The Holly Project by K.A. Sterritt

from the kitchen. I felt incredibly awkward, but I decided to pretend I was someone else and just go with it.
    A man who was unmistakably Ryan’s dad appeared in the lounge room. He had the same intimidating stature as Ryan and their eyes were almost identical. The silver hair gave him a distinguished look. There was no doubt he was a handsome man, especially for his age, which I guessed was around sixty.
    “Hello, son.” He shook Ryan’s hand but was looking at me. “Who is this stunning beauty?”
    “Dad, this is Holly Ashton. She’s my architect for the Aqua Vue project. Holly, meet my dad, Daniel Davenport.”
    “It’s very nice to meet you, Holly.” He unashamedly looked me up and down, making me very uncomfortable.
    “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr Davenport,” I lied, and took a step back. I could have sworn I smelled alcohol on his breath.
    “Please, call me Daniel.”
    “Holly, do you mind waiting here a minute? I just need to talk to Dad about a few things in private, and then we’ll be off.” I could tell Ryan was uncomfortable with his dad’s flirtation. I was relieved he was taking him to another room.
    “Make yourself at home.” Daniel winked at me as he left the room. Ugh.
    I wandered around the expansive lounge area picking up various knick knacks. There were a lot of knick-knacks – to the point of clutter. Every surface had something on it, but there was no real theme or thought given to colour or proportion. Daniel certainly didn’t strike me as the knick-knack type, so I had to assume it was Mrs Davenport’s doing. To each their own , I thought to myself as I noticed a row of framed photos on the bookshelf.
    I loved looking at other people’s photos, especially people I don’t know; the shameless voyeur in me was always drawn to them. There were various photos of kids at the beach, happy snaps at the top of the Empire State Building, graduation ceremonies and so forth. Ryan obviously had a sister, as she featured in all the family photos. I was really starting to think I’d had him pegged when I played my ‘imagine-their-life’ game in the café. He really should have been more impressed with my mad skills.
    “Ready to go?” Ryan asked, jolting me from my reverie.
    “Yes.” I looked at Daniel sheepishly. “Sorry, I hope you don’t think I was snooping looking at your photos. I couldn’t help myself.”
    “Not at all. You’re welcome to come back anytime, with or without my son.” He winked at me.
    Ugh.
    Ryan cleared his throat and took my hand protectively.
    “Don’t forget to go to that meeting, okay? Call me if you need anything,” Ryan said to his father, patting him on the back.
    “Have fun, kids,” Daniel said, closing the door behind us.
    “Sorry about that, Holly,” Ryan said as we exited the building. “Let’s go. We’ll leave the car here and walk down to the marina.”
    “Are we going by boat?” I asked, realising it was a stupid question, given the marina in front of us.
    “Of sorts,” he replied cryptically. “I hope you’re not afraid of heights?”
    “No, but I’m pretty sure heights aren’t an issue at sea level.”
    I was rewarded with his sexy grin.
    “This way,” he said, guiding me further along the jetty, where hundreds of beautiful yachts and power boats were moored.
    I was about to quiz him further when I noticed the seaplane moored to the end of the dock. I suddenly understood what he meant.
    “Oh my God,” I exclaimed, giddy with excitement. “Is this how you treat all your employees?”
    “Not a chance.” His laugh was contagious.
    “Good morning, Mr Davenport, Ms Ashton.”
    “Good morning, Gary,” Ryan replied, shaking hands with the pilot, who then helped me aboard. We were both set up with headphones. Taking off on Rose Bay and soaring up over Sydney Harbour, I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
    Ryan seemed to delight in my constant gasps as I pointed out a million different things. He knew from