Yvonne Lindsay – Diamonds Are For Lovers: Satin & a Scandalous Affair (страница 17)
Four people stood around the island in Quinn’s kitchen. A pretty woman with long, tied-back greying hair, looked up first. A tall, lean man stood beside her with one arm draped loosely around her shoulders. Quinn, too, had his arm around someone’s shoulders. Someone beautiful, in a lilac suit, with a chic blond bob and striking eyes.
Dani couldn’t really take in much more than that.
But then Quinn’s eyes beat a path to her face and she felt the energy as if he’d shone an intense spotlight onto her.
“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to intrude.” God, what must they think? She had his key. “I thought you’d still be out.”
Then Quinn dropped his arm from the blonde’s shoulders and walked toward her. His eyes shone as he drew her into the circle. There was no mistaking the warmth in his voice as he said, “
As it turned out, this was much better than her anticipated bath. She shook hands with his parents, Gwen and Joseph, and with Lucy, his foster sister, who had the most beautiful, sad violet eyes.
They were ribald and rowdy, and so close, they finished one another’s sentences. It was incredible to see Quinn in this light. Outside of the bedroom, his reserve set him apart from everyone; he seemed untouchable. His parents were nothing like that, and when he was with them, neither was he. There was so much warmth, humour and concern for one another in this kitchen. She loved her mother dearly but she’d never stood around a kitchen counter with her family members, drinking, joking and sharing memories.
Yes, it was a sad day for the Everards, but as often happens with funerals, the relief of getting through it sometimes manifests itself in a need to drink. “Especially when you’re Irish!” Joseph intoned, holding out his glass for a top-up, while Quinn shook his head at her, mouthing, “He’s not Irish.”
Dani thought back to the tensions that had accompanied Howard’s funeral; the reserve, the constant media crush, everyone watching one another to make sure they didn’t fall apart, or wondering who knew what about Howard’s eventful life.
That all seemed a million miles away. Corporate takeovers, too, seemed a million miles away. She swapped blueberry muffin recipes with Gwen, had an eye-popping dance with Joseph to a Leonard Cohen song, and Lucy confided she had discovered Dani’s knickers under the couch.
“Must be his other girlfriend,” Dani told her. “I never wear them.”
“I don’t think so.” Lucy laughed. “Quinn
Everyone left a couple of hours later and Quinn ordered in pasta, which they ate in his tub. She lay across from him as he struggled to keep his eyes open, and cautioned herself to guard her heart. Her expectations of people were too high. A throwaway remark by Lucy, the warmth in his eyes when she crashed their party … there was danger in allowing herself to hope she could ever be admitted to the circle of love she had just glimpsed.
Her fingers swirled the water in front of her, making a whirlpool, and Dani recognised she was in an uncontrolled spiral. She was falling in love, and not only with Quinn, but with the idea of his family, too.
Quinn came into his living room to see Dani standing in front of the window looking out at Sydney’s skyline, her bag by her feet.
Yes, he thought. He’d wanted her here, to see what she looked like, see if she’d fit. And if that hadn’t prompted him to take a swan dive off the balcony, then he was going to try her out on his parents. Only they had preempted that by inviting themselves over last night.
And hadn’t that gone well?
The polite tension of the past few days in Port Douglas had made him miserable. Being relegated from lover to boss shouldn’t have bothered a man who, since Laura’s death, hadn’t considered forever. At thirty-four years old, Quinn had never wondered till now whether he was missing out on anything.
He hadn’t expected to enjoy her so much.
Dani turned and smiled at him and he gave himself a mental shake. “All packed?”
What the next step was, he couldn’t be sure, but Quinn knew one thing. Where Dani Hammond was concerned, he was at least prepared to admit that there would be a next step.
She nodded and reached for her bag, just as Quinn’s phone rang. It was Sir John Knowles, former prime minister, outgoing governor-general, and close friend and mentor of Quinn’s. A call he had to take.
He walked into his office and after very little preamble, Sir John got to the point of his call. Incredulous, Quinn listened to the man’s earth-shattering admission, and in seconds the feeling of peace Quinn had woken with was ground to dust.
“Taxi’s here.” Dani stood at the doorway to his office, holding her bag.
Quinn covered the mouthpiece of his phone. “I have to take this. You go on and I’ll meet you at the airstrip.”
She left and he returned to his phone call. Based on Sir John’s admission, Quinn had no alternative.
“I want out, John.”
The older man’s quiet voice begged him. How could he turn him down?
“I’ve become personally involved. I won’t lie about something like this.”
“Please, Quinn, just another few days. I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t the last chance I have.”
“Allow
“I can’t risk her refusal, don’t you see? And I haven’t told Clare yet. Not about the prognosis or the other.”
The old man sounded sick and alone. His last chance. Quinn had heard that before, had lived with his failure for seven years.
But still, it was a lousy thing to do. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I do, believe me. And I wouldn’t ask it of anyone but you, because I know you won’t let me down.”
“Quinn, will you come to the wedding with me?”
He sat back in his chair and displayed the same careful expression he’d had since they got back from Sydney three days ago.
Dani was worried. The rumours Ryan spoke of in Sydney had now been aired on television. The shareholders of Blackstone Diamonds were restless, despite an assurance from Kimberley in the paper this morning that all was well.
Perhaps if he knew the Blackstones, was personally involved, he wouldn’t be so hasty to offer his support to Matt.
Quinn set his pen down. “That’s not a good idea,” he said slowly.
“Why not?”
“It’s a family occasion. With the events of the past few months, everyone will be feeling a little nostalgic.” He looked at her steadily. “My history with Howard is bound to raise comment. I don’t want to rub everyone’s nose in it.”
“I don’t think anyone will—”
“I’ll let you know if I change my mind, okay?” He picked up his pen again, his eyes unreadable. “How’s the necklace coming along?”
“Okay.” The client had imposed a deadline for completion—the twenty-fifth. She was on track, Dani thought, assuming she kept her mind on the job instead of wondering what Quinn Everard was up to.
Nine
“Look who I found on the doorstep.” Dani was on her way out to collect various members of the Blackstone clan from the airport when Jake Vance’s face appeared before her. She left the guest with Quinn, gave her apologies and rushed out to her task.
Quinn’s smile faded at his friend’s grim expression. What was up? Jake kept a brutal schedule. He didn’t just show up on a whim.
Quinn waved Jake into a seat. “Coffee?”
“You have something stronger?”
Quinn narrowed his gaze but held up a bottle of cognac.
“My old mate Hennessey.” Jake nodded gratefully.
Quinn poured two generous snifters.
“No wonder you’re AWOL.” Jake’s head gestured to the door where Dani had just left. “Well, more AWOL than usual.”
Quinn stayed silent and sipped his drink, waiting for Jake to come to the point.
The silence stretched, then Jake leaned forward and placed his glass on Quinn’s desk. “Sounds important.”
“I didn’t say a word,” Quinn retorted, exasperated.
“Exactly,” Jake said smugly. “Not often you have a girl stay over at your apartment.”
“How did you …?”
“Lucy.”
“You and Lucy are talking?” Quinn leaned forward, arms folded on the desk.
“Don’t get excited. She called the day after the funeral, before she headed off back to England. Just a friendly take-care-of-yourself call.”
“She was worried you wouldn’t want her at the funeral,” Quinn mused. Jake was ripped to shreds when Lucy left him after several years together. Quinn tried not to take sides and loved both of them, but he never wanted to see that hurt inflicted on either of them again.
Jake shrugged. “I appreciated it.”
“What brings you up here? Bottom fallen out of the market?” Quinn hoped it was nothing to do with Matt Hammond and his Blackstone Diamond shares. He didn’t need any more secrets upsetting the applecart with Dani.