Secret Heirs Collection. Коллектив авторов
it just? mused Matt grimly, wondering why he’d ever thought she’d want to see him again. Right now, he had the mother of all headaches, and a belated belief that he’d made yet another mistake.
‘So, tell me,’ he said, ‘why didn’t you just let me go? If you’re so desperate to get a divorce, it would have been the simplest thing to do.’
Joanna stifled a groan. Didn’t she know it? What madness had gripped her? All she knew was that she’d revealed a side of herself she hadn’t even known existed. That Matt hadn’t known existed. And she wasn’t proud of it.
Oh, God!
With a feeling of defeat, she wrapped her arms around herself. If only she’d left for Cornwall this morning before Matt chose to come here and humiliate her again.
Matt brooded now, his brows descending over eyes as dark as midnight. ‘I simply don’t understand.’
‘I know.’ Joanna pressed her hands together. And then another thought occurred to her. ‘Anyway,’ she added, ‘you’ve taken long enough to decide you wanted to see me again.’
‘I have, haven’t I?’ Matt’s tone hardened with his words. ‘I had my reasons.’
‘Maybe there was some other woman you had to get rid of first,’ suggested Joanna, achieving an air of indifference she was far from feeling. ‘Should I be flattered that you’re here at all?’
‘Don’t try to be clever,’ said Matt wearily. ‘There is no other woman.’ He paused. ‘You can’t blame me because you lost your nerve.’
Joanna wished she had his skill in always having an answer. His ability to peel the skin from her flesh with his words left her feeling raw and exposed.
‘Anyway, I bet you were on the phone to the airport before you even had a shower!’ she retorted, seeking vindication. ‘You could have found me before now, if that’s what you’d really wanted to do.’
‘Is that what you expected?’
‘No!’ Her flush deepened, but she had to be honest. ‘Well, perhaps.’
‘Really?’ Matt suddenly recalled the phone call he’d received from Sophie with a shudder of revulsion. ‘Well, perhaps I would have done just that, but, as I said before—something came up.’
Joanna shrugged with what she hoped looked like acceptance. Not looking at him, she pulled some of the clothes out of the basket and started folding towels and underwear. ‘So what distracted you?’ she asked, unable to leave it alone. ‘If it wasn’t a woman—’
Matt’s eyes were suddenly as cold as ice chips. ‘As a matter of fact, I got a call that my father had had another stroke. Forgive me, but that news kind of took precedence over everything else.’
JOANNA’S JAW DROPPED and she stopped what she was doing to stare at him. ‘Oliver—has had another stroke?’ she echoed faintly. She had always been fond of Matt’s father. ‘I—I’m so sorry. I had no idea. How is he? Not—not—’
‘Dead?’ Matt’s voice was bitter now. ‘No, he’s still living. Barely, at the moment, but that’s more his fault than anyone else’s.’
Joanna frowned. ‘Surely he wants to get better?’
‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you?’
Matt shook his head, wondering if she deserved an explanation. He wandered over to the windows that overlooked the parking lot, staring out with unseeing eyes.
Then, when the silence in the apartment had become almost palpable, he said flatly, ‘The stroke has left him partially paralysed this time. He has little feeling in the left side of his body. He can’t dress himself or drive, which means there’s no way he can live alone, as he’s been doing while I was ill. Consequently, he can’t carry on the pretence of running NovCo.’
Joanna’s own problems were briefly diverted by his words. ‘But why would he want to? I thought you would—’
‘What?’ Matt turned to face her again, hands pushing his jacket aside to slide into the pockets of his pants, pulling the fabric taut across his groin. ‘What did you think, Joanna? That I’d be taking over again, now that I’ve recovered from the bug?’
Joanna swallowed, her eyes irresistibly drawn to the bulge beneath his zip. Forcing herself to look away, she struggled to stay focussed. ‘I—I assumed you would.’
‘Well, you were wrong.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m leaving the company. Sophie’s going to take over as CEO.’
‘Sophie!’ Joanna was staggered.
Matt shrugged. ‘She was always more interested in making money than I was, but Dad never took her seriously before. Talking to you seems to have given her the incentive to do what she wants for a change. She only got married to please my mother, but now that she and Jon have split up, and Dad’s not in a position to object, she’s getting her chance.’
Joanna could hardly believe it. Occasionally, when they’d still been together, Matt had spoken of leaving NovCo and doing something else. But she’d never believed he would.
‘I’ll maintain an interest, of course, and so will my father,’ he continued. ‘It will still mainly be a family concern. But I’ve realised I want more out of life than spending my days sitting in boardrooms, and my nights socialising with people who are only interested in me because of what they think I can do for them.’
Joanna tried to make sense of what he was saying. ‘And—and this is why your father isn’t recovering as he should?’ she asked, picking up a thong with hands that weren’t quite steady.
‘Partly.’ Matt’s eyes flickered over the scrap of lace she was holding, and Joanna thrust it back into the basket in the hope that he hadn’t seen what it was. ‘I’d warned him weeks ago, when I first got back from Venezuela, that I was considering retiring from the company,’ Matt continued, as if that little embarrassment hadn’t taken place. ‘But he didn’t believe a word of it until now.’
‘I’m sure.’ Joanna was grateful for the chance to distract him. ‘Poor Oliver.’
‘Well, I can’t take all the blame.’ Matt’s lips twisted. ‘The old man wants his independence back and it’s not going to happen. But he will improve if he listens to his doctors and the physios who are trying to help him.’
Joanna shook her head. ‘He must feel so helpless.’
‘Yeah. I guess. But once he realises I’m serious about moving down to the Bahamas, and he sees that Sophie’s doing a good job, he’ll come around.’
Joanna stared at him disbelievingly. ‘What on earth are you going to do in the Bahamas? You’ll be bored stiff.’
‘Hardly.’ Matt was impatient. ‘I’m thinking I might write a novel. Goodness knows, I’ve got plenty of ideas after recent events. But for now, I’m planning on catering to weekend yachtsmen and those who enjoy deep-sea fishing. I intend to buy a couple of franchises. It’ll be a change of pace, if nothing else.’
Joanna had to admit, she was shocked. ‘So, you’re giving up running NovCo altogether,’ she said, still trying to get her head round the idea. ‘I always thought it was your life.’
‘You were my life.’ Matt’s dark gaze was compelling. ‘When you left, I started to realise how narrow my world had become.’
‘Are you saying I did you a favour?’ she asked incredulously, and Matt gave her a scornful look.
‘It was a wake-up call,’ he answered. ‘I suppose Angus