‘Pen? I gotta go.’
‘Call me later. Let me know how it’s going.’
‘I will. Love you.’
I disconnect the call, but don’t move inside. He’s changed into a pair of beige shorts and a white shirt, with flip-flops on his tanned feet. His hair looks blonder now than when we first met—a few days in the sunshine have also darkened his tan.
‘Gareth?’ he prompts, stepping onto the balcony, so I roll my eyes.
‘No, Penny. Checking up on me.’
‘Ah.’
He comes to stand right in front of me, his body so close I can feel his warmth.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ I say, lifting a hand to his chest to keep him at a distance. ‘Once we get back to Sydney, I think you should deal with Gareth. If you want to make an offer.’
His frown is just a flash across his features. ‘Why?’
‘After what you said today, about Lorena, I’d hate you to think I was taking advantage of this—of us—to get you to pay more than you want to. I can’t do my job effectively with that in my mind. I’m a sales agent, I need to sell the property to my buyer, but I don’t feel comfortable putting the hard word on you. Not now, not after the last few days.’
He frowns. ‘Why?’
‘Because. You’re not just a client. An investor. You’re someone who’s...’
‘What? Fucked you sideways?’ he prompts. ‘We talked about this. Sex has no bearing on my decision. I’m only going to offer what I’m prepared to pay...’
‘And if the offer’s not high enough, I need to be able to tell you that and not worry you think it’s because we slept together, that I think I have some special way of pressuring you or whatever.’
‘Sex is sex. We both agreed to the boundaries of this from the start. Why would you pressure me? What do you stand to gain from this?’
‘Other than a big fat commission?’ I prompt, and he shrugs.
‘Sure. But if I don’t buy it, someone else will. You’ll get that commission one way or another.’
My smile is weak. He sees through it.
‘But you want the commission now?’
I open my mouth to deny it, but then nod. I’m not a liar. I’m not going to lie to him. Besides, there’s nothing unreasonable about my position. ‘Yes. See? It’s overcomplicated.’
He shakes his head. ‘I disagree. You want the commission, fair enough. I’m sorry to seem cold-hearted, but that’s still not going to sway me. I’m too good at what I do to let anything like that come into the equation.’
I should feel relieved, but I don’t. It’s like he’s scratching sandpaper over the ventricles of my heart. ‘It’s better if you deal with Gareth.’
‘I don’t want to deal with your fuckwit ex.’
I hold his gaze determinedly. ‘He’s great at his job.’
‘So are you.’ He glares at me. ‘Sell me on this place, Grace. Sell me on why I can’t live without the golf course. Sell my on why it’s a standout investment I can’t turn my back on. Do everything you can to make me buy it, to pay the price you want. Don’t think for one second I’ll let anything personal factor into my decision-making.’ He drops his head closer to mine, his eyes intense. ‘Don’t think I won’t walk away if you try to push me onto that idiot Gareth.’
I curl my fingers into the warm cotton of his shirt, gripping him, holding onto this reality a moment longer, before he slips through my fingers. The sun is warm on my back but I feel ice-cold.
I don’t know why I feel so wishy-washy, so uncertain, so unclear. It’s not like me. As with all things in the last six months, I blame Gareth. I blame him for making me feel like less of a woman, less of a lovable person, than I ever have. I blame him for letting me open myself up, for inviting me to show him all of myself and then turning his back on me.
‘You’d be cutting off your nose to spite your face.’ My words are thick, coated with emotion. A small frown mars his expression.
‘I want the resort,’ he says finally. ‘I’m going to make an offer on it.’