Gentle Persuasion (6 page)

“I apologize for speaking so hastily concerning our agreement. I didn’t realize you were dealing with important plantation matters.”

Dane continued to eye her carefully, as if he couldn’t quite make up his mind about what had just happened.

“The problem with you and your kind, Ms. Reid, is that you never stop to consider the world is not revolving around you and what you want.”

Ophelia stiffened but bit her tongue to keep from offering a sharp reply. As she paused to rein in her temper, Leilani spoke up.

“I’m sure Dane still wants to honor your agreement. Right, boss?” Leilani nudged Dane’s arm, seeming to remind him of his position in this situation.

In spite of her frustration with the man, she felt a sort of pity as his shoulders sagged. He sighed, his voice simply weary. “Right. Fine.”

“How about if you and Ophelia join us for the bonfire tonight? Sam and some of our friends are having one on the beach. It’ll be fun, and maybe it’ll make up for this afternoon.”

Ophelia hesitated. The entire day had already been a mess of conflict and misunderstandings. She couldn’t imagine spending an entire evening in Dane Montgomery’s presence, given his current mood. And although she knew it was part of her assignment, she felt disinclined to continue pursuing negotiations with him just now.

But to her surprise, Dane agreed to Leilani’s suggestion.

“All right. If it will make up for my absence this afternoon.” He turned to Ophelia, and she couldn’t be sure if he was resigned or merely reserved on the matter. “Miss Reid...
Ophelia.
Would you like to join us this evening for a bonfire?”

And despite her own reservations, she answered with a polite nod.

“I would love to.”

CHAPTER FOUR

O
PHELIA
COULDN
’
T
KEEP
from smiling as Leilani’s boyfriend, Sam, continued to demonstrate the steps of the hula to her. Their friends gathered around the golden circle cast by the bonfire’s light, alternating between shouts of encouragement for Ophelia and playful teasing toward Sam.

“You have no rhythm, brah! You’ve got to move your hips more!” one of Sam’s friends called out.

“That’s it, Ophelia! You were born to hula, girl!”

Despite the compliments, Ophelia knew the group was being kind. Her awkward movements couldn’t compare to the elegant demonstrations Leilani and her friends had offered earlier. In fact, she suspected Sam’s goofy flailing beside her was merely to draw attention away from her own lack of grace. It didn’t bother her, though. Sam and Leilani, along with their friends, had been so warm and welcoming that she felt completely at ease among them. She had sustained mild teasing about her attire—after all, practicing the hula in business-casual pants and blouse hardly embraced the laid-back spirit of the islands. But she had endured the ribbing good-naturedly and wondered whether her professional dress had any sort of influence on Dane’s decision, anyway.

As Sam segued into the next part of the hula, she held up her hands. “I think Sam and I have embarrassed ourselves enough for one night.”

There were several calls of disappointment, but Ophelia shook her head. “You’ve all been a terrific audience.” She bent at the waist and then straightened, flashing them a grin. Sam grabbed her hand and tugged her down into another brief bow.

“Ophelia and I are available for private parties, if any of you are interested. Our rates are negotiable.”

This elicited another round of banter as Ophelia laughed and stole away from the center of the circle to settle herself on a blanket near Dane. She sensed him watching her for several seconds before he finally moved from his own blanket and onto hers. He passed her a bowl of pineapple and papaya chunks, and she fished a cube of ripe, golden fruit from the dish.

“Thanks,” she said before popping it into her mouth. She enjoyed the juicy explosion of sweet and tart on her tongue. She was beginning to realize that tropical fruits tasted even more delicious when eaten on the same island where they were grown.

“You’re a fast learner,” Dane finally remarked, after she had chewed and swallowed her bite of pineapple.

She couldn’t help laughing softly. “I don’t think I’ll be entering any hula competitions anytime soon.”

“You weren’t bad,” he replied.

She made a face. “But not that good. You can say it.”

He didn’t. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. She slid a glance toward him out of the corner of her eye and saw that his gaze stretched out over the ocean. Another set of guys had taken Sam and Ophelia’s place in the circle, and they took turns mimicking Sam’s antics of a few minutes before.

“Do you hang out with these guys much? They seem like a lot of fun.”

Dane’s attention pulled from the water and back toward the others, fondness touching his features. “Sometimes. They’re more Leilani and Sam’s friends than mine, but they’re a good crowd. They’ve been kind to Leilani, taking her under their wing.”

“Leilani mentioned she was in some trouble last year. Nothing too serious, I hope? She seems like too sweet of a girl to be into anything very bad.”

“Bad crowd, poor decisions.” He gave a little shrug. “I don’t think it’s what she wanted—she was just trying to find a place for herself.”

Ophelia hesitated. “I guess she’s not the only one. Hawaii seems like a good choice to find a place for yourself.” She looked at him pointedly after this observation, but he didn’t rise to the bait.

She finally released a small sigh and followed his line of sight out over the ocean, observing the lip of foam-tipped waves as they ran up the shoreline and then receded with precise regularity. Moonlight silvered the water’s surface, creating beautiful shades of metallic-blue, which complemented the dusky cobalt of the twilight sky. Ophelia tried to memorize the sight, knowing she would never witness anything like it back in New York.

“Why did you do that today? With Masters?”

The soft question startled Ophelia as she turned her attention back to the man beside her.

“Do what?”

He didn’t immediately reply as he kept his stare fastened on her face. She forced herself to keep meeting his eyes, despite the uncomfortable directness of his gaze. The bonfire’s light illuminated his features in a soft bronze glow, and she was able to truly appreciate the strong length of his stubble-dusted jaw, the chiseled lines and planes of his face and the piercing awareness of his deep, blue eyes. No wonder he had captivated the corporate world so completely. In addition to his immense intelligence and skill, he was handsome enough to compete with the very best Hollywood itself had to offer.

She felt a rapidly growing consciousness of his proximity and the heat that radiated as much from him as from the fire several feet away.

“I confess that I can’t quite figure you out, Ophelia Reid.”

She blinked. “Oh? Well, perhaps recruiters are more complex than you give us credit for.”

A corner of his lip twitched, but he shook his head in denial at this statement. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just that you’re...more subtle than the rest of them.”

This caused her to laugh. “I never thought of subtle as one of my strong suits.” She shrugged. “I’m not as aggressive as some, but I try not to be manipulative, either.” Looking away, she tried to explain herself without putting him off. “I like what I do because I believe I’m helping people in some way. I enjoy placing others in their dream roles and careers so that they can achieve some sort of fulfillment in their everyday lives.”

“And that, in turn, fulfills
you.
Is that what you’re saying?”

She watched as the others in the group pulled out a ball and began tossing it around. “Sure. Of course. It’s a noble endeavor, wouldn’t you agree?”

He scoffed lightly, and her eyes snapped back to him. He, too, had turned his attention to the game the others were playing so that his eyes mercifully rested elsewhere. “Helping others fulfill their dreams seems like an easy way to keep from living your own.”

She felt a flare of indignation at this remark but bit her cheek to prevent herself from responding in kind. His words were an attempt to goad her into an outburst, she was sure of it. She would not let him have the satisfaction. After all, a lifetime spent beneath Lillian Reid’s caustic remarks had taught her the value of silence in the face of criticism.

“You’re offended,” he stated.

She clamped down harder on her cheek until she could formulate a proper response. “Not at all. I understand your prejudices may prevent you from seeing a clear picture of my life.”

Or in other words, she thought,
You don’t know me. Stop acting like you do.

His genuine laughter caused her to relax a bit. “Maybe you’re right,” he admitted. “But how do you justify what you’re doing here, with me?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What if I don’t
want
you to place me in my ‘dream role,’ as you put it. What if I’m perfectly happy and fulfilled right here, in my current everyday life?”

She looked away again, unable to form an immediate response to this question. She spotted Leilani in the midst of her friends. Sam’s arm rested protectively around her shoulders, and Ophelia felt a strange twinge of jealousy. Not for Sam, who was handsome enough but far too young for Ophelia’s interest, but rather for the ease the two young lovers clearly felt around each other.

“Did I touch a nerve?”

Dane’s voice drew her attention back.

“Of course not,” she replied. “It’s only that your situation is unique. Your high profile has made you a target—a trophy of sorts. Everyone wants to be the person who brings you back because then, perhaps some of your greatness will rub off on them.”

He grunted with what sounded like annoyance. “You really do enjoy flattering me, don’t you, Miss Reid?”

Something inside her shifted at these words. She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Thus far,
Mr. Montgomery,
you have proven to be rather unworthy of flattery. You have been rude to the point of caustic, and your behavior seems to be based solely on your prejudice for my profession. You don’t even know me, so I hardly think you have the right to judge me.”

Dane’s eyebrows had shot up during this little speech, and from her peripheral vision, she noted a few stares turning their way.

“Furthermore, concerning my remarks that you seem so intent on labeling as ‘flattery,’ might I remind you that for all your so-called brilliance in the corporate world, your latest venture is on the verge of bankruptcy. If you find my conversation to be obsequious, I can assure you that I am not attempting to ingratiate myself with you. In fact, if your coffee plantation fails, I may be the last recruiter you ever see. So enjoy skewing my words while you can. You may never get another chance to do so.”

With that, she stood to her feet, noticed that every one of Sam and Leilani’s friends had fallen silent and felt a rush of embarrassment. Turning on her heel, she stomped off down the beach, cursing her inappropriate clothes and wondering how she was going to explain her failure to her mother.

The farther she walked, the more distressed she became. She rarely lost her temper in such a manner—she had long ago taught herself to remain composed in every situation. Lillian demanded it. And now, on only her second day, she had allowed Dane Montgomery’s ego to get the better of her. Stupid! She could just imagine her mother’s cold disapproval when she returned to New York several days early and without Dane. Paris would remain a distant dream on the horizon. Cole would be sickeningly sympathetic. She might even face demotion.

She was just considering whether her mother would actually fire her over this failure when she heard footsteps pounding on the sand behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she realized that in her distress, she had walked quite a distance down the beach. But the figure coming up on her was the last she had expected to see—Dane Montgomery slowed to a walk as she stopped in her tracks.

“You didn’t need to run off,” he said.

Somehow, this statement ruffled her feathers all over again. “You can’t tell me what to do—I’m not one of your inn’s staff.” It sounded ridiculously petulant, even to her own ears.

But to her surprise, Dane chuckled. “Thank God for that. I have no idea what I’d do with you if you were.”

She blinked. “Are you insulting me? Because I really don’t think—”

“Not at all,” Dane hastened to say. “On the contrary...I may have had that speech coming.” He considered. “Well, maybe not all of it. After all,
you’re
the one who came here trying to drag me back to a life I left behind. And you have to admit that you really aren’t taking my ‘no’ very well. Besides, throwing money at the situation is pretty insulting in itself, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ophelia narrowed her eyes. “If this is an apology, I’ve heard better.”

He sighed elaborately and ran a hand through his hair. The moonlight cast his face in softly sad lines, the sharp cut of his frown standing out in stark contrast. Ophelia felt a sudden and unexpected tug of sympathy for him. How many times must he tell the world to leave him alone before they listened? No wonder his reception of her had been cool. She should feel fortunate he hadn’t been outright hostile, given the constant intrusions to his private life, especially considering all he faced with his current financial situation.

“We’ve gotten off to an abominable start, haven’t we?” she remarked.

He looked startled as he shifted his eyes her way. “To put it mildly,” he replied with the faintest twitch of his lips.

She drew a breath. “I know it must be difficult for you,” she conceded, “with strangers prying into your life every couple of months and attempting to pull you in a different direction.”

He said nothing, but she noticed he had gone very still, his eyes intent on her.

“I’m not your enemy, Dane. What you do with your life is your own choice. But please try to accept that I’m in a difficult position, as well. Perhaps we could just call a truce and try to see the next few days out in peace?”

He remained wary, still eyeing her carefully. “And at the end of it? What will you do if I still don’t want to go back?”

She didn’t answer him immediately, considering everything she would lose if he didn’t return with her. The weight of that responsibility rested heavily on her shoulders, but she forced herself to lift them into a casual shrug. “We’ll worry about that when my time here is through.”

He continued to size her up, and the longer he studied her, the more grateful she was for the twilight so that it could camouflage the blush she knew must be staining her cheeks.

“You never answered my question,” he finally said. “On why you spoke up for me today with Masters.”

She swallowed, shifting her gaze from the intensity of his to look out over the diamond-cut waves glittering in the moonlight.

“Because...” She drew in a breath and then released it. “Because no one should be forced into giving up on their dreams.”

She looked back to find his head cocked, his expression much softer than she’d seen it at any point during her trip thus far.

“Do you speak from experience, Ms. Reid?”

She tried to shift the subject away from her. “Why not apply for a loan with a local bank and clear your debt to Masters that way?”

His frown deepened. “I tried that—it seems Masters isn’t the only one who doubts that my corporate skills will carry a venture such as coffee farming.”

“And using the plantation as collateral?”

“The market is already saturated with properties, what with the state of the economy. Apparently, I’m a high risk.”

Now it was her turn to frown. It sounded as if Dane Montgomery had truly found himself with his back against the wall.