look the same from then on.’

Aidan felt dull colour leach into his face. He thought he’d hidden his reaction to the news that Martin Ellery was making noises about fighting him for the TV rights to the AFL—the biggest TV contract in Australia and the one jewel in his father’s crown that Ellery hadn’t snatched away fourteen years ago.

‘Ellery doesn’t matter,’ he said curtly.

Blatantly disbelieving him, if the look on her face was anything to go by, she turned away again and this time Aidan did throw his hands in the air. Dammit, couldn’t she see that he was trying here?

He took a calming breath as she zipped her largest suitcase and tried another tack. It was either that or shove the cases off the bed and lay her on it. Somehow, he thought in a moment of black humour, he didn’t think she’d be too receptive to that.

‘I read the notes you took on the school.’

She paused before zipping a smaller case. ‘Please, I don’t want to know what you think.’

Unable to stand by and watch her leave he gripped her shoulders and spun her towards him. ‘They’re good.’

She shrugged him off and moved to the window. ‘You don’t have to say that. I know you planned to send a professional out.’

‘I don’t say things I don’t mean. Not only did you notice that the manager had skimped on the teacher’s quarters but you picked up the fact that the children need more art supplies and updated books. And yes, I was planning to send in a surveyor—and I still will for the structural soundness of the building—but he wouldn’t have picked up on all the areas the manager had tried to cut back on.’

Her brows drew together. ‘Why would he try to cut back on a school? That’s detrimental to the kids.’

‘He’s ambitious and he was trying to bring the whole thing in under budget to impress me.’

She pulled a face. ‘That makes sense, I suppose.’

‘Not on a community project. But he’s learned his lesson now and won’t do it again.’

‘You sacked him?’

‘No,’ Aidan retorted, somewhat put out by her ready assessment that he would fire someone without giving them a second chance.

‘I explained that while I expect the resort to be profitable I don’t expect people to suffer to make it that way.’

‘Oh. That’s … nice.’

‘I’m not an ogre, Cara.’ So why did he feel like one right now? ‘Please stay.’

She wrapped her arms around her torso as if she were cold. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ She glanced towards the sparkling ocean beyond her window. ‘I don’t know what I want right now.’

Aidan took a step towards her. ‘You can have whatever you want.’

She turned back to him and the vulnerable expression on her face stayed him. ‘Maybe in your world, Aidan, but not in mine. I nearly lost a contract because of what happened last weekend. I still might. People are always judging me and finding me inadequate and the fact is that they’re right. My own mother couldn’t even stand me.’

Aidan heard the lost note in her voice and his brow furrowed. ‘She said that?’

‘Not directly. The only time I can ever remember hearing my mother’s voice is on a video recording.’

‘A video recording?’

‘Gee, you really don’t read the gossip columns, do you? She left when I was a baby.’

Realising that this was an incredibly sensitive area for her, he tread carefully. ‘Why?’

‘I was difficult.’

His brow drew together. ‘As far as I know, mothers don’t usually leave their babies because they’re difficult.’

‘I was horrible.’ Her hands around her waist bunched the fabric of her T-shirt. ‘I cried all the time. I wouldn’t sleep. Apparently I was terrible at taking solids…. ’

Aidan recalled some of the press around the time her parents had separated. He’d been a lot younger so it was hazy but he remembered their break-up had been shrouded with talk of alcohol and women and bad business deals. None of which was Cara’s fault. ‘You can’t seriously blame yourself for her leaving.’