Beware of the Boss. Leah Ashton

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СКАЧАТЬ the folds of her towel. The dog found its soggy-looking target first and snatched the ball up, backing a quick handful of steps away before going still and staring at her again.

      ‘You want me to throw it?’

      Knowing there was really only one answer to that question, Lanie pressed her hands into the sand and climbed to her feet. She shook her head a little, still fuzzy from her impromptu nap.

      One minute she’d been reading her paperback...the next... She glanced up at the sky, looking for the sun, and breathed a silent sigh of relief when she realised it was still low and behind her. At least she hadn’t slept for long.

      Not that sleeping the day away would have been such a disaster. It wasn’t as if she had a million other things to do.

      The dog came closer and dropped the ball with a dull plop at her feet.

      Hurry up.

      Lanie couldn’t help but smile.

      ‘Okay, okay, buddy—here we go.’

      With barely a grimace as her fingers wrapped around the slobbery ball—there was enough water here at North Cottesloe beach to wash her hands, after all—Lanie weighed up her throwing options. Back towards the water, from where the dog had obviously come? Or along the shore...?

      ‘Luther!’

      The deep voice stilled Lanie’s movements. The dog momentarily glanced in the direction of the obviously familiar voice before refocussing his rapt attention on the ball.

      A man loped across the blinding white sand towards her. He was shirtless, wearing only baggy, low-slung board shorts and a pair of jet-black sunglasses. The morning sun reflected off toned olive skin that glowed with exertion, and he ran a hand through slightly too long dark brown hair as he approached, leaving it standing in a haphazard arrangement.

      Lanie found herself patting uselessly at her own brownish hair—which, in contrast, she was sure had not been rakishly enhanced by the combined effects of sand, wind and the fact that she’d done no more than loop it into half a ponytail before walking out of the house this morning.

      ‘Luther!’ the man said again.

      The dog moved not a muscle, every line of his body focussed on Lanie’s hand.

      For the first time the man glanced in her direction.

      And it was only a glance—as brief and uninterested as Luther’s when he’d heard his owner call his name.

      ‘Are you planning on keeping his ball?’ the man asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited for her response.

      Lanie blinked behind her own sunglasses. ‘Pardon me?’

      He sighed, twisting his wrist to look at his watch. ‘Can you please give Luther his ball? Soonish would be great.’

      The ball dropped from Lanie’s fingers, but the big red dog pounced as excitedly as if she’d thrown it miles away. Now he crossed the short distance to his owner, and moments later the ball was whizzing through the air and into the shallow waves. The dog followed with huge, galumphing, splashing strides.

      The man left too, without a backward glance, jogging the exact parallel distance from the lapping waves as he did every single morning.

      ‘You’re welcome,’ Lanie said to his rapidly retreating broad shoulders.

      What a jerk.

      She knelt to stuff her towel and book into her canvas tote bag, and covered her windblown hair with her hat.

      Well, at least now she knew.

      In the past weeks she’d come to recognise most of the early-morning regulars at the beach—the dedicated open water swimmers who swam at seven a.m. every day, come rain, hail or shine. The walkers—both the walking-for-exercise and the walking-because-the-beach-is-gorgeous types. The joggers, the surfers, the sunbathers—and of course the dogs.

      That man was also a regular. Unlike the others, who would greet Lanie with a familiar nod or smile each morning, this man appeared to be absorbed completely in his own world. He went for his run, his dog zipping about the shore in his wake—and then he left. That was it.

      Dark and interesting, Lanie had thought whenever she’d seen him. Private. Intense.

      Gorgeous. Obviously.

      She wouldn’t have been human not to wonder about a man like that. What did he do? What was his name? Was he married?

      Not that she’d harboured any ridiculous daydreams. Lanie was, if nothing else, pragmatic.

      But still—she’d wondered.

      And now she had the only answer she needed. So, what was he like? Rude. Definitely.

      Oh, well. No great loss—he could still add to her beautiful view each morning. A personality deficiency wouldn’t impact on that.

      With her shoes dangling from her fingers, Lanie followed a path through the green scrub-tufted dunes towards Marine Parade. Small white shells mixed amongst the sand dug into the soles of her feet. When she hit the footpath she dropped her shoes to the ground so she could step into them. The concrete was surprisingly warm, despite the lukewarm winter day.

      It was Tuesday, so the Norfolk-pine-lined street was mostly empty, not crammed with cars fighting for every available space as was typical throughout summer weekends. Across the road, multi-million-dollar homes faced the cerulean ocean, with a single café nestled amongst their architecturally designed glory. The café’s white-painted tables and chairs spilled outside, protected by brightly covered shade cloth sails and decorated with blue glass bottles filled with yellow daisies. Lanie’s house was a two-minute walk up the hill—but a wave from the grey-haired man amongst the empty tables drew her attention.

      ‘Lanie!’ he called out, pausing his energetic sweeping to prop himself against a broom. ‘Morning! Did you swim today?’

      She smiled as she shook her head. ‘Not today.’

      ‘Tomorrow?’

      They followed this script every day. ‘Maybe.’

      The man grumbled something non-distinct, but his opinion was still crystal-clear.

      ‘Tell me what you really think, Bob,’ she said dryly.

      ‘Such a waste,’ he said—just as he had yesterday—then patted one of the table tops. ‘Coffee?’

      Lanie nodded. Along with her early-morning beach visits, coffee at the eponymous Bob’s Café had become part of her daily routine.

      She slid onto the wooden chair, careful to avoid Bob’s scruffy-looking apricot poodle who slept, oblivious, at her feet. Bob didn’t wait to take her order, just shuffled inside to brew her ‘usual’: flat white, no sugar, extra shot of coffee.

      On the table was today’s newspaper, and automatically Lanie flipped it over as she waited.

      A giant colour photograph almost filled СКАЧАТЬ