just how much she was missing her easy-going friend and business partner.
‘I promise you, sex on the beach is overrated! Sand gets everywhere. And I mean everywhere.’
‘Okay, too much information, Mrs Harris.’ She began to doodle at the edges of the paper.
‘Oh, Noles, you have no idea how weird it is to be Mrs Somebody, let alone Mrs Harris.’
‘No idea at all! And planning to stay that way,’ she said lightly.
Marriage had never been high on her to-do list. She was happy for Anna, of course. But her parents’ divorce had left her wary of making vows and promises. And her disastrous relationship with Connor had only reinforced her instinctive distrust of the sort of trust and intimacy that marriage required.
Anna giggled. ‘Every time anyone calls me that I keep thinking my mother-in-law’s here. It’s terrifying!’
She and Nola both burst out laughing.
‘So why are you ringing me?’ Nola said finally, when she could speak again.
‘Well, we were at the pool, and Robbie got talking to this guy, and guess what? He’s a neurosurgeon too. So you can imagine what happened next.’
Nola nodded. Anna’s husband had recently been appointed as a consultant at one of Edinburgh’s top teaching hospitals. He was as passionate about his work as he was about his new wife.
‘Anyway, I left them yapping on about central core function and some new scanner, and that made me think of you, slogging away in Sydney all on your own. So I thought I’d give you a call and see how everything’s going...’
Tucking the phone against her shoulder, Nola rolled her eyes. ‘Everything’s fine. There was a bit of a problem this morning, but nothing I couldn’t handle.’
She paused, felt a betraying flush of colour spreading over her cheeks, and was grateful that Anna was on the end of a phone and not in the same room.
There was a short silence. Then, ‘So, you and Ramsay Walker are getting on okay?’
Nola frowned.
‘Yes...’ She hesitated. ‘Well, no. Not really. It’s complicated. But it’s okay,’ she said quickly, as Anna made a noise somewhere between a wail and groan.
‘I knew I should have postponed the honeymoon! Please tell me you haven’t done anything stupid.’
Nola swallowed. She had—but thankfully only in the safe zone of her imagination.
‘We had a few words about the budget, but I handled it and it’s fine. I promise.’
‘That’s good.’ She heard Anna breathe out. ‘Look, Noles, I know you think he’s arrogant and demanding—’
‘It’s not a matter of opinion, Anna. It’s a fact. He is arrogant and demanding.’
And spoiled. How could he not be? He was the only son and heir to a fortune; his every whim had probably been indulged from birth. He might like to boast that he said no to almost everything, but she was willing to bet an entire year’s salary that nobody had ever said no to him.
‘I know,’ her friend said soothingly. ‘But for the next twenty-four hours he’s still the boss. And if we get a good reference from him we’ll basically be able to print money. We might even be able to pay off our loan.’ She giggled. ‘Besides, you have to admit that there are some perks working for him.’
‘Anna Harris, you’re a married woman. You shouldn’t be having thoughts like that.’
‘Why not? I love my Robbie, but Ram Walker is gorgeous.’
Laughing reluctantly, Nola shook her head. ‘He is so not your type, Anna.’
‘If you believe that you must have been looking too long into that big old Australian sun! He’s every woman’s type. As long as they’re breathing.’
Opening her mouth, wanting to disagree, to deny what she knew to be true, Nola glanced down at her notepad, at the sketch she had made of Ram.
Who was she trying to kid?
‘Fine. He’s gorgeous. Happy now?’
But as she swung round in her seat her words froze on her lips, and Anna’s response was lost beneath the sudden deafening beat of her heart.
Lounging in the open doorway, his muscular body draped against the frame, Ram Walker was watching her with a mocking gaze that told her he had clearly heard her last remark.
There was no choice but to front it out. Acknowledging his presence with a small, tight smile, she closed her notebook carefully and, as casually as she could manage, said, ‘Okay, that all sounds fine. Send the data over as soon as possible and I’ll take a look at it.’
Ignoring Anna’s confused reply, she hung up.
Her heart was ricocheting against her ribs.
‘Mr Walker. How can I help you?’
He stared at her calmly, his grey eyes holding her captive.
‘Let’s not worry about that now,’ he said easily. ‘Why don’t we talk about how I can help you?’
She stared at him in silence. Where was this conversation going?
‘I don’t understand—you want to help me?’
‘Of course. You’re only with us one more day, and I want to make that time as productive as possible. Which is why I want you to have dinner with me this evening.’
‘You mean tonight?’
Her voice sounded too high, and she felt her cheeks grow hot as he raised an eyebrow.
‘Well, it can’t be any other night,’ he said slowly. ‘You’re flying home tomorrow, aren’t you?’
Nola licked her lips nervously, a dizzying heat sliding over her skin. Dinner with her billionaire boss might sound like a dream date, but frankly it was a risk she wasn’t prepared to take.
‘That would be lovely. Obviously,’ she lied. ‘But I’ve got a couple of meetings, and the one with the tactical team at five will probably overrun.’
He locked eyes with her.
‘Oh, don’t worry. I cancelled it.’
She gazed at him in disbelief, and then a ripple of anger flickered over her skin.
‘You cancelled it?’
He nodded. ‘It seemed easier. So is seven-thirty okay?’
‘Okay?’ she spluttered. ‘No, it’s not okay. You can’t just march in and cancel my meetings for a dinner date.’
He raised an eyebrow and took a step backwards. ‘Date? Is that why you’re
