Tall, Dark... Collection

To pass up the chance to publish the new Liam O’Reilly book would be madness from a purely business point of view, she knew, but not to the extreme where it would damage the company. After all, they already had a number of highly successful authors.

No, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Shipley Publishing were to lose this particular novel to another publisher—it just wouldn’t make sense to anyone but herself! Not that she particularly cared about that either; she was well past the stage of explaining herself to anyone.

No, it was none of that that made her hesitate in telling Liam to go ahead and find himself another publisher…

It was the wrong construction Liam had already put on her actions—that she was in some way frightened of working with him—that caused her to balk at telling him to go, and take his manuscript with him. She already knew there was no way that history would repeat itself where the two of them were concerned!

‘That sounds suspiciously like a threat to me, Liam.’ She repeated his own words of a few minutes ago.

He shrugged. ‘That’s probably because it is one,’ he acknowledged suavely. ‘Laura—’ He sat forward, his expression intense as he glared at her across the width of the desk. ‘I would like the two of us to work together on this. Won’t you at least give it a try?’ he encouraged.

When all else fails, use the charm, Laura inwardly derided. The fact that that charm had once worked on her very effectively did not mean it would do so now!

‘Or is it that you don’t think you’re up to the job?’ he added tautingly.

Her lips curved into a humourless smile—the charm hadn’t lasted long! ‘Nice try, Liam,’ she responded. ‘But I believe I have already mentioned that after I left university I became a book editor…?’

‘So you did.’ He nodded. ‘And would that editing job have been here at Shipley Publishing?’

Laura didn’t like the mildness of his tone. ‘And if it was?’

‘Within a few months you ended up marrying the owner of the company.’

Laura stiffened resentfully. ‘I don’t think I care for the implication behind your words—’

‘What implication would that be?’ Liam prompted, again mildly.

Her mouth tightened. ‘I’m sure you’re well aware of what I’m referring to. But you know nothing about my life, Liam, either now or in the past; I suggest we leave it that way.’

‘I’m interested, that’s all.’

She gave a short laugh. ‘That interest is doing nothing to solve the immediate problem.’

‘Which is…?’

She had forgotten his habit of being deliberately obtuse when it suited him. It was just as annoying now as it had been eight years ago!

‘Agreement on an editor for you,’ she reminded him impatiently.

‘I’ve already told you my preference—’

‘And I’ve already told you it’s completely out of the question!’ she interrupted briskly.

‘It’s stalemate, then.’

She drew in a quick breath. ‘Perhaps you should take your novel to another publisher, Liam—’

‘You little coward! He stood up forcefully, glaring at her with glittering blue eyes, at once dominating the office with his sheer size.

Laura stood up too, tension in every inch of her slender body. ‘How dare you?’ She was breathing hard in her agitation.

‘How dare I?’ he repeated scathingly. ‘I’ll tell you how I dare—’

‘Laura, I— Oops!’ A confused Perry stood in the doorway, grimacing his awkwardness at having apparently interrupted a heated conversation, his brief knock obviously having passed unheard between the two adversaries.

Because that was what they were, Laura inwardly acknowledged angrily. She couldn’t even be in the same room with Liam without her hackles rising!

‘You asked me to join you at nine-thirty,’ Perry reminded her uncomfortably.

She had asked her senior editor to join them at that time because she had thought—erroneously, as it turned out!—that she and Liam might have come to some agreement about his editor by then. She had forgotten how completely unreasonable Liam could be when he wanted to be!

‘Do come in, Perry,’ she invited, forcing some of the tension from her body as she smiled welcomingly across the room at him.

‘Do not come in, Perry,’ Liam told the other man grimly. ‘I’m sure it was very nice of Laura to invite you to join us—’ he rasped his displeasure ‘—but the two of us haven’t finished talking yet,’ he added with a challenging glance in her direction.

‘Oh, I think we have, Mr O’Reilly,’ she told him just as determinedly. ‘More than finished,’ she concluded forcefully.

Liam continued to look at her for several long seconds, and then he gave a barely perceptible shrug before turning back to the younger man. ‘It appears you had better come in, after all, Perry. Although I should warn you,’ he continued softly as the younger man did exactly that, closing the door behind him, ‘some of what you might hear in the next few minutes may come as something of a surprise to you.’

Laura didn’t miss the warning in his voice—she would be being particularly stupid if she had! Well, two could play at that game!

‘I think Liam is referring to the fact that he and I knew each other several years ago,’ she told Perry smoothly, indicating that he should sit down in the chair next to the one Liam had occupied until a few minutes ago. ‘Perry already knows that, Liam,’ she said as she resumed her own seat behind the desk. ‘It was the reason I was able to recognise you at the hotel two days ago,’ she reminded him.

Liam’s mouth tightened at the memory of that meeting, and the construction—with hindsight—he had put on her behaviour. ‘Very Sherlock Holmes,’ he grated.

She held up her palms. ‘Why don’t you sit down again, Liam?’ she invited. ‘I have just finished explaining to Liam that you will make him a wonderful editor.’ She smiled warmly at Perry.

‘And I have just finished explaining to Laura,’ Liam said forcefully, making no move to resume his own seat, ‘that, wonderful as you might be—’ his mouth twisted derisively as he looked at the other man ‘—if I decide to sign a contract for Shipley Publishing to publish my book, I have already chosen my own editor.’

Laura looked at him frustratedly. He wasn’t going to budge an inch!

‘You have?’ Perry looked completely puzzled.

‘Liam is—’ Laura broke off with a frown as the telephone began to ring on her desk. She had asked Ruth to hold all her calls until after Liam had gone. Which meant that this was a call Ruth had decided couldn’t wait. ‘Excuse me,’ she murmured, and took the call, the colour draining from her cheeks as she listened.

Bobby! Oh, dear Heaven, Bobby!

‘I’ll be right there,’ she managed to choke, before slamming down the receiver and standing up. ‘I have to go,’ she told the two men distractedly, picking up her bag and hurrying over to the door.

‘Laura, whatever—?’

‘I can’t talk to you any more just now, Liam,’ she told him impatiently. ‘Don’t you understand? I have to go!’ Her beloved Bobby was hurt, needed her! He had fallen down some stairs at school, was on his way to the hospital right now.

Steely fingers gripped her upper arm, spinning her round. ‘No, I don’t understand,’ Liam ground out. ‘What on earth is wrong?’ He groaned concernedly, as his narrowed gaze took in her white face and frantic expression.

Laura shook her head. ‘I don’t have the time for this, Liam,’ she snapped. Bobby was all that was important to her now. ‘Talk to Perry or don’t talk to Perry,’ she added with impatient dismissal as Liam seemed about to protest again. ‘Take your manuscript to another publisher if that’s what you want to do.’

Liam’s hand dropped away from her arm. ‘You don’t care either way. Is that it?’ he rasped.