‘You’ve been saying that since you were six years old.’ The corners of his mouth drooped a little, accentuated by deep lines. ‘I can’t believe how fast the years have gone by.’
‘And you say that on a regular basis,’ she said, reaching over to briefly squeeze his hand. ‘Have I told you lately how incredible you are?’
‘Yeah, but I reckon you only say it so I’ll make a large dish of this and you’ll have leftovers for days.’
They laughed in unison and tucked into their dinner. The first bite of lasagne made Karly sigh with pleasure. Pop used salami as a secret ingredient and it ramped up the lasagne to phenomenal.
‘Good?’
‘The best.’ She brought her fingers to her mouth and kissed them. ‘By those hints you’ve been dropping, if you do end up travelling, you better cook me a stack of these to freeze for the next year.’
‘Done.’ He laid down his knife and fork, the slab of lasagne only half-eaten. ‘About that. I’m meeting with Hudson Grenville in the morning.’
She’d known it was coming but it still made the delicious lasagne in her gut solidify into a congealed lump of dismay. ‘What time?’
‘Eleven.’ He grimaced and swiped a hand across his face as if to erase it. ‘But he doesn’t want you there.’
‘Why the hell not?’
‘Probably because you haven’t hidden the fact how opposed you are to this acquisition going through and he wants a chance to pitch without interruptions.’
She wanted to say she wouldn’t interrupt but she’d never been one to make empty promises—she knew no matter what Hudson said she’d want to jump down his throat.
‘What about you, Pop? Do you want me there?’
He nodded. ‘And I told him that, so he’s okay with you attending. But sweetheart, I need you to hear him out. This is important to me.’
Sadness for all she was about to lose killed her appetite and she laid down her cutlery. ‘So you’re really selling?’
‘I am. I want to enjoy my retirement. Travel around Australia. Go camping. Live in trendy inner-city apartments or small outback motels. Meet new people.’
He must’ve seen her stricken expression because he reached across the table and tapped her on the nose like he used to when she was a kid. ‘I know this seems out of the blue because we haven’t really talked about what happens beyond my retirement, and to be honest I thought it was a long way off, but I’ve had to reprioritise lately and this is what I want to do.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘And don’t worry, despite my wanderlust Acacia Haven will always be home. Who knows, while I’m away it might give you the opportunity to explore new experiences too.’
Karly managed a wan smile, but it didn’t change facts. The agency that was her life, the agency for which she had so many innovative ideas, the agency she’d hoped would one day become hers, would be gone soon. And if Pop’s steely resolve was any indication, there wasn’t one damn thing she could do about it.
CHAPTER
19
Heidi had never been one to wallow, but after Jem’s rejection of her advances last night she’d curled up on the couch all day under a fleecy throw rug and watched violent action movies without a hint of romance in sight.
Was she that out of touch she’d misread his signals? The way he’d looked at her over dinner, saying she was lovely, prolonged eye contact, subtle flirting … She was pretty sure he’d returned her kiss too but when she’d started exploring his body with her hand, he’d bolted.
Cringing, she snuggled deeper under the rug and pulled it over her head. Yeah, like that would block out the humiliation. Worse, she had to deal with him to sell her house. How on earth could she look him in the eye after last night?
Her doorbell rang and she lowered the rug, glancing at the time. Nine p.m. Unexpected visitors never popped around this late. Shrugging off the rug, she stood and tugged down her windcheater, grateful she’d got dressed for her day-long wallow-fest so whoever was at the door wouldn’t think she got into her pjs so early.
One glance out the window had her wanting to turn out the lights and pretend she wasn’t home. Maybe if she ignored Jem he would go away. Besides pride demanding he not see her a dishevelled mess, she hadn’t mentally rehearsed what she’d say to him yet so his unexpected pop-in wasn’t welcome.
‘Heidi, I can see your shadow through the window, so I know you’re in there,’ he called out, and she shrank back. ‘Please open up. I’ve got some documentation for you to sign.’
Cursing under her breath, she strode to the door. What was she doing, cowering in her own home? So what if their last interaction had been one she’d rather forget? She couldn’t hide from him forever and this way she could keep things strictly business by signing the papers to expedite the sale of her house.
With a quick drag of her fingers through her hair in some semblance of combing, she fixed a smile on her face and opened the door. ‘Hi, Jem. I wasn’t hiding from you, just peeping through the curtains to make sure there wasn’t an axe murderer on my doorstep.’
‘Lucky for you, we don’t get too many axe-wielding maniacs around here.’ His easy grin made her traitorous heart leap. ‘I know it’s late and I should’ve called first, but I popped into the office after dinner and thought you’d appreciate getting a head start on your sale.’
‘Sure. Come in.’