By Request Collection 1. Jackie Braun

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      ‘I know. Thanks.’

      He let her go and she stepped back, feeling unaccountably emotional. ‘Sophie. You’ve cut your hair. It looks stunning.’

      Sophie, gorgeous in a teal-coloured dress, flicked at her new bob with a smile. ‘Easier to manage when travelling.’

      ‘Crystal.’ Lissa hugged them both. ‘Thanks for coming. And Ian too. You all made it.’ She soaked in the sight with all her senses. Her family loved her and they’d always be there for her, no matter what. They’d always be around to celebrate her successes.

      She tried not to think about her business partner but her hand rose to the pearls at her neck. Blake would never be part of her inner circle. He wouldn’t be here with champers when the business turned a profit for the first time. He wouldn’t be here when it came time to decorate the office with Christmas cheer. He wouldn’t be here to share their milestones because he sailed alone.

      ‘Are you all right, Lissa?’ Sophie asked, with a small frown.

      ‘Are you kidding? With all this happening?’ Waving an encompassing hand, she shook off the melancholy and smiled. ‘Where are the kids?’

      ‘Ian’s parents are baby-sitting the lot,’ Crystal said, then grinned. ‘Overnight. So we’re all staying at the Oceans Blue.’ She glanced at Jared as she said, ‘We’re hoping you and Blake will join us for brunch tomorrow morning before we head back.’

      ‘Love to. I’ll ask Blake when I can catch him.’ She glanced about her. She’d hardly seen her partner in crime since they’d arrived. She saw him among the crowd, conversing with an elderly couple beneath the ‘rings of fire’, which they’d taken to calling the magnificent circles of light above them.

      Her heart leapt against her breast at that first glimpse. It always did. It always would. The tanned skin and glossy dark hair, those brilliant blue eyes that she just wanted to drown in. His smile. He was smiling now as he talked, that delicious mouth kicked up at one corner, one hand holding a champagne flute, the other gesticulating as he made a point. Even though she knew he’d prefer to be alone or perhaps with her on some secluded moonlit beach.

      But it wasn’t only his physical beauty she saw. She saw the man behind the masculine perfection. A wounded man who’d only just begun to open up to her. His troubled family history.

      She also knew him as a man of patience, understanding and integrity. He put up with the chaos she’d turned his house into with her work gear and her seeming inability to leave a room tidy.

      He’d drawn out her deepest fears and soothed them with a gentleness she’d never have expected a man of his solitary background to be capable of.

      But she kept the knowledge and her feelings deep. They’d agreed that if a more suitable partner came along, he’d be happy to bow out of the whole deal. More than happy, Lissa knew. He’d talked about sailing. He’d found a boat he was interested in. She knew he was leaving, it was only a matter of time.

      Would he change his mind and stay if he knew she loved him?

       Would it be fair to lay that on him?

      No. Because with the emotional baggage he carried, to him they’d be empty words. And what would be the point? He didn’t want to be tied to one place and she wanted this business so badly her eyeballs ached. They could never be together long term.

      Jared’s voice sounded over the microphone set up in the middle of the room, jerking her out of her thoughts. The guests quietened and gathered around.

      ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lissa’s Interior Design.’ Her brother smiled her way as the onlookers clapped. Emotion choked her. She lifted a hand in acknowledgement. She glanced at Blake but his attention was focused on Jared. She tried to interpret his expression without success.

      When the applause settled down, Jared continued. ‘Gilda’s asked me to say a few words and I’m going to start by telling you about my kid sister …’

      A few moments later, he finished by saying, ‘And now with great pleasure and no small amount of pride, I want to introduce the talented woman who’s going to transform your homes into magazine-worthy masterpieces. Lissa Sanderson, ladies and gentlemen.’

      He handed her the mike, with a murmured ‘Congratulations, sis,’ and a brotherly pat on the back.

      She clenched one hand around the microphone. ‘Thank you, Jared.’ Her voice resounded through the room. She blew him a kiss on a wide smile. ‘That was quite a speech.’ She glanced down at the scrap of paper in her hand.

      ‘First off, I’d like to thank you all for coming and making the evening such a success …’

      Crossing his arms, Blake stood well back from the crowd, out of the spotlight, and watched the exchange of fond smiles between the siblings. And an odd sensation tugged at him. He felt as if he were standing on a ship’s splintering deck watching the rest of the crew cram into the only lifeboat and sail away. He tried to shake it away, but the feeling persisted.

      She continued her speech but he wasn’t listening to the words, he was listening to her voice—clear and crisp and calm, like the sound of a church bell over still water at sunset.

      He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The scrawny little redhead now the voluptuous Titian-haired beauty in a short black dress and taking on the world of interior decorating. If she’d left him at sea all those years ago, it was nothing to what she was doing to him now. He could imagine her in ten years. Twenty.

      And she’d still be the only woman he wanted to look at.

      ‘As most of you would already know, the evening’s not just about Lissa’s Interior Design. It’s also about charity. Tonight I want to pay tribute to the men and women in the Armed Forces. Our own Aussie Diggers …’

      Then those crystal clear eyes looked right at him. As if she’d known exactly where he was. In some still-functioning corner of his brain he registered her recognition to his line of work, even though he’d barely scratched the surface of that aspect of his life with her. With any woman.

      ‘For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the ‘Support our Diggers’ campaign provides health care, counselling and legal support for our troops overseas and for returned soldiers.

      ‘Each and every one of them makes a huge personal sacrifice to protect us here in Australia. They leave their families and loved ones and endure life-threatening situations on a daily basis. Some pay the ultimate price. Others return, changed for ever.’

      Changed for ever. The words reverberated in his skull. Lissa had changed him. For the better. She’d shown him a different view of the world. One he liked. One he wanted. He rubbed a fist over his chest. Something was shifting inside him.

      ‘So we want to champion the very worthy and valuable charity, ‘Support our Diggers’. Make sure you see our charity diva, Gilda, and donate as much as you can before you leave.

      ‘There’s someone else, someone special, I want to acknowledge. Blake Everett. Most of you will remember Blake’s mother, Rochelle, who worked tirelessly for charity СКАЧАТЬ