Gentle Persuasion

She found the sour twist to Masters’s mouth strangely gratifying. Risking a quick glance at Dane, she noted him watching her intently, his expression unreadable.

“Well.” This single word from Masters’s lips drew her attention back to him. “You’ll hardly convince Montgomery to return to the mainland with such faulty logic.”

The man suddenly seemed eager to leave.

“Dane, I’ll stop by again in a few days’ time. Unless, of course, you prefer to phone me with your decision sooner.” He cleared his throat and bowed to Ophelia. “Best of luck to you, then, Miss Reid.”

“Nice meeting you,” she answered, but the compliment was not returned as the man strode away.

The atmosphere felt slightly lighter after Masters’s departure, but Ophelia still recognized tension in the air as she faced Dane. She knew her outburst had done little to endear him to the object of her mission.

“I apologize for speaking so hastily concerning our agreement. I didn’t realize you were dealing with important plantation matters.”

Dane continued to eye her carefully, as if he couldn’t quite make up his mind about what had just happened.

“The problem with you and your kind, Ms. Reid, is that you never stop to consider the world is not revolving around you and what you want.”

Ophelia stiffened but bit her tongue to keep from offering a sharp reply. As she paused to rein in her temper, Leilani spoke up.

“I’m sure Dane still wants to honor your agreement. Right, boss?” Leilani nudged Dane’s arm, seeming to remind him of his position in this situation.

In spite of her frustration with the man, she felt a sort of pity as his shoulders sagged. He sighed, his voice simply weary. “Right. Fine.”

“How about if you and Ophelia join us for the bonfire tonight? Sam and some of our friends are having one on the beach. It’ll be fun, and maybe it’ll make up for this afternoon.”

Ophelia hesitated. The entire day had already been a mess of conflict and misunderstandings. She couldn’t imagine spending an entire evening in Dane Montgomery’s presence, given his current mood. And although she knew it was part of her assignment, she felt disinclined to continue pursuing negotiations with him just now.

But to her surprise, Dane agreed to Leilani’s suggestion.

“All right. If it will make up for my absence this afternoon.” He turned to Ophelia, and she couldn’t be sure if he was resigned or merely reserved on the matter. “Miss Reid...Ophelia. Would you like to join us this evening for a bonfire?”

And despite her own reservations, she answered with a polite nod.

“I would love to.”

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