Concentrate, Cee! On something other than how gorgeous he is.
‘I might get a bite to eat.’ He glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘It’s getting to be that time of day. Would you like to join me, or can I pick up something for you?’
For a moment blank incomprehension filled her. She fought her way out of it and realised she was hungry—but a lunch date with Linc MacKay...?
‘Thanks, but I have errands to run on my lunch break.’ Fortunately, his invitation had been offhand enough that she didn’t need to worry about causing offence by refusing it.
Exactly.
So why had her heart skipped a beat?
‘Plus, I brought something to eat from home.’ Something dull and ordinary that held no uncertain surprises and certainly wouldn’t make her think back to a past time when she had wanted to know Linc better on a personal rather than a business footing. ‘But I appreciate the offer.’
He gave a little nod and a half smile and went on his way—which quite put it into perspective, as she should have done from the start. Thank goodness she hadn’t sounded as though she were turning him down in a personal way or anything like that.
Cecilia ate her home-packed sandwich at her desk, and then headed for the nearby mall. Her thoughts turned to her sister more and more with each step. Hugh might have dropped Cecilia like the proverbial hot potato when her family life had suddenly gone from slightly troublesome to really concerning, and that still hurt, but it was the rift with Stacey that remained as a constant source of heartache any time Cecilia let the thoughts surface.
Rejection seemed to have formed a bit too much of a repeat cycle in Cecilia’s life lately. It was just as well that she had learned to bury her emotions in her work and that she was very good at that work.
‘Next, please.’ The voice of the man behind the counter at the postal outlet drew her from her thoughts.
‘Hello. I need to purchase a money order, please.’
‘Same name and amount?’
The clerk probably thought he was being helpful, asking that. Instead, it just reminded Cecilia of how many times she had done this. Every Monday for the past five months, and it wasn’t over yet.
Not this guy’s fault, and not your fault, either, so smile and be normal. Got it?
She was fulfilling a duty, and if that felt like a paltry thing to do, well, the situation wasn’t easy—and doing this was a lot more than just duty. She had to continue to hope that things would improve.
‘Yes. Thank you.’
Cecilia placed the money order into a pre-stamped envelope and mailed it.
As she returned to work she let her spirits find happiness again. She loved the nursery and loved what she’d achieved here. And if she felt a little lift, knowing she was about to see Linc again, too, that came from knowing that every moment in his presence brought the results of the review and his decision about her share proposition closer. It was that and only that.
If she didn’t entirely believe herself, Cecilia ignored the fact.
Her peace lasted until she approached the office and heard Linc speaking.
‘I can tell you really want to speak with her, but Cecilia is at lunch just now.’ There was a pause. ‘Are you in a position where you could call back a bit later?’
‘Is that for me? I’ll take it now.’ She could hardly speak for the buzzing in her ears, and she saw Linc was ending the call even as she spoke.
For a moment after he’d placed the phone back in its cradle, she simply stood there.
‘That was a supplier wanting to change an order.’
Linc seemed to be searching her face with a great deal of attention.
It was just a supplier, phoning on the office phone. Your sister only has your cell phone number. You haven’t missed a chance to speak with her, and Linc hasn’t found out anything about her.
Disappointment and relief fought for supremacy inside Cecilia.
They both won.
‘The guy sounded old...grumpy.’ Linc gave a what-do-you-do kind of a shrug. ‘He didn’t want to leave his name or number, only wanted to speak with you, and he ended the call quite abruptly.’
‘I think I know which supplier that would have been.’ She walked to her desk, sat down. Felt Linc’s gaze on her and an added layer of awareness of her that she would swear, despite her admonitions to herself earlier to the contrary, was real.
Did she want to set herself up for further rejection? No.
Exactly, Cecilia. So get your mind back on your work. Now!
But trying to do that just reminded her that her heart had almost stopped for a second or two, and now she was fighting a renewed sense of sadness and loss that she tried to keep distant during work hours.
‘I’ll call the supplier back a bit later and let him know that a message would be welcome the next time, whether I’m here or not.’
Next time she wouldn’t practically fall apart over a silly, perfectly routine, office-related phone call.
Cecilia ignored the reasons why she would panic, and why she now felt deflated and sad all over again. Because no cause for panic had actually ensued. She’d ignored the way Linc had made her feel today so far, too. If she ignored that for long enough, she would get it under control.
She turned her attention back to her work. In the end, that was where her focus needed to stay!
‘IS THERE A chance we could move my tour of the facility forward and do it now? I have to disappear for a while later this morning on other business.’
Linc made the request as he and Cecilia met at the front area of the plant nursery the next morning. They’d driven into the staff parking area within seconds of each other.
‘I’m sorry for the disruption to our review, but would that be manageable for you?’
‘There’s no need to apologise. I’m surprised you got through even one day without a disruption, to be honest. And the flower show management team aren’t due here until eleven—so, yes, I can do the tour now.’
Cecilia’s words and tone were calm. Yet in catching her unawares Linc had glimpsed what had looked like sorrow in her eyes, before she’d shielded her expression and the mantle of ‘business manager’ came down over her face.
There’d been an awareness of him, too. It had sparked briefly before that mantle had come down. It disturbed him that he had looked and hoped for that very thing. And it disturbed him that she had seemed sad.
He frowned, but a moment
