Page 74 of Masquerade

CHAPTER TWELVE

The sensation Liamhad kicked a puppy took root.

“George talked about putting out a press releasesometime.” He’d been too focused on getting the Greentree Passage deal signed to think about the partnership.

“Sometime was today.” She set her flute down with a tiny snap. “The commentators had a copy. They mentioned your partnership along with the news that Clelland’s is nailing its flag to the mast of environmental law.”

“I didn’t know.” Although indifference to the press release was a poor excuse when she was hurting.

“But you did accept the partnership?” She inclined her head.

“I joined Clelland’s with the aim of getting a partnership. I thought it’d be in intellectual property law.” Liam had made no secret of wanting a partnership from the very beginning. He’d thrown a tantrum over the Genosearch involvement because the billboard might stuff up his chance. He’d made it sound like the most important part of this exercise, then he hadn’t told her.

“This is better?” Her smile was tentative.

“I’d have done this job without the offer of a partnership.” Liam admitted. The permanent search for every dollar had eased since Niall had told him what a feckin fool he’d been to keep their dad’s bankruptcy to himself and had laid out some different financial options. “George is a good boss.”

“He’s open-minded, not as common a quality as you’d hope for in a senior lawyer.” Her mouth twisted.

Insight followed her words, and Liam cursed himself for a fool. Her dislike of suits, stuffy apartments and lawyers with closed minds was connected to the photos he’d seen of her alongside Andrew Levin. He’d heard rumours Levin didn’t handle rejection well. Levin could well be behind her statement about one person’s lie being another person’s self-protection.

“Do I still have a job?” She asked a question she shouldn’t have to ask.

“Yes. Crap. I’m sorry. The day changed in ways and at a speed I didn’t anticipate.” He covered her hand on the table and breathed more easily when she turned hers over to link her fingers with his. “Your opinion on how I’ve handled this project counts for more than the Premier’s or any of those so-called experts.”

“Congratulations again.” Shadows still clouded her eyes.

The waiter delivered their plates. She chatted about the unusual combination of flavours and entertained him with made-up stories about the other diners. The sense he’d created a gulf between them nagged at him. She’d been with him on this project from the first, yet she’d learned about the breakthrough and his partnership from a newsreel.

Walking home, he circled back to the subject, consciously sharing his thoughts with her.

“The announcement is a coup, but there’s still a gap between words and actions.” With Daniel Elliott stood down, Selina had disappeared, but Liam didn’t trust Futureproof Mining to give up without some other sneaky attack. “I won’t be completely happy until the draft legislation is finalised and passes the lower house.”

“You’re confident of getting the votes in the upper house?”

“Based on past voting habits and the stink of scandal around this one, I think it’s a certainty. The Minister is slippery as hell and could build in some get-out-of-gaol clauses for future use, unless we work closely on drafting the bill.”

“Sounds like a lot of long days in your immediate future.” She halted, and turned to him, the half-light obscuring her face.

“Goes with the territory. Is that a problem for you?” His gut clenched.

“No, that works for me. I need to go to the cottage tomorrow night for the weekend.”

He clamped his jaw shut to stop from yelling no.

“I accepted a small job from an existing client weeks ago, didn’t expect it to be a problem, but I need alone time to deliver.” She sounded guilty.

He closed his eyes, old demons firing off darts to shake his certainty in what he and Kate shared.

Is this what no commitments is like? I don’t make the time to call her before the press conference? She doesn’t fill me in on Andrew Levin’s role in her life?

“I’ve let everything slip, working on this project.” She clasped her hands together.

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