Crystal Warrior: Through All Eternity (Atlantean Crystal Saga Book 1) by Jen YatesNZ Page B

her arms around his neck and said, ‘Okay, so long as you're sure.’
    ‘Of course I'm sure. It's perfect.’
    His eyes collided with Georgina's and communication was instant.
    Don't you dare pity me.
    As if one would dare to pity such an arrogant bastard.
    Georgina inadvertently smeared honey on her fingers and quickly popped them in her mouth. The green eyes darkened to the color of smoky nephrite and Georgina dropped her own confused gaze back to her toast.
    This was awful!
    ‘Well, so long as you've got your day planned, I'd better get going. I'm running late.’
    She pecked Gould's cheek, waved vaguely in the direction of her sister and Torr and headed for the door.
    ‘You haven't eaten your toast!’ Gould shouted after her.
    ‘No time. I've got a nine o'clock appointment,’ she lied and hurried out the door.
    ‘What about dinner tonight?’ Gould yelled, pulling the door open again and following her up to the foyer with an egg-slice in his hand. Katja lifted her head from the Turkish rug inside the front door and eyed her mistress hopefully. On days when Georgina knew she'd be in the shop all day she took Katja with her. Today just might be one of those days.
    ‘Ask Mum and Case and Merryn. We'll dine out. Book us somewhere. Sky Tower, the Revolving Restaurant, wherever you can get. Somewhere nice.’ Somewhere with something to look at so she wouldn't have to fight to keep her eyes off her sister's damned fiancé. ‘Hell, please feed Katja.’
    Gould waved the egg-slice at her.
    ‘Go on. You'll be late. I'll take care of Katja.—Want to come sailing today, girl?’
    Katja thumped her big fluffy tail and dropped her head back on her paws, fixing him with mournful eyes.
    Gould grinned.
    ‘C'mon, breakfast,’ he said with quiet enticement and the huge animal came suddenly erect and bounded towards the kitchen with a single `woof'. Looking directly into Georgina's eyes for a moment, he said gently, ‘Sure you don't want to come sailing?’
    Georgina shook her head.
    ‘Can't.’
    With a grimace and a nod, he said, ‘Take care out there.’
    ‘Yeah. You too,’ she murmured and hurried into the garage, wondering at the strange ache in her chest. But there was no time to examine it further as she slotted into the rush hour traffic heading into the city. She usually left before seven thirty and it was now after seven forty five. Those fifteen minutes made a crucial difference to traffic volume.
    It was gone eight thirty by the time she reached the shop. Vanessa, her floor manager had already opened up. She knew from experience she rarely caught up when she was late. True to expectation the drama started almost immediately. One of the café staff had flu`, the poet who was scheduled to do the lunchtime readings was similarly afflicted, and a cardboard display stand of best-sellers had collapsed, spewing the books across the floor.
    ‘And the day's only just started,’ Georgina muttered to Vanessa.
    ‘It can only get better,’ Vanessa opined hopefully, calling a junior assistant over to sort out the book display.
    ‘Not according to Murphy's law!’ Georgina growled, stepping around books and heading for her office.
    ‘It's not like you to be negative, Georgina,’ Vanessa called after her. ‘You might try ringing that elderly chap, Smithson Te Kanawa, who wrote that collection of historical Maori tales. He said he'd be happy to read his work—and being a senior cit, he's probably at home!’
    ‘True. Thanks, Van.’
    Georgina flashed her a smile and closed herself into the office with a sigh of relief. She felt like she'd found a refuge.
    An hour and numerous phone calls later, she'd scored a housewife willing to read excerpts from her novel set in suburbia and tracked down a uni student free to work in the café until two o'clock. She went into the café to inform the manager of the arrangements, grabbed a cup of coffee and returned to her office intending to deal with the paper work building up on