The CEO (The Millionaire Malones Book 2) Page 7

  Ava crossed the green expanse, slowly, deliberately, trying to take in each leaf, each trunk, each shrub and blossom, and pulled her smartphone from her handbag. When she remembered where she was, and the privacy with which the Malone family did everything, she looked back at Callum, who’d stopped a little way behind her. When she realised he was watching her, his hands in his pockets, his eyes inscrutable behind his sunglasses, she tried not to let it mean anything.

  ‘You don’t mind, do you?’ Ava showed him her phone.

  ‘Of course not,’ Callum replied and there was a little shake of his head and a smile on his lips that looked like peace and happiness and, oh, how it hit her like an arrow to the heart.

  ‘They’re only for me,’ she added. ‘So I can remember all this.’

  ‘Let me take one of you.’ When Callum strode towards her and took the phone from her hand, she tried not to notice the zap she felt where his fingers grazed hers. He aimed the phone at her, stepped back and she smiled and it felt big and warm and as natural as the gardens all around her. How could she not be happy here, in this place, with Callum?

  Her handed the phone back to her, distractedly, without a word and while he continued to watch her, Ava took pictures of all that she could see, hoping to record this day so she could be forever inspired by its beauty. She turned a corner and right ahead of her, out of the canopy of the trees, a patch of lawn was lit by the warming sun as if it were a stage. She headed over, threw herself down on the grass, dug her heels into it, and turned her face to the warmth. She splayed her arms out above her head and just breathed.

  *

  Callum stood transfixed. Ava’s hair was splayed out on the grass and the sheer joyous abandon in her expression was as unfamiliar to him as she was. Her T-shirt had hitched and twisted, and between its hem and the band of her denim shorts there was a glimpse of her stomach, tanned and smooth. She’d lost her shoes somewhere and his study of her calves and her feet led to bright blue painted toenails.

  In an instant, the grass became his sheets and Ava was naked in his imagination.

  What the fuck? The thought of what he wanted to do had his head spinning.

  He wanted her. He wanted to lay his body on hers and kiss her senseless. And then he wanted to get her naked and make love to her right here, in the sun in the private gardens where only the birds could see. He wanted to take her breasts in his hands and roll his thumbs over her nipples, making them stiff before taking them in his mouth, sucking them up, tight and wet. And he wanted to drive her crazy with need for him, make her come with his tongue and his mouth and his fingers, until she was calling his name, breathless and aching for him. He wanted to be inside her. So damn much.

  Callum raked a hand through his hair and dragged his eyes from her. He looked up into the canopy of trees, tried to listen to the yellow-tailed black cockatoos and the galahs and the mynas, which he knew lived in this garden. But all he could hear was his own voice in his head: You want to fuck Ava the Terrible?

  He’d been single way too long.

  When she propped up her knees and turned her head, giving him a smile that he could see from across the garden, something slammed in his chest. She flipped over and lay on her stomach, her elbows on the grass and her chin in her hands. Her hair was tousled around her shoulders and when she aimed that beaming smile in his direction, Callum had to remind himself of one very important thing.

  She was Lulu’s sister.

  He took those final few steps to her side and looked down. He hesitated, then held out a hand. ‘C’mon.’ His voice sounded gruff, even to him.

  Ava reached for his hand and let herself be pulled to standing. Close.

  ‘I want to show you something,’ he said, making sure to let go of her fingers as soon as she was on firm ground.

  *

  They strolled across the rolling lawns, back to the house, taking the stone steps to the house slowly and languidly. When they entered the magnificent entrance hall of The Meadows and walked across the shining parquetry floor, so glossy their reflections could almost be seen in it, Ava’s lips parted in awe.

  ‘Oh, wow,’ she whispered and stopped. He watched as Ava took in the ornate ceilings, the marble-topped table in the middle of the room and the four-foot-high glass vase filled with some kind of white flowers.

  ‘Those delphiniums are stunning.’ She turned back to him with eyes swimming with happy tears, her fingers clasped together in pure delight. ‘Are they from the garden?’

  ‘Probably.’

  ‘I can’t believe you grew up here,’ she said in wonder.

  Callum nodded, and for the first time with Ava, he didn’t feel as if he should apologise for it. This house was part of his history, his family. Pity it wouldn’t be part of his future.

  The sound of heels on the wooden floor drew their attention. ‘Good morning, Callum.’

  ‘Daphne. Good morning.’ Callum crossed the entrance hall and held out his arms to hug his father’s housekeeper. As he enveloped her, she sniffed against his shirt. Daphne smelled of lavender—she always had—and when she let go, he kissed her on both cheeks.

  ‘I’m sorry again about your father.’ She pulled a tissue from inside her sleeve and dabbed her eyes.

  ‘Daph, may I introduce you to Ava.’ He looked back over his shoulder and with a nod of his head, urged Ava to come towards him. ‘Ava’s landscaping my gardens.’

  ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Daphne,’ Ava said, extending a hand.

  Daphne squeezed her hand politely and firmly. ‘And you.’

  Callum glanced at Ava. ‘Daphne’s the rock that held this house together for twenty years.’

  Daphne looked very pleased at the description and dabbed her eyes again. ‘Can I offer you a cup of tea?’

  ‘I’d love one,’ Callum replied with a warm squeeze about the older woman’s shoulders. ‘And please, tell me you have cinnamon cake.’

  ‘First thing I baked when you called to say you were coming. Come back to the kitchen.’

  She led the way through the dramatic archway of the centre hall to the left. The kitchen had been his favourite place when he was a child and when they entered the room, memories came flooding back to Callum. When he was young, he’d never paid much attention to the details of this kitchen, except for what he could find to feed his rapacious teenage hunger, but looking at it now, he felt a pang of envy. It boasted two catering ovens, a commercial fridge and acres of stone benchtops. To the side, there was a walk-in pantry (Cooper had hidden in there once and made himself sick on Anzac biscuits), which had once been filled with all the foodstuffs necessary to feed the Malone family and entertain hundreds of people at glittering parties. Callum guessed the myriad shelves would be empty now.

  The scent of freshly-baked cinnamon cake wafted over to them before they spotted it on the huge wooden table of the country-style kitchen.

  ‘That smells divine,’ Ava said.

  ‘Daphne bribed and tormented us with her cinnamon cake for years,’ Callum laughed as he opened a drawer, took out a knife and cut himself a generous slice. Its sugary crunch and cinnamon flavour were just as he remembered it. ‘You’re not going to say no to this, are you Ava?’

  She laughed and the bright sound echoed in the room.

  ‘Definitely not, but I think I need to clean up first.’ She held up her hands.

  ‘That way,’ Callum said through a mouthful of cake, nodding to the small hallway on the right.

  When Daphne judged Ava to be safely out of earshot, she turned to Callum with her hands propped on her hips.

  ‘Well? Your landscaper, is she?’

  ‘She’s a friend, Daphne.’ Callum had to stop and think about what he’d just said. A friend? Damn. When had Ava the Terrible become a friend? Probably about two seconds after he’d decided he wanted to fuck her.

  ‘I see,’ Daphne replied with a knowing look.

  ‘She’s Lulu’s sister. She wanted to see the gardens, that’s all.’


  Daphne’s smile became a frown. ‘Oh.’ She dabbed her eyes once more. ‘It’s not my place to say, Callum, but Lulu …’

  Callum felt a familiar pang at his failure as a husband. ‘Yes.’

  ‘I was very sorry to hear about … well, you know.’

  ‘Thank you, Daph.’

  ‘Well, I suppose what’s done is done.’

  Callum cut himself another chunky slice of cake. ‘I understand you’ve heard from the lawyers? My father wanted you to be looked after, you know that.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘He was very generous. I’ll have more than enough to buy myself a little place somewhere, with a bit left over. But this house …’

  Out came the tissue again and Daphne blew her nose dramatically.

  Callum slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘I know how much you love it, Daphne. But times change. You know that Chris and Cooper don’t want to live here. And neither do I.’

  ‘With your father’s passing, this place feels full of memories,’ she said. ‘And ghosts.’ She squeezed Callum’s arm.

  He knew what she meant.

  ‘Which reminds me. There’s something I found in your father’s personal things. Something I need to give to you. Why don’t you have some more cake and I’ll go fetch it.’

  *

  Ava found a small bathroom off the hallway and pushed open the painted white wooden door. Inside, the original features in the small room were striking. Black-and-white chequered tiles criss-crossed the floor, a gleaming white hand basin reflected the light and a pair of silver taps appeared to have been polished just before she’d entered.

  ‘How appropriate,’ she said to herself. ‘I’m in the servants’ bathroom,’ and her voice echoed back at her from the high ceiling.

  Ava shook her head again. Servants. Grand entrance halls. Lush gardens.

  What on earth was she doing here?

  It was as if she’d driven through the front gates of The Meadows with Callum and been transported back in time one hundred years. And the idea of that made her laugh. A century before and she would have been Daphne.

  She soaped up her hands on a fragrant rose soap and dried them briskly on a fluffy white towel. When she found her way back to the kitchen, Callum was alone in the enormous room. He looked up at the sound of her approaching. ‘Found your way back, huh?’

  Why did the sight of him have to do that to her? Wasn’t she so used to seeing his handsome smile and his beautiful face that she shouldn’t quiver inside anymore?

  ‘I followed the smell of cinnamon,’ she said and when she was next to him, she nudged him in the side with her elbow. ‘You going to cut me a piece of that cake or what?’

  He grinned and handed her a plate with a large piece already laid on its side. A delicate silver fork was next to it. Ava took it gratefully and ate the generous piece in four huge bites.

  ‘Oh, God,’ she muttered. ‘Can I please take Daphne home with me?’

  ‘You like my cake?’ Daphne smiled as she came back into the kitchen.

  ‘It should be heritage listed, Daphne. It’s incredible.’

  ‘I’ll pop the rest in a container and you can take it home. Unless Callum eats it all first. Now, dear boy,’ she patted Callum on the forearm in a gesture that brought tears to Ava’s eyes. If his mother had been gone for twenty years, this woman was probably the closest thing to a mother Callum had. She could see it in their easy affection and in the way he looked at her.

  ‘I found what I was looking for.’

  Ava watched as Daphne placed a small red velvet box on the marble bench and gingerly pushed it towards him. ‘I think you should have this.’

  Callum wiped his hands on the front of his jeans to brush off the sugar and cinnamon and reached for the box. It was about an inch and a half square with a domed top and the velvet was faded and worn.

  Judging by the confused look on his face, Callum had never seen it before. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Open it,’ Daphne urged through fresh tears.

  He popped it open. He looked down at Daphne, half in shock. ‘Bloody hell. It’s my mother’s engagement ring.

  Daphne sniffed again and nodded solemnly. ‘Yes, it is.’

  Callum turned to Ava and held the box in her direction for her to see. A shimmering emerald ring sat nestled in white satin.

  ‘I haven’t seen this for … since Mum died,’ he told her. ‘When I was fourteen years old.’

  Daphne slipped an arm through Callum’s. ‘I thought one of you boys should have it. Your father, God love him, was a stubborn old …’ She crossed herself and then dropped her eyes. ‘Well, you know more than anyone what he was like. He didn’t want you to have it when you got married. And even when Chris wed that lovely lass last year, he kept it locked up tight in that filing cabinet of his. I never understood it myself, but it wasn’t my place to say. And now,’ Daphne looked up to the ceiling and crossed herself again, ‘now that he’s gone I thought I should right the wrong done to you boys.’

  Callum looked at the ring for a moment and when he spoke, he was reflective, quiet, his voice deep.

  ‘Mum wore this all the time, even in here when she was cooking. Do you remember that Daphne? She almost washed it down the drain when she was making scones once, and we had to get the plumber out. She wore it playing cricket with me, Chris and Cooper. When she was swimming. She hated the idea of putting this in a safe somewhere.’

  Ava suddenly felt awkward. Like an interloper on this personal conversation, filled with so many heart-wrenching memories for Callum. His mother sounded like a wonderful woman, someone who would have wanted her ring to be passed down to the woman her son loved.

  The old, familiar, humiliating ache flared in her chest once again.

  That ring Callum was holding? It broke her heart to realise it was the ring he should have been able to give to his wife.

  Lulu.

  Callum snapped the box shut and the sound echoed in the huge room, startling Daphne. She fluttered a hand to her chest.

  ‘Sorry, Daph,’ Callum said, clearing his throat. He slipped the box deep into the front pocket of his jeans and patted it to make sure it was safe. ‘And thank you.’ He hugged the older woman again, long and tender, and damn if it didn’t make Ava want to cry.

  *

  A few minutes later, after warm goodbyes had been exchanged, Callum and Ava were walking across the parquetry entrance on the way to his car. Callum’s mood had changed since he’d come to be in possession of his mother’s ring. He had closed himself off, a shadow had darkened his face and his mouth was pinched and hard. Watching him as he took the stone steps two by two, Ava put aside her own feelings of regret and embarrassment, to think that all the wealth in the world hadn’t protected him from sadness and loss, from grief, from estrangement from his father, and from growing up without a mother.

  ‘Callum?’ She’d stopped at the top of the stone steps. He halted, looked back over his shoulder but not at her.

  ‘Are you all right?’ She took a step towards him, wary.

  He didn’t reply.

  Another step. ‘Being here must bring back a lot of memories, huh?’

  Another step. Now, she was on the final tread and he’d turned around to face her. Their eyes were level and, Ava noticed with a thumping heart, so were their lips.

  Callum sucked in a deep breath and gazed at her mouth. She began to shiver in the warm afternoon sun.

  ‘We should go,’ he said quietly, his deep voice aching with restraint.

  ‘Of course.’ But before she moved, Ava reached for him, rested her hand gently on his arm. ‘Thank you for showing me The Meadows. I’ll never forget it.’

  Callum managed a forced smile. ‘It was my pleasure.’

  ‘I have the photos to remind me of how beautiful this place is. And don’t worry, I’ll keep them to myself. I’ll keep the Malone family secret.’

  He said nothing as his expression grew serious once again.

  ‘Pinkie swear
,’ Ava said and was aware that her own smile had become something sad. ‘I’m brilliant at keeping secrets.’

  Chapter Nine

  ‡

  It took Ava a full hour that night to make the call to her sister. Her head was still in a spin about what had happened at The Meadows.

  And it wasn’t about the house or the stunning gardens.

  She hadn’t known before, but she knew now how hard it must have been for Callum to walk back into that home, to be confronted with such a sad and complicated history between him and his father, and memories of the mother he had clearly loved.

  They’d driven home and Callum had barely said a word on the way back to Bondi. He’d accepted her repeated thanks for the tour of the gardens with a small nod and a barely there smile and then driven off.

  Afterwards, she’d padded around her Bondi flat, unnecessarily watering her household plants, trying desperately to avoid the fridge and the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that she knew would be perfectly chilled right about now, and went over and over what it would mean to work for Callum Malone.

  First things first. She had to tell Lulu.

  It seemed like—no, it was—the right thing to do.

  But where to begin?

  Hey, Lulu. I’ve got this great new client. He has loads of money and connections. I’ll be able to use some photos of the work on the Ava Good Weekend website and it’ll take me into a whole new league. Andy and I will get to work on some major projects. This is the big break we’ve been waiting for.

  Not bad.

  Hey, little sis. I’ve been meaning to tell you something. I’ve got this amazing new landscaping job lined up that I’m really excited about.

  Not so good. It kinda fudged the real story.