Shattered Illusions. Anne Mather

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СКАЧАТЬ that moment.

      Dominic Redding was propped in the doorway of the small office that adjoined Catriona’s study, his hip lodged against one side of the frame, his hand braced against the other. He looked as if he’d been working out: his cotton shorts were clinging to the powerful muscles of his thighs and his grey vest was soaked with sweat. She could smell the heat of his body, even though there were several feet between them. It was not an unpleasant scent, but the knowledge of what she was thinking brought an unwilling trace of colour to her cheeks.

      ‘Um—what did you—?’

      She hadn’t seen him since the previous morning, when he’d come upon her so unexpectedly beside the pool, and she’d begun to think he must have left the island. He’d told her he lived in New York, after all, and surely he couldn’t have much in common with his stepmother.

      ‘I asked if you could drive,’ he repeated, at her stammering response, and Jaime knew her prevarication had been necessary. She wasn’t used to being disconcerted by a man, and this man put the kind of thoughts into her head that she hadn’t had since she was a teenager. For heaven’s sake, she chided herself, irritated by this evidence of what she regarded as her own immaturity. She’d been holding her own in the male-dominated world of the university since she was eighteen. What on earth was wrong with her now?

      Dominic Redding was speaking again, and she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying. ‘Catriona seldom uses a car herself, and I thought you might be interested in seeing a little more of the island. It’s Saturday tomorrow, so I guess it’s your day off.’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Yes, what?’ His dark eyes were unerringly intent. ‘Yes, you can drive, or yes, you’d like to see more of the island? There’s a twenty miles an hour speed limit in operation if you’re nervous.’

      ‘I’m not nervous.’ Jaime was used to driving her father about London, but she didn’t want to go into that. ‘And yes, I can drive. I’ve been driving for—well, for years.’

      ‘Great.’ A lock of damp dark hair flopped onto his forehead and he thrust it back with an impatient hand. ‘So—how does the idea grab you? I believe the shops in Hamilton are pretty good.’

      Jaime let her hands rest on the keys of the word processor, taking care not to put any weight on them. It was kind of him to think of her, she thought, trying to get his suggestion in perspective. Two days of working for Catriona had persuaded her that she would be unlikely to think of such a thing. Catriona was, quite simply, the most self-motivated person she had ever met.

      ‘I—it sounds good,’ she answered at last. ‘But I’m not sure if Miss Redding will expect me to work.’

      ‘Well, okay.’ He shrugged. ‘Let me know if you decide to take me up on it. There’s an open-topped four-by-four that’s seldom used.’

      ‘Thank you.’

      Jaime was grateful—and for the interruption, too. She had been typing almost solidly for the past couple of hours, and for someone who was more used to grading essays the consistent glare of the computer screen was tiring. Her eyes were probably red-rimmed with exhaustion, she thought gloomily, wondering what Dominic Redding must think of her. Not that it mattered, she assured herself with feeling. He was not the kind of man who attracted her.

      ‘You’re welcome.’

      His drawling response was vaguely ironic, but she hardly had time to evaluate his humour before the door to Catriona Redding’s study was jerked open. ‘For heaven’s sake, Miss Harris,’ she was exhorting as she stormed into her secretary’s room, ‘must I remind you that I’m trying to work in—? Oh!’ This as she saw who Jaime had been talking to. Her tone changed to one of guarded approval. ‘Dominic!’ She moistened her lips. ‘Were you looking for me?’

      ‘Oh, I think I’d know where to find you,’ he replied, with a strangely mocking expression on his face. ‘No. As a matter of fact, I came to see your secretary. I’ve offered her the use of the Toyota.’

      Catriona’s mouth tightened. ‘Have you really?’ she remarked, linking her long fingers together at her waist. ‘I don’t recall you asking my permission.’

      Dominic’s eyes narrowed. ‘I didn’t think it was necessary.’

      ‘No?’

      ‘No.’ His jaw compressed. ‘The vehicle never leaves the garage, for God’s sake!’

      ‘Nevertheless—’

      ‘Nevertheless, it’s yours, is that it?’ Dominic countered angrily, straightening his spine against the jamb. ‘Well, okay. Forget the car. I’ll take her myself. I assume the Harley-Davidson is still mine?’

      Catriona’s face crumpled. ‘That won’t be necessary,’ she said, and now Jaime was amazed to see what looked like tears sparkling at the corners of her vivid blue eyes. ‘If—if I don’t need it, of course she can use the Toyota. I was just being bitchy. I’m sorry. I’ve been half out of my mind since you took off.’

      Dominic looked impatient now, and Jaime wondered why his stepmother’s mood swings should cause such acrimony between them. Catriona was like a child, she thought incredulously—perverse and malicious one minute, appealingly tearful the next. She acted as if her stepson’s good opinion was all that mattered to her, and Jaime knew a sudden sense of unease that had nothing to do with her own position in the household.

      And, as if realising that she was an unwilling spectator to their confrontation, Dominic pulled a wry face. ‘Hey, I need a shower,’ he said, including both women in his sweeping gaze. Then, addressing himself to Catriona, he added, ‘We’ll finish this discussion later. Ask Sophie to send me up a couple of beers, will you?’

      ‘I’ve got some beer in my fridge!’ exclaimed Catriona at once, gesturing at the room behind her. ‘And I’m—dying to hear what you’ve been doing. Samuel said he thought you’d gone to the marina—’

      ‘Later,’ said Dominic, once again including Jaime in his response. ‘You don’t want me to catch another chill, do you? This air-conditioning’s fixing to freeze my—’ he grimaced ‘—toes!’

      Short of causing another unpleasant scene, there was little more Catriona could say, and with a rueful nod in Jaime’s direction Dominic disappeared out of the door. Leaving a distinctly chilly atmosphere behind him, thought Jaime unhappily. An atmosphere that had nothing to do with the air-conditioning at all.

      Alone with her employer, Jaime fixed her gaze on the computer screen that only moments before she had been grateful to avoid. But somehow she had the feeling that anything she said might precipitate an argument, and that, far from backing down, in this case the woman would enjoy the opportunity to make someone else look small.

      ‘Have you finished yet?’ she asked at last, and Jaime had no choice but to make eye contact with her.

      ‘I’ve finished typing your notes,’ she replied pleasantly. She touched the Dictaphone. ‘But I’m not sure how many letters are left on the tape.’

      Catriona took a deep breath. ‘Do you find it interesting?’ she asked. ‘The manuscript, I mean.’ The previous day they had spent organising a working schedule, and this was the first opportunity Jaime had had to transcribe the handwritten pages. ‘My previous СКАЧАТЬ