‘That sounds… bad. It’s just this’ – he motions between us – ‘can’t happen because staff relationships are not permitted at the Last Chance Resort. Also, before you go and?—’
I slap my forehead. ‘Oh my God, please tell me you’re not so controlling as to forbid staff relationships on an island with a population of only, like, two hundred?—’
‘Three hundred.’
‘Three hundred people and you’re like, oh no absolutely no falling in love for you! They might get lucky by dating someone outside of the resort, but probably not from what I’ve been told about the ageing population on Esperé. They’re mostly retirees, because the younger generation leave the island to find work. What on earth possessed you?’
He sighs and scrubs his face. ‘Again, you’re making me out to be the bad guy when in fact it’s the opposite.’
‘You are forbidding people to fall in love, Xavier! LOVE. You can’t get much worse than that. That’s even worse than being a Grinch at Christmas. Your moral compass is… is broken. It’s pointing the wrong way!’
He frowns and then bursts out laughing. ‘It’s – what?’
‘You can’t tell people who they can and can’t love! What if you change the entire trajectory of their lives? This is one of those sliding doors moments – say I fall in love with, with, Michel…’
Anger flashes across his features. ‘Michel only loves himself. You should stay away from him.’
‘Ah – OK, Edward Cullen, sheesh. All I’m saying is, disasters happen when you play God.’
He shakes his head and bites down on his lip. ‘Play God? That’s a bit much.’
‘Is it?’ Disappointment floods me. ‘You won’t let real love bloom for other staff members. Why is that? What have you got against love? Who hurt you, Xavier?’ He lets out a volley of laughter as I glare at him so hard I’m sure steam comes out of my ears.
‘Sorry, sorry,’ he quickly adds. ‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate we live on a small island and people are bound to fall in love – it’s that when love doesn’t work out, and let’s be honest, there’s a good chance it won’t, picking up the pieces is never easy in a small environment where everyone gets involved. For example, a few months ago Joji and Louise broke up…’
‘Louise, the Louise who left to work on a cruise ship because she wanted to broaden her horizons?’
He tilts his head. ‘She left, not because she wanted to broaden her horizons but because she couldn’t stand to work alongside Joji every day. The same Joji who quickly moved on with the sous chef from Seashells after their split and committed to the kind of PDAs that make a person blush. Not nice for anyone, especially Louise.’
There’s a lot to process. First, that Joji actually committed to one person, and second, that the real reason Louise left was because of the petri dish environment and Joji prancing around with a new love interest. ‘Oh.’
‘Yes, oh. And then, before Louise had even left the island, Joji dumped the sous chef and she hightailed it from Esperé too, leaving us in the lurch, scrambling to find another chef which, as you can imagine, is not easy when those roles require someone with experience and Esperé isn’t exactly teeming with sous chefs just waiting for a call from me.’
It’s interesting that these stories are painted in such different lights depending on which side is doing the telling. And dammit, Xavier’s rules seem sensible once he explains his reasons. I can’t keep painting him as the bully CEO at this rate. ‘You seem to know a lot about the love lives of your staff.’
‘Creepy, isn’t it?’
I laugh. ‘A little.’
‘I wish I didn’t. I’d much prefer to be kept out of it, but when staff come to me to hand in their notice in floods of tears, it’s inevitable that the whole sorry story gets shared. And in Joji’s case, well, his customer service is what saves him. I only wish he’d be a bit more careful with people’s hearts.’
‘Ooh, you are an alpha male with a soft underbelly!’
Confusion dashes across his face. ‘I’m a what?’ His phone beeps with a message. So much for island time; this guy is always on a schedule and there’s not much tranquillity about when his phone is beeping and flashing like it’s about to explode. The joys of his job, I guess. ‘I have to take this. It’s – it’s important.’ Great, he’s acting sketchy like it’s one of those calls from a friend, to get you out of a bad first date.
Why-oh-why did I act so impulsively? Blame the stupid CEO romance book I’m reading, where the heroine took the lead and made him answer to her every whim. Romance books should come with a warning: do not try this at home.
Xavier saunters briskly away, taking all the excitement with him. I scoop up the books, wondering what in the hell just happened and why my heart is still thrumming so hard against my chest.
I deposit the books on the counter and ease onto the stool and feel a flutter of sadness that there can be no workplace relationship all because of his rule, a rule that annoyingly makes a lot of sense. I should be pleased. I don’t want to date! He’s definitely not Mr Right, is he? Or is he? Is this some surface lust, or something more? It feels like more but then again I have suffered two consecutive head injuries so my judgement is not to be trusted at the minute.
My phone flashes, catching my attention. Lily.
Lily
Hello?! Don’t leave me on read! What do you make of the pic?
I try again to load the picture Lily sent and this time the internet works. It’s an AI image of woman with red curls, a big smile and a very smooth complexion.
