Beneath The Surface

Chapter Nine

Olivia waited for the sound of Travis's truck to fade before she opened her door and dashed over to his house. She let herself in and made a b-line for the phone. She dialled Matt's number and let out a breath through rounded lips.

"Matt Blowes."

"Matt, it's me."

"Olivia? What's going on? You were supposed to call me yesterday."

She cringed and pressed her hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Time just . . .got away."

Matt laughed. "I hope that means you've been spending more time with Mr Jones?"

"Yes."

"And? Any progress? Have you had a chance to talk to him about the opportunity that we're willing to present?"

"Hardly. I don't even know what this particular opportunity would entail. I need to see the paperwork first so I'm not going in blind. And not only that . . .Matt, I don't know if I'm the right person for this job."

"Nonsense. You're the perfect person. You're charming, smart, you know all there is to know about Coal Seam Gas."

She knew everything that she had been told by her superiors and that was all she needed to know—so they told her.

"Isn't there someone else you can send?"

He sighed. "Olivia, trust me, you're the right woman for the job. If anyone can do it, it's you. You're not only beautiful, but you have the brains as well."

His words made her heart beat a little faster. For years she had tried to get his attention, and now she finally had it.

"Hang in there. Things are taking a little longer than expected with the paperwork."

"Longer?" She pressed her hand to her forehead. "How much longer."

"Not long. Just think of it as a paid vacation."

Yeah, on a dusty cattle station with no internet.

"Any news on your purse and phone yet?" Matt asked.

"Unfortunately no. I feel like I have no identity."

"If you just stick to the plan and do as I say everything will work out. I'll send you a universal gift card to use along with the contract and other paperwork. In the meantime, try to get gauge how Mr Jones feels about Coal Seam Mining. If he's one of those tree-huggers this might take a little more persuasion, but the less he knows the better."

"What do you mean?" She thought they always disclosed all of the necessary information to their clients.

"Oh you know what those people are like; they like to make a mountain out of a mole-hill. It's all just scare-mongering, you know that."

Olivia gnawed at the inside of her lip. Was it?

"I'll call as soon as we've got the paperwork drawn up. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to taking you out for drinks when you get back."

The line went dead. Olivia placed the phone back on the receiver and folded her arms. Why had Matt waited so long to make his move on her? Was he genuinely interested in her, or was he just playing on her weakness—him—to get what he wanted?

She meandered outside and massaged her shoulders.

She could hear magpie's singing and the morning sun was already hot. It was easy for Matt to say; he was sitting in his air-conditioned office on the other side of the country. The more Olivia discovered about Travis the harder this whole ordeal felt. Travis was a real person, with real issues. He was a hard-worker and had suffered an enormous loss.