Page 15

He caught her looking at him and moved closer. Standing behind her, he put his hand over hers as she steered; his was large and tanned, a contrast with her slender fingers and her hot pink manicure. Slowly, he pulled on the throttle and slowed the boat down. His body was almost touching hers, and Stephanie felt a frisson of excitement and uncertainty – she barely knew this guy, and now they were all alone, in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Paulo killed the engine. The silence was stark, only the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull, as they drifted beneath an endless expanse of sky that mirrored the perfect sapphire blue of the water.

‘That was quite a thrill,’ Stephanie commented with a raised eyebrow.

‘I knew you’d enjoy it. You look like someone who goes looking for thrills. I read in one of the papers yesterday that you are difficult, fiery. I heard they threw you off the set of your movie? Is that true?’

Stephanie bristled, and was also alarmed that there was industry talk about what had happened on set, and it was leaking out to the press. Her stomach tightened. ‘You can’t believe everything you read in the papers.’

‘What are you doing in Mallorca, then? Not that I’m complaining. I like a woman with fire in her belly.’ Was it fire in her belly, or something darker? Stephanie was still discovering who she was, but she was sure Paulo was too self-absorbed to be truly interested in her, so she pushed down her anxiety.

‘So what now? Do we swim to shore?’ she teased, turning to look at Mallorca in the distance. It had to be at least a kilometre away.

Paulo laughed easily. ‘No. Unless you want to escape from me?’

Stephanie smiled slowly. ‘Not yet.’

‘In that case …’ Paulo crouched down and pulled a cool box from the small storage area inside the boat. ‘Lunch,’ he announced with a flourish, taking off the lid and bringing out half a dozen plates with delicious-looking food: fresh bread with olive oil and tomatoes, slices of cured ham and chorizo, three different kinds of salad, Padrón peppers laced with salt, and thick slices of cold tortilla.

‘This looks amazing,’ Stephanie exclaimed. But there was something about it that seemed familiar. ‘Wait, is this—?’

‘Il Paradiso’s finest. Hand-prepared by my head chef this morning.’

‘You had Lucas prepare a picnic for us?’

‘Yeah,’ Paulo smirked. He watched her face as he picked up a juicy, garlicky prawn and bit into it. ‘Is that a problem?’

There was something challenging in his tone. She remembered the connection she’d had with Lucas, and how much she’d enjoyed talking to him. She realized she didn’t want him to think that she and Paulo were seeing one another, let alone be forced into doing the catering for their date. But Paulo had said that Lucas had a serious girlfriend, and Lucas hadn’t denied it, so Stephanie should probably put him out of her mind.

‘No,’ she replied evenly. ‘Why would it be?’

Paulo shrugged. ‘I figure I’m the one busting my ass to make the restaurant a success. Lucas needs to pull his weight too.’

Stephanie mulled on his words as she speared a forkful of tuna salad, thinking that Lucas definitely looked to her like he was working his butt off in the kitchen. The food was delicious. ‘So how do you two know one another?’

‘We’ve been friends since we were kids,’ Paulo explained. ‘He used to come and stay on the island in the summer. Because his parents were always away, always hustling to build their precious business, so he used to spend the school holidays with his grandmother in her villa. I was the poor kid down the road. You know, things like that don’t matter when you’re young – you just want to play, you don’t care about how much money someone has. It’s only as you grow up that you notice the difference.’

‘But you’re doing OK for yourself now,’ Stephanie said, noticing the Rolex on his wrist, the designer labels on his clothes.

‘I worked hard to make something of myself. I didn’t have anything handed to me on a plate,’ Paulo said, unable to hide the trace of bitterness in his voice.

‘Lucas has had a hard time too,’ Stephanie said, as she took a bottle opener and flipped the lid off a bottle of Mahou beer. It was ice cold and perfect. She noticed that Paulo – or perhaps Lucas – had packed a bottle of cava too. ‘The accident,’ she clarified, opening a beer for Paulo too.

Paulo’s face changed imperceptibly, a muscle in his jaw twitching. ‘Yeah … The accident.’ The word seemed loaded, but Stephanie couldn’t read his meaning. ‘He’s certainly done well since. Maman felt so guilty about everything that she bought him a restaurant.’

‘Camille paid for Il Paradiso?’ Stephanie was surprised.

‘Yeah. She set him up with everything, paid the first year’s rent on the building … She’s supposed to be a silent partner – not silent enough for my liking. Why are you so surprised? Like I said, Lucas gets everything he wants handed to him on a silver platter.’

Stephanie fell quiet, taking another sip of beer. It was obvious that Paulo was jealous of Lucas, for the advantages he’d had in life, and she was intrigued by their relationship. She knew she had to tread carefully, but if she was clever she could flatter him into revealing more.

‘So what’s your role in the business? I mean, if Lucas is doing the cooking, then—’

‘Everything else,’ Paulo interrupted. ‘You name it, I do it. The marketing, the PR, the finances, dealing with suppliers, with staffing, with front of house. I dealt with the contractors and the team when we did the fit-out. When we were behind schedule for opening night, it was my family who came in and worked round the clock to ensure everything was finished. I’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into Il Paradiso, and no one can take that away from me …’ He trailed off, and Stephanie noticed how a muscle in his cheek twitched as he glowered into the distance. Then he seemed to catch himself. ‘But let’s not talk about business today. Let’s talk about you. You fascinate me, Stephanie Moon. You’re beautiful, talented, intelligent …’ He tilted his head to look at her, and Stephanie felt herself blush beneath his scrutiny.

‘I’m just enjoying the ride, seeing where life takes me, and—’

She was interrupted by the tinny tune from a mobile phone. Paulo pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. ‘Sorry, I need to take this.’