Mr. Temptation

Oh, my God.

The ache inside swelled, the tears with it. Had she been wrong? Could he actually...?

‘There’s a note,’ EJ said, prodding a bit of paper out from underneath.

Zara lifted it up, the handwritten words blurring as the tears trickled over.

Please accept this gift for you and your parents. You deserve it. You will be met at the airport in Nice. Everything is taken care of.

I want you to have a good time.

I want you to be happy.

Daniel x

She stared at it dumbly, his words leaping off the page.

I want you to be happy.

‘You can’t tell me that man doesn’t have feelings for you.’

She felt her head shake, her heart fluttering like crazy in her chest. ‘I don’t believe it.’

‘Well, I do.’ EJ plucked the documents off the desk and thrust them into her hand. ‘And it’s time you believed it too.’

‘I need to speak to him.’

‘Finally, the voice of reason.’ EJ beamed. ‘I’m going before you change your mind.’

She watched EJ leave, the world spinning, her head turning dizzy as adrenaline flooded her system. She had to go to him. Now.

But she didn’t even know where to find him.

She didn’t want to ring him, she didn’t want this conversation over the phone, but it was better than the delay.

She raced to grab up her mobile, her trembling fingers taking far too long to dial his number, and her stomach sank as it went straight to voicemail.

She dialled his office number and his PA answered.

‘Hello, is Mr Lazenby available? It’s Zara—Ms Anders from Anders Estates.’ She felt her cheeks heat over her flustered request.

‘I’m afraid he is unavailable for the next few days, Ms Anders. Can I take a message?’

‘No... Not really... Do you know where I can find him?’

There was a pause; she was probably wondering why Zara sounded so desperate and unprofessional. ‘He’s taking some annual leave, but, if it’s urgent, I can get a message sent to him?’

/> ‘No—no, it’s fine. It can wait. Thank you.’

She cut the call. Annual leave? It didn’t sound like him, unless...

She dialled Julia and the woman answered in two rings—thank goodness.

She had her answer pretty swiftly. He was going to Sweden; he was going to meet his new nephew; he really was making amends. She pressed a hand to her mouth, a fresh wave of tears threatening as a multitude of emotions swamped her all at once.

‘Is there a problem with the house purchase?’ Julia asked. ‘If so, I’m sure we can get a message to him?’

‘No, no problem,’ Zara assured her. ‘Nothing that should interfere with his personal trip.’