Marie Ferrarella - Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon / Fixed Up with Mr. Right? - Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon / Fixed Up with Mr. Right?

‘No, you just imagined that.’ He grinned. ‘In future you go there whenever you like. And take Phantom too.’

A soft noise from under the table told him that this was appreciated.

‘And I’m not glued to the computer all the time,’ he continued.

‘No, I’m sure you read the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal —’

‘I’ve been reading up about Herringdean and its history. It’s fascinating.’

‘You’ll find that this island is two places,’ she said. ‘We’re not behind the times. There’s plenty of dot-com. But it’s the wildness that makes Herringdean stand out, and draws people.’

‘Have you always lived on the island?’

‘Yes, I was born here.’

‘And your husband?’

‘No, he came over because he worked for a tourist firm, and they were setting up a branch.’

‘And you met, fell in love and married quickly?’

‘A couple of months.’

‘Wow! A decisive lady! How long were you married?’

‘Nearly eight years.’

‘Any children?’

‘No,’ she said quietly.

‘And he died quite recently?’

‘Last year.’ Suddenly she became animated. ‘You know, this coffee is really delicious. Kate is a wonderful cook.’

He was silent. Walter was there in his mind, talking about Harriet’s husband, saying, ‘When he died we thought she might die too, she was so crushed … I don’t reckon she’ll ever really get over him …’

Now the way she’d swerved off the subject seemed to suggest that Walter was right. It was a warning to him to be cautious.

‘What about your children?’ Harriet asked. ‘Have you managed to call them again?’

‘Yes, several times. There’s a dangerous situation building up. Mary’s going to remarry soon, and if I’m not careful I could be elbowed aside.’

‘But you won’t let that happen.’

‘No, I won’t. I had time to do a lot of thinking while I was resting. It’s incredible how being half-awake, half-asleep can make things clear to you.’

Harriet nodded, and for a moment there was a faraway look in her eyes that roused his curiosity. But it vanished before he could speak, and now he thought he understood. Beneath her cheeky schoolgirl charm lurked a woman who kept her true feelings, and even her true self, safely hidden away. In fact, she was mysteriously like himself.

‘So what conclusions have you come to?’ she asked.

‘Not to let myself be sidelined. I try to call them every day.’

‘I’m sure they’re glad of that.’

He made a face. ‘They’re not. I made a hash of it the night of the accident and things haven’t really improved.’

‘Well, you weren’t at ease on the phone, I could hear that, but surely they understood what a state you were in.’

‘Maybe, but I’m seldom much better than I was then. I don’t know what to talk about. It was easier when we were living in the same house, but I’m not really part of their lives any more. Perhaps I never really was. Mary accused me of never putting them first.’

She nodded. ‘Children really do like to feel that they have all your attention,’ she mused.

Suddenly he saw her as she’d been that day in the shop, talking to the little boy as though only he existed in the entire world. And the child had responded with delight. When had he seen such a look on the faces of his own children?

‘You’ve got a fight on your hands,’ she said, ‘but you’ve got to go about it the right way. Do you want some advice from a friend?’

‘If the friend is you, yes.’

‘That night when you called them after the accident I heard her voice on the other end. I couldn’t make out every word but I heard enough to show me an unhappy situation. You told her you’d been “held up” and she said, “You always get held up. The children went to bed crying because you didn’t keep your word.”

‘And then she said, “I’m not going to let you hurt them by putting them last again.”’

She waited to see if he would say anything, but he only clasped his hands on the table and stared at them.

‘Again?’ she asked.

‘Yes, I can’t deny it. I would plan to spend time with them, but a crisis would come up, someone I urgently needed to meet would be passing through London for just a few hours.’

‘Oh, you idiot!’ she breathed.

‘I guess I am, but I didn’t see it then. I always thought there was time to put things right.’

‘Yes, we always think that,’ she murmured. ‘There never is.’

‘You sound as though you really know.’

‘I guess we all know one way or another.’

‘Sure, but the way you said it sounded as though—’

‘The thing is—’ she interrupted him quickly ‘—that you have to find a new way to put things right. Concentrate on that.’

‘All right,’ he said, retreating before the warning she was sending out. ‘But how? One minute I thought I was in control. The next minute they were all gone, and if I was a hopeless father before I’m even worse now. When we talk on the phone I can sense them trying to get away. I’m becoming an irrelevance to them.’

‘Then do something about it,’ she said urgently. ‘Put a stop to it now. Never forget that cunning is better than aggression. Above all, don’t lose heart, don’t even think of giving in. Remember, you’re a match for anyone.’

‘If you’re going to start on that “mighty man of business” stuff again I’m out of here.’

‘Don’t worry,’ she said wryly. ‘I can’t take it seriously any more.’

‘Thanks. That about says it all.’

‘Friends have to be frank with each other,’ she reminded him.

‘I know.’ He suddenly became more urgent. ‘Harriet, I wish I could make you understand how much I need your friendship. From the moment I stepped onto that beach I knew I was in a different world, and now I know that it’s your world. All the vital things that have happened to me since I came here are connected with you.’

‘You never know what fate has in store.’

‘Yes, after we got off to such a bad start, who could have guessed that you’d be the one who’d save me?’

‘Be fair. It was Kate who really saved you, not just by raising the alarm, but by explaining that you’d probably gone to the wind farm, so that we knew where to look.’

‘I know that, and I’ve shown her my gratitude.’

Harriet nodded. Kate had told her about the huge bonus he’d given her.

‘And I didn’t pull you out of the water on my own. There were a few hefty fellers there, doing the heavy work.’

‘I know. But yours was the hand that stretched out to me first, the hand that I clasped, and when I think of that moment that’s what I see.’

It was also what he felt in the night, feeling a firm, reassuring grip on his hand, knowing it was her in the last moment before he awoke to find himself alone. Only a dream, yet his hand still seemed to tingle.

‘I’ve just become a sort of symbol, that’s all,’ she told him.

‘If you say so.’

‘But if you want a friend, you’ve got one in me.’

‘Promise?’

‘Promise. Call on me any time.’

As long as you’re here, she thought. But how long will that be? Are we a financial asset to you, or a financial disaster? And won’t it be the same in the long run?

It would have been sensible to say this outright and remind him of the reality of the situation, yet something held her silent. There was an intensity in his eyes that she’d never seen before in any man—not the passionate intensity of a lover, but the desperate yearning for help of a man who needed friendship. It had been her hand he’d first seized in the water and that had set matters between them for all time.