Dispute Resolution

Chapter Six

"Quinn?" Sim said behind her, an odd note in his voice.

"Oh, hi. I was just coming to find Taryn when I heard her and Gray talking in there and I didn't know if I should go in or not. I swear I wasn't eavesdropping. Well, okay, maybe a little, but not for long," she said.

Sim chuckled. "Come on in. Only Taryn bites."

She followed him inside the studio, thankful he didn't make an issue of the fact that she had actually been caught eavesdropping. She was sure she was still a bright shade of pink as she entered the room. Taryn was showing Gray her latest pieces and she had spread them out on a table.

"Ready to interview me?" Taryn said.

"We'll leave you two ladies to it," Sim said. "Gray and I will make lunch."

"That sounds fantastic," Taryn said and Quinn realised that she was actually quite hungry, too. But it would be another hour before Quinn even thought of food again. She immersed herself in what Taryn was telling her about her company, her philosophies, her inspiration.

"I have brought many refugees up here to Byron Bay to live with me. I've helped them set up homes in some of the other localities around Byron Bay. It's much too expensive for them to afford houses to rent here. But my factory is not far from where they all live in Ballina. They can walk to work or catch the bus."

"I would love to meet with some of your workers," Quinn said as she began to take a few photos of Taryn in her studio with her digital SLR. She was not the artist Johannes was but she knew how to frame a shot. "And to see your factory."

"Sure, we can head out there tomorrow. We can go for a swim later at the beach. I know Gray loves to surf."

"He does?" Quinn asked, trying but failing to keep the curiosity out of her voice.

Taryn looked at her, an unreadable expression on her features. "You like him, don't you?"

"You mean Gray? I don't know where you would get that idea, but that is a big, fat no."

Taryn said nothing but smiled enigmatically. "There's a great cafe nearby, too, we can go there for lunch after we've been to the factory."

"Great. Well, that's given me a lot to work on today."

"Good, I'm starving, let's see what the boys have dished up."

Quinn preceded Taryn back out into the kitchen still wondering why she made the comment about her liking Gray. She hated him, wasn't it obvious? But as she re-entered the kitchen, that argument was obliterated into the next galaxy when she was met with the sight of a half-naked Gray washing lettuce leaves in the sink. Her jaw dropped, she was sure it was audible as she watched each muscle and sinew ripple with every movement he made. He turned around to place the leaves onto a chopping board, giving Quinn a full view of washboard abs and a waist that tapered down to a perfect 'v' shape just above the band of his shorts. There was a tantalising trail of hair that her fingers itched to trace.

"Breathe," Taryn whispered in her ear as she walked past her, smiling at the same time.

"I don't like him," she whispered back, despite the fact that she still hadn't managed to take her eyes off him.

"How was the water?" Taryn asked, alerting the men to their presence.

Gray looked up before Quinn had the chance to look away and caught her looking straight at him. He winked at her like he knew exactly what was going on in her mind. She looked away.