The New Year Resolution Read Online Free Page B

but I can’t come away with you. It’s impossible.”
    Ryan blinked. Had she just turned him down?
    “Why not?” he asked, surprised.
    Most girls would jump at the chance to go away with him. In fact, he was never short of female company wherever he went. These last three months excluded, but that was only because he’d practically gone to ground.
    “Look around you,” she said, waving her arms around. “I have animals. I have a child. I can’t just get up and leave for a week.”
    A child?
    A cold shiver ran down Ryan’s spine. Nicole had a child. He looked around the room, searching for clues. There was a plastic kiddie cup and plate on the bar counter that separated the kitchen from the lounge. The cupboard underneath the TV cabinet had a safety lock on it. There was a National Geographic Kids in the magazine rack.
    “Sorry, I didn’t notice,” he said, feeling silly. Except that only made his problem worse. Vincent was expecting Nicole to show up with him. He couldn’t go alone; he wouldn’t get the contract.
    “She’s with her father in Johannesburg this weekend, which is why the house is so tidy,” explained Nicole with a wry grin. “I miss her like crazy, though.”
    Ryan was silent. He couldn’t relate. Children had never come into his orbit. The women he dated were usually too obsessed with themselves or their figures to think about kids.
    Now what was he going to do? He couldn’t ask her and her kid along. Vincent would know it was a set-up. Although it would up the sympathy factor.
    No! He banished the thought. He wasn’t going to even go there. Using a kid to further his own ambitions was beyond even him.
    “Where are you going, anyway?” asked Nicole, sipping her tea.
    “Mozambique,” replied Ryan, thinking hard. “Vincent owns a couple of villas on Medjumbe Island. It’s part of the Quirimbas Archipelago.”
    “I know it,” said Nicole longingly. “It’s a private island resort. I went to Bazaruto once with my ex-husband.”
    So she had been married before, too. Wow. Dave had certainly left a lot out in his description of her. He scratched his chin.
    “Then you know how beautiful it is,” he said slowly. “We’d have our own beach house, metres from the water, a private plunge pool, a restaurant serving delicious local cuisine—”
    “Stop!” laughed Nicole holding up her hand. “You make it sound irresistible.”
    “That’s the idea,” admitted Ryan, warming to the topic. He could see the light shining in her eyes; the same light he’d noticed when she was dancing.
    Nicole’s smile faded. “I know you need me to go with you, Ryan, but I honestly can’t. I’m sorry. You’ll have to tell Vincent I couldn’t get time off work or something.”
    “I doubt he’ll believe me,” said Ryan, chewing on his lower lip. Then he made a decision and looked up.
    “What would it take to persuade you to go with me? Anything you want, just name it? If it’s in my power to get, you can have it.”
    Nicole stared at him. Now he was trying to buy her?
    Her voice hardened. “I don’t want anything from you. Now I’ve said I can’t go, so please let’s leave it at that.”
    She glanced at her watch. Olivia would be home in a couple of hours and she still had to vacuum the bedrooms and mow the lawn. Unlike him, she lived in the real world. Vacuuming and mowing were the two things she couldn’t do while her daughter was around. “If you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot to do today before my daughter gets home.”
    Ryan put his tea cup down on the coffee table. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. Please, will you hear me out?”
    Nicole sighed. “I really don’t have time. I have to mow the lawn and—”
    “Come on, one minute?” He ran a hand through his hair. It was lovely and thick, with loose curls that flopped on top giving him a roguish appearance. “Then I’ll mow the entire lawn. I promise.” His eyes crinkled appealingly.
    Cute. Definitely cute.
    Nicole