“Oh stop.” She sniffed and pulled away. “You should have left me to find my own way off the beach. Why didn’t you?”
“The tide was coming in. It’s bad for tourism if someone drowns. Puts people off coming here.”
Despite everything, it made her smile.
“Okay. I get that. But I’m alive, so you don’t need to hang around.”
“Maybe I want to hang around.”
She felt something inside her soften but she ignored it. She was exhausted, still a little hungover, guilty and drained from her conversation with Evie and shaken up by what had so nearly been a tragedy. This wasn’t a time to follow her instincts. Of course she wanted to cling to him. It was a human response to feeling vulnerable. All the more reason for him to leave.
“That’s a rapid turnaround, don’t you think? I’ve been here for almost a month and up until yesterday you’ve barely spoken to me. You called me Robot Girl.”
“Because you were frosty, invulnerable and untouchable. And now you’re warm, vulnerable and human. I prefer this side of you, by the way.”
It seemed he wasn’t going to leave, so maybe she should get another of her apologies out of the way. Then there was just her mother left.
“I’m sorry about last night. My memories are hazy, but obviously I’m never drinking wine again, ever.”
He smiled. “You’re interesting when you drink.”
Her memory might be hazy, but she clearly remembered the part where he’d rejected her.
“I saw your note when I woke up.” Thinking of it reminded her that she still had to call her mother. “I talked to Evie this morning. I told her everything. Naturally she was upset. It was a horrible conversation.”
And that was the worst part of all of it. For the first time in her working career she’d felt as if she had a connection with someone. She’d loved every moment of working with Evie.
He nodded and stroked his fingers through her hair. “You’ve had a hell of a day, haven’t you?”
“Not the best. Why are you still sitting here? I hurt your friend and you don’t even like me.”
“Oh, I like you. I like you a lot.”
“You didn’t seem to like me when I tried to remove your shirt last night.”
A smile spread slowly across his face. “That’s because you’d drunk a few glasses of wine. If you want to try it again, that’s fine with me.”
Her heart thudded a little harder. It was typical, she thought, that she finally met a man she was interested in and couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’m not in a sound emotional state. Also you think I’m a terrible person because I lied to your friend. I admire your loyalty, by the way. Evie is lucky having a friend like you.”
“I think you’re a person who has been dealing with a difficult situation.” He reached for the bowl of soup and pulled it closer. “Did I think you should tell Ev the truth? Yes. But am I judging you for what you did? No. I know what it’s like trying to please a demanding parent. I know better than anyone what parental pressure feels like. For the record, I definitely don’t think you’re terrible. I think you’re brave, and not only because you jumped into the water to save a child.”
“If I was brave, I would have told my mother no when she asked me to go undercover.” She picked up a piece of toast and nibbled the corner.
“Decisions are rarely as easy as they seem to other people.”
The last thing she’d expected was empathy. “I try and please her. I always want to please her.”
He nodded. “Because it’s work as well as personal. Everyone wants to please their boss. When family ties are involved—it becomes a step more complicated. I could bore you for hours with some of the dilemmas I’ve faced. Have you always worked with her?”
“Yes. It was just the two of us and I don’t remember a time when she didn’t talk to me about the business.”
“She has built an impressive company.” He handed her the spoon. “Eat a little soup. A couple of mouthfuls.”
She didn’t have the energy to fight him so she took the spoon and tried a mouthful of soup. And then another. “It’s good.”
“All our food is good. Not Luca’s standard of course, but wholesome and comforting.”
