Chapter 13

"Is that why you’re so keen to employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds?" Dave asked.

"Absolutely. They sometimes just need someone to believe in them." She tapped her hand on the table for emphasis. "To give them a fighting chance. My mother didn’t have anyone in her life who believed in her potential."

"What was your father like?"

A flash of anger lit her grey-green gaze and her mouth tightened. "He was a brute and a bully but my mother got completely taken in by him because he promised to give her a better life. He said all the charming things she wanted to hear but they were empty promises. She thought because he called her “babe” that he actually loved her. But when he started to show his true colours, she didn’t have the strength or self-esteem to stand up to him. The worst part was she drank and used drugs to escape his behaviour but in doing so became more like him."

She released a ragged sigh and looked back at the candle flickering on the table, a hot flare of anger still smouldering in her gaze. "If I can save one woman from what happened to my mother, then all the hard work and sacrifice will be worth it."

Dave reached for her hand across the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I think it’s amazing what you’re doing with your business. It’s an honourable and compassionate approach that is innovative and enterprising. If you’d like me to help you with a business expansion plan, I can do that."

She pulled her hand away and placed it on her lap, her expression defensive. Wary. "I’m not completely incompetent. I’ve run my business for the last couple of years without going bankrupt."

"I meant no offence, Lea. Good structure is vital in business expansion. A lot of small businesses fold when they try to expand too quickly. I have some skills in that area so the offer is on the table. Take it or leave it."

Something softened in her tight expression. "I’ll think about it."

A small silence passed.

"What was your mother like?" Lea asked.

The question blindsided Dave. He was so used to not thinking about his mother that it took him a moment to even bring her features to mind. Thinking about his mother made him think about himself, his sister and his little brother David as distraught children who didn’t understand why their parents wasn’t coming back home.

"She was beautiful and charming," Dave said, stripping his voice of emotion.

"Aunt Elsie told me how gorgeous she was," Lea said. "And that your father fell madly in love with her the moment he met her."

"My father was completely captivated by her. They had a whirlwind courtship and Mary was born a few months after their wedding. I don’t think it was ever a happy marriage but when I came four years after her, things really started to come unstuck. Then came David." He picked up his wineglass. "One day, I came home from school to find my parents dead from burglary assault.’ He drank from his glass and put it back down on the table with an audible thud. "That morning we had parents. That afternoon we didn’t. "David was transferred to some local child service because he was too young, Mary and I straggled to—get on day by day. We work partime.”

Lea frowned in concern. "It must have been devastating for you both."

“Yes.” Dave’s tone was flat. He shifted the base of his wineglass a quarter-turn. "It was harder on David. He was only four and missed them badly. He cried for weeks, months really. I did what I could to compensate but it wasn’t enough—nowhere near enough. He needed his mother and no one else was going to fill the hole she left behind. Not even Mary, who was struggling herself to cope. So we give him up for adaption. Now he hated us. Don't want anything from us.”

A frown pulled at her brow. "You can’t possibly blame yourself for David’s problems. You were left by your mother too and you didn’t go off the rails."

Dave gave her a grim look. Lea leaned forward in her chair, her expression etched with concern. "Dave, you’re not to blame. I think you’ve been an amazing brother. And you would make an amazing father. Even the way you’ve put your own life on hold to save Brathellae is proof of that. It’s not just your heritage that would’ve been lost but his as well. I know how your mind works—by marrying me you’re ultimately protecting them.” She picked up her wineglass and sat back in her chair. "And I admire you for it."

Dave gave a twisted smile. ‘Let’s hope you still admire me after you’ve lived with me for a year.’

Something passed over her features—a shadow in her quickly averted gaze, the flicker of a tiny muscle near her cheek, a flattening of her mouth. "That works both ways." Her voice dropped half a semitone in pitch. ‘Let’s hope we remain friends.’

Dave raised his glass in a toast. "To staying friends."

LATER THAT NIGHT back at the villa after dinner, Lea joined Dave for a nightcap in the sitting room before going to bed. She found herself reluctant to allow the evening to end. She had learned so much about Dave over dinner—what motivated him, what drove him, what tortured him. She had revealed things about herself too, and hadn’t felt as uncomfortable about doing so as she’d thought she would. There were still some things she didn’t feel comfortable revealing—she couldn’t imagine a time when she ever would. To anyone.

"Here we go,’ Dave said, handing her a small glass with Cointreau on ice. "One nightcap."

"I really don’t need any more alcohol," Lea murmured. "But since this is kind of a holiday..."

One side of his mouth tipped up in a half-smile. "I bet you haven’t had one of those in a while."

"Like you can talk, Mr. Workaholic." Lea took a sip of her drink, giving him a wry look over the rim of her glass.

He sat on the sofa opposite hers and crossed one ankle over his other knee, one arm draped over the back of the sofa, the other holding his brandy and dry. "Yes, well, I’ve never been much good at relaxing." He took a sip of his drink and held it in his mouth for a brief moment before swallowing.

Lea kicked off her shoes and tucked her good leg underneath her, making sure her scars on her other leg were covered by her pantsuit trousers. "When was your last holiday?"

A small frown was carved into his forehead, and he stared at the contents of his glass. "I sometimes take an afternoon off when I’m away on a project."

"Afternoon?" Lea snorted. "Even I’ve managed better than that. I had a couple of weekends off in a row three months ago."

His lazy half-smile was back, and it made something in her stomach slip. ‘Go, you.’ His voice was low and husky, his sapphire-blue eyes as dark as a midnight sky. "Did you do anything special on those weekends off?"

Lea gave a laugh. "Okay, you’ve got your gotcha moment. I did paperwork while I watched movies and ate pizza."

His gaze was unwavering, and his smile was mesmerising. "Looks like we both need lessons in how to relax."

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere, and Lea was the first to look away. Or maybe it was where her mind was taking her—to long, sleepy, relaxing lie-ins after making love. Her head rested on Dave’s chest, his fingers playing with her hair, their legs entwined. That would be a good way to relax, surely? She sipped some more of her drink and hoped her cheeks weren’t looking as hot as they felt.

"How about we stay on a few extra days here?" Dave whispered. "We could explore some of the other islands. That is, if you can juggle your work commitments."

Lea kept looking at the ice cubes in her glass rather than meet his gaze. An extended holiday in Hawaii would surely involve wearing a swimsuit, swimming, and being surrounded by beautiful, unscarred bodies on the beach. She could hardly relax under those circumstances. She would be waiting in dread for the whispered comments, the sideways glances, and the question, What happened to you? questions. She leaned forward to put her glass on the coaster on the table in front of her. "I don’t know... don’t you have to check out your project in Tuscany?"

"It can wait a few more days."

Lea could have used her work commitments as an excuse to get back to Scotland but the temptation to spend more time here with Dave was too hard to resist. She only had to send a couple of emails or make a few calls to make sure everything was ticking along efficiently with her cleaning business. She had some reliable staff who were more than capable of standing in for her. Why shouldn’t she relax and enjoy herself for once? "I guess it would be nice to see a bit more of Hawaii before we go home."

"I’ll make the arrangements."

Lea tried but failed to disguise a yawn. "Who knew eating and drinking could be so exhausting?’ She carefully unfolded her leg from beneath her and rose from the sofa. "I think I’ll turn in. Thanks for a lovely dinner and everything."

He gave one of his rare smiles. "You’re welcome."