The sun was high in the clear blue sky, and there was no breeze to move the leaves of the sturdy lenga beech trees that grew right up to the edge of the lake.
Basa glanced over to where Mimi was staring across the lake, her blue eyes exactly the same colour as the water lapping over the stones.
It was a beautiful day, the perfect introduction to this majestic jagged land that he loved so much, even when the wind tore across the lake, sending waves crashing to the shoreline. There was something raw and real about life so close to the clouds, an unchanging, impervious essentiality that was a welcome contrast to the artifice and embellishment of the rest of the world.
And, judging by the smile tugging at the corners of Mimi’s mouth, she thought so too—although he wasn’t completely sure why that should make him feel quite as happy as it did.
‘So what do you think?’ He was careful to keep the curiosity out of his voice but his heart began to beat faster.
‘I think it’s
the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,’ she said quietly. ‘However did you find it?’
For a moment he considered whether to tell her the truth. But the fragile peace he had brokered this morning was still holding and he didn’t want to do anything to put that in jeopardy. Then again, he was tired of all the misunderstandings between them—unnecessary and upsetting misunderstandings that had been caused by both of them being less than forthcoming with the truth.
He thought back to their conversation last night. Afterwards he had found it hard to sleep—and not just because of that kiss, although that certainly hadn’t helped. For two years he’d convinced himself that he knew Mimi and that she was guilty, duplicitous, and self-serving. Now he was having to rethink his opinion of her.
And of himself.
He’d always believed that he was basically a good person: fair, rational, kind. Except he had been none of those things with her. He had been angry with himself for welcoming Charlie and Raymond into the business, and Mimi into his bed, and he’d turned that anger on her to punish her for his own ineptitude. Bullied her into coming to Argentina and Patagonia, and demanding a truth he had forced her to hide.
The least he could do now was tell her the truth.
‘After the trial ended I brought my father and Alicia to Argentina to get some breathing space.’ Seeing Mimi’s face stiffen, he hesitated. ‘It was Antonia who told me about this place. Her great-uncle owned some land up here, and he had a little fishing shack on the island, only he was getting too old to make much use of it. So I made him an offer. A good offer,’ he added. ‘I might be an insufferable jerk, but I’m not a greedy one, and I wouldn’t exploit an old man’s ill health.’
Her eyes darted to his face, and he winced inwardly. He had wanted Mimi to know that he hadn’t taken advantage of the old man. She already thought he was manipulative and bullying and he hadn’t wanted to say anything that reinforced that view of him. But, spoken out loud, his words had sounded less like an explanation and more like another accusation.
He frowned. ‘That wasn’t a dig at you.’
‘I know.’ She gave him a small, tight smile. ‘You don’t pull your punches, Basa. If you wanted to bad-mouth Charlie and Raymond you wouldn’t be coy about it.’
She was right. He thought back to how he had spoken to her before. He had been so harsh, so unforgiving, both in his manner and in his choice of words.
‘I was angry. I still am angry with them. They had no reason to steal.’ A hardness crept into his voice, and his hands were suddenly clenching so tightly that his knuckles felt as though they were about to split apart. ‘They had so much more than so many other people—so much more than those pensioners.’
She hesitated, and then she reached out and grasped his fists, gently uncurled his fingers. ‘I know.’
Her soft expression pulled at some thread inside him and he glanced away. ‘They hurt my father, Mimi. He’s never been strong, and he was shocked and devastated by what they did. He had another stroke—a bad one. I had to take over the business, the foundation...’
Charlie and Raymond had stolen more from him than money. He’d lost the freedom and independence that most twenty-somethings enjoyed and, more importantly he’d lost his father.
There was a moment of silence and then she said quietly, ‘I’m so sorry, Basa.’
Her eyes were clouded with sadness and he could hear the ache of regret in her voice.
‘It’s not your fault, truly, but it was a difficult time.’ He glanced past her at the ridge of mountains in the distance. ‘That’s why I bought this place. To have somewhere away from the world. Somewhere tranquil and safe.’
He hesitated. As a general rule he didn’t talk about himself, and he had never told anyone that before. He’d told his father and Alicia that he’d bought the land as an investment—he hadn’t wanted them to think that he couldn’t cope, or that he was scared, though in fact both had been true.
‘It must have been hard for you,’ she said gently. ‘Being thrown in the deep end like that.’
They were walking now, and he stared at her profile in silence, caught off balance by the note of concern in her voice. He knew his family loved him, but nobody ever really asked him about his feelings, and he’d always been glad, even proud about that, for it meant he was doing his job properly. Now, though, with Mimi’s blue gaze searching his face, he realised that he wanted to share those buried emotions with her.
‘It was hard. It was all such a mess. For months I wasn’t sure if I could save the business. I even thought we might lose Fairbourne.’
He could still remember the cold grip of panic, the need to confide in someone and yet the pressure to stay silent. He’d been so scared, and he’d felt so alone—just like after his mother died.
‘It helped that it wasn’t the first time I’d had to take over. After the accident I was acting CEO for a while—just until my dad got back on his feet.’