The Ordinary King

‘Really? Is he working on one of your field projects?’ Kate asked as casually as she could; only it came out squeaky and a lot wobblier than she wanted.

Molly looked up at her in surprise. ‘Oh, no. Simon was working with Andy. I am looking forward to his presentation this afternoon—so far it sounds like one of the company’s most successful initiatives. Lucky girl—he’s all yours. Now, if you will excuse me, I promise I’ll catch up with you later. And welcome to Ghana, Kate. Akwaaba.’

Breathing was starting to become difficult.

Simon had been working with Andy? He was all hers?

That could not be right. She had read through the files on the three projects Andy was supervising during the long flight from Mexico, and she certainly hadn’t seen Simon’s name come up. Tired she might be, but she would not have missed the name which was engraved on her heart.

And then Kate sighed out loud.

Of course. Stupid girl.

All of the proposals for company sponsorship had to go through the most senior member of that particular small tribal kingdom in Ghana. Royal protocol demanded that only the king for the area made those sorts of decisions. Volunteers like Simon would not be listed on any of those high-level reports.

Kate’s cup rattled on the saucer as the terrible reality of her situation hit home.

Suddenly it was all a bit too much. She was on a new continent, for goodness’ sake, in a new country, without her luggage after a long nightmare journey from Mexico. Her body clock had no idea what time of day it was, and she was eating breakfast when she should probably be sleeping.

And now she was going to have to work with Simon Reynolds if she was going to make a go of her temporary promotion and impress her boss, just when she needed promotion so very badly.

Kate sucked in a lungful of air and watched Molly meet and greet the other conference delegates, dressed in bright African robes or western dress, and felt even more guilt. The company she worked for was one of the main sponsors for this conference. She should be on her feet, smiling and shaking hands like Molly and Simon were doing now. Networking. Explaining why Andy was not there to meet them as usual. Making the delegates feel welcome.

But that would mean talking to Simon. And she was not ready for that. Not yet.

How did you start a conversation when what you really wanted to say was along the lines of, Hi, Simon—isn’t the weather nice for this time of year? Oh, by the way, do you still blame me for destroying your parents’ marriage and generally ruining your life? Because I would really like to know why you abandoned me just when I needed you the most and broke my heart in the process. If it is not too much trouble?

Suddenly her confidence faltered and shuddered to a grinding halt.

Kate swallowed down the huge lump of emotion and regret in her throat that was threatening to overwhelm her. She had sworn three years ago, during that terrible summer after he left, that she would not waste one more tear or sleepless night on Simon Reynolds while her stepdad and her sister needed her to be strong for them.

She could do this. The company needed her to be a total professional and do her job. Simon was just another volunteer working on the company-sponsored rural IT project. That was all.

She was going to show him that she had changed in the past three years. Kate O’Neill was not the push-over he had known at university, who had relied on her extrovert boyfriend to make all the big decisions for them both. The tables had turned. She was the one making the decisions now.

Forcing her head up, she stood up from the table, smiled across to the delegates and lifted her chin, back straight.

Only at that same moment Molly said something to Simon, and they both turned their heads in her direction.

Simon’s gaze met hers, locked and held.

She had always been able to read Simon from those remarkable grey eyes, but at this distance it was not possible—except for a flicker of … What? What was it she saw in that instant? Hurt? Need? Confusion? Surprise and amazement? Remorse?

Kate’s stomach clenched and tied into a tight painful knot under the cold, analytical focus of his stare. Then Simon gave one hard blink and the moment was lost.

With one brief smile and half-bow to the group around him Simon turned towards her and strolled in slow, deliberate steps across the room, as though he owned the hotel, the resort and most of the world around it.

Confident. Strong. Impressive.

Simon Reynolds had been brought up to be a leader amongst men, and it showed in every step that he took—no matter where he was or what he was wearing.

In fact she might have been intimidated by him if it had not been for a few tiny aspects of his new look. The supersmart, casual but expensive preppy clothes his mother had used to buy him in London when he was a student had been replaced by a loose short-sleeved shirt made from the same type of striped fabric she had seen being worn at the airport the previous evening. The faded and darned fabric hung over the scruffiest trousers she had ever seen in her life. The knees were patched with several irregular pieces of fabric in various patterns, which seemed to have been cut out with the same nail scissors he had used to trim his hair. A brown cowhide shoulder bag was slung casually across his chest.

He was unshaven, he was trailing a line of red dust along the floor as he walked, and he looked tastier than hot bread straight from the oven.

Mouth-watering. Hot. Bread.

Perhaps he was more country Sourdough than buttery brioche, but Simon Reynolds still looked just as delicious, and her treacherous heart yearned for a taste.

Her whole body prickled to attention, aware of every move that he made.

Kate sucked in a breath, dropped her gaze, and pretended to gather together her papers on the table, trying to ignore the hot pulsing of the blood in her head as her fingers fumbled and trembled.

Then Simon took another step forward, pausing to greet a delegate on the way, and the air seemed to catch in her lungs in the form of her old nervous cough. The one she had thought she had got rid of.

She couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t talk to him like this in front of the other people in the room. Her emotions were too open and exposed. And her failure to control herself had hit so hard that she knew she would have to escape until she could steady herself.

A minute. That was it. She needed a minute to get her head straight before she went back to work. This time she would be the one running away from him.

Simon watched from the other side of the room as Kate quickly gathered together her paperwork and strolled out onto the hotel terrace, her back straight and her shoulders high with tension.

Kate O’Neill!

Of all the technology conferences in the entire world she had to walk into this one.

He could hardly believe it! But there could only be one tall, curvaceous, elegant blonde-haired woman called Kate O’Neill, and it had taken a single brief glance to confirm it. Katie was back in his life.

He had not even realised that she was working for the same international IT company that was sponsoring his project until an hour ago, when he had finally managed to get through to Andy and her name had echoed down the line like a bolt from above.

Andy Parsons was his contact, his friend, and his longstanding connection to the outside world from the remote rural village in the Volta area of Eastern Ghana where Simon had made his home. Andy had been a keen supporter of his work right from the first time he had met him with his dad all those years ago. Only now Andy was back in England with his new babies, and judging from the telephone conversation they’d had that morning he was so thrilled and stunned that Simon could not begrudge him one single moment of that happiness. Andy had earned it with years of dedication and hard work serving the same people Simon was trying to help now.

Of course Andy had wished him well for his presentation on the pilot study they had worked so hard together to make reality. He believed that Kate O’Neill would be an ideal replacement for him at the conference, and well able to back Simon up in the technical questions.

What Andy did not know—and what he could never know because Simon had not told him—was that Simon and Kate had a history together. Andy had been replaced by the only woman who had every reason to hate his guts. The same woman he needed to be his most avid supporter.

Just fantastic!

Simon ran one hand through his hair, which was freshly coated with a layer of dry red dust from the long road trip from the village. They were late—he was late—and the village of several hundred people had placed its economic future in his hands. He could not let them down—he would not let them down.

He needed a shower and to change, and most of all he needed to persuade Kate O’Neill to take him seriously before the media circus arrived and the pressure really started.

Of course this was only about the work.

The lump in his throat and the thumping of blood in his head had nothing at all to do with the fact that in three years his Katie had grown into the beautiful woman he had always known she would become. Only this time he needed her to be the best friend he had in this world.

That meant she would have to put aside the fact that after three years at university together, where they had shared their lives, dreams and hopes and every waking moment, he had dumped her only days after they’d graduated.