LITMIR.BIZ

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extremely happy by the looks of it!” My voice rose with every inflection, as I tried to get my point across. “And you, Amory, I think you have to admit you care about Cruz more than you want him to know.”

      I was met with a weighty silence.

      “What?” I asked, sensing their ploy. “All I need from Kai is his building knowledge, nothing more. So, if you need me, I’ll be in my office!”

      “We are in your office.”

      They had me frazzled! “Then… get out!”

      Laughing behind their hands, they retreated. I took my cellphone and dialed. No point worrying over his reaction to my call; it was business, and I was a professional. Still, my stomach flipped as it rang.

      “Clio! How’s things?” His Australian accent was even more pronounced with the distance separating us.

      I nervously shuffled papers, and tried to make my voice even. “Good, good. Well, not great actually. I have a problem.”

      “Yeah?”

      “I need you here.”

      He laughed.

      Oh God. “I mean, I really need you for a very good business reason. Business at the lodge, you could say. Or lodge business is a more economical way to say it.”

      Say business one more time! With a manic little laugh I explained about the hold-up and what it meant for the lodge and how dire things would be if we didn’t get approval in time for the expo.

      He managed to ignore my woes and said, “Clio, you’re not doing midnight yoga any more, are you?”

      Surfer yogi strikes again. “Oh sure, sure, I am. Like clockwork. It’s my favorite time of day. Well, night, but you know what I mean.” Could midnight yoga solve this problem? I didn’t think so.

      “I can hear it in your voice. You’re back to not sleeping too, I take it?”

      Damn the man, how did he always know? All I needed to do was wrap myself in some of that fine Egyptian cotton and I’d sleep like a baby.

      “Things have been a touch hectic, but I’m going to do some breathing… erm… exercises, as soon as I’ve hung up from you. It’s written right here on my to-do list. Breathe for the count of five. Make that ten, just to be sure.” I smiled at the memory of him, hands on my shoulders, gaze fervent, as if he believed taking five deep breaths could cure anything. Crazy but sweet just the same.

      “So, what do you need from me, Clio?” Kai’s voice was calm and level, just like always, but I detected a twinge of sadness to it. As if big-city living stole the ying from his yang. Did he pine for home? For the Australian beaches and the surf culture he’d once been part of? Or just for the quiet? Fewer people, less noise, less bustle. Life pared right back to the elements.

      “I need you to meet with Ned, and tell him you’re still working for us, and that everything with the chapel is hunky-dory and safe, and we’d like you to be our guest at Cedarwood, so as not to put you out.”

      “Wow… OK. Let me see what I can do. I’m so busy right now in the lead-up to Christmas; everyone wants their jobs wrapped up. But I’ll try and get there as soon as I can, yeah?”

      Perhaps we’d get out of this situation by the skin of our teeth, just like we had so far with the other dilemmas at the lodge. I knew if Kai gave his word, he would try and make it happen, but it would obviously be up to his boss whether he could make it here or not. I crossed my fingers and tried very hard not to feel sick as worry washed over me.

      “Thanks, Kai, I really appreciate it. I can’t believe I forgot about the planning permission.” Color rose in my cheeks, remembering his express instructions, now, when it was much too late. I wondered if my subconscious was setting me up on purpose… At least Ned was allowing the brides to peek in, so that was something at least. But there was no way we could take a booking if we didn’t have approval, and the money we’d sunk into the expo would be wasted.

      He clucked his tongue. “Don’t sweat it. You can’t do everything, and not slip up occasionally. I’m fairly sure Ned has his facts wrong and you don’t need a registered builder on-site, but let’s not rock the boat. We’ll follow his orders and see if that works.”

      “Small towns, hey?”

      “Planning permissions.” He laughed and it sounded like sunshine. “They love making it hard. Big towns, small towns, doesn’t matter, something always crops up. Don’t worry, we’ll fix it.”

      I felt like Kai could fix anything. He was the sort of guy other men listened to and respected. Calmness radiated off him, and you couldn’t help nodding your head and agreeing when he spoke. I missed him, hearing his voice. Missed him roaming around Cedarwood, double-checking the work, making sure it was right. Even missed contorting my body at strange angles under the cover of darkness with him.

      “Are you getting a handle on the city?” I said, suddenly not sure I wanted the conversation to end there.

      He sighed. “Sort of. It’s just too cramped for me. There’s people everywhere, all the time. No chance of hearing myself think, not in this chaos. What did I expect, though, really? It’s San Francisco.”

      “Yeah, but it doesn’t sound like it’s your thing at all. Can’t you ask for a different job?” Kai needed to be free, outside being one with nature, away from the hustle and bustle, but I guess he didn’t have a choice. He went where the work was.

      “Gotta see it through.”

      Neither of us mentioned the kiss and it felt like it was too late now, like it would fall into the conversation chunkily, and jar.

      “Cedarwood feels so different without you, and the team. But my friend Amory is here, and Isla and Micah, so I feel like I’ve got a ready-made family, but I brace myself for them leaving too one day. I wonder if I’ll get used to goodbyes or if they’ll always break my heart just a little.”

      He remained silent for the longest time, before saying, “Goodbyes that break your heart mean at least you feel something. And that’s what counts, right? Otherwise all you feel is a certain numbness and that’s even worse…”

      Was there something upsetting Kai? Something other than city life? It struck me maybe his exit from Australia hadn’t been as simple as he’d made out. Had he left some hurt behind? I’d never questioned it before, but he’d always been cool and calm, and now his voice had an edge to it, a touch of bitterness, though he tried to disguise it.

      “Maybe a quick visit to Cedarwood will do you good,” I said softly.

      “I think it’ll do me just fine. Say hi to everyone for me.”

      When we rang off I sat for a while, gazing outside, the view stunning as ever and a balm for the soul. My mind was still going a hundred miles an hour with all the things I had to remember to finish. I still had to check in with Georges and taste-test the canapés, but for a few minutes I just sat there alone and wondered if I should try and fit some midnight yoga in tonight. Would it be the same without Kai?

       Chapter Twenty-One

      The kitchen gleamed. Georges had tidied after we’d feasted on a range of mouthwatering canapés, and hugged us before heading off, promising everything was set for the bridal expo the next day. Amory made us cups of cocoa, and topped them with marshmallows that frothed and dissolved on the surface.

      I said, “If the chapel doesn’t get approved, we can’t really take any wedding bookings in good faith, can we?” When the lodge was silent, bar its creaks and groans, reality had a tendency to come creeping in.

      Soberly, Amory replied, “It’s definitely a worry, darling. But we’ve faced greater obstacles than this. Let’s focus on getting all the paperwork

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