Tempting the Negotiator Read online

  “Not at all. No doubt you’ll have been filled in on the major objections to the resort, but Rob thought it might be helpful to have a chat before the town meeting on Tuesday night.”

  They wanted to check her out. “Sure, it’s an excellent idea. I’m keen to meet him, too. He’s a lawyer, right? Does he work for a big firm?”

  Jake shook his head. The sun was streaming in his side of the car, backlighting his curls. His elbow rested on the open window and the hairs on his arm glinted gold. His eyes were very slightly narrowed, but Sass wasn’t sure if that was because of the sun. Her own sunglasses were opaque and she took advantage of this to check him out. He must have dressed up for the occasion, she concluded. The shorts had been replaced by battered jeans that sat snugly on his hips. A crumpled, short-sleeved green shirt was loosely tucked in—a concession to formality, maybe.

  “Rob’s gone independent,” he said.

  It figured. Sass guessed that independence would be pretty important to both Finlayson brothers.

  “Brave,” she said. “Gets rid of office politics, but probably produces other challenges.”

  Did the laughter lines around his eyes crinkle or was that still just the sun? “Yeah, dirty nappies for a start. Rob works from home so he and Moana can share child care.”

  Her heart rose. A part-time lawyer sounded ideal. How hard could this be? Then she looked at Jake’s long jawline and uncompromising chin, and felt her heart flutter back down again. Still, she kept her tone light and easy.

  “Really? It must get tricky balancing everything. Is she a lawyer, too?”

  Jake shook his head again. To give the guy some credit, he seemed oblivious to how good his curls looked tossed about in the sun. If it’d been Kurt, she’d have known he was doing it for effect.

  “She’s a psychologist and uses the same office for consultations. It’s amazing how they manage, but it seems to work.”

  Jake and Sass fell into silence again and he flicked on the radio. A Haydn violin concerto filled the car, surprising her and drawing protests from the boys. Jake ignored them, and the muttering soon died away.

  The music was turned up loud, hiding the rumbling of her stomach. She was jet-lagged and hungry, but still determined not to avail herself of Jake’s hospitality. Thank goodness she’d sneaked a cigarette before her swim.

  WHANGARIMU PROVED TO BE an attractive town set at the top of the harbor, where it narrowed into a marina. Restaurants and gift shops lined the water’s edge and palm trees made it feel tropical. The center was compact, clustered with small shops that reminded Sass of towns back home before huge shopping malls had taken over. But she also saw that some frontages were nailed up and that there were a number of people just sitting around the marina, looking at the boats. She’d seen that slumped-shouldered lethargy before, in trailer parks, and wondered what the unemployment numbers were.

  “Right, hop out,” Jake ordered the kids as they pulled up at a red light. “We’ll be a few hours max. I’ll text you when we’re ready to pick you up. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  The boys scrambled out with hurried goodbyes, and Sass was sorry to see them go. They hadn’t eased the conversation, but their mere presence had helped her relax. Without them, the silence in the van seemed to swell.

  Fortunately, it was only a few minutes later that the van drew up in front of a cottage painted a jaunty yellow with blue trim. The garden was a tumble of flowers and the overall effect was charming, except Sass wasn’t prepared to concede anything at this stage.

  “We’re here,” Jake announced unnecessarily.

  He ushered her through the front door and into a tiny office immediately off the hall. A man rose to greet them.

  “It’s great to meet you,” he said, and actually seemed to mean it. “I’m Rob Finlayson.”

  Rob was also tall, with straight hair and a kinder expression than his brother. He met her eyes and smiled warmly, but she still knew she was being appraised. His handshake was firm and Sass realized that he, like his brother, was not to be underestimated. Instinctively, she liked him.

  Unfortunately. She didn’t want to like anyone. This resolve was further tested when Moana came in with a wide smile of welcome. Her skin was cinnamon-brown, her hair black and luxuriant, reaching right down her back. Māori, Sass guessed, having done her homework about New Zealand and its indigenous people. Beautiful and exotic, Moana looked as if she’d stepped out of some Hawaiian musical.

  “Hi, welcome to New Zealand. Can I get you some coffee? I’ve also baked some muffins.”

  The aroma of freshly ground beans had struck Sass the minute she’d walked through the door. “Black coffee and a muffin would be wonderful, thank you.”

  Not risking the indignity of a growling stomach was even better.

  “Two minutes,” Moana promised as she slipped away.

  Sass avoided Jake’s eyes as she took the chair he proffered, and said, “Shall we get straight to business?”

  As she set her briefcase on her knee and clicked open the locks she saw the guys exchange glances. Mistake! She’d forgotten time might not mean money here. You might have to put your watch forward seventeen hours upon reaching New Zealand, but it seemed you also had to dial back some years.

  “Of course,” said Rob. “Would you like to put your briefcase here?” He pushed papers aside to make space for her.

  “Thanks.” She drew her chair to the desk, then wished she hadn’t. It brought her closer to the brothers, and their combined height and, well, maleness made her uncomfortable. She glanced up in relief when Moana returned with a steaming mug and a plate with the muffin.

  “Now, I don’t want you ganging up on our visitor. Jake, you come with me. I’ve a new painting that needs hanging and Rob has been less than no help these past two days.”

  “I’ve always said you chose the wrong brother,” Jake pointed out. “Rob’s the lazy one.” Suddenly Sass saw a completely different man—one relaxed with laid-back good humor, and a wicked glint of mischief in his eye.

  “She chose the best-looking one,” his brother retorted. “Besides, I did try to hang the damned thing but gave up after she changed her mind half a dozen times.” He ducked as his wife took a swipe at his head.

  “Excuses, excuses, ay.” Moana exchanged a woman-to-woman look with Sass. “That’s all men really excel in.”

  Sass couldn’t help smiling back, but felt off balance. This wasn’t like the business meetings she was used to.

  “Right,” she said, trying to take control once more by lifting a sheaf of papers from the briefcase and passing them to Rob. “I’ve some data here that might interest you.”

  “Good luck,” said Jake, though it wasn’t clear who he was speaking to. She could almost feel his body heat as he passed behind her chair and disappeared out of the room after Moana. Sass was glad to see his back. With him gone, she’d be able to concentrate.

  Rob bent over the projected incomes Paradise resorts expected from their Aroha enterprise, a report that Kurt had prepared.

  “You’ll see it will bring considerable amounts of money into your community,” she pointed out.

  He shook his head. “These numbers seem pitched a bit high to me. Not that I’m fully conversant with the resort business, of course.”

  Sass had also thought they were optimistic, but The Boys had okayed them.

  “We have every faith that your beautiful country will attract huge numbers of visitors, given the right advertising. Your weak dollar will also make it affordable for families on modest incomes.”

  “We try to keep a handle on tourist numbers here in New Zealand. Don’t want to spoil our clean green image with hordes tramping over the countryside.”

  He smiled and she smiled back. The first clash of swords.

  “Speaking of which,” he continued, “we haven’t received full information about the massive infrastructures of roads, water, sewerage, etc., you’ll need to install for a resort this size.”

 
“That’s all in the pipeline,” she said confidently, crossing her fingers. Kurt had been maddeningly vague. “I’ll get them to you soon.”

  “Our biggest concern, however, is the fairy tern.”

  “The bird. Yeah, right. I understand there are only seven birds nesting on the spit.”

  “Seven is a considerable number when the bird is listed as severely endangered.” Rob’s voice had acquired an edge.

  “Please believe me my company has no desire whatsoever to hasten this bird’s demise.” Sass was at her most sincere. “We’ve looked into options to save it and already have several we’d like to put to you.”

  “We need Jake for that. He’s the expert on the fairy tern. He’s writing a book about them.”

  “Really?” It was hard to think of Action Man reading a book, let alone writing one. She really didn’t like the way the guy kept knocking her off-kilter. “Well, as he’s not here, let’s get back to the resort development.” She handed Rob another piece of paper. “You will see here we’ll be generating a lot of jobs for the community.”

  And so the meeting continued for another twenty minutes, with Sass and Rob circling each other as only civilized people locked in legal combat can. By the end, each had developed a healthy respect for the other, but Rob surprised her when he pushed all the papers aside and leaned forward, hands clasped and looked into her eyes. “Sass, would you do one thing for us?”

  “I’ll try,” she said, instantly wary.

  “You say you’ve come to listen, not to steamroll over us. That’s a relief and we’d appreciate it if you’d take time to become acquainted with the community and Aroha Bay. Will you do that? We have so much riding on it all.”

  Me, too, buddy, she thought. Me, too.

  Her professional smile remained bright. “Sure, I’ll be happy to. In fact, I was going to ask, do you have any books about the area? I’d be interested to learn more about the layout of the land and even some of its history. It all helps to get a better picture.”

  Rob beamed, clearly delighted by her interest. “Yeah, I’ve got a couple of excellent ones that I’d be delighted to lend you, as a matter of fact.”

  “Great. I also want to meet with the—” Sass broke off as she flipped through some papers “—the Aroha Bay Organization for Resort Development, the ABORD Committee. I believe they are all for the resort.”

  Rob grimaced.

  “Yeah, well, I’m here to listen to all sides,” she continued, “before I make my recommendations. My report to the company will of course be confidential, because in the end the final decision rests with them. Whatever conclusions I come to, they’ll be made with due consideration and in everyone’s best interests.”

  As those words slipped out, she experienced a small twinge of conscience. The bottom line was she’d been sent to get these guys to not only accept the resort, but in the end to be glad about it, thus saving her company time and money in court.

  “Fair enough.” Rob’s smile had all the sincerity hers lacked. “Jake will show you around, then.”

  Her smile froze. “No need. I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “We wouldn’t hear of it! New Zealand is not easy to get around in without a car, and there’s no better guide than Jake. He knows the land like the back of his hand, plus he can tell you about the birds. He’s nuts about them. You guys’ll get along well, I know you will.”

  She smiled again, but inwardly she cursed.

  “We can begin at once,” Rob continued. “We’re taking Jake’s boys to play paintball this afternoon. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for you to get to know us in relaxed circumstances.”

  “Great,” she said. “That’ll be just great.”

  IN THE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS, Jake was about to hammer the nail into the wall when Moana said, “Rob told me you have to take this lawyer under your wing.”

  Jake missed the nail and hit his thumb. He cursed and flicked his hand furiously. “He wants me to what?”

  Moana picked up the nail and handed it to Jake, who glowered, but turned back to the job. “C’mon Jake, we’ve got to win her over. If it comes to a head-on confrontation, we’ll lose. They have far more money than we’ll ever have and will bankrupt us by playing it out over months, even years. We’ve got to be sneaky. Woo her.”

  Jake snorted. “That’s highly unlikely. I’ve never encountered such a cold customer in my life.”

  Three brisk raps and the nail was half driven into the wall. He really wanted to bang it all the way in.

  Moana nudged him to one side, hung the picture, then stepped back to admire it, head cocked. “What’s the big deal? She seems fine to me. All you have to do is be nice. Show her the birds. They’re so cute she’ll love them. Take her swimming and surfing. If she falls in love with Aroha Bay then she’s bound to come on our side.”

  Jake ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that simple. We’ve already got off on the wrong foot.”

  “How?” Moana looked at him in surprise.

  He shrugged. “It was hate at first sight. There’s no chemistry between us. Besides, I’m way too busy with the book and everything right at this moment. Get someone else to show her around.”

  “Who? Rob and I are tied up with the baby. Sass is so gorgeous that Pete’ll try to flirt, while Alison’ll murder her if we leave them alone two minutes.”

  “Yeah, Allie’s really committed to the terns.”

  “Especially since you came on the scene…” Moana smiled as she saw his expression. “Okay, don’t believe me! Getting back to this lawyer, it’ll only be for a week. You may even grow to like each other.”

  “What? Me and Miss Pain-in-the?” He laughed. “That’s never going to happen.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “OKAY, WE NEED TEAMS

  . Rob, you can lead one, Jake the other,” Alison said, taking charge as they all gathered around the bins of overalls and helmets at the paintball center. What the hell she was doing here, Sass wondered, playing games with the people she’d come to fight? They’d all come out together in the van after dropping Jacob off with a babysitter, picking up the boys and then stopping for this Alison woman, who’d checked Sass out as if she were a bug from under some stone.

  “I’ll take Moana,” said Jake.

  “Oi, you can’t choose my wife like that,” Rob protested.

  “Just have. Whatcha going to do about it?”

  “Steal Sass,” Rob replied. “All Americans were born knowing how to shoot a gun, right?”

  “Does a water pistol count?” she asked.

  “Good enough.” He put on a Darth Vader voice. “Come over here to the dark side, my child.”

  “And I’ll be on Jake’s team,” Alison said quickly, “to stop him from getting too bossy.”

  “That’s not fair,” Brad pointed out. “You’re the two best shots.”

  “Well, you’re the third best, so we’ll have you,” Rob said. “Besides, it’s all in the strategy. With Sass’s brain and mine, they stand no chance.”

  “Yeah, yeah! Talk is cheap, brother. I’ll take Pete. You can have both twins.”

  Moana was busy sorting gear. “Here, Sass, try these on for size.”

  She caught the overalls Moana threw to her. They were paint-stained, damp and very grubby. She looked ruefully down at her own clothing before wriggling into them.

  “You’ll need this, as well,” Jake said, handing her a helmet. His overalls were likewise grimy, but though baggy on the backside, they were taut across his shoulders. He looked like a raffish action hero.

  Sass jammed the helmet down over her French roll. It felt clammy.

  “Team photos,” Alison cried, squeezing in next to Jake. “You go over there, Sass, with your team.”

  “Yup, let’s get a photo of the team that’s going to win,” Rob said, gathering his band about him and flinging a friendly arm around Sass’s shoulders as the paintball owner dutifully took photos on Alison’s camera.

  “Not with an
aim like yours you won’t,” Jake retorted. “I’ve seen you miss entire trees.”

  “Only because they moved. Keep talking it up, little brother, doesn’t bother me.”

  Sass couldn’t help smiling at the fraternal rivalry. She was reminded of her own brothers when they’d been young and full of cheek—before everything had gone wrong.

  “Are you ready, Sass? Good, then we’ll head out to the battlefield, where we get our weapons.”

  With a nod, she began following Rob and the rest of her team down the hill. The sun blazed; the overalls were hot and snagged on bushes as she passed. If she was in New York right now she could be dropping into an art gallery, meeting friends for coffee. Oh, who was she kidding? If she wasn’t at work, she’d be at home, prepping for some case or other, dressed in sweats. For kicks she’d do a half hour on the treadmill and catch a late-night movie on TV.

  Here she was hot as hell and desperately trying not to think of the sweaty head that had previously inhabited her helmet. But at the same time she felt a strange stirring in her blood.

  It’s only a game, she told herself, but a primitive part of her came to life. Ahead she could see her enemy. Topping everyone by several inches, his sun-bleached hair glinting in the light, Jake moved light-footed as an Apache. Alison, small and muscular beside him, talked urgently in a low voice, no doubt planning their attack.

  Sass looked about her. The bushy hills and valleys stretched dizzyingly to the horizon in front, and behind the sea glinted in the afternoon sun. She wished she could sit and take it all in. Instead what she was going to get, she was pretty sure, was a running battle with Alison, who for some reason had really taken a dislike to her.

  “Looking forward to this?” Brad was at her elbow.

  “Sort of,” Sass said. “It’s not really my kinda thing.”

  “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt that much when you get shot—unless it’s on the shin or the ribs,” he added.

  “That’s a relief. I’ll stay kneeling, with my elbows tucked in at my sides then.”