Rival Attraction

Chapter Six

Daniel paced around his small bedroom. He had been here four months and was going stir crazy in this tiny space. He'd rented an apartment when he first arrived in New Zealand preferring to have his own space than stay in the sterility of a hotel, but he'd never expected for it to take this long. He'd already had to extend his short-term lease agreement twice and if things kept going this way it would have to be extended again for a third. He sighed heavily at the idea. Four months. It was too long. Four months too long. He hadn't heard from Abigail in the whole time he'd been here.

At first he'd kept deliberately away from her, wanting to pour all of his efforts into getting this new idea up and running as fast as possible. Once it was done he'd be able to return to her and they could try to start their relationship anew. But then as he got caught up in the red tape and bureaucracy that comes with starting a new company, time had dragged on and he realised that she hadn't reached out to him, either. Stubbornness had held him silent, then. He had been determined to not make the first move. But now he was just impatient to be finished with the whole business. It was crazy to let something as juvenile as who had the upper hand stand in the way of what could be an amazing relationship, and he was old enough and mature enough to realise it.

He glanced at the clock on the wall impatiently. 5:26pm. He was waiting for a phone call from his accountant to let him know whether the latest snag was going to prove to be another costly delay, or whether they had managed to find a way around it. He was hoping for the latter, but the longer he waited to receive their phone call, the deeper the despair settled until he had convinced himself that he wouldn't be finished up here before Christmas at this rate.

Just as he had resigned himself to another long day in the office tomorrow finangeling all the things that needed to be finangled, the phone rang. He snatched it up, impatience present in his every move.

"Hello," he barked down the phone, the irritation at the delays no longer able to be held at bay.

"Daniel, it's Shaun," the voice come from the other end of the phone, calm and unruffled. "We've heard back from the Financial Markets Authority. They've agreed that you can be treated an Australian subsidiary for taxation purposes, so we're all systems go at this end."

Daniel interrupted him with a sudden "whoop" as the tension rolled off his back. "Fantastic news," he congratulated Shaun. "I'm so pleased you've finally been able to work it all out."

Shaun chuckled wryly. "So am I," he agreed, memories of long hours and irate clients playing in the back of his mind. "This is all going to be able to be sorted in another day or so, and then you'll be able to begin your R&D as planned."

"Thank you," said Daniel as he lay back in his chair, relief flooding through him. "You don't know how much I appreciate all this."

"I think I do," replied Shaun. "It's been me you've been tearing strips off to get this done, remember?" There was a teasing note in his voice but his words were accurate, and Daniel felt guilt pool in his stomach.

"Sorry, I've been a bit of a bear, haven't I?" said Daniel ruefully. "It's just...I wanted this done and sorted, and everything kept going wrong."

"It's all good," said Shaun cheerfully. "You'll more than make up for it when you pay our bill."

Daniel couldn't help but laugh at that response. "The cheque'll be in the mail faster than you can say 'billable hours'" he agreed. "We'll have to get together to nut out some more of the details once I'm back in Melbourne, but for now continue as planned and I'll speak to you once I get back home."

"Can do," agreed Shaun. "Look out for an email from us in the next few hours with the details and I'll speak to you later."

"Great," said Daniel. "Speak to you then." He hung up the phone with a satisfied click, and rested his head against the couch cushions. Two more days – three at the most – and then he'd be back in Melbourne and finally able to see Abigail again. He couldn't wait! His mind started to drift towards what he'd do when he finally saw her again, but he dragged himself back to reality. If he didn't get this finalised then – no matter how close they were to the finish line – he'd never make it back to Melbourne and his re-acquaintance with Abigail would never get off the ground. First things first, he told himself. Business before pleasure and all that. He opened his laptop and checked for an email form Shaun. It hadn't arrived yet, but there were plenty of others things waiting for his attention, so he'd better get onto those quick smart.