Second Chances (6 page)

“Apparently so. Can you explain why Pendletons & Associates is so keen on destroying our Foundation?”

Chapter 9

“Can you explain why Pendletons & Associates is so keen on destroying our Foundation?”

The question drifted in the air, soft-spoken despite the harsh reality it disclosed. The edge in the piercing green eyes fixed on him told Arthur hurt had given way to anger. He was familiar with the feeling. The idea of being associated with his father’s crusade was equally troubling.

“This is not the place to discuss that.”

Maya narrowed her eyes. This was the typical Pendleton reaction. “Don’t lie but avoid giving straight answers whenever you can.”

“Then I suggest you bring me home. Maybe Tristan will still be there, I’m sure he is going to be very interested in what you have to say, too.”

“We can’t leave now.”

“Why not?”

A waiter approached them, and Arthur’s impenetrable expression changed into a more open one, charming and playful.

“I think we need a drink. Two Kir Royale, please.”

The waiter nodded and left.

Her annoyance was growing by the minute; he could feel it in the tension in her shoulders. Unfortunately, he had to rely on her self-control to keep up the pretence.

“It would be too much out of character for me to leave this early.”

Me. Me. Me. The guy was redefining narcissism! Maya closed her eyes in order to ignore the urge to hit him. She couldn’t shout at him either, but she could always bite.

“A considerate man would bring his girlfriend home, if she’s not feeling well.”

The comment was more effective than a slap. Arthur straightened his back, and took his arm off the backseat behind her, ready to stand.

“You’re right. Please give me five minutes to…”

Suddenly she retained him, curling her fingers around his arm with a shy smile. Arthur froze, completely stunned by her volte-face, until he saw the waiter coming back with their drinks. He relaxed just long enough for the man to smile at the couple holding hands in the love-seat.

The golden pink liquid in her glass was fizzing. Curiosity won over anger.

“What’s that?”

The topic of cocktails was a safer one. Arthur answered eagerly.

“Kir Royale is champagne with crème de cassis, a black currant liqueur.”

Maya sipped it tentatively and smiled, a real smile this time.

“I like it.”

Arthur drained half of his own. The gesture brought a shadow to her face but Maya said nothing. He took the hint anyway.

“I need more than one glass to get drunk, Maya.”

She looked away. Conversation eluded her. She knew nothing of his tastes in music, movies or books; the things she knew about him, his party ways, his work, his relationship with his father, were off limits. There was only one thing they had shared so far…

“Matthew needs to have some tests done: blood check, scans, general check-up, and then the operation will be scheduled.”

“Do you think it will be long before he can be operated on? He seems… frail.”

Pain flashed in her eyes, and Arthur momentarily regretted asking. Her attention lingered on the candle on the table in front of her before she took another sip of her cocktail.

“You’re good with kids.”

“You sound surprised.”

Maya sighed. Even in a quiet conversation Arthur could not help automatically defending himself for being human. It made her temper flare once more.

“Of course I am. It’s unlike you to notice smaller ones.”

This time, he chose to speak up against the accusation. “I like kids. They understand a lot more than most adults think. And they know that winning a toy car race is really an important thing.”

Her smile was a little dreamy, probably at the remembrance of Mark’s enthusiasm. He had to be careful. It was not like him to talk about himself. Maybe the alcohol was wiping off what fatigue had not yet shattered.

Thinking about the children at the hospital brought back other subjects, which Arthur had no desire to discuss just now. Did she know her sister was a junkie? Did she know her soon to be brother-in-law was her supplier? By now, he was sure Maya didn’t share Moira’s addiction. She looked so innocent…How innocent was she?

Arthur finished his drink and glanced around. They were alone in the rotunda now. Colin was nowhere to be seen. How could it take that long to get some chopped vegetables and fruit?

He asked, in spite of his own good sense, “How far would you go for those kids? How far would you go? You accepted to “date” me for some money to save one orphan. Would you accept or help with drug traffic? How far would you really go?” The question brought her attention back to him.

“Not that far.”

The answer and her glare puzzled him, until he realized his fingers were still linked with hers, possessively settled just above her knee. Arthur took off his hand immediately.

“That was not what I meant.”

“What did you mean, then?”

And then they were back at the beginning…Arthur gestured for another drink. Sighing, Maya looked around the room once more…She wished Colin would come back soon.

***

It was late when Arthur drove her back to her apartment. She wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, but unfortunately he accompanied her to the door, waiting while she fumbled with her key to unlock it.

The wind had risen once more, and her outfit was not exactly made for winter’s icy gushes of air. Goosebumps were torturing her. Her fingers were numb from the cold.

“Please. Let me.”

He took the key from her reluctant hand and unlocked the door quickly.

“Here.”

“Thank you. I’d like to say I had fun, but I’m not that good at lying.”

Her provocative honesty amused him. The grin seemed nearly genuine.

“You’ll improve with time. Next Saturday…”

“I’m busy on Saturday.”

He frowned. Maya stepped into her flat and Arthur followed.

“Tristan and I are walking the Christmas Market, and we’ll probably rent a movie afterward.”

“Are you and Tristan romantically involved?”

Maya laughed; his displeasure grew. The question was legitimate. She had presented her cousin as her lover, that first day…Of course, he had dismissed the idea but…

“Tristan and I? God, no…He’s still trying to recover from Ines.”

She paused, her nose wrinkling in curiosity.

“Why are you asking?”

Uncomfortable with the satisfaction her denial had given him, Arthur retreated behind his trademark smirk.

“We are dating and you intend to spend one whole day with another man; I have to ask.”

“We’re not—”

He interrupted her again. One of these days, she was going to tell him exactly how annoying this habit was.

“For the public eyes, we are. I’ll come with you.”

Her eyes widened. Arthur intended to join them for shopping and their monthly video fest? With Tristan who couldn’t stand him? So her cousin would be forced to watch their pseudo-flirting? Was he mad? Trying to drive her crazy?

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Do you prefer to cancel your plans?”

“I’m not going to cancel!”

“Then I’ll be there.”

He surprised her again by brushing a kiss on her cheek. They were alone; there was no need to display some inexistent affection.

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning to sign the check-up papers for Matthew. Sweet dreams.”

Chapter 10

Maya glanced at her watch. The first tests were scheduled in twenty minutes, and without Arthur’s signature, she would have to postpone them. He had promised to come by to sign the papers but he had yet to show up. This was just like the phone call. Arthur was absolutely unreliable when it came to…

“Miss Finnegan? Visitors.”

Finally!

She spun on her heels, showing her best all-teeth smile when all she wanted was to rip his throat open.

The first person to enter the room was not Arthur, however. The blonde she had spotted the previous evening stepped in, smiling widely. Maya frowned. What was she doing here?

“Hello, Maya isn’t it? I’m Isobel.…”

Before she could shake the offered hand, one strong arm circled her waist and Arthur’s mouth crashed on hers. Maya felt heat spreading through her as soon as he touched her lips.

The kiss ended almost as abruptly as it began, but he kept her close for another second, just long enough for Maya to feel his heartbeat through his shirt, matching her hurried one. She should not react like that to his touch. They were just playing a role, nothing more…

And they had not officially graduated to the kissing-on-the-mouth stage yet…At least she thought they hadn’t.

The sheepish smile he flashed was another first.

“Sorry to be late, Edana. Father suggested I show Isobel the city while he discusses business with Regis. She loves children and given that I was coming here…”

“Oh…”

The small word was all she could muster before her surprising embarrassment gave way to amusement. So Arthur had been framed by his father again…

Her “suitor” misunderstood her silence.

“You don’t mind giving her a tour, do you? I’ll stay with Matthew during the check-up…”

The name finally cleared her head from the ghost of his embrace.

“The papers on my desk, you need to…”

Arthur moved to the table and sat there to read, grabbing a pen as if he was at his own desk. If he started chewing on it, she was going to kill him.

Maya faced the blonde woman in front of her. Isobel was her exact opposite: blonde, pretty, sophisticated, and perfectly at ease with the odd situation.

“I think your work is fantastic. I wish my father would let me do something like that…Arthur told me everything about it. He can’t stop babbling about you anyway and he was only too happy to satisfy my curiosity.”

The blonde winked. Maya turned to her “boyfriend” who was still conscientiously scanning the documents before signing them. She was sure Arthur was anything but the babbling type. However, his ears seemed a little red. She smiled back at Isobel.

“Arthur probably embellished it all. My work is not that exciting. I’m just one step above the housekeeper.”

The other woman refused the modesty.

“Don’t underestimate your work. One is always grateful for decent meals and fresh clothes. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that saves the day.”

The papers made their way back onto her desk.

“Done. Isobel, can you excuse us for a minute?”

“Of course. I’ll wait outside.”

She danced out of the room with a complicit grin, which made Maya blush from head to toe. Arthur sighed as soon as they were alone, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Maya grinned.

“She seems nice. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

He stiffened. “She’s not my type.”

“Hum…Cute, blonde, sparkly, well-bred; she looks a lot like your type.”

“Are you trying to annoy me?”

Her laugher erupted in the silent room. It felt good to have some leverage, to initiate the tease for once. His eyes had turned a darker blue as he was leaning against her desk, ankles crossed and arms folded over his chest. A great pose for GQ or Forbes magazine.

She grinned but took another step back before his proximity disturbed her further.

“Yes, and I got you. Now stop pouting or your future bride may question our “private” interlude.”

“Wait.”

Her hand was already on the door knob and she glanced over her shoulder at the call. Her braided hair was falling in complicated twists near the small of her back. Her grey wool dress flattered her figure, nicely clinging to her curves. Arthur shook the thought away.

“I need to know. Did you talk to Moira? About the Foundation?”

“My discussions with my sister about the Foundation are none of your business.”

Arthur tried to bury the twist of anger her answer stirred inside him. Maya ignored the glare.

“Thanks to your little game, she refuses to discuss anything related to P&A and she’s...”

She trailed off and turned toward the door again, chin pointing up proudly. Her voice held traces of hurt, behind the blatant annoyance. His hand settled on her shoulder. The gesture surprised them both; Maya escaped his touch by stealth.

“I’ll give Isobel a very quick tour, so I can come back for Matthew shortly.”

The change of subject suited him.

“Not too quick, please. I’m stuck with her until we meet Regis and my father for lunch.”

“Poor little baby.”

Arthur scowled before he plastered a grin on his face and opened the door.

***

The way towards the south wing had never seemed so long to Maya. Isobel was chatting happily, teasing Arthur about some personal habits Maya didn’t know about and would have overlooked gladly. Of course, their “pairing” made it impossible to show it.

“You seem to know each other well…”

The slight rasp in her voice was not jealousy. Absolutely not. Isobel laughed.

“We’ve met a few times. Arthur has never tried to seduce me and I have never stopped harassing him. All things considered, we get along pretty well. That’s probably why our fathers came up with that stupid plan of theirs…”

Maya ogled at her new acquaintance.

“You know?”

“Of course I do! Robert is as subtle as a brick and my father is not much better. Even after seeing Arthur with you yesterday, they gave it another try this morning. Spend the day together, have fun, you must have a lot to talk about, and blah blah blah…But you have nothing to worry about. Arthur is obviously totally smitten with you and I need someone who can take pieces of advice here and there without considering his manhood is being injured…”

“Good luck with that.” Arthur grunted, uncertain of which part had bothered him the most: the “totally smitten” absurdity or the fact that Isobel had accused him of machismo. He also didn’t like the amused spark in Maya’s eyes. The hilarity, however, flew away when his hand settled on the small of her back, as he escorted her inside the elevator.

Of course it was pride which drove him to do so, only pride. As they started moving up, Arthur kept his arm around her just for the satisfaction of feeling her discomfort.