31 Days of Summer (31 Days #2) Read online

  ‘Oliver? Is everything ok?’

  ‘Damn it,’ Dan muttered under his breath and quickly let me go. I reached out to palm the wall, my legs had turned to jelly. I tried to catch my breath as he turned to face a seriously stunning woman. I looked back and forth between them confused. Was this his wife? Was he seriously brazen enough to flirt with me while she was here?

  ‘Oliver? Our meal is being served.’

  ‘I’ll be there in a moment mother, sorry I just ran into a friend,’ he smiled, as he shoved a hand through his dark hair. Mother? This was Dan’s mother? My God, she was simply gorgeous and looked so young, no wonder he was so good looking. I blinked rapidly as I realised she’d called him something other than Dan.

  ‘Please forgive my son, living up there away from humanity means that he’s forgotten his manners. I assume that you’re Ellie?’ she smiled, as she held out her hand.

  ‘Yes,’ I replied, feeling more confused than ever, as she shook my hand and placed her other one on top and squeezed tightly.

  ‘I can see why he’s fallen so hard for you Ellie, you’re very beautiful. Please don’t be too harsh on Oliver, he’s been harsh enough on himself for the last few years. You may think me biased as he’s my son, however I’m not afraid to say that his behaviour in the past left much to be desired, but he’s turned into a fine man and I’m proud of him for trying to do the right thing, even if he’s suffered for it. If anyone can thaw him you can.’

  ‘I’m sorry I’m feeling rather confused. You called him Oliver?’

  ‘After his Grandfather, Daniel’s his father’s name, yet he insists on calling himself Ollie much to my horror. I’m getting the infamous Davenport scowl, I’ve said too much. I hope that you can work things out and that I get to meet you again,’ she smiled and kissed me on each cheek. ‘Take your time sorting this out Oliver, this is important. I’ll eat and call James to take me home. You’ve no idea how lovely it was to meet you, Ellie.’

  ‘You too,’ I uttered, wondering what the hell was going on. She turned and headed back into the restaurant as I looked back around at Dan. He was leaning against the wall, a hand covering his lower mouth as he shook his head. ‘She called you Oliver. Oliver Daniel Davenport. You lied to me about your name as well?’

  ‘Not exactly a lie,’ he shrugged. I stepped back as it suddenly hit me and covered my own mouth in shock.

  ‘O my God. You’re not best friends with my landlord, you are my landlord. You own the island, the house, my house. You’re not Dan the woodcutter, you’re a millionaire software CEO.’

  ‘Billionaire,’ he corrected with a heavy sigh, as I looked at him in disbelief. ‘This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out. We’ll go to the bar and I’ll explain everything.’

  ‘NO!’ I snapped, if I thought he’d betrayed my trust before this hurt even worse. ‘You’ve played me and manipulated me from the moment you met me, I can’t ever trust anything that comes out of your mouth. If I hadn’t committed to a two year lease I’d tell you to shove your house, but I can’t afford anywhere else on top of your payments.’

  ‘Ellie,’ he protested as he stepped towards me.

  ‘Leave me alone,’ I hissed, as I side stepped him. ‘I don’t ever want to see you again. If you spot me in London in future walk the other way because yelling “Fuck you arsehole” ranks low on what I’ll do to you if you come near me again.’

  ‘Ellie, don’t do this, don’t walk away from me.’

  ‘I’m fleeing Dan, as fast as I damn well can. Or is it Ollie, or Oliver, or Sir? I really have no idea who you are, do I?’ I asked, as I shook my head in disbelief.

  ‘You know who I am to you. I’m the guy you fell in love with, I’m the guy you’re still in love with. I’m the guy you’re meant to be with.’

  ‘No!’ I retorted with a glare. ‘You’re not the guy I fell in love with, I fell in love with Dan and he doesn’t even exist.’

  ‘My name and job may be different Ellie, but it’s still me on the inside. Damn it woman, I don’t beg anyone, people do as I ask. I’ll carry you over my shoulder into that bar if I have to.’

  ‘Then you’d better chalk me up as the one that didn’t follow orders and if you touch me I’ll scream the place down. Get the hell away from me and stay away,’ I snapped, fury pumping through my veins. I thought Matt’s betrayal had hurt, it was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling now.

  ‘Thank God, Ellie. I was starting to get worried about you. I’ve been waiting to eat our dessert for ages.’ I turned to see Tom approaching. Christ could this get any more complicated?

  ‘Sorry Tom. I bumped into … someone I used to know.’ I managed to summon an apologetic smile, while on the inside I was shaking with anger.

  ‘Mr. Davenport,’ Tom gasped, then smiled as he recovered his composure. ‘A pleasure to see you again.’ He stepped forwards to shake Dan’s hand. What the hell was going on? Tom knew Dan? I kept thinking of him as Dan, but he wasn’t Dan, he was Oliver.

  ‘Tom, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, Sir. I interviewed you for part of my journalism thesis, quite a few years ago. You have an excellent memory.’

  ‘Just one of my talents,’ Dan smiled, with a knowing look at me.

  ‘Yes, well you don’t get to where you are without plenty of those. I’d heard you’d left the country and taken a back seat in Davenport Technologies.’

  ‘Then you heard wrong, I can still manage my company from anywhere I choose. Please excuse me, I accompanied my mother to dinner and I’ve neglected her while I caught up with Miss Baxter.’

  ‘So I have you to blame for ruining my date,’ Tom laughed as I cringed.

  ‘And how is it going do you think?’ Dan asked and raised his eyebrows as I narrowed my eyes at him.

  ‘Really well thank you, other than her having been missing for ages. We have a lot in common. You wouldn’t believe how long it took to convince her to see me, but she was worth the wait,’ Tom turned to smile at me, while Dan glared behind his back.

  ‘Actually Tom, it’s a date I’d like to continue. As we’re already paid up shall we head back to your house?’ I suggested and heard both men inhale, shocked.

  ‘But … our dessert?’ Tom uttered, as he looked at me in amazement.

  ‘Trust me, I’m very sweet,’ I smiled, as I started walking towards the revolving door.

  ‘Ellie,’ Dan growled, as he strode to catch me up and caught my arm. ‘We were going to have that discussion in the bar. I don’t offer a package like this to everyone. It’s an exclusive limited deal, so if you’re courting offers from elsewhere I won’t be coming down to London with this offer for you ever again. It’s now or never.’

  ‘I’ve already considered your offer and I’m afraid it’s not in my best interests,’ I replied as I held his determined gaze and let him see that I was done with him. Who did he think he was? Ordering me to deal with him or he’d walk away? Well I was going to walk away, and he’d have to deal and soak up all that guilt over his despicable behaviour. ‘What you propose offers far too much risk. Given my past track record and poor judgement, I’ll stick with safe stocks from now on thank you. Goodbye, Mr. Davenport,’ I added with a trembling voice. His face fell and he swallowed hard as his eyelids blinked rapidly, while he still held my arm.

  ‘I truly believe that you’ll live to regret that decision, but as you wish. Goodbye, Miss Baxter. It was a pleasure, as always.’ He dropped his hand and I felt Tom take mine and this time didn’t avoid him staking his claim. If Dan really was sincere about wanting me, I wanted to hurt him, to let him feel how I had when I’d heard he was married.

  ‘Goodbye, Sir. Nice to see you again.’

  ‘You too, Tom. Please look after her, she’s a very special lady.’

  ‘I think so,’ Tom replied and leaned in and took me by surprise with a kiss on the lips. He jerked his head back in surprise as an audible growl came from Dan’s throat. What was with all the male testosterone and posturing? I cast one l
ast look at Dan to see his eyes were dark, there was a deep crease in his forehead, his jaw was clenched and his hands were bunched in fists at his side. He really was jealous. He was still as complex as ever, I was better off without him, no matter how much my heart said to stay and hear him out. He spun on his heels and walked away, back to the restaurant, as Tom ushered me outside and straight into a taxi. I felt so sick and confused. Was anything Dan had told me the truth? He’d gone out of his way to not show off his wealth. He’d ensured that I lived in his stunning house, at a ridiculously low rent, without even saying it was his, or trying to earn brownie points for it. My mind was simply spinning and all I knew was that I wanted to cry again. Part of me wanted to slap Dan for what he’d put me through, part of me longed to be beneath him again, to feel his lips caressing mine, his body weight smothering me, making me feel safe as he took me back to heights I knew I’d never achieve with anyone else. Tom obviously sensed my need to be alone with my thoughts for a while and we were halfway across London before he finally spoke. ‘So how do you know Mr. Davenport?’

  ‘He’s … he’s my landlord,’ I shrugged, not wanting to divulge our history.

  ‘I can’t believe I’ve seen him. He’s been incognito since the accident, rarely spotted in London now. If I was still in journalism that small meeting would have been headline news tomorrow.’

  ‘What accident?’ I asked, as I broke my concentration stare out of the window and turned to face him.

  ‘You don’t know? It was major news back when it happened, he virtually disappeared overnight and pictures of him miraculously vanished. He became a ghost.’

  ‘What accident?’ I repeated.

  ‘Rumour has it that he got married and the day after he was in a car accident somewhere in Scotland with his wife. Apparently he was pretty banged up for a few months, but she didn’t make it.’

  ‘His wife died?’ I whispered, sickness clawing its way up my throat. I tried desperately to remember what hurtful things I might have said in my answer machine rant when I found out he was married, and all along he was a widow? Why hadn’t he just told me that? Why would he think I’d react so badly to that?

  ‘That’s what I heard. He went from the most notorious bachelor in London, renowned for bedding women and leaving them after a couple of days, to suddenly getting married and leaving the social scene. Apparently he was driving at the time of the accident. I guess the guilt got to him and made him change his ways. Damned decent bloke, womanising aside. Amazing reputation for fairness in his business dealings and a seriously low turnover of staff. Everyone who works at Davenport Technologies says it’s an amazing place to work with very generous packages. I should have gone into IT instead of journalism.’

  ‘You really think he’s an honest man?’

  ‘I think so and rumour on the street agrees. Even in his womanising days he was always upfront that he wasn’t available.’

  ‘Did he inherit the business?’ I asked, trying to comprehend how someone as young as Dan could be so wealthy.

  ‘No,’ Tom uttered with a look of mortification at me. ‘He’s completely self-made. I think he’s one of the richest men in the United Kingdom, possibly the world. He used to put a lot of hours in, a serious workaholic, it was a nightmare to schedule an appointment with him. He worked hard and played hard. He must have some serious server network wherever he lives to run his empire from.’

  ‘I’ll bet,’ I sighed as I thought of the locked room in the house. So that was what he was doing when he claimed to be busy, he was working. That’s why Pete looked so confused when I asked about Dan’s boss. He didn’t have one, he was the boss and he was working while he wasn’t being distracted by me. It didn’t explain why he’d lied about his name, or his marital status if his wife was dead, or why he was so insistent on us not having a relationship, let alone where he went every day, but I suddenly felt bad for not giving him the chance to explain. It appeared that there were reasons he did what he did. Maybe he really was sincere about his feelings, his actions when Tom kissed me certainly seemed to back that up. I loved him, no matter what I’d thought of his deception and behaviour I still loved him, even before I got this semi-explanation. Was I really prepared to ignore that and give up on something before we’d had a chance to see if it really could be something? I made my mind up instantly. ‘Tom, I’m so sorry, but do you mind if we cut this short? I think I’ve been too hasty rejecting Mr. Davenport’s offer. I’d like to go back and see if I can catch him.’

  ‘O, right.’ He sounded disappointed, why wouldn’t he be? I’d pretty much indicated we were going back to his for sex, now I was dumping him for what he thought was a stocks meeting. ‘Would you like me to come with you? I could wait out of earshot if you don’t want your finances being discussed with me there.’

  ‘No honestly, I’ll be fine, besides I’ve no idea how long the meeting would take and it’s unfair to ruin your Sunday afternoon,’ I smiled, as I asked the taxi driver to turn around. I rapped my hand on my knee as we headed back to the hotel, unsure of my emotions, they were so messed up. We remained silent on the journey back, me trying to picture how my discussion with Dan was going to go, Tom probably pissed at my despicable behaviour. ‘Tom, I’m sorry to cut this short, I had a really nice time. I’m back in the office on Wednesday, I’ll see you then.’ I kissed him quickly on the cheek and leapt out of the taxi and virtually ran inside. I couldn’t wait any longer, I wanted to know everything. I tried to take a few slow breathes to calm down, my heart was racing crazily.

  ‘Can I help you, Madam?’ smiled the Maître d’ as I approached the restaurant doors.

  ‘I was here earlier and bumped into my friend Dan … sorry, Oliver Davenport. He was eating with his mother. I wondered if you could pass him the message that Ellie Baxter is waiting in the bar and would like to speak to him.’

  ‘I’m afraid he left about ten minutes ago.’

  ‘Left?’ I felt my heart sink.

  ‘Yes, Madam. His driver picked him up outside.’

  ‘O, right. Well thank you.’ I managed a polite smile as I walked with a heavy heart back to the exit and the doorman immediately opened a taxi door for me and helped me in. I remained silent all the way home, to his home, my mind racing. I had so many questions, so many things that didn’t make sense and only Dan could answer them and I’d just blown it. I didn’t even have his number anymore, I’d deleted it in a fit of temper, along with his email address.

  ‘Damn it Ellie, I really thought you’d be going back to Tom’s and shagging like rabbit’s, what more do I have to do?’ Brooke moaned, as I headed up to the lounge and found the two of them curled up watching a film. ‘You’ll never get over him if you don’t screw him out of your system.’

  ‘You’re not going to believe what happened,’ I sighed as I pulled off my black heels and tucked my legs up on the large sofa and filled them in.

  ‘He’s a billionaire?’ Brooke uttered for about the fourteenth time.

  ‘Yes, but that’s not the issue Brooke. I fell in love with Dan the wood cutter, not Oliver the CEO.’

  ‘They’re both parts of his personality babe and if his wife was killed in an accident and if he blames himself, some of what he did makes sense. He was protecting his identity while he mourned her. He obviously didn’t expect to fall for you.’

  ‘There still so much unanswered though.’

  ‘So, book a few days off and go up there and get the truth. You haven’t had any time off since you were promoted and you’re going to drive yourself even more crazy than when you left Scotland if you don’t get answers.’

  ‘She’s right, Ellie. If he can give you a reasonable explanation maybe you can try a relationship. I mean you still love the guy right? In spite of what he did and what you thought?’

  ‘You make it sound so easy,’ I sighed, avoiding her questions, I didn’t want them to think I was crazy for still caring for him like that.

  ‘It is. Book a hotel and flight, go an
d see him and listen to what he has to say. You’ll either be pissed off with the answer and it will close the door on another disaster, or you could end up with the guy you’re still obviously madly in love with and have simply amazing sex for the rest of your life, as well as be bought loads of expensive gifts,’ winked Brooke and I laughed and hit her with one of Dan’s expensive cashmere cushions.

  Day Two

  Friday 4th July ~ Year One

  Ellie

  I arrived back in Scotland at the tiny airport Friday evening and blew out a deep breath. I must be crazy. I’d not been able to contact Dan, for all I knew he wasn’t even back, or maybe he was in one of his other properties, like his main home in San Francisco. The boathouse was showing as booked for the next few months, so I’d splashed out and booked a room at the Spa Hotel on the loch and had a return flight on Wednesday evening. If Dan wasn’t here, then for the next five days I’d need something to do to keep me occupied, other than adding the last finishing touches to the novel I finally finished. Maybe being back in Scotland, where I’d started it, would give me the momentum I needed to read it again and revise and fine tune, before letting one of the other editors test it out for me. I headed out with my small case and was surprised to see a chauffeur holding a sign with my name.

  ‘Miss Baxter, I assume?’ he smiled as I approached him.

  ‘Yes, but I don’t understand. I didn’t organise for a chauffeur, I was going to get a taxi.’

  ‘All part of the hotel service,’ he smiled as he took my case for me, reminding me of my first meeting with Dan. This time, however, there was no sexual chemistry.

  ‘You do this for all guests?’ I asked as I walked alongside him.

  ‘No, just the VIPs.’

  ‘I’m hardly a VIP,’ I laughed. ‘This is my first visit to the hotel.’

  ‘I can’t comment Miss Baxter, just following orders,’ he replied, as we stepped outside. It was a total contrast to the last time I’d arrived. The temperature was in the early eighty degrees, which for the UK was positively balmy. I stripped off my jacket and raised my eyebrows as he led me to a black Mercedes.