with weed extermination programmes, soil erosion projects, and koala breeding strategies—plants, dirt and animals—meant she had minimal contact with people.
And as far as she was concerned that was a very good thing.
‘Here.’ He pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket. ‘This is the real reason I came back to the office.’
Frowning, she took it, careful not to touch him as she did so.
‘You said chocolate belonged in a class of its own and...’
He shrugged, looking a little bit embarrassed, and something inside her started to melt.
No melting!
‘I wanted to thank you for your patience with both Carla and me today.’
‘It’s—’
‘I know—it’s your job, Mia.’
Dear Lord, the way he said her name...
‘But good work should always be acknowledged. And...’ An irrepressible smile gathered at the corner of his mouth. ‘I fear more of the same will be asked of you tomorrow.’
It took a moment for his words to sink in. ‘You mean...?’
‘I mean we want you, Mia. Not Nora. I want everything associated with this wedding to be a joy for Carla. She likes you. And that’s rarer than you might think.’ He suddenly frowned. ‘How much will taking charge of this affect your traineeship? Will I be creating a problem for you there?’
He was giving her an out. If she wanted one. If...
She pulled in a breath. ‘The wedding is nine months away, right?’
He nodded.
Being Carla’s liaison wouldn’t be a full-time job. Very slowly she nodded too. ‘That leaves me plenty of time to continue with my fieldwork and studies.’
If it weren’t for Dylan she wouldn’t have a job right now or a chance to finish her traineeship. She owed him. Big-time. She made a resolution then and there to do all she could to make Carla’s wedding a spectacular success.
Her gaze rested on the chocolate bar he’d handed to her earlier. She suddenly realised how she could tacitly thank him right now. Without giving herself time to think, she ripped off the wrapper and bit into it.
‘I’m ravenous. And this is so good.’
As she’d known he would, he grinned in delight that his gift had given her pleasure. She closed her eyes to savour the soft milky creaminess, and when she opened them again she found his gaze fastened on her lips, the blue of his eyes deepening and darkening, and her stomach pitched.
She set the chocolate to the table and wiped damp palms down her trousers. ‘I... This is probably a stupid thing to raise...’
He folded his arms. ‘Out with it.’
‘I don’t believe you have any interest in me beyond that of any employer, but after what Gordon just accused me of...’
She couldn’t meet his eyes. The thing was, Gordon had recognised what she’d so desperately wanted to keep hidden—that she found Dylan attractive. Very attractive. He’d woken something inside her that she desperately wanted to put back to sleep.
‘I just want to make it clear that I’m not in the market for a relationship. Any kind of relationship—hot and heavy or fun and flirty.’
She read derision in his eyes. But before she could dissolve into a puddle of embarrassment at his feet she realised the derision was aimed at himself—not at her.
‘No relationships? Noted.’ He rolled his shoulders. ‘Mia, I have a tendency to flirt—it’s a result of the circles I move in—but it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just supposed to be a bit of harmless fun. My clients like to feel important and, as they are important to me, I like to make them feel valued. I plan celebrations, parties, and it’s my job to make the entire process as enjoyable as possible. So charm and a sense of fun have become second nature to me. If I’ve given you the wrong impression...’
‘Oh, no, you haven’t!’
‘For what it’s worth, I’m not in the market for a relationship at the moment either.’
She glanced up.
Why not?
That’s no concern of yours.
Humour flitted through his eyes. ‘But what about friendship? Do you have anything against that?’
That made her smile. People like Dylan didn’t become friends with people like her. Once the wedding was over she’d never see him again.
‘I have nothing whatsoever against friendship.’ She’d sworn never again to steal or cheat. A little white lie, though, didn’t count. Did it...?
* * *
Thierry Geroux, Carla’s fiancé, was as dark and scowling as Carla and Dylan were golden and gregarious. Mia couldn’t help but wonder what on earth Carla saw in him.
She pushed that thought away. It was none of her business.
As if he sensed the direction of her thoughts, Thierry turned his scowl on her. She wanted to tell him not to bother—that his scowls didn’t frighten her...she’d been scowled at by professionals. She didn’t, of course. She just sent him one of the bland smiles she’d become so adept at.
‘Do you have any questions, Mr Geroux?’ He’d barely spoken two words in the last hour.
‘No.’
‘None?’ Dylan double-checked, a frown creasing his brow.
‘Stop bouncing,’ Thierry said in irritation to Carla, who clung to his arm, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.
‘But, Thierry, it’s so exciting!’
Nevertheless she stopped bouncing.
Thierry turned to Dylan. ‘Carla is to have the wedding she wants. As you’re the events expert, I’m sure you have that under control.’
He ignored Mia completely. Which suited Mia just fine.
Dylan turned back to Mia. ‘There could be quite a gap between the end of the wedding ceremony and the start of the reception, while Carla and Thierry have photographs taken.’
Mia nodded. ‘It;s often the case. With it being late spring there’ll still be plenty of light left. I can organise a tour of the wildlife exhibits for those who are interested.’
‘Oh!’ Carla jumped up and down. ‘Could we do that now?’
‘Absolutely.’
The exhibits—a system of aviaries and enclosures—were sympathetically set into the natural landscape. A wooden walkway meandered through the arrangement at mid-tree height. This meant visitors could view many of the birds at eye level, practically commune with the rock wallabies sunning themselves on their craggy hillside, and look down on the wombats, echidnas and goannas in their pens.
At the heart of the wildlife walk—and the jewel in its crown—was the koala house. Set up like an enormous tree house, the wooden structure was covered on three sides to weatherproof it for visitors, with an arena opening out below full of native flora and an artfully designed pond.
The entire complex was enclosed in a huge aviary. A visitor could glance up into the trees to view the variety of colourful parrots, or along the rafters of the tree house to see the napping tawny frogmouths. Below were a myriad of walking birds, along with the occasional wallaby and echidna. But at eye-level were the koalas on their specially designed poles, where fresh eucalyptus leaves were placed daily. No wire or special glass separated man from beast—only a wooden railing and a ten-foot drop into the enclosure below.
‘I love this place,’ Carla breathed as they entered.