But he hadn’t been there and no one had seen him. A chill went down her spine at the thought that he might not show up. He would. Of course he would.
‘Eleanore?’ Isabelle prompted.
She shook off her weird feelings and injected enthusiasm into her voice. ‘Will I have to move to Australia or something?’
‘Not necessarily but you might have to base yourself over there. I was thinking Singapore. Australasia encompasses a wide area and you’ll need to spend a fair bit of time there. We can work out the finer details later.’
‘Of course.’
‘You are happy, aren’t you, El?’
Eleanore smiled. ‘Of course. I’m just...overwhelmed.’ And she’d like to talk to Lukas about it. Share her news.
‘Tell me, how bad was it working for Lukas Kuznetskov?’
‘Not bad at all as it turns out. He’s different than we first thought.’
Isabelle pulled a face. ‘I find that hard to believe. His reputation as a hard-nosed businessman precedes him.’
‘As yours precedes you,’ she teased her sister.
Isabelle tossed her a rueful look. ‘I hope so. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.’
The heaviness behind her sister’s words was impossible to miss and once again Eleanore noticed her brown eyes cloud over. ‘Okay, Isabelle, what’s up?’
Isabelle sighed. ‘It’s just Spencer. I think he’s planning a takeover bid and I’m worried I won’t have the votes.’
‘How many do you have?’
‘Since Olivia sold me her shares I’ve got thirty-five and a half per cent. Not enough.’
‘Maybe I should sell you mine. That would give you forty-nine per cent.’
‘I can’t take your shares.’
‘Why not?’
‘They’re your legacy from Dad.’
Eleanore shrugged. ‘It’s not like I need them. And if you give me the same rate as Olivia, then I’ll be happy.’
‘Seriously, Eleanore, decisions like that aren’t made on the spot. You at least need to think it through.’
Eleanore smiled as she recalled telling Lukas the same thing once. Of course he hadn’t listened. ‘Okay, I’ll think about it. But just know that you have my vote no matter what. You’ve done an amazing job at Harrington’s and there’s nobody else more qualified to run it.’
But interestingly enough while she didn’t need to think about selling her shares if it gave Isabelle more of a sense of security, Eleanore wasn’t exactly feeling like dancing on the spot at Isabelle’s offer of a promotion.
She scanned the room again and spotted Lukas at the top of the grand staircase on the mezzanine level. He was wearing a tuxedo and he was heart-stoppingly gorgeous. Relief flooded her system and she must have made a faint noise because Isabelle followed her gaze.
‘Lukas Kuznetskov?’
Eleanore couldn’t take her eyes off him. ‘Yes.’ Her heart took off in her chest and the rest of the room faded out as their eyes connected. She felt Isabelle go still beside her.
‘Is there something you’re not telling me, Eleanore?’ Isabelle had on the mothering tone she’d perfected even before their mother had died.
‘No.’
But her voice was a squeak and Isabelle’s dark brows climbed her forehead. ‘You’ve always been a terrible liar.’
‘Oh, Issy, I slept with him.’
The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them and it was such a relief to say them.
Isabelle gaped at her, completely silent. Finally she let out a small cough. ‘When?’
When Lukas’s attention was snagged by someone beside him Eleanore forced her gaze back to her sister’s. ‘Not before I completed the job, I assure you.’
Isabelle frowned even more. ‘I don’t care about the job. I’m just shocked. You’ve never done anything like that before and he’s so...so...’
‘Gorgeous? I know.’ Eleanore sighed. ‘I can’t quite believe it myself.’
‘Oh, El, you’re in love with him. Please tell me I don’t have another sister about to walk down the aisle?’
Oh, how she wished.
What? Sorry?
Eleanore dragged in a rushed breath. Where had that come from? She wasn’t in love with Lukas and she certainly didn’t want to marry him. She wanted to take up the role of VP of Business Development Australasia. Didn’t she?
Before she could regain her composure the man himself stood before them.