be different with her. She understood him.
Despite all this positive thinking, her heart fluttered nervously as she entered her office. The door to Michael’s was open, which meant he was already in, organising the business of the day. It was Monday, the beginning of a new week. The beginning of something new between them, too, Elizabeth fiercely hoped as she took a deep breath to calm herself and walked purposefully to the opened door.
He was seated at his desk, pen in hand, ticking off items on a sheet of paper, his concentration so total he didn’t sense her presence. For a few moments Elizabeth simply gazed at him, loving the clean-cut perfection of the man; the thick black hair kept short so it was never untidy, the straight black eyebrows that gave slashing emphasis to the keen intelligence of his silver-grey eyes. The straight nose, firm mouth and squarish jaw all combined to complete the look of the alpha male he was.
As always he wore a top quality white shirt that showed off his flawless olive skin and undoubtedly he would be wearing classy black trousers—his customary work uniform. His black shoes would be shiny and...he was just perfect.
Elizabeth swallowed hard to clear her throat and willed him to give her the kind of attention she craved.
‘Good morning, Michael.’
‘Good morn—’ His gaze lifted, his eyes widening in shock. His mouth was left slightly agape, his voice momentarily choked by the unexpected sight of an Elizabeth who was not the same as usual.
She held her breath. This was the moment when the only-business attitude towards her had to snap. A host of butterflies invaded her stomach. Smile, her mind wildly dictated. Show him the warmth in your heart, the desire heating up your blood.
She smiled and suddenly he grinned, the silver eyes sparkling with very male appreciation.
‘Wow!’ he breathed, and her skin tingled with pleasure.
‘Great hair! Fabulous outfit, too!’ he enthused. ‘You’ve done wonders with yourself, Elizabeth. Does this mean there’s some new guy in your life?’
The high that had soared from his first words came crashing down. Associating her makeover with another man meant the distance he kept between them was not about to be crossed. Although...maybe he was tempted. Maybe he was just checking if the coast was clear for him to step in.
She rallied, quickly saying, ‘No. I’ve been unattached for a while. I just felt like a change.’
‘Super change!’ he warmly approved.
That was better. Warmth was good. Elizabeth instantly delivered the planned hint for him to make his move.
‘I’m glad you like it. The clothes are a gift from my sister. It’s my birthday. She insisted I had to look bold and beautiful today.’
He laughed. ‘Well, you certainly do. And we should celebrate your birthday, too. How about lunch at The Mariners Bar? We can make time for it if we get through this inventory this morning.’
Hope soared again. A lunch for two at one of the most expensive restaurants in Cairns, overlooking the marina full of million-dollar yachts...her heart sang with joy. ‘That would be lovely. Thank you, Michael.’
‘Book us a table. One o’clock should see us clear.’ He picked up a sheaf of papers, holding it out to her. ‘In the meantime, if you could check this lot...’
‘Of course.’
Business as usual, but there was a rainbow at the end of it today. Elizabeth could barely stop her feet from dancing over to his desk to collect the work that had to be done first.
‘Bold and beautiful,’ Michael repeated, grinning at her as he handed over the papers. ‘Your sister must have a lot of pizzazz.’
It killed the song in her heart. He was supposed to be showing more interest in her, not wondering about Lucy. She shouldn’t have mentioned her sister. But there was no taking it back, so she had to live with it.
‘Yes, she has, but she’s terribly ditzy with it. Nothing seems to stay in her head long enough to put any order into her life.’ It was the truth and she wanted Michael to know it. The thought of Lucy being attractive to him in any way was unbearable.
‘Not like you,’ he said appreciatively.
She shrugged. ‘Chalk and cheese. A bit like you and your brother.’
The words tripped off her tongue before Elizabeth could catch them back. The anxiety about Lucy had caused her control to slip. It wasn’t appropriate for her to make any comment about her boss’s brother. Normally she would keep her mouth firmly shut about him, despite the heartburn Harry Finn invariably gave her with his playboy patter. She hated it when he came into the office. Absolutely hated it.
Michael leaned back in his chair, his mouth tilted in a musing little smile. ‘Working behind a desk is definitely not Harry’s thing, but I think you might have the wrong impression of him, Elizabeth.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She grimaced an apology. ‘I didn’t mean to...to...’
Now she was lost for words!
‘It’s okay.’ Michael waved off her angst. ‘I know he seems very casual about everything but his mind is as sharp as a razor blade and he has his thumb on everything to do with his side of the business.’
Charter boats for deep-sea fishing, dive-boats for tourists wanting to explore the Great Barrier Reef, overseeing the resort they’d built on one of the islands—it was playboy stuff compared to what Michael did. Elizabeth’s opinion of Harry Finn didn’t shift one iota.
‘I’ll try to see him in that light in the future,’ she clipped out.
Michael laughed. Elizabeth’s toes curled. He was so charismatically handsome when he laughed. ‘I guess he’s been ruffling your feathers with his flirting. Don’t let it get to you. He’s like that with every woman. It’s just a bit of fun.’
Oh, sure! Great fun! For Harry Finn.
Elizabeth hated it.
However, she managed to paste a smile on her face. ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ she said. ‘Must get to work now. And I’ll book our table at The Mariners Bar.’
‘Do that.’ Another grin. ‘We can discuss brothers and sisters over lunch.’
No way, Elizabeth thought as she walked briskly to her own office, firmly closing the door behind her to ensure that Michael didn’t see Lucy when she dropped in. She didn’t want her sister sparking any interest in his mind. Nor did she want Harry Finn intruding on any part of this special lunch date. This precious time together had to be about moving closer to each other on a really personal plane. All her hopes for a future with Michael Finn were pinned on it.
TEN thirty-seven.
Elizabeth frowned at the clock on her desk. The arrangement with the coffee shop on the ground floor was for coffee and muffins to be delivered at ten-thirty—black expresso and a chocolate muffin for Michael, cappuccino and a
