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Neil’s announcement took me by surprise. Not the trip to Singapore itself, but that he wanted me to go with him.
“I had a call from Daniel this afternoon,” Neil explained. He stood by the window which overlooked the harbour, his hands clasped behind him in a businesslike manner. “The shareholder meeting is later this month, and he wants me to present a financial update on Luxmore.”
“And you want me to come with you?” I asked, still processing the news, trying to get my facts straight.
“Yes.”
I thought of Daniel, his sallow skin, his beady little eyes. A creepy-crawly sensation took over my body, Neil’s warnings ringing in my head.
He has self-control issues around attractive young women… He’s dangerous…
“I thought you wanted me to stay away from Daniel and all this business going on in Singapore.”
Neil clenched his jaw. “Believe me, I do want you to stay away from him, but not taking you would look suspicious. Christine always joined me on business trips, and that has set a precedent. Daniel will expect you to come. If you don’t, he’ll think I’m shielding you from him, and that will only increase his interest in you.”
I struggled to wrap my head around the ensuing mind games, but I trusted Neil’s analysis of the situation.
He let go of his hands and faced me front on. “I also don’t like the thought of leaving you alone while I’m gone.”
My heart twinged. I tried to keep my cool. “I’m sure I could manage.”
“I’d prefer to keep an eye on you. Not because I don’t think you could manage. It’s other people I don’t trust.”
My crush-addled brain struggled to interpret his protectiveness as anything but affectionate. “Will anyone else from Luxmore come?” I asked.
“Not this time. Just you and me. Is your passport up to date?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good.”
It was starting to sink in. A business trip to Singapore with Neil. Just us two. What would it be like? “I’ve never been to Singapore,” I said. “The only countries I’ve been to outside New Zealand are Australia and Fiji.”
“I’m afraid there won’t be much time for sightseeing.”
I huffed. “I know that.”
“Book the flights and accommodation on Monday. I want to get this locked in.”
I whipped my phone out to enter the task into my to-do list. “Got it.”
“That’s enough work chat for tonight. Shall we finish up here? Do you want to see the gym?”
“There’s a gym? In this building?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, I use a different gym, so we won’t run in to each other working out.”
Pity.
Just like that, my attention swung back to the apartment building and the prospect that soon, Neil and I would be living under the same roof.
At work on Monday, I had the plane tickets for Singapore up on my screen, all ready to be booked in, when I suddenly felt like I was forgetting something. It niggled at the back of my brain until I checked my diary, flicking to the pages of the week in question. There it was, spelled out in capital letters and underlined:
Nicole’s Wedding.
I winced. It had completely slipped my mind. I double-checked the dates, hoping I was mistaken, but no. The wedding was on the twenty-first of September, when I was supposed to be in Singapore. I slammed the diary closed with a huff of frustration.
My first thought was that I’d rather go on the business trip. My second thought was that it would be rude to pull out of the wedding at such late notice. I leaned back in my chair with my hands behind my head and groaned.
