She squeezed the collar of her robe. “Well, we haven’t exactly hit it off. I hardly think we’ll be on the same page when it comes to running a restaurant.”
“I’ll give you complete control.”
“Completecontrol? You don’t even know me—or like me. How do you know I won’t run your restaurant into the ground?”
“I know you manage a very nice restaurant, and I’m sure you could handle the Landing quite competently.”
Such high praise. She raised a brow. “Did that hurt?”
The corner of his lip tucked in. “Little bit.”
Hmm. A sense of humor. She took a sip of her coffee, which had grown tepid. The sun was now hovering over the horizon, still shielded by low-hanging clouds.
She allowed herself to consider what it might be like, running the restaurant for a week or two. It was true she missed the hustle and bustle of restaurant life. She could even admit to missing that feeling of control—heaven knew she was in control of nothing here, with her sisters at each other’s throats.
And that was another thing she wouldn’t miss. Escaping the cloud of tension in the house was the most appealing reason to say yes.
“What are your other concerns?” he asked.
She paced a few feet away and settled on one of the wide steps leading out to the beach. “How will your staff respond to a new manager? Change of leadership can be very disruptive. Sometimes people quit.”
“Trust me, they’ll be relieved to have someone who knows what she’s doing. I’m maybe not the most humble man, but I know when I’m in over my head. I’m drowning here.” He moved toward her and lowered himself to the step beside her. “Name your price, Maddy.”
“That’s a very dangerous thing to say to someone.”
“I’m desperate.”
“I’m getting that. How long will your manager be gone?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But I’ll take you for as long as I can get you. It’ll at least give me time to find someone qualified. Cheryl’s done a great job managing the place. When she’s there the place runs like clockwork. We’ve earned a good reputation around here, and I’m undoing all her hard work. I’ve already lost our sous chef. Cheryl’s going to come back, and I’ll have run the place into the ground.”
“How in the world did you end up owning a restaurant?”
He gave a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Long story. It’s been two years, and it has been a great investment. I just need to get over this hump.”
She pondered all he’d said. The man clearly had no business running a restaurant, but that wasn’t her concern. She had money set back—she wasn’t a spendthrift. But with no new job on the horizon, adding to her savings was appealing. The bills back home hadn’t stopped just because she’d come to Seahaven.
She gave him a sideways look. “And I’d be in charge? You wouldn’t micromanage me or undermine me with your staff?”
He turned her way, and as their gazes connected a strange humming began inside. As if a live wire connected the two of them. She thought of what Emma had said about sexual tension and just as quickly shook the thought away.
“Why would I undermine you?” he asked. “If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past week it’s that I know nothing about managing a restaurant. And if you don’t feel I’m holding up my end of the bargain, there’s nothing stopping you from quitting.”
Was she really going to do this? She liked the idea of a challenge. She was good at what she did, and he was clearly desperate. Her sisters might not like it, but maybe if she wasn’t around to assist in the communication they’d find a way to talk to each other. Maybe she was actually in the way.
Plus, there was the money. She turned to Connor and named a fair weekly salary.
He froze in place, his lips parting and hope lighting his eyes. “You’ll do it?”
Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she was in denial. But returning to work suddenly held a lot of appeal.
She gave a nod. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
Chapter 11
Sullivan’s Landing was a bit of a mess, Maddy found when she arrived the next morning. Although Connor had asked her to cover dinner hours, she felt she could head off some potential troubles by arriving early enough to meet the staff and scope things out.
Her sisters hadn’t been happy about Maddy’s decision. More likely they weren’t happy about being holed up at the house without their buffer. Well, it was high time they got over that.
