Free Kiss It Better by Jenny Schwartz Page B

here, heard about the trouble he’s stirring up. He’s taken a story to the media that I had a breakdown, you took advantage of my apathy to steal my inheritance, JayBay, and that since you’re so unethical, all of its customers should boycott the brand in protest.’
    ‘O-kay.’
    ‘I think the story will break tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I thought you should have a warning.’
    ‘Board meeting tomorrow,’ Theo muttered. Then louder. ‘How are you, Cassie?’
    Her tense shoulders relaxed. ‘Good. Really good. Don’t worry about the story on my account. Although Leighton had better not show up at family dinners for the next millennium.’
    ‘I’m sure Gabby would hide the steak knives.’
    ‘Yeah. Anyway, I promised your secretary I’d only take two minutes. I just wanted to tell you myself.’
    ‘I appreciate it. If I can stop the story, I will.’
    She wanted to ask how, but that was more than two minutes conversation and he did sound busy. There’d been an odd note in his voice when he mentioned a board meeting tomorrow. ‘I wasn’t phoning you for a miracle.’
    ‘Ah, but I’m a sex god.’
    And suddenly he was the guy she’d met here in Jardin Bay: funny and cool, and as she’d discovered, kind.
    She laughed. ‘Get back to work, sex god, before your secretary hoodoos me for breaking my word.’
    ‘You know, I don’t think real sex gods get ordered around by bossy women.’
    ‘Yes, they do. Although the women are usually wearing boots and carrying a whip — and this is a crazy conversation.’
    ‘At least you’re laughing. I’m sorry, but I do have to go. I’ll call you, Cassie. Take care. And don’t worry about Leighton.’
    She listened to the empty dial tone a moment before replacing the phone. ‘Nope, I’m not going to worry about Leighton. I hope killer bees invade his undies. But I don’t like that it’s my cousin causing chaos.’
    Nor did she like the tone in which Theo had mentioned his board meeting. That comment hadn’t been for her. He’d spoken impulsively, from whatever had already been troubling him.
    Could Leighton have been devious enough to time his stupid story to maximise trouble for Theo at his board meeting?
    Absolutely.
    Would a board meeting for a family company be trouble for Theo?
    ‘You think?’ Didn’t she have a prime example of the trouble family could cause all around her?
    Screw it. Her month of enforced rest was up and she was as bored as Dr G had required; hence the making-muffins-for-breakfast thing. She was free to do whatever the hell she liked.
    Cassie picked up the phone. ‘George, I need a favour.’
    George, storeman and poet, was also a pilot. While he set about finding someone to fly her to Perth to catch a commercial flight to Melbourne, Cassie packed her bag.
    Leighton was such a snake. He’d tried and failed to make trouble in Jardin Bay, but the people at home had known him too well to believe his lies, so now he was trying a bigger stage.
    Well, he wouldn’t succeed there either. If he was bringing trouble to Theo’s doorstep, then Cassie would be there to kick it back.
    ***
    Through his office window, Theo had a prime view of daylight dying and the city lights switching on. Cars’ headlights streamed out at the tail-end of the peak hour rush. He’d sent his secretary home an hour ago. Everything was ready for tomorrow’s board meeting.
    He jingled the keys in his trousers pocket. No matter how he prepared, the meeting would be ugly. Family fights were the worst because family knew where to stab their daggers and how to give them that extra nasty twist.
    Cassie’s cousin’s performance was the icing on the cake. The bastard had gone to ground. What did the man think? That if he didn’t hear what the consequences of his lies would be those consequences wouldn’t happen?
    Theo would make damn sure they did. Mick might have decided not to prosecute Leighton’s fraud, but Theo hadn’t made that promise. It might have been