Page 69 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

She wasn’t the kind of woman a man like him would settle with even if hediddecide to settle some time. He’d go for some model-type or a celebrity. She’d seen the girlfriends his brother George had had—he was always in the online gossip columns with yet another model or actress or singer. Or maybe Jack would go for an ultra-brainy, Girl Friday travelling type...

Either way, she wasn’t it.

But in her heart there was that whispering temptation, that bewitching fantasy. If he asked she’d drop everything and run off with him. She’d follow him to the four corners of the world in a heartbeat.

And shehatedthat weakness within herself.

She couldn’t be the kind of woman who dropped everything for a new man. She couldn’t do what her mother had done. She hadn’t cared enough to stick around and help her own children. Not even when Dan had been so unwell. And that hurt. She could never shirk her responsibilities in that way. Or give up her own career for something that wasn’t even love.

And she couldn’t leave Australia anyway because Dan needed her. Until he was happier and more sorted she had to be there for him.

And she had to know he was okay now. If only her stupid phone battery had lasted another couple of hours...

The driver’s door suddenly opened and Jack got into the car.

‘That was quick,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’

He didn’t look okay. His face was pale and his jaw was tight and he was staring ahead. Too determinedlynotlooking at her.

He put the key in the ignition and started the car, yanked his seatbelt on and pulled out of the car park.

‘Jack?’ Stephanie scrambled to put on her own seatbelt. Then, curling her suddenly clammy hands into fists on her lap, she sent him a sideways look. ‘You don’t want to talk about it?’

‘As much asyouwant to talk about your invalid brother.’

She froze. He knew about Dan? Since when? Had he been waiting all this time for her to mention it?

‘How do you know?’ she asked.

‘Tara called.’

Tarahad told him about Dan? Why would she have done that when Stephanie had gone to such lengths to ensure hedidn’tknow?

She stared down at her dead phone, a horrible cold feeling seeping under her skin.

Jack tossed his phone into her lap. ‘You’d better call her.’

Her heart went from zero to three hundred in a split second. Her stomach roiled. But she picked up his phone and tapped in Tara’s number.

‘Steffi?’ Tara asked as soon as she answered.

‘What’s happened?’ Stephanie could barely speak her throat was so constricted. ‘Is he okay?’

‘I don’t know.’ Tara sounded near to tears. ‘I can’t get hold of him. He’s not answering the phone. Not answering the door... I’m here right now and he won’t answer. Shall I get the building caretaker to open up?’

‘When did you last see him?’

‘Lunchtime yesterday,’ Tara mumbled.

‘But when you texted last night you said he was fine.’ Stephanie couldn’t understand it. ‘Didn’t you see him?’

Dan hadn’t replied to a single one of the texts she’d sent him.

‘I thought it would do him some good to see how much he takes you for granted...’

‘You left himalone?’ Stephanie snapped. ‘You know he’s not... he’s not...’

He couldn’t cope with being alone. Not for that long.

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