Second Chances (17 page)

This time, Isobel frowned.

“She must have forgotten that. Your sister looked very distracted yesterday.”

Maya recalled her sister’s behavior with a growing displeasure, from her apparent headache to her passivity as her fiancé…Distracted was a tactful euphemism.

“I don’t understand, she has never done such a thing before. Why did she pay cash? Usually we do a check. And where did she find it? $14,000, that’s a lot! With the foundation’s account still frozen, it’s not like we can afford to make advances of the sort…”

“You have to ask her.”

The young woman shook her head, defeated.

“She’s not here. She and Cedric took a couple of days off to plan the wedding.”

Isobel gave a pensive pout.

“Maya, if you need the money, you should try to recover it, especially if you’re not satisfied with the caterer’s services. Why don’t you talk to Arthur? He’s a business lawyer, he can help.”

Asking a Pendleton, even Arthur, to interfere with the Foundation was definitely not a good idea. Especially if…

“I don’t want to bother him.”

Isobel laughed heartily.

“Honey, from what I saw yesterday, he’s just waiting for the opportunity to pose as your white knight in shining armor.”

“I don’t think so.”

Even murmured under her breath, Isobel heard the comment and giggled even more.

“Men are men; Maya, Arthur is no better. They need a little push in the right direction from time to time, and they like nothing more than showing off.”

Maya pouted at the statement.

“Tristan is not like that.”

Her friend grinned widely.

“Nope. But he’s mine now and you’re stuck with Arthur, who defines the gender. Pamper his pride a bit and ask for his advice. I guarantee pleasant results.”

The blonde winked. Maya felt crimson coming up her neck again, as the internal battle raged. Arthur definitely did not require an ego-boost but she needed his expertise…She sighed. “You’re right. I’ll talk to him.”

“Among other things…”

“You didn’t tell me why you’re here…”

“Oh, that.”

Isobel settled in the chair facing the desk and smiled beautifully.

“I’m relocating to the city, and I plan to be the best Ambassador The Vallon Hospital has ever had. I have the looks, the skills and the connections. So, am I hired?”

Chapter 26

Arthur put his pen down to give the toy car on his desk a small push. The firefighter truck rolled to bump into the phone with a small “thump”.

“What’s that noise? Arthur, are you listening?”

The young man grimaced.

“Sorry, Father, I lost my pen inadvertently.”

“Pay attention. I don’t care about repeating myself. Paragraph 2, line 4…”

Arthur sighed discreetly. Robert had been on the phone for most of the afternoon, dictating changes or comments for every single element of the Mercia contract. The monotonous sound was pounding in his head for so long he barely acknowledged the pain; he couldn’t remember not feeling it…

“Line 5…”

He scribbled a note about rephrasing, which he was pretty sure he would not be able to decipher later. The litany of paragraphs, lines, words was infinite. They turned a page, and Arthur noticed they had only three more to go. The realization came like a light at the end of a tunnel; with any luck, he would be out before seven, and able to catch a complete program on TV before falling asleep from exhaustion.

Colin tugged his head through the opening of the door, and Arthur gestured him to go impatiently.

“Third paragraph, line two…”

That was good. They were in the middle of one page already, which meant only two and half to go, if he could focus for another hour…

Maya entered the room and closed the door behind her back, offering a timid smile. His head jerked up instantly. Apparently, Colin had interpreted his sign as an agreement to let her in. For once, he didn’t mind the misunderstanding.

“I’ll put you on hold for a minute, Father.”

Arthur punched one button without waiting and stood up.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The formal address contrasted with the welcoming sapphire stare he fixed on her; Maya fidgeted a little, playing with her scarf.

“I wanted to ask you something but you’re busy so…”

“If you don’t mind waiting, I should be done soon. Please sit down.”

Arthur showed her to the seat in front of his desk and sat back in his chair, putting his father back on line.

“I’m here, Father, please go on.”

“Take your time, Arthur, after all, it’s only a $870,000 contract.”

The sarcasm made her frown. Maya glanced up, looking for a reaction from Arthur, but he had just picked up his pen again. Sensing her stare on him, the young man brought one finger to his lips in the eternal “keep quiet” gesture. His accepting attitude concerned her but she obeyed and kept her mouth shut.

“You were on the… third paragraph.”

“Line two, add…”

With Maya quietly settled in front of him, he found it easier to listen to the voice of his father. He looked forward to be alone with her; despite the inevitable torture repressing his feelings would bring him. Arthur concentrated on his notes and ignored the growing tiredness that the implacable tone was raising.

Maya looked around her, curious. She had never been in Arthur’s office before and she tried to take in the atmosphere of his daily surroundings. The room was spacious, with wood and leather furniture. The halogen light made it difficult to know what color the cases were, black cherry or dark brown most likely.

The chairs were massive, and the effect with the ultra-modern desk of steel and glass was unsettling. Maya decided the overall impression was one of a patchwork of commodities, rather than a carefully chosen décor.

The room looked exactly like the image Arthur wanted to present: a shell, devoid of emotions. It saddened her to realize he walked in here every day without finding a shelter. She was pretty sure if she visited his apartment, it would be the same, both practical and empty.

Maya returned her attention to the desk and saw the toy cars she had offered him. She smiled. He had added a personal touch after all. Pushing on her feet, she circled the desk to give the yellow race car a small push so it rolled over his papers. Arthur looked up and her stomach made that funny loop it did so often when he was close, and she wanted him even closer.

The young man pointed at the phone, indicating her to return to her seat; the temptation was too strong and Maya refused to move away; instead, she began to brush his temples as she had done once to calm his headache. Arthur closed his eyes automatically, giving into the caress without thinking. The fruity scent from her hair swarmed over him when she bent to touch his forehead. The pulsing in his head was still painful but decreased slowly under her ministrations.

The distorted voice of his father brought him back to reality; Arthur pushed her away firmly, fishing out his lost pen to write another note:

“I hear you Father; is that the last one?”

“For now. I’ll meet with them at lunch tomorrow. Send your corrections before ten-thirty.”

The click forbade the young man to protest. He didn’t mind the abrupt ending. He knew from experience arguing would have been fruitless. At least his father had saved him from himself.

Maya sat on the desk, balancing her legs in front of her.

“Is he always so hard on you?”

“You know him; business is business.”

“You’re his only son Arthur, he should…”

Maya stopped talking. Voicing out loud how bad his father treated him was probably the last thing Arthur needed. She could tell he was tired. The slight frown she associated with his recurring headaches was still visible. She wished she could take some of his worries off his shoulders.

She wore slacks instead of a skirt yet the movement of her legs was fascinating. Arthur pinched the ridge of his nose to ease the pressure inside his skull, trying to focus on something other than her body within his reach.

“You had something to ask me?”

The balancing stopped, thankfully.

“Yes, but I’m hungry, and I can’t discuss anything seriously when I need food.”

Serious conversation sounded no good. Arthur nearly groaned. Maya jumped to her feet.

“Take me to dinner, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Her engaging smile was something else; and having skipped lunch, he realized he was hungry too.

“Of course. Given me five minutes to make a copy of this for Colin.”

***

The Italian restaurant was nearly full. Apparently, running the sales on Boxing Day excited spirits as well as appetite and they slalomed between tables to reach theirs. Arthur conversed quickly in Italian with their waiter and the man left coming back minutes later with bread-sticks and carbonated water.

“I ordered, I hope you don’t mind.”

Maya nibbled at one of the grissini; her companion had relaxed the moment they had climbed in his car, and now he seemed (nearly) at ease. She guessed the migraine was almost a memory. He was quiet, which was his fashion, and it suited her just fine.

“I really like this place.”

She did. From peaceful the other night to happily noisy today, the little restaurant had a cheerful gleam she enjoyed very much. She wondered how it was on Valentine’s day, and Easter, or during the summer, when customers could use the terrace outside.

“So, what’s the matter?”

Arthur asked because he had to, not really interested in the answer. Being serious might mean she had noticed how often he overstepped the limits of their “arrangement” and she wanted him to stop. Or she had talked to Tristan and she wanted to know what was what. Or…

“Isobel said you…”

She blushed lightly and Arthur felt his ears warm in turn. Whatever Isobel had suggested could only mean trouble. Oblivious to his embarrassment, Maya went on.

“You see, Moira made a mistake and I was wondering…”

Their plates arrived and he used the diversion to fully compose himself. Maya was still talking.

“With the Foundation’s account closed, we can’t afford…”

“If you need money, I can…”

“No! No, thank you.”

Maya squeezed his hand gently and Arthur lost track of the conversation again. It felt strange to move away from her touch to pick up his fork.

“I don’t know what to do…”

Abashed, he glanced up from his ravioli to see her adorable mouth pouting. Looking down again with some difficulty, Arthur settled for a quick questioning, given he had missed half of her explanation.

“Moira overpaid your supplier.”

“Yes, for future services.”

“Was it included in your contract?”

“No. And I had told her I wanted to change in the future but she…”

“I think you should simply ask for a refund.”

Maya smiled beautifully and his chest swelled with pride, then her expression faded.

“She paid cash; it’s not going to be a problem is it?”

Step-by-step, pieces of the puzzle he was trying so hard to ignore started to fall into place. Cedric (God, he hated that sneaky bastard) was back from a “business” trip and suddenly, Moira was “distracted”… Flying high was more like it. Moira overpaid a Vallon Hospital subcontractor in cash, exceeding the original bill with some random excuse. The supplier had given a receipt, Maya asked for a reimbursement and the cat was in the bag. The process was the perfect plan to launder dirty money. If they could link the cash to the drug dealing…Hell.

Arthur pushed his plate away, his appetite lost.

“Please excuse me.”

He stood and walked to the washroom. Now he was trapped between her and his duty. He could forget about it, enjoy their dinner and just let it go. Except…

Hating himself, Arthur picked up the phone.

Chapter 27

Tristan put down the phone and walked to sit back on the bed. Isobel circled his bare shoulders with both arms to press her cheek against his. Sensing his trouble, she asked softly, “What’s the matter?”

The young man covered her hands with his.

“It was Arthur.”

Isobel instantly stopped nuzzling his ear and forced him to turn.

“Why did he call you? Is it Maya? What’s wrong?”

“Why do you think there’s something wrong with Maya?”

Facing him, she touched the small frown between his eyebrows to smooth it.

“You are hardly Arthur’s best friend. Maya is your only common interest and she looked very sad this morning…”

“She did?”

The worry in his voice was unmistakable. Tristan still didn’t like the idea of Maya being one of Arthur’s interests. However it was not his choice to make.

“Yes. I’m pretty sure it was related to Arthur, but I didn’t prod.”

Tristan growled. “They are having dinner.”

Isobel grinned happily, though she hardly believed Arthur was calling Tristan to tell him he was taking his cousin out.

The young man let her pull him back on the mattress, while his mind processed Arthur’s call. He had asked if he had received the financial records. He believed Cedric was the mastermind behind the whole problem because Maya had inadvertently given away how the Foundation was used to launder the money. Arthur wanted it to stop; for Maya’s sake.

Isobel looked at her silent lover from under her lashes, her chin on his chest. Her intelligent grey eyes sparkled with mischief.

“She’s pregnant and she told him, and Arthur called to assure you he is going to make her an honest woman.”

Her theory was so far-fetched Tristan chuckled in spite of his worries.

“You’re crazy.”

“Only about you.” She frowned. “He didn’t break up with her, did he?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Not by a long shot.”

“Good, because Arthur…”

Tristan cupped her neck to drag her closer. He had yet to receive that report and Arthur’s big scheme would have to wait until morning. Surely Maya could handle him by herself a bit longer…

“Enough with Arthur…”

***

Maya looked at the restaurant emptying. Attempts at conversation had died due to half-hearted, evasive replies from her companion. Their comfortable zone had gone with Arthur’s sudden disappearance during the main course, and it had not come back.