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He lifts his head, ignoring the others, and murmurs to me, “We’ll finish these drinks, then head off, I think.” His eyes glitter in the candlelight.
“Okay,” I say into his ear. “I’m very tired. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
He’s getting the hang of my sense of humor now, though, because he just smirks.
It takes us another half an hour to finish our drinks, collect our stuff, and say goodbye. Everyone comes to give us a hug and kiss. Koro and Kuia are the last, and they give me a kiss and then Mack a big hug.
“You take care now,” Koro says fiercely. “Don’t be a stranger. And don’t work too hard.”
“I won’t,” Mack promises, giving my hand a squeeze down by our sides.
“You keep him busy,” Kuia tells me, “keep him out of the office.”
“I’ll do my best,” I promise with a smile.
“It was lovely to meet you,” she says. “I’ve never seen him smile so much. You’re obviously good for him.”
Mack rolls his eyes and puts Gus in the back of the car, then gets in, and I laugh and slide into the back beside him.
Jamie and Emma are with us, and they’re also going to be staying at the hotel. Jamie starts the car, and we all wave as he reverses out, then heads up the road.
“Jesus,” Mack says, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t expect them to be quite so interested in you.”
“It’s fine. I had a lovely time. And it’s a wonderful house and location.”
“I can’t imagine waking up every morning with that view,” Emma says. “Not that ours is bad!”
“Do you think you’ll always live in the city?” I ask Mack.
“I don’t know. I used to think so, but…” He trails off and looks out of the window.
Jamie glances at him in the rear-view mirror, then smiles at me, before looking back at the road.
“Have you got a busy week ahead?” Emma asks Mack.
“Yeah. We need to finalize a project by Friday, so it’s all systems go when we get back to the office.”
“What are you working on?” I ask.
“A new microprocessor.”
Once again, Jamie glances at him and frowns. I have a feeling Mack isn’t telling me something. I know he’s working with Elizabeth, and he told me she owns MediTechNZ. Is it something medical? I think about the invitation in his rubbish bin, and his nomination for the MacDiarmid Award. Clearly it’s some kind of secret project, and he doesn’t know me well enough yet to reveal it.
Well, that’s okay. We’ve only been on a couple of dates, even though he invited me to his family home. And I haven’t forgotten that I was sent to spy on him. He’s been exceptionally forgiving. I’m not going to complain if he doesn’t quite feel ready to divulge all his business secrets yet.
Chapter Seventeen
Sidnie
It turns out to be a thirty-minute drive to a hotel near Paihia in the Bay of Islands. I hadn’t expected we’d go that far, but when Jamie pulls up out the front, I can see why Mack decided to come here. It’s small but exclusive, the units overlooking a selection of hot pools, and then beyond them the Bay, the ocean sparkling in the moonlight.
“I’m amazed you got two rooms,” I say as we retrieve our bags. “I thought everywhere was booked at this time of year.”
“Mack knows the owner,” Jamie says. “He was able to shuffle some bookings around and make space.”
“And Gus is welcome here?”
“Yeah, Mack will make it worth his while.”
