Danny held back her impatience with effort; the only thing Cheryl would be studying this weekend was Nigel Patrick, she was sure of it. God, her sister was a fool! Not that Nigel Patrick wasn’t charming, he was, very, but he was only interested in having a good time, couldn’t possibly have any lasting interest in a young girl destined to become an English teacher. Sometimes her sister could be so stupid!
‘Coffee?’ she asked Gary absently, receiving a frowning look as she almost removed his bowl before all the pie had been eaten.
‘Thanks.’ He sat back, obviously replete. ‘Shall I help you clear away here?’
She almost laughed at his lack of enthusiasm for the idea, ushering him into the lounge while she made the coffee. Gary was a typical male, he didn’t mind eating the meal, but clearing away the debris was something else entirely. Not that she minded in this case, Gary was something of a menace in the kitchen, usually managing to break at least one thing.
She checked on him while she was waiting for the coffee to percolate, finding him engrossed in the boxing match on the television. No wonder Cheryl found Nigel Patrick more exciting!
She had the coffee ready on a tray when the knock sounded on the back door, and went to answer it. She hadn’t seen Pierce Sutherland over the last three days, and she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t surprised to see him now. For one thing, he looked completely different in the iron-grey pin-striped suit and pale grey shirt, his hair trimmed to a neater style, too. For another thing she just hadn’t expected to see him again, their parting the other evening certainly hadn’t led her to believe they would.
‘I know it’s late,’ he began in that husky voice.
‘It’s only ten-thirty,’ she mocked.
His mouth twisted. ‘I forgot, you’re a night-owl. Solved your problem?’
She thought of Gary sitting comfortably replete in the other room. ‘Working on it.’ She nodded. ‘Was everything all right the other night?’
‘The security alert?’ He nodded. ‘Just a malfunction in the system.’
‘Would you like to come in?’ She belatedly remembered her manners. ‘I’ve just made some coffee.’
‘I’ll come in,’ he accepted. ‘But I never drink coffee.’
‘Caffeine.’ She nodded, closing the door behind him.
‘No,’ he derided. ‘I just don’t like it.’
‘Oh,’ she smiled. ‘Tea, then?’
‘Nothing, thanks,’ he refused abruptly, his height making her cosy kitchen look even smaller.
‘Then what can I do for you?’ She looked up at him curiously.
‘I—–’
‘Hey, Danny, I— Oh,’ Gary came to a confused halt in the doorway, meeting the other man’s narrow-eyed gaze with curiosity. ‘I didn’t realise you had company.’ He turned enquiringly to Danny.
‘That makes two of us,’ Pierce Sutherland put in icily. ‘It would seem I’ve called at an inopportune time,’ he added harshly.
‘Not at all,’ she dismissed easily. ‘Gary and I have finished our meal, and …’
‘Gary?’ Pierce echoed slowly.
Danny nodded. ‘You remember, I told you about my sister’s fiancé.’
‘I remember,’ he rasped grimly. ‘Your method of solving the problem is—unique, Danielle.’
The foreign inflection he gave to her full name was very pleasant, but she couldn’t imagine what he thought was so unique about the idea of making her sister jealous. Inspired, perhaps, but certainly not unique.
‘I’ll leave the two of you to enjoy your coffee,’ he added coldly.
‘But you didn’t tell me why you came over.’ She frowned.
‘It wasn’t important.’ He turned to the younger man. ‘Sorry to have interrupted your evening.’
‘Pierce …’ She stood in the doorway and watched as he strode off into the darkness, the barking of the dogs silenced by a single word from him tonight. He was a strange man, a very strange man. Almost as strange as his uncle was reputed to be.
‘Who was that?’ Gary was naturally mystified by her visitor.
She closed the door with a sigh. She hadn’t expected to see Pierce Sutherland again, knowing that the kiss they had shared hadn’t meant the same to him as it had to her. But now that she had seen him again she hated the fact that he had left without telling her why he had come here in the first place.
‘He works for Henry Sutherland.’ She was reluctant to mention either of the nephews to Gary, knew he could be very astute when he chose to be.
‘Are you and he—friends?’ Gary probed.
‘No,’ she answered truthfully, doubting Pierce Sutherland had many friends, male or female.
‘He didn’t seem too pleased about seeing me here.’ Gary frowned.
‘You’re imagining things,’ she dismissed briskly. ‘Now, how about that coffee?’
‘That’s what I came in to tell you,’ he said ruefully. ‘Don’t bother about coffee for me, I’d better be going; I have an early shift tomorrow.’
The coffee was already made, but she didn’t try to dissuade him. Gary was a very nice man, but she had done what she set out to do, and now she didn’t mind being left on her own.
She walked down to the gate that divided her garden from the main one after Gary had left, looking over at the main house. The lights around the pool were on, and she could imagine that sleek body moving through the cool water, wishing she could join him. But things had changed in the last three days, no longer was she allowed to enter the grounds at night, the alarms left on now by strict instructions of Henry Sutherland. And poor Dave Benson was under sentence of serious reprimand when Henry Sutherland got back from his latest business trip. She had tried to get in to see the elusive billionaire before he left, intending to plead on Dave’s behalf, but she had been firmly told that Mr Sutherland wasn’t seeing anyone.
She couldn’t blame Pierce for advising his uncle to take some form of action over the incident, but she didn’t feel Dave Benson should be made to take all the blame.
She had heard the helicopter return earlier this evening, and Pierce’s presence indicated that his uncle was back in residence, but the lateness of the hour meant she would have to wait until tomorrow before seeing Henry Sutherland. She wished she knew why Pierce had come over …
‘What are you up to?’ Cheryl demanded suspiciously.
The expected telephone call from her sister came early the next evening, Cheryl sounding most indignant. ‘Sorry?’ She pretended ignorance, holding back her humour.
‘Gary said he came to dinner last night,’ Cheryl accused.
‘He did,’ she acknowledged. ‘He looks as if he’s losing weight to me,’ she added lightly. ‘I thought a home-cooked meal would be nice.’
‘Not one of your home cooked meals!’ Cheryl mocked scornfully.
‘Gary didn’t have any complaints,’ she taunted.
‘He gets a home-cooked meal every night—he lives at home with his parents!’
‘So he does,’ she smiled. ‘Then something else must be bothering him.’
‘I suppose you’re implying that it’s me,’ Cheryl said in a disgruntled voice.
‘You?’ She feigned surprise. ‘Why should Gary be worried about you?’
‘Because