‘I…I’m not sure what you mean.’
‘I see. Then perhaps I’d better leave well alone.’
‘No, please don’t. If there’s something I should know, I’d like you to tell me.’
After a disconcerting silence, Hattie said, ‘My grandson would never hurt you intentionally, Sally. He’s a dear boy and incredibly generous. If it weren’t for his assistance, I wouldn’t be able to stay in this expensive nursing home and his parents wouldn’t be tripping around Australia. But I’m afraid he’s far too focused on his business. He’s intent on making sure he doesn’t commit the same mistakes his father made.’
Sally would have liked to ask what those mistakes were, but that would have been too nosy.
‘It would take someone quite exceptional to steer Logan away from the course he’s set upon,’ Hattie said. ‘But then, I suspect that you are an exceptional girl, Sally.’
If Sally had been better acquainted with Hattie, if she’d been having this conversation face to face rather than over the telephone, she might have pressed the elderly woman for an explanation. What was this course that Logan had embarked on and why should anyone want to steer him from it?
As she hung up, she wondered if Logan’s grandmother assumed that all girls who went out with her grandson heard wedding bells.
‘Not this girl,’ Sally said, replacing the receiver thoughtfully. ‘I might be fanciful but I have both feet firmly on the ground.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WAS six o’clock and Logan was still working at his desk. Each time he looked up, the waters of Sydney Harbour were a little darker. Now the street lights had come on and headlights glowed in the purpling twilight. Traffic on the bridge looked like bright strings of beads, as cars headed for home.
He should be heading off too, but he wanted to finish this proposal first. He preferred to stay back and get work finished, keeping his home as his refuge, his haven from the battlefield of business.
Another fifteen minutes should do it. Logan turned back to the list of figures on his computer screen.
‘Knock, knock!’
The unexpected voice at his office door startled him. ‘Sally!’ His smile was spontaneous. These days, he only had to think about Sally and he started smiling. ‘What are you doing here at this late hour?’
‘I was waiting to speak to you.’
‘Really?’ His throat constricted and he had to swallow. ‘I—I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting. I had some work to clear up.’ He frowned at her. ‘But you didn’t have to stay back. Maria knows I have an open door policy with my staff. Or you could have telephoned.’
Sally dropped her gaze to something she was holding and he saw that it was a CD. ‘I needed to be certain that no one will overhear our conversation,’ she said.
‘I see.’ A disquieting thought struck. ‘You’re still coming to the ball, aren’t you?’
‘Yes.’ She looked up and her gaze softened. ‘I wouldn’t pull out at this late stage.’ She looked suddenly animated. ‘I’ve got my dress. It’s gorgeous.’
‘I’m glad you like it.’
She waved the CD. ‘I’m afraid this is a business matter.’
‘You’d better take a seat, then.’ He wished it wasn’t so hard to be formal and businesslike with Sally. He kept thinking about kissing her.
‘Is it OK if I shut the door?’
‘If you insist.’ Logan’s frown deepened. What on earth was this about?
Sally pulled out a chair and sat. She was wearing a bright blue top and a neat grey skirt. Ordinary, everyday working clothes which shouldn’t have looked incredibly sexy. On her they did. Intensely so, especially when she crossed her legs with an unconscious grace that robbed him of oxygen.
For days he’d been trying to forget how she’d felt in his arms—soft and sensuous and willing. She’d completely wrecked his powers of concentration.
‘So what did you want to discuss?’ His voice was gruffer than he’d intended.
‘This.’ Sally set the CD on the desk. But she didn’t speak immediately. She looked worried, almost embarrassed, and chewed at her lower lip. Her soft, pink, infinitely kissable lower lip. ‘Can you confirm that it’s OK for me to send off the contents of this disk to an outside email? Maria said it was an urgent job for you, but she had a problem with her own computer and I wanted to—’
‘Maria?’ Logan interrupted. ‘Did you say Maria asked you to send emails?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’