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“I suppose. But then—” I stop as a shadow falls over the table. I look up, and my heart skips a beat at the sight of Spencer Cavendish standing there like a stone monolith—tall and imposing. He’s wearing chinos, so he looks more casual than the last time I saw him in a suit, but he still has a shirt and tie. Does he wear one in bed?
Orson is still talking to Kingi and the other guy, and he’s standing with his back to us, so he hasn’t seen his father. Spencer’s blue eyes are cold, and my mouth goes dry.
“Ms. Stone,” he says.
“Mr. Cavendish,” I say in a similar cool tone.
“I understand you managed to persuade Orson to pay an extra two and a half million for the Waiora,” he states. He tips his head to the side. “Now how did you manage that, I wonder?”
I meet his eyes. It’s the second time someone’s implied that I slept with Orson purely to get him to raise his bid, and I get to my feet, feeling a rare surge of anger. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Marama reach across and tug Orson’s T-shirt. He looks over his shoulder and sees us, and immediately turns and walks across to us.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Nothing,” Spencer states. “Ms. Stone here was just about to reveal the truth about what she did to get her extra two and a half million dollars.”
Orson’s eyes flare, and he inhales, clearly with the intention of exploding. Before he can do that, though, I say, “I overheard you, you know.”
Spencer frowns. “What do you mean?”
“When you came to the commune,” I tell him. “I was in the house. I overheard everything.”
Orson opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
The music is still playing, and around us the sound of laughter and conversation continues. But at the table there’s an icy silence.
Orson looks from his father to me and back again. “What does she mean? When did you go to the commune?”
Spencer’s brows draw together, but he doesn’t reply.
“It was just after Christmas,” I say.
“Before your mother died?” Orson asks.
I nod. “You want to talk about the truth,” I say hotly to Spencer, unable to keep my anger suppressed any more. “Tell him why you came to Kahukura. Tell him what you said.”
But Spencer doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns on his heel, walks away, and disappears inside the building.
Chapter Twenty
Orson
I stare at my father’s back, then turn to Scarlett. Her eyes are blazing, but she swallows hard as she focuses on me.
“What the hell was that about?” I demand.
Kingi and Marama hover. They obviously overheard Scarlett’s conversation with my dad and are probably unsure as to whether to give us privacy or not. Scarlett glances at them. Her anger fades and she looks suddenly worried.
I’ve never seen Dad walk away from someone like that. He always has to have the last word, and he wins every argument I’ve ever seen him have. His reaction is therefore completely unprecedented.
She chews her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I lost my temper, that’s all. I don’t want to spoil the party.”
“It’s all right,” Kingi says, “we’ll leave you to it. Come on, Marama, we’ll get a drink.” Marama shoots Scarlett a sympathetic glance, then follows him over to the bar.
I sit and gesture for Scarlett to do the same.
“What’s going on?” I ask, giving her a direct look.
She studies the table for a moment. Then she lifts her gaze to mine again. “Have you seen The Matrix?”