At this, she scoffed. “You know about my limitations, eh? Tell me, what does a wealthy white guy know about limitations?” Before he could answer, she barreled on, “I bet you would have told me I couldn’t earn a top place in the World Rally Championships. Plenty of people did, and most of them meant well, but they were wrong. The only limitations a person has are the ones they impose on themselves.”
He tilted his head curiously. “Do you really believe that?”
“I do. As the whakatauki says: He iti hoki te mokoroa nana I kakati te kahikatea. If a determined little grub can gnaw through a kahikatea tree, I can certainly do anything I set my mind to.”
That whakatauki, or proverb, had been her mantra when she’d first moved here. As she’d dragged herself around and battled to do even the simplest tasks, she’d reminded herself that she had to take on the tree one bite at a time. It had worked. Here she was, years later, with a fully functioning body and a business that kept her afloat. She had friends, and people who cared for her. If she sometimes yearned for a man’s arms to wrap around her as she slept, that was no less than she deserved. Loneliness was her penance for what she’d done to Teddy.
Sterling seemed unmoved. “That’s an admirable perspective, but surely you can see how impractical it is when you’re swamped with work and don’t have enough time or money to handle it.”
Picking up a pen, she doodled a koru on her left palm. This was another tactic she used to focus. “Not everything that’s worthwhile is practical.”
He stood, pushing the chair back. For a moment, she thought she’d finally gotten through to him, but then he said, “The deal you mentioned earlier still stands? If I stay for two weeks, you’ll agree to let me pitch my plan and give it serious consideration?”
“Yeah, sure.” Kat barely managed to conceal her smile. Getting him to agree had been easier than she’d expected. Sterling Knight would be singing Sanctuary’s praises before the two weeks were up.
“Okay, then.” He cleared his throat. “Is there a room I can book?”
She nodded. “I’ll find you one.”
Another person for dinner. Tione would threaten mutiny. But no doubt he’d produce a great meal and get over it, because that was what he did. Referring to the guest roster on her desk, she found an empty room midway up the hall. She fished in her drawer for a key with the corresponding door number and handed it over.
“Here you go. Up the hall, on the right.”
“Thanks.” He hesitated. “Will I see you again tonight?”
“Probably, but I won’t have time to talk. Things should be a bit calmer tomorrow.”
He nodded and withdrew. Kat’s email pinged, and she scanned the new message that popped up. A reminder from her accountant that she might want to start getting things in order because the end of the financial year was only a couple months away.
“Kat?” Brooke stood in the doorway, her forehead furrowed in concern. “Everything all right?”
Too exhausted to explain, Kat just nodded.
“Can I borrow you for a few minutes, please?” Brooke asked.
“Sure. No problem.”
Hours later, Kat finally collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep without undressing, or even getting under the covers.