Free The One That Got Away by Kelly Hunter Page A

salmon, spinach leaves and pear salad. You?’
    ‘Rib eye.’
    ‘They do a nice one here.’ Small talk to settle her nerves. And
then the waiter came for their order and a side of bread arrived shortly after
that and Evie nibbled on it and her stomach settled further. The civic centre
bid had been submitted, she told him. Max was doing the follow-up courting.
Three bread-and-butter projects were out of the ground and well under way. Plans
for a luxury harbour-side residence were on the drawing board. Business as
usual. Enjoyable as always, that mix of creativity and calculation. There was an
eco house up in the Blue Mountains that she wanted to see. Canton tower in
Guangzhou, China. Hell, why not a world tour of giant Ferris wheels and fabulous
hotels?
    ‘That what you want to do this coming week?’ he asked quietly.
‘Because we could.’
    ‘Maybe you could,’ she said after a
moment’s startled silence. ‘The rest of us get to save for years, finesse the
dream and carry the sweet scent of achievement around with us when finally such
a trip comes to pass. But if it’s filling this coming week that you’re
interested in, I still have to work seven till three, Monday to Friday.
Wednesday afternoon I might be able to clear. How do you feel about roller
coasters and fairy floss?’
    ‘That’s your idea of a dream date?’
    ‘You don’t like roller coasters and fairy floss?’
    Logan shrugged. ‘It’s been a while.’
    For her too. Maybe it wasn’t such a good combination. ‘Does Max
know you’re having dinner with me?’
    ‘Not unless you told him.’
    ‘I didn’t.’ Which led to the next question that needed asking.
‘This week you’re currently considering sharing with me—do you care if people
know about it?’
    ‘Do you?’
    ‘No. But then, I’m not the businessman wheeler and dealer with
control issues.’
    ‘I wouldn’t call them issues, exactly.’
    Maybe her multimillionaire wasn’t so self aware after all.
‘Would you want to stay at my apartment?’
    ‘I’m staying in a serviced apartment at the Quay,’ he replied.
‘You could come there.’
    ‘Yes, but it’s not your home, is it? Last time we did this I
was living in a student dorm and you were living out of a hotel penthouse. We
spent most of our time in that penthouse naked. Beyond our sexual compatibility
I had no real sense of you as a person. And you had none of me. I wonder if that
was a mistake.’
    ‘Do you really want me in your home?’ he asked.
    ‘Yes. My bed. My kitchen in the mornings. My life. For a
week.’
    ‘What if we’re not compatible?’
    ‘Then there’s nothing to worry about.’ Evie sat back and
regarded him solemnly. ‘The question you should be
worrying about is what if we are?’
    * * *
    Logan ended up at her place for coffee. No
word from him yet on what he would do this coming week. No more words from Evie
either, regarding their relationship. Instead she invited him in and stood back
and watched him as he entered her apartment. Nothing special by his standards,
but more than adequate by hers. She wondered if Logan would recognise his
brother’s touch when it came to the design, but if he did he didn’t say
anything. Max had made his early reputation by converting row upon row of
inner-city warehouses into spacious three-storey apartments and this was one of
them. It was how they’d met. She’d asked Max for some structural changes and
he’d heard her out grudgingly. About halfway into the collaboration Max’s
reluctance had turned to enthusiasm.
    ‘There’s three floors,’ she said. ‘Kitchen, living area and
utilities are on the ground floor, office and spare room on the first floor and
my bedroom and living quarters are up the top.’
    ‘You have a three-storey fire pole,’ he said.
    ‘Did I mention I like rides?’
    Logan just looked at her.
    ‘I have stairs too.’ Gorgeous, floating stairs she’d designed
herself—one of the modifications she’d asked of Max. She’d