Seducing Megan: Prossers Bay Series Novella (6 page)

“The owner’s done a fantastic job, and I admire the way he supports the community. Speak of the devil, isn’t that Jordan with the children?”

Megan looked up to find Jordan crouching down with his hand out to the kids. With a mother’s defense mechanism going into overdrive, she ran over to the playground.

“What the hell are you doing with my kids?”

Jordan looked at her in surprise. “Your kids?” He raised an eyebrow at Liam.

“I’m responsible for him today, and you know what I mean.”

“I can assure you that I’m not attempting to lure them away with sweets, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Was he mocking her? “The question is why are you hanging around a playground when you don’t have any children?”

“I thought this was a park for everyone. But, I happened to see you all from across the road and thought I’d come and say hi.”

She was about to say more when she realized that she couldn’t in front of the children, who were taking great interest in the something he was holding and so far seemed oblivious to their interchange.

“Mom, look! Jordan’s found a cicada shell. Isn’t it cool?”

Cody was holding her hand out, and Jordan gently placed the exoskeleton on her palm.

Megan still wanted to rant about talking to strangers, but the girls had met him before, and besides, it would be pretty churlish considering he was doing nothing more than engaging them in a nature study.

“Would you like a turn, Mia?” Jordan asked.

Mia took a step towards her mother and shook her head firmly.

“May I, please?” Liam asked.

“Sure.” Jordan took the shell and placed in on Liam’s palm. The boy looked at it in wonder, and Jordan explained that as the cicada grew, the insect needed more room, so it shed its shell while a new one grew. All three children were captivated, and Megan was also reeled in by his sexy voice and his tender approach to the kids.

Suddenly Jordan stood up and took a few steps closer.

“There really was no ulterior motive, I just wanted to say hi. I’ve been so busy at work I’ve hardly seen you.”

“I’ve been busy too.” Megan pulled Mia closer.

“Not too busy, I hope?”

Megan couldn’t lie. “I’m enjoying the hustle and bustle of the place. I hadn’t realized how much I missed using my brain. I was surprised it still worked.”

He laughed, a small dimple flashed and Megan was once more reminded of how good-looking he was.

“It’s obviously working, since things are already running a lot smoother. Chelsea said that complaints have reached an all-time low. So, thanks for that.”

“It’s what you hired me for.”

“Maybe we could have dinner sometime to talk things over?”

“You can talk to me on any weekday, like you already do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get some shopping done.”

“I’ll walk you over.”

Megan was frustrated by his inability to take a hint. The last thing she wanted to do with him was go shopping. A man who looked like Jordan Lambert would be far more interesting doing other things with. Hell, she had to stop letting her imagination run riot. He was her boss, and that was the only thing he could be to her.

To her annoyance he shepherded them across the road in the take charge way he had. Well, it was the weekend and he wasn’t in charge of her now. As soon as they got to the store, Megan whisked the kids around, getting the items she wanted in record time by promising them an ice cream if they helped. It worked and soon they were at the checkout.

“I’ve never seen anyone speed-shop before.” Jordan eyed her full trolley and compared it to his basket of personal items.

“I’ve had years of practice, and I have a lot of work to do at home.” Megan willed the checkout girl to hurry and Jordan finally went to the under twelve items counter.

“I’ll see you Monday, then.”

“Bye,” all the children chorused and Megan left it at that, relief washing over her at the sudden release of tension. He had the ability to unsettle her just by being near, and somehow she needed to stop that from happening, especially at work. She’d managed to keep out of his way, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she wasn’t able to keep that up. He wanted reports and meetings and she couldn’t avoid those.

***

The following week Jordan was driving back from a visit to see Max, Abby’s husband, about a roster for servicing the buggies that the resort used to transfer guests and their luggage to the rooms further away from the main complex.

He had some really influential people coming in on the weekend and was busy preparing for them and their guests. He’d also had some repairs to oversee so he hadn’t seen much of Megan for several days. Their meeting on her second day had proved to be an eye-opener in more ways than one. He’d known she’d do a good job, but she had pointed out so many issues and dealt with them or made recommendations, that he was now totally convinced of her ability and relieved that he’d persevered in hiring her.

Jordan realized that she was taking quite a bit of work home just to keep on top of things, and he felt guilty for throwing her into the deep end with no backup. They’d had a few late night calls, though, and he was beginning to notice a thaw in her attitude towards him. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Anyway, he was looking forward to finally catching up with Megan face to face.

He was enjoying thinking about her face, and hoping she wouldn’t be leaving work too early, when, out of nowhere, or so it felt, a car hit him from behind.

The man, a tourist, was difficult to understand and reluctant to trade information, let alone agree that he’d been at fault. The atmosphere was palpable while they waited for the police and then there were forms to fill out. The fiasco made him frustrated, unbelievably late, and hot from being in the sun for so long.

As Jordan drove through the open gates he saw Megan his anger began to dissipate, but not for long. She was packing her broken-down car with some cleaning products, and his heart which had been excited to see her, did a nose dive into deja vu. Not again. Not Megan. What was wrong with people? Surely he paid her enough not to steal from him? Anger washed over him as he parked his car, and after slamming the door he strode over to her.

“Are you doing some other cleaning that I don’t know about?”

His harsh voice had Megan jumping back from the trunk of her car looking as guilty as sin.

“I’ll bring it all back when I’ve finished.”

“That’s big of you.” He was more incensed when he saw one of the carpet cleaners in her trunk as well. “Didn’t it occur to you that I might not want you moonlighting and using my products, to add insult to injury?”

“Moonlighting? What the heck are you talking about?”

“I pay you to work for me, and I let you work the hours that suit you. If you have more time available, then I would think that you owed it to me to work them here.”

“You offered me those hours.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I don’t get the point. You hired me for a job and I like to think I do it well. I normally take work home with me at night, so I don’t believe that I’m short-changing you.”

He frowned. “I didn’t know you did that, but even so, why would you take on more work if you can’t work longer hours for me? Do you need more money?”

“For goodness’ sake. I’m not working for anyone else.”

“Then why do you have my cleaning equipment and products in your car?”

She looked like she was going to yell some more. Then she lifted her head indignantly, her voice cool as an ice cube.

“I am not a thief. Here, take your damn cleaner.” Megan tried to get the machine out of her trunk, but it was stuck on the hatch.

“I don’t know why you’re acting like the injured party here.”

“Of course you don’t. How could you when you think everyone who isn’t rich must be on the take.”

“I think you should be very careful what you say next, if you want to continue working for me.”

She wrenched the cleaner out and thrust it into his arms. “I don’t have anything else to say to you, except keep your damn job.” Then she climbed into her car and slammed the door as she left.

Jordan stared after her. Unbelievable. He’d caught her red-handed and she’d not only made out like he was a moron but had quit before he even had the pleasure of firing her. How had he got this so wrong? He’d totally been taken in by her. Bowled over by some attraction which blinded him to her real personality.

Storming into the reception area he wanted nothing more than a stiff drink. Chelsea did little to change his mind.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? You look like you’re after a show down at high noon. I reckon you could scare any guests with just a glance. Thank goodness there isn’t anyone around.”

He held up his hand. “I’m not in the mood for any banter. Megan’s just quit.”

Chelsea gasped. “What did you do?”

“Me? Why would you think that I was the one at fault?”

Chelsea gave him a penetrating look which rankled. Just because she’d known him for years didn’t mean she could judge him.

“I caught her with a boot full of our stuff and when I questioned her she got all defensive.”

“Oh Jordan. Sometimes you make me want to hit you over the head with something.”

“You’re not seriously defending her?”

“I most definitely am. Megan asked me if she could buy some product from us and borrow a cleaner. I said have at it and don’t worry about the money since she does so many extra hours from home. Tell me that I did wrong?”

Jordan opened and closed his mouth a few times then said a really foul expletive.

“Oh boy, I really stuffed up.”

“Big time. The question is - what are you planning on doing about it?”

How was he going to make amends when he’d called her a thief?

Relief that he’d been wrong in his assumption, and now willing to remember how delectable Megan was when she was fired up, Jordan couldn’t help the laughter bubbling from him. It felt good to let it explode, much to Chelsea’s amusement.

That crazy little ball of anti-man material made him feel so much, and even when he’d believed the worst of her he was already thinking about not having her around every day, and not liking the idea. Maybe he was the one who was crazy.

Chapter Six

Megan had just put the girls down when there was a knock at the door. The summer days were long, so it was only just twilight outside at eight-thirty, but she still wouldn’t dream of opening her door when the girls were in bed. Peering through the curtain she saw a couple of the cleaners from the resort standing on her porch holding the cleaning products that she’d left behind, and also the carpet cleaner.

She went and opened the door but stood with her arms crossed. “Did Jordan send you?”

Rose smiled. “He said you might not be friendly, but we’re on overtime, so I’m happy to take as long as you need.”

“Well, I am not happy at all. You can take all this back to him and tell him I said to shove it where the sun don’t shine.”

Rose held her hands up. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Couldn’t you tell him yourself? He’ll be annoyed if we go back without doing the work. He also said to apologize, and that he didn’t accept your resignation.”

“Did he now? Well that’s just dandy. Don’t you worry about any of this. I’m sure he’ll still pay you, and if he doesn’t then you let me know, but he doesn’t get to order me around, especially in my own house. I can handle Jordan Lambert.”

Rose looked at her thoughtfully. “You know, I really think you can.”

The other woman smirked as they picked up the products and cleaner and left.

Angry didn’t cut it. She was capable of bodily harm. How dare he send her staff around and put her in a compromising situation? Except they weren’t her staff any longer, because she’d quit. The question of how she was going to manage with no job was only just penetrating the fog that had surrounded her since he’d accused her of theft.

Picking up the phone she dialed his number before she thought too much about it. He answered almost immediately and she didn’t give him any chance to have his say.

“How dare you send Rose and Tina here? You think you can make everything right by waving some money at the problem and telling people how they should react. Bloody typical of a man like you with too much money.”

“I was trying to make amends. Chelsea explained what happened and I know I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I should have known better.”

Really? That was his idea of an apology?

“You can’t take back what you said and how you made me feel. I can’t work for a man like you.”

“Don’t say that. We make a good team and this was just a silly mistake.”

“It was a big mistake, for both of us and one I don’t intend to repeat. Goodnight.”

Megan put the phone down firmly, in spite of her hand shaking. She’d loved that job. Not that she’d worked at Haven for long, but she’d felt something she hadn’t felt for far too long. Pride in herself and her capabilities. Somehow she’d lost those when she’d moved back home from Sydney.