He raised his eyebrows. ‘Sounds serious.’
‘It is. You know my whole life is my café, my community, my family. I literally don’t want anything else.’
‘Not even a man? Or a woman, maybe?’
‘Neither, thanks. Not on anything more than a casual level.’ She took a breath. ‘Anyway, I need your help.’
‘You got it. What can I do?’
‘I need to know this man. Figure out what makes him tick, what the stakes are for him, if I’m going to fight off his advances.’
‘He’s making advances?’
‘Of course. But I’ve fought off the personal ones,’ she said crisply. ‘Now all I have to do is bury his business aspirations.’
‘And they are?’
‘He’s bought the Old Colonial Hotel.’
Dan looked genuinely surprised. ‘He’s going to renovate it? At last. That place has been needing someone to take it in hand before it disintegrates.’
‘No. I suspect he plans to demolish it. Then build something super-stylish to draw the crowds. What exactly, I don’t know. His plans aren’t public yet. But they will be soon. He’s in the consultation stage.’
‘That means something big.’
‘It does. Anyway, he won’t go ahead.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m going to stop him.’
‘Ah, right. If anyone can, you can.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence. But I need your help. I’ve got Augustini —’
‘Who’s she?’
‘The librarian. She’s going to do some research for me. She’s also an independent researcher for government agencies.’
‘What’s she doing working in a tiny library, then?’
‘Goodness knows. She’s a bit of a recluse. Mum knows her a little. But my point is, I need more than that. I need your insight into his mental state, because God knows I don’t want to go there.’
‘So you’re leaving the dirty work to me.’
‘That’s about the sum of it.’
‘So what do you need to know?’
‘What makes a man like that tick? What’s his likely plan of attack?’
‘Easy.’ He leaned against the counter. ‘If he’s anything like… erm, people I know, he’ll underestimate you. Not that I would, obviously. But he might. He’ll think he can persuade you with his charm that he’s really a good guy and then, once you’re thinking “what a lovely man”, he’ll make you see his plans are the best thing ever for the village. My advice? Appear to go along with him. The worst thing you can do is attack him. He’ll come out firing on all cylinders. No, if I were you, I’d keep his defences down so you can slip right past them.’
‘Right. Interesting.’ She tapped her lips with her finger. ‘Keep your enemies closer kind of thing?’
‘Exactly. There’s just one crucial thing to be aware of.’
‘And that is?’
