‘Two scotch fillets, medium rare, with side of the roasted chats for two. And if you could,’ he added, ‘we’d appreciate it if you would move us up the order.’
Millie nodded and smiled. ‘I can do that,’ she said, and promptly disappeared into the kitchen. Isabella surveyed him through her lashes as she took a sip of her wine. Was that the reason for his grump, that she had chosen the exact same meal as him? Was he annoyed that they had even this one more thing in common than the way they took their coffee?
Theo was baffling to her. An insufferable mix of kidnapper and yet self-proclaimed protector—allegedly. Every time the door opened, his head swivelled, checking who was going in or out.
‘You’re making me nervous.’
‘What?’
She waved an arm towards the door. ‘All that constant head swivelling. Who are you expecting?’
‘I’m protecting your safety. If you don’t appreciate that, then I’m sorry.’
‘If you’re interested in protecting my safety, you wouldn’t be delivering me back to Rubanestein like a trussed-up chicken. You’d be helping me get away and stay away. You’d be protecting me from my brother.’
‘You keep saying that.’
‘Because it’s true! And you are going to feel like one stupid jackass when you realise it.’
Theo said nothing. Simply swivelled his neck when the door opened again. Isabella turned to look, too. Theo stared at the entrants, a couple with three children, and turned back, apparently immediately discounting them as a threat.
‘Gosh,’ she said. ‘Do nefarious agents not use children for cover any more? Times have certainly changed in the world of subterfuge.’
‘Give it up, Princess. That family was in the museum when we visited today. If they’d wanted to make a move on you, they could easily have followed us to Ned’s Beach and snatched you there.’
‘Oh.’ Isabella vaguely remembered other visitors being in the shop when they’d visited but hadn’t taken in the details.
‘Yes. “Oh.” You see, I do know something about my business.’
Isabella felt the rebuke like a smack. Even though she no doubt deserved it, she regretted her words. She was supposed to be trying to make Theo feel closer to her. To make him warm to her. To make him see that she was more than just another recovery.
Thankfully Millie arrived then, delivering their meals. ‘Two steaks, medium rare,’ she said, placing the sizzling plates on the table in front of them, ‘with a side of garlic roasted chats.’ She held her tray vertically in front of her. ‘Is there anything else I can get for you? Are you all right for drinks.’
‘Thank you,’ Theo said. ‘Nothing else.’
The steak was perfect. Izzy’s knife sliced through the tender steak as if it were butter, the roasted potatoes crispy garlic perfection. She’d ordered thinking she needed to keep her energy for the night ahead. But her appetite had disappeared, and she barely finished half her meal.
It was impossible to eat while she felt her frustration mounting. This was crunch time. Tomorrow hung over her neck like a noose. She had to make one of her plans work. But she had to get him talking. She had to get him warming to her.
Theo was not acting like someone who wanted to talk or warm to her. It was like he’d recognised that he’d let his guard down at Ned’s Beach today, and that he’d revealed too much of himself and so was trying to shut himself down. She took a deep breath. What she needed was a different angle. Less combative.
‘So, the plan for tomorrow is that we take the flight to Sydney,’ she started, twirling her glass of pinot noir, ‘and then we board your private jet to Rubanestein?’
‘That’s the plan,’ he confirmed.
‘Still the plan?’
‘Still the plan, Princess. The plan hasn’t changed. The plan has always been set in concrete.’
‘I knew that,’ she said on a sigh, because Isabella couldn’t help but be dismayed. She’d hoped Theo’s attitude to her was softening, but despite her arguments and her pleas, he was resolute in returning her to the place she least wanted to be. ‘But is there any chance you might possibly relent? Maybe give me more of a chance to prove what’s in store for me when you return me home?’
‘Why would I do that? You’ve already had two days to convince me, and you haven’t yet.’
She lifted her glass, went to take a sip and put it down again out of frustration. ‘I hate that you don’t believe me. I think I hate you right now. Excuse me, but I need to go to the bathroom.’
‘Don’t try to sneak out a window, Princess. We’ve already done that. It’s getting old.’
She stood up and walked away. What chance did she have to win Theo over to her side? How was she going to seduce him? Her Plan A was a confection. A faint hope.
