isn’t going to offer?” Ryan rubbed his neck, but his eyes were twinkling.
Nicole tried not to drool over his bulging bicep.
“Don’t push it,” she joked, breathlessly. The thought of running her hands over his bronzed skin, taut with muscles, gave her a hot flush. Phew.
“So how was your day?” he asked, getting comfortable on the lounger.
“Good,” said Nicole, putting her book down. “I walked, swam and had lunch with Sylvia. Then I read all afternoon.”
“Sounds relaxing.” Ryan closed his eyes. “We had a great time. I think Vincent is really beginning to warm to me now.”
“Must be your angling ability,” teased Nicole, sitting up to admire her tan. In only one afternoon she’d lost the paleness that signified too many days in the office and was turning nicely golden. In fact she felt good. The sun was melting away her stresses and strains and leaving her feeling tingly and warm all over.
Ryan scoffed. “I actually think it’s because of you. He really likes you, you know. He told me so.”
“I like him, too,” said Nicole, quietly. “They’re nice people.” Ryan’s six-pack was getting to her. She rose from the deck chair and eased herself into the pool.
At the splash Ryan opened his eyes. “They are. Vincent was like a father figure to me.”
“When you were dating his daughter?”
Ryan nodded. “I used to envy her having a father like him.”
Nicole paddled around idly, letting the water cool her overly hot skin. “What about your own father?”
“He didn’t stick around for long. We lost touch over the years.” There was no remorse on his face. No bitterness. Ryan was just stating the facts.
“Sorry,” murmured Nicole. “I didn’t realise....”
“That’s okay. I accepted the fact my father was a loser many years ago.” He shrugged. “It is what it is. No one’s perfect.”
“True....” She couldn’t argue with that. It was strange how accepting Ryan was of his dad. Or perhaps he was acting tough.
“It was a big deal breaking up with Melanie. Despite what Sylvia may have told you, I didn’t make the decision lightly. I gave up far more than a girlfriend when I left her.”
He’d given up a father-figure, his mentor. No wonder this contract was so important to him. Perhaps it wasn’t just about the money.
“I believe you,” whispered Nicole, from her watery sanctuary. She wondered why he was telling her this. It wasn’t as if she needed to know. She wasn’t his real girlfriend, only a stand-in one. In another week she’d be back home in Pretoria, and Ryan Jackson would be a fond but distant memory. “It must have been difficult, walking away.”
“It was. But I couldn’t justify staying with her because of my relationship with her father. It wasn’t fair to Melanie. She deserved better than that. Besides, I needed to focus on my business.”
“I can understand that,” remarked Nicole. It wasn’t her place to judge.
“You know, it’s so easy talking to you,” said Ryan, swinging his legs over the side of the lounger so he could sit up and look at her. “You’re so uncritical. It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
Nicole flipped onto her back. “It’s because I hardly know you, Ryan. It’s not my place to judge your decisions, just like I don’t feel I have to justify anything to you.”
“Yes, I suppose there is freedom in knowing you’re probably never going to see someone again. You can say what you want and not have to worry about what they think of you.”
“Exactly,” Nicole floated for a while, staring at the cobalt blue sky. Out here there was no one to answer to. They were so isolated from the rest of society, they could truly be themselves.
Except they couldn’t. They had to put on this elaborate lie for the Mahlers.
She submerged herself under water and felt the weightlessness engulf her. At least they had a lot of free time so she didn’t have to pretend constantly. The evenings she could handle. In
Nicole tried not to drool over his bulging bicep.
“Don’t push it,” she joked, breathlessly. The thought of running her hands over his bronzed skin, taut with muscles, gave her a hot flush. Phew.
“So how was your day?” he asked, getting comfortable on the lounger.
“Good,” said Nicole, putting her book down. “I walked, swam and had lunch with Sylvia. Then I read all afternoon.”
“Sounds relaxing.” Ryan closed his eyes. “We had a great time. I think Vincent is really beginning to warm to me now.”
“Must be your angling ability,” teased Nicole, sitting up to admire her tan. In only one afternoon she’d lost the paleness that signified too many days in the office and was turning nicely golden. In fact she felt good. The sun was melting away her stresses and strains and leaving her feeling tingly and warm all over.
Ryan scoffed. “I actually think it’s because of you. He really likes you, you know. He told me so.”
“I like him, too,” said Nicole, quietly. “They’re nice people.” Ryan’s six-pack was getting to her. She rose from the deck chair and eased herself into the pool.
At the splash Ryan opened his eyes. “They are. Vincent was like a father figure to me.”
“When you were dating his daughter?”
Ryan nodded. “I used to envy her having a father like him.”
Nicole paddled around idly, letting the water cool her overly hot skin. “What about your own father?”
“He didn’t stick around for long. We lost touch over the years.” There was no remorse on his face. No bitterness. Ryan was just stating the facts.
“Sorry,” murmured Nicole. “I didn’t realise....”
“That’s okay. I accepted the fact my father was a loser many years ago.” He shrugged. “It is what it is. No one’s perfect.”
“True....” She couldn’t argue with that. It was strange how accepting Ryan was of his dad. Or perhaps he was acting tough.
“It was a big deal breaking up with Melanie. Despite what Sylvia may have told you, I didn’t make the decision lightly. I gave up far more than a girlfriend when I left her.”
He’d given up a father-figure, his mentor. No wonder this contract was so important to him. Perhaps it wasn’t just about the money.
“I believe you,” whispered Nicole, from her watery sanctuary. She wondered why he was telling her this. It wasn’t as if she needed to know. She wasn’t his real girlfriend, only a stand-in one. In another week she’d be back home in Pretoria, and Ryan Jackson would be a fond but distant memory. “It must have been difficult, walking away.”
“It was. But I couldn’t justify staying with her because of my relationship with her father. It wasn’t fair to Melanie. She deserved better than that. Besides, I needed to focus on my business.”
“I can understand that,” remarked Nicole. It wasn’t her place to judge.
“You know, it’s so easy talking to you,” said Ryan, swinging his legs over the side of the lounger so he could sit up and look at her. “You’re so uncritical. It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
Nicole flipped onto her back. “It’s because I hardly know you, Ryan. It’s not my place to judge your decisions, just like I don’t feel I have to justify anything to you.”
“Yes, I suppose there is freedom in knowing you’re probably never going to see someone again. You can say what you want and not have to worry about what they think of you.”
“Exactly,” Nicole floated for a while, staring at the cobalt blue sky. Out here there was no one to answer to. They were so isolated from the rest of society, they could truly be themselves.
Except they couldn’t. They had to put on this elaborate lie for the Mahlers.
She submerged herself under water and felt the weightlessness engulf her. At least they had a lot of free time so she didn’t have to pretend constantly. The evenings she could handle. In
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