Page 29 of Hidden Gem
Malcolm turned his attention to the crumbled papers in Jason’s hand. “Whatcha got there?”
Jason shrugged as casually as possible. “Research.”
Not satisfied, Malcolm snatched the papers, unfolded them and read. Jason should have known better than to try to mislead the guy. Despite his slow waddle and boring stories, Malcolm missed nothing.
“Two mystery ladies,” he mused. “Someone from Saturday night?”
“Yes. Did you happen to see the lady I was talking to?”
“The one with the curls and curves?”
“That’s the one,” Jason croaked and quickly cleared his throat. Great. Now he sounded like he was sporting a partial at work.
Malcolm belted out a hearty laugh, his belly shaking from the vibration. “Good to see you looking alive, my man! I’ve been worried about you.”
“Thanks.”
“She was a fine-looking woman,” Malcolm concluded, slapping him on the back like he’d announced an engagement. “Having trouble locating her?”
“Yes. Do you know who she came with?”
“No, sorry. I only noticed her at the end of the night. She was by herself, until you stepped in, of course. I directed Kathleen elsewhere, though. She had her eye on you two and I thought you might appreciate a bit of privacy.”
“Thank you.”
Jason smiled. Malcolm was on his side, personally and professionally, a rare guy willing to push for changes which could hurt his personal investments. For the next generation, he often said – the man had four children and twelve grandchildren.
After making loose plans to go fishing one weekend, Malcolm made for the door. “Hope you find her!”
As the door closed behind him, Jason opened his calendar app. Could he make it to Auckland this weekend?
In answer to his question, his email pinged, signalling a Priority one message from the Prime Minister. Jason waded through the formalities to get to the crux of the message. There it was. ‘Jason, could you please go to Hamilton this weekend and take over the Peacocke development visit? Kathleen is required at an urgent press conference on the media sector support.’
An urgent press conference? Jason read on, trying to figure out what had happened. It wasn’t on the page, but he guessed someone had leaked details of the proposed arts funding cuts to the media, sending local media outlets – the ones losing out – on a warpath. Kathleen would have to diffuse the situation and put any rumours to rest. Jason felt for her but couldn’t help the surge of adrenaline. Peacocke was an unbeatable media opportunity – a chance to pose in front of New Zealand’s first 3D printed family homes. Fast and affordable, the new technology offered a glimpse of a brighter future. Kathleen must have been kicking herself for the schedule clash.
Jason stared at the sticky note with the Auckland address. His desire to find Beatrice had only intensified in the last two weeks, but he had to be patient.
Jason took a deep breath and typed his reply. ‘I’m on it. Will fly out tomorrow.’
With his weekend now written off, he had one day to write three press releases. He decided return to his apartment to get the rest of the work done in peace. Then he could try to catch some sleep. Double dose on the pills or something. He was running on fumes of fumes. He gathered his laptop and phone into his carry-on and pulled on his coat.
As he entered the lift, his phone buzzed. A text message.
Been thinking of you. Let’s grab a coffee? I know ur busy, but don’t worry I’m flexible :) –Luna
The phone buzzed again, this time with a photo of the stylist. Naked. That was the first thing he noticed. It took him a moment to process the rest – she was upside down in a ridiculous yoga pose, balancing on her hands with her legs hooked around her arms. Her head was turned towards the camera, smiling.
The lift pinged as it arrived on the second floor, and Jason scrambled to hide the phone like it was burning his hands. The image was etched in his mind, haunting him all the way out of the building. Why, oh why had he given this woman his phone number?
