He scanned the rest quickly and looked up. “This is glowing.”
“Yes. And there’s plenty more like that. I honestly thought she’d been digging for dirt. Trying to find reasons to justify to the company—which turns out to be her mother—to shut us down or sell us to Weasel features.” Evie took another slice of pizza. “I should call her and apologise.”
“You’ll see her tomorrow.”
“I handled it badly. I don’t think I can wait until tomorrow. I was in the wrong and I need to fix it.” She grabbed her phone and dialled, taking a deep breath. “No answer. Do you think she’s ignoring me? Or maybe I’ve upset her horribly and she’s crying in bed.”
“Maybe her phone is switched off.”
“But why? It’s not that late, is it? I’ll call again and leave a message.” She dialled and waited. “Hi, Abby, it’s Evie. Thanks for sending the reports through. I—they’re really good and not what I expected. I owe you an apology, and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. Anyway, you’re not picking up but if you want to call me back then do, otherwise I’ll see you at the hotel in the morning. And again, I’m sorry. We’re going to figure this out. Please don’t leave.”
Luca watched her. “Why are you being hard on yourself?
She did lie to you, Evie.”
“I know. But she was obviously navigating a complicated situation with her mother who is also her boss. That can’t be easy. Weird that she works with her mother, and I work with my dad.” She helped herself to another slice of pizza. “Now I think about it she did ask me some questions about how I found it working with Dad. But it’s not the same, is it? My dad isn’t the boss of the whole company.”
“Close your laptop now. It’s time to relax and stop chewing on it.”
“Are you using food analogies to comment on my stressful situation?”
He topped up her wine glass. “Food is all I know.”
“I wouldn’t say that—” She studied him across the table. “I’d say you know a few other things, too. Do you want me to describe them in more detail on your blog?”
He put the bottle down slowly. “I do, but we both know the only reason you’re interested in me is because I can make pizza that makes you forget all the pizzas you have ever eaten before.”
“That’s true, but not entirely. There are other things I like about you. For example, your eyelashes.”
“My eyelashes?”
“Yes. Most women would kill to have eyelashes like yours.”
“So if I burn my eyelashes off while cooking your pizza in a hot oven, that’s the end of our relationship?”
He knew she was feeling bad and he’d made her pizza, and now he was doing everything he could to make her laugh and distract her. She liked him. She liked him so much she should probably be terrified.
And at least this game of verbal tennis took her mind off how bad she felt.
“It depends—would the pizza be burned too?”
He opened his mouth to respond but then her phone rang.
She assumed it was Abby and grabbed it, but then saw it was the night manager at the hotel.
“Oh please. Now what? There should be a limit to how much crap each day can deliver, don’t you think?” She took a breath and answered it. “Rick? Is everything okay?” She listened. “She what? Are you serious? I’ll go to the hospital—are you sure? Well, if she calls you, give her my number.”
Luca frowned. “Hospital?”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. And thanks, Rick.” She ended the call. “Chrissy Robinson took the kids to the beachthis afternoon. Late afternoon. Holly got caught in a rip current. Sorry, I forget you don’t know the guests as well as I do. Holly is—”
“Her eldest. I know. She loves my fish goujons.” Luca’s expression was grim. “Tell me she’s okay.”
“She almost drowned, but fortunately she was rescued and now she’s in hospital.” Evie couldn’t begin to imagine how terrifying that must have been for Chrissy. “They’re keeping her in overnight and Chrissy and the baby are staying with her.”
“Thank goodness for lifeguards.”
“Well, that’s the thing—” Evie still couldn’t quite believe what she’d heard. “There are no lifeguards on that beach after 4 p.m. It was Abby who rescued her.”
