The New Year Resolution Read online

  THE NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

  A Novella by Louise Rose-Innes

  © Louise Rose-Innes 2013

  For Karen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  CHAPTER ONE

  “My only resolution last New Year’s Eve was not to be alone this New Year’s Eve,” Nicole complained to her best friend, Janine, over caramel lattes at their local coffee shop in Pretoria’s upmarket Waterkloof area. “And guess what? There are two days to go and not an eligible man in sight!”

  “You know you can always come to the school party with me and Dave,” offered Janine, smiling sympathetically. “We teachers know how to put on a good New Year’s bash.”

  Nicole patted her friend’s hand. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. No offence but last year I was the only singleton at the table and when midnight struck everyone kissed each other before turning to hug me.” She rolled her eyeballs. “I hate sympathy hugs. It was then I promised myself I’d have a date for this New Year’s Eve, no matter what.”

  “Well, if you won’t come with us, what will you do?” asked Janine, concerned. “You can’t stay at home, alone, especially if Olivia is with her dad.”

  Nicole bit her lip. She’d been planning to spend New Year’s Eve watching old movies and eating copious amounts of ice-cream. Olivia, her daughter, was spending New Year’s Eve weekend with her father, in Johannesburg.

  “No. Definitely not,” said Janine, reading her best friend’s mind like she always did. “I’m not allowing you to sit at home and sulk. There must be somewhere you can go?”

  “I won’t sulk,” insisted Nicole. “When do I ever sulk?”

  “True,” admitted Janine. “Sulking isn’t really in your nature. Okay, mope then.”

  “Same thing,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I was invited to a glitzy bash at the Airforce Base, but I don’t have anyone to go with.”

  “What about Freddy?” asked Janine, talking about Nicole’s work colleague and long-time male friend.

  “He’s gone to see his mother in Cape Town. Besides, for once I’d like to go somewhere with someone I’m actually interested in. Freddy’s great for making up numbers but he’s ten years older than me and double the weight.”

  Janine laughed. “Is there no one at work you’ve got your eye on?”

  Nicole gave her a look over her coffee mug. “Seriously? Have you seen the talent at my company?”

  “Okay, scratch that.” Janine sighed. “I supposed you could always...”

  “I am not going alone, so don’t even think about it,” cut in Nicole. She’d rather be at home.

  Janine sat bolt upright in her chair. “You know, I’ve just remembered something. I might actually know someone you can take.”

  Nicole stared at her, eyes narrowed. “Please don’t tell me this is another one of your harebrained matchmaking schemes?”

  Janine grabbed her hand. “No, I’m serious. Dave came home last night talking about an old university friend who’s back in Johannesburg after a few years abroad. He said we should invite him round for dinner one night.”

  Nicole looked doubtful.

  “Apparently he’s an engineer...” Janine raised her eyebrows knowingly, “and very bright. Just your type.”

  Nicole had to grin. “How convenient.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know much about him but I’ll have a chat with Dave tonight and see what he says.”

  Nicole hesitated. “I don’t know, Jan. Even if this guy is available, I don’t know him from a bar of soap. It will be awkward as hell.”

  “You said you wanted a date for New Year’s Eve. No matter what.”

  Nicole nodded. Yes, that was her only resolution last year.

  “He may be a really great guy. You might get on like a house on fire. How do you know if you don’t try?”

  “True. Okay, perhaps I will give it a go – but only if he’s available. I don’t want him to feel obligated to go out with me.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be subtle.” Janine winked and took a satisfied gulp of her latte.

  “I know how subtle you can be.” Nicole grimaced, thinking of some of their past exploits. But she had to admit she was quite excited. If this guy really was available, and a friend of Dave’s, how bad could he be? Dave was a lovely, down-to-earth guy, dependable to a fault. Nicole didn’t think he’d have any particularly wayward friends.

  Janine laughed, showing her dimples. “I’m sure he’ll be a decent chap. Dave doesn’t have any dodgy friends. You know him.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s as straight as they come.”

  Nicole smiled. It was funny how they almost thought alike after nearly twenty years of friendship. Janine was the type of friend Nicole could say anything to, so she didn’t hesitate when she said, “You know I’m just looking for some fun, Jan. When Stephen left I lost all my self-confidence. I think it’s time I got some of it back.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” said Janine, pleased. “It’s been three years since you divorced that cheating scumbag. You deserve some fun.”

  “I know. I looked at my wardrobe yesterday and it’s filled with greys, blacks and browns. How dull can you get? I need some colour in my life.”

  “We’ll go shopping,” piped up Janine. “The December sales are on so you’ll get some cracking deals. How about tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Perfect. I’ll need a party dress, that’s if Mr Engineer is free on Saturday night. The airforce ‘do’ is black tie.”

  “Of course! Leave it to me. I’ll phone Dave the second I get home.” Janine’s cheeks were flushed with excitement. They clinked their coffee mugs. Things were looking up.

  “Here’s to you having a hot date this New Year’s Eve,” said Janine.

  “And a colourful year ahead,” chimed in Nicole, her voice filled with determination.

  It was the perfect evening for a party. The temperature outside was a balmy twenty five degrees and the night was so still there wasn’t even a whisper from the purple-blossomed Jacaranda trees that adorned the road outside Nicole’s house. The shopping trip the previous afternoon had been a raving success. Nicole had managed to find an elegant strapless dress in a glittery cornflower blue that emphasised her bust and clinched in at her waist before draping in soft folds down to the ground. Peeking out from beneath the dress were a pair of diamante heels that she’d found at Shoe HQ for next to nothing.

  She felt more like Cinderella on her way to the ball than a single-mom divorcee.

  What would Ryan Jackson be like? All Janine had managed to get out of Dave was that he was super smart and worked all over the world designing energy systems for eco companies. Apparently he was something of a do-gooder, although he’d made a great deal of money out of it.

  He doesn’t sound too bad at all, thought Nicole with a tingle of anticipation as she waited at the front door. Janine had said Ryan would pick her up at seven. But there’d been a minor change of plan. Instead of going to the airforce party they were going to a black-tie function hosted by an investment bank – a business associate of Ryan Jackson’s, apparently. It meant she wouldn’t know anyone, but Nicole didn’t really mind. She’d never had a problem talking to people and it felt good to be going out with an eligible bachelor on her arm instead of an old friend or someone’s husband.

  Bang on seven o’clock a dark Mercedes glided to a halt in front of her house. A driver in a suit and tie got out and walked around to open the door for her.

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sp; “Good evening,” he said, formally.

  Nicole slipped inside the sleek luxury machine, a bright smile pasted on her face, ready to greet Dave’s old friend – except the car was empty.

  What?

  “Where’s Mr Jackson?” asked Nicole, pausing with her backside still out of the car. She wasn’t about to get into a strange car alone.

  “We’re going to get him now,” confirmed the driver, patiently. “The function is in Johannesburg and Mr Jackson didn’t have time to come all the way here first.”

  Ah, I see. So this is how he rolls, thought Nicole wryly. Mr Jackson didn’t want to waste his precious time driving to Pretoria to pick her up when the ball was back in Johannesburg, a good forty minutes drive away.

  Feeling vaguely disappointed, Nicole settled into the lush leather upholstery and watched the Jacaranda-lined streets go by as the car wound its way out of her suburb and onto the motorway towards Johannesburg.

  Traffic was light, considering it was New Year’s Eve and they made good time. Nicole knew Johannesburg and its overcrowded upmarket areas fairly well and was pleasantly surprised to discover Ryan Jackson lived in Muldersdrift, on the outskirts of the city. Out here houses spread elegantly amidst the natural habitat. Average property sizes were a couple of acres and usually sported stables and ample riding space for the horsey set.

  The driver manoeuvred the car through a set of wrought iron gates, which opened automatically as they approached, and up a long drive flanked by lovely manicured lawns and tall indigenous trees. They finally came to a stop outside a large, rambling, modern farmhouse, extending over two floors, with subtle outdoor lighting that encased the front of the building in a warm, welcoming glow.

  Nicole waited with baited breath as the front door opened and a tall, well-built man emerged, dressed appropriately in a tuxedo. He walked with a casual lope that hinted at a confident, easy-going manner. He was good looking in a rugged, outdoorsy kind of way. Not too smooth, but with a tanned, healthy complexion and a strong jaw line.

  Nicole smiled in silent approval.

  Nice.

  The driver made to get out of the car, but the man waved him away. “No need, Mike. Let’s get going.”

  He let himself into the car and settled in the seat next to Nicole. “Hi there, I’m Ryan Jackson. Thanks so much for agreeing to accompany me tonight.” He held out his hand.

  That threw Nicole a bit. Agree to accompany him?

  “But I thought Dave asked you to come with me,” she began, shaking his hand all the same. His rough grip surprised her. He had a working man’s hands, despite his formal image.

  Ryan studied her face, his eyes flickering over her hair and mouth, then down to her neckline. Nicole wondered if he liked what he saw. She sat up a bit straighter.

  “As it happens, I desperately needed someone to accompany me to this event tonight. Your invitation came at exactly the right moment.”

  “How fortuitous.” Nicole smiled, softening a bit. “I hadn’t realised that was the case. I’m glad to be of service.”

  Ryan didn’t smile back. “I hope Dave explained the situation to you?”

  “What situation?” Nicole began to feel uneasy.

  “Tonight. The New Year’s Eve function?”

  Nicole shook her head. Nope, Dave had not mentioned anything to her. Neither had Janine. What was he talking about?

  “Aren’t we going to a party?” she enquired.

  Ryan sighed. “Look, I’m sorry to be bringing this up now, but it’s important you know what you’re in for tonight.”

  Nicole swallowed. This did not sound good. She glanced out of the window. They were too far away from her neck of the woods to make an exit, and diving out of moving cars wasn’t really her style.

  “Don’t panic,” her date said quickly. “But let me explain. I needed a partner in order to attend tonight’s event. Someone... respectable.” He smiled briefly. “You see, I’ve got a bit of a reputation as a ladies’ man, which is not strictly true, but that’s another story.... The fact of the matter is I need to appear...” He searched for the word.

  “Reputable?” cut in Nicole.

  “Exactly.” Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. “So you understand why I couldn’t take just anybody?”

  Nicole thought for a moment. She supposed that was a compliment in a backhanded way. At least she wasn’t deemed just anybody. What had Janine, or rather Dave, said to Ryan to give him that impression?

  “Excuse me for sounding impertinent, but why is it so important you appear respectable tonight, at this particular function?”

  “Good question.” He glanced out of the window as Johannesburg’s urban landscape flashed by in a motion blur. Turning back to Nicole he said, “I don’t know how much you know about my business?”

  Nicole shrugged. “I know you’re an engineer. That you develop eco-friendly products.”

  “Yes,” he said. “In a nutshell. But in addition to that we conduct a huge amount of research and development. Renewable energy is an emerging industry. Research costs money.”

  “So you’re on the hunt for funding?” Nicole enquired, her quick mind putting two and two together.

  He stared at her. “Absolutely. How did you guess?”

  Nicole shrugged. “Investment bank function... makes sense.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Of course.” He looked pleased.

  “And I’m in the aerospace industry. I know all about financing research.”

  “Really? What is it that you do?” There was real interest in his eyes now.

  “I specialise in materials development projects, mostly for the aerospace industry.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Which company?”

  “The NRI – the National Research Institute,” Nicole replied. Her employer was a giant R&D organisation for the aerospace industry. She could see the respect register in his gaze and felt a tinge of satisfaction.

  “Impressive,” he admitted. “Have you worked for them long?”

  “Since I left university,” Nicole told him. She’d worked off the bursary they’d given her to study and then worked her way up through the ranks until she was Special Projects Director. She loved her job and her proven track record meant she could work flexitime if needs be when Olivia got sick, or there was something she had to do at home.

  “University of Pretoria?” he guessed.

  Nicole shook her head. “No. Cape Town. You?”

  “Witwatersrand,” he told her, mentioning Johannesburg’s oldest and most prestigious university.

  Nicole nodded. “But I still don’t understand why you need respectability to attract funding. Surely your company speaks for itself?”

  “It does, but the man I’m interested in approaching turned me down once before. I want to prove to him I’m a reliable recipient and I’ll put his money to good use.”

  “I see.” Nicole studied him thoughtfully. “So you’re using me to get into his good books.”

  Ryan shrugged. “I suppose you could look at it that way, yes, but aren’t you using me, too?”

  “What do you mean?” Nicole frowned.

  “As you said, you’re the one who asked me to accompany you tonight?”

  “It wasn’t quite like that, okay.” She hesitated unsure how much to divulge of her embarrassing New Year’s Resolution. “I merely wanted to go out tonight and Janine, that’s Dave’s wife, thought of you. She suggested we ask whether you were available.”

  She decided the less he knew about her dating dilemma the better. “She said you were recently back from abroad and might like to go out, that’s all.”

  “So it was an attempt at matchmaking?” His perturbed expression said it all.

  “Or just a fun night out,” finished Nicole. The last thing she wanted to appear was desperate. Although knowing Janine, matchmaking was exactly what she’d had in mind.

  Ryan’s shoulders relaxed. “A fun evening I can handle, as long as you understand my priority is to secu
re that funding. I’ve arranged for us to sit at the same table as Vincent Mahler and his wife. My focus will be on them.”

  “I understand.” Nicole smiled lightly. “I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

  “Thank you.” It was too dark in the car to read his expression, but by the tone of his voice Nicole could hear he meant it.

  “This is my girlfriend, Nicole,” Ryan said as introductions were made. Nicole did a double take, stood on the hem of her dress and fell, rather than sank elegantly into the chair Ryan held out for her.

  Did he just say girlfriend?

  She cast a warning glance in his direction, but he avoided eye contact.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nicole,” said Vincent Mahler, an elegant gentleman with thick white hair and twinkling blue eyes. His handshake was surprisingly firm for his age. Nicole liked him immediately.

  “This is my wife, Sylvia.”

  The beautiful dark-haired, dark-eyed woman sitting next to him reached forward to take her hand. She must have been at least a good ten years younger than her husband, and wore a deep-magenta dress that sparkled with crystals around the neckline. Her hand was cool and soft, and glancing down, Nicole noticed her fingers were adorned with sparkling gems.

  “How do you do, Nicole?” Sylvia greeted her graciously.

  Nicole smiled, overwhelmed by the woman’s elegance and obvious beauty. Sylvia Mahler was probably in her fifties, but you wouldn’t know it. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes sparkled with vitality.

  “Very well, thank you,” Nicole replied, “It’s wonderful to meet you both.”

  They settled into their seats and a waiter materialised to fill their wine glasses. Nicole blinked as she read the label on the wine bottle. This New Year’s Eve party was on a whole other level to what she was used to. Even the airforce’s “black tie” event wouldn’t have been this classy.

  Taking a tentative sip and savouring the richness on her tongue, Nicole realised the award-winning South African Cabernet Sauvignon was the same colour as Sylvia’s dress.

  Vincent and Ryan engaged in small talk for a while, mostly about the status of local mining stock, while Nicole and Sylvia discussed some of the outfits they’d seen floating around the room. By the time the first course arrived, Nicole was feeling very relaxed and even enjoying herself. Ryan was appropriately attentive, refilling her glass and smiling at her from time to time. He hadn’t mentioned anything more about the girlfriend remark, but Nicole fully intended to take him up on it later, in private.