Christmas Belles (Gillies Ridge)

Chapter 11

T HEY were waiting for her at the café.

She smoothed the skirt of her suit and strode forward. “Richard, Mr and Mrs Buchanan. Thank you for meeting me at such short notice.”

The father and son stood. She could see where Richard got his looks. The were both handsome men who carried themselves with the confidence of men who knew their worth.

Richard held out a chair for her.

She smiled coolly. “Thank you.”

She’d chosen the time and location of the meeting with care. Midafternoon. In a place of her choosing. And as far away from the Buchanan’s club as she could get.

Howards Wharf boasted a selection of casual chic restaurants and cafes where the upwardly mobile of the city hung out. From its inception the precinct had proved a hit, and Rika was proud of their part in the development project.

Along the boardwalk were several luxury living complexes that showed off her daughters’ talents. While Rika’s job was to oversee the compliance of their projects, she happily left the design aspects to her daughters.

The choice of location for their meeting would not be lost on the Buchanans.

Richard’s gaze was cool as he met hers. “You left without saying goodbye,” he said quietly.

Again.

The word hung between them like an accusation. “I had things to do,” she said. “A business to run.”

“You weren’t at work. I checked.”

Her gaze locked with his. “What made you think you needed to check up on me? We finished what we started.”

She realised they were still standing, and that they were drawing the attention of other diners.

She sat down and reached for the jug of water at the same time Richard did. His hand brushed against hers, the heat of his touch sparking a matching heat in her lower regions.

So much for itch-scratching.

She pulled her hand away and fought down the telltale blush. “I asked you here today,” she started, after waiting for Richard to take his chair beside her, “Because we have business to discuss.”

To her surprise it was Hubs, not Gaynor, who replied. “About the article in the paper this morning. My wife has something to say about that.”

The Buchanan males wore matching grim expressions as they waited for Gaynor Buchanan to speak. The woman who had caused so much pain without a qualm suddenly looked old and a little unsure of herself as she looked from her husband to her son and, finally, at Rika.

“About the article—”

Rika forced her hands to relax around her glass as she interrupted her. “My team are dealing with that. It’s not why I’ve asked you here.”

All three Buchanans looked at her, but it was Richard’s gaze that locked with hers. For the first time she had trouble reading his expression. Gone was the tender man who had feathered kisses down her body.

She needed to be careful. Her future and the future of Belle Corporation depended on the next twenty minutes.

No room for emotion .

“You attended The Belle Foundation Charity Auction two days ago with a generous donation.” The storm grey of his eyes deepened. “A bottle of whiskey that my mother named after me. I’d like to buy the remaining bottles which I believe you now own.”

“The Erika Whiskey’s not for sale.”

First round to Richard. But she’d come prepared for that.

“In that case, I’d like you to gift them to me.”

“I’ve heard enough.” It was Gaynor who spoke, as Rika knew she would. “You are taking advantage of my son’s kind nature, just as you did when you were teenagers.”

Rika let the woman’s words sit. For the first time that day she felt calm. Whatever happened now was out of her hands.

She watched Richard’s gaze swing to his mother, but Gaynor’s eyes were on Rika. She was a smart woman, but Rika had just outsmarted her, and they both knew it. The secret Rika had honoured for thirty years was out in the open. And the woman who Gaynor’s silent threat would have hurt the most was now deceased.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

If Rika’s daughters took up their inheritance, then this woman still had the power to destroy them.

She hardened her resolve.

And waited.

This was business, and business was what she was good at.

This thing ended here and now. One way or the other. And it was up to the Buchanans how that played out.

It was Hubs who broke the silence. He looked from his son to Rika and back again. “I’m guessing I know what this is about, and if I’m correct, then my family owes you far more than a few bottles of whiskey. I, for one, am happy for you to take back your namesake whiskey. I won’t do you the dishonour of gifting it to you because I’m guessing you never willing gave it away in the first place.” He pushed back his chair and held his hand out to his wife. “It’s time for us to go, my dear.”

Gaynor Buchanan looked like she wanted to stay and argue but one look at her husband’s face and she changed her mind. Without a word to Rika or her son, she allowed her husband to help her to her feet.

“I’m going to take my wife back to our hotel, Son. I trust you know how to handle this...matter.”

Richard nodded as they watched his parents leave.

“Well played,” he said.

“It wasn’t a game. My daughters’ futures are at stake. Gaynor ran me out of town once with her threats. I’m not about to let her do it to my daughters.”

“How did you know it was my mother behind the take-over bid? That it was her who tipped off the media?”

“Who else would want Belle’s Distillery so badly they were prepared to destroy our relationship a second time? The only person I could think of was Gaynor. What I don’t understand is why.”

“I think I can help you out there. Our mothers were best friends. After your father left it was only natural for Jacqueline to turn to my mother for advice. Instead, my mother offered her money.”

“My mother borrowed money off the Buchanans? She would never do that. The Belle stubborn would never let her.”

“I’m afraid she did. My mother still has the Bill of Sale for the Erica Whiskey.”

“Even now she thinks I’m not good enough for you.”

“The first I knew of it was this morning, the same as you. But yes, she’s been buying up shares for years.”

“She won’t interfere again. Hubs will see to that. He should have dealt with it years ago.”

“What happens to Belle’s Distillery if your mother is a major shareholder?”

“If she sells her stake, another bidder will step in. Your mother’s distillery is vulnerable to take-over.”

“The girls could still lose their inheritance.”

“Let’s not buy trouble. Something tells me your daughters are made of sterner stuff. I’m more interested in us. Is there still an us, Freddy? Or are we going to let our mothers’ mistakes take away our second chance?”