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“Sounds good.” Lea continued to stare at Xander as he stared right back at her, making her heart race.
She wondered if she should have introduced Popi and Xander, but it was already too late as her friend had rushed out the door as though the office was on fire. Besides, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Xander was on the island for a social call. Was Popi right? Had he come here because he thought he had a real chance to buy the island out from under her now that she was in a difficult position?
“You missed the ferry.” She forced her gaze away from him and stared blindly down at her monitor. “The next one won’t be here until tomorrow. But I can request a seaplane to pick you up.”
“I won’t be needing it.”
That got her to lift her head. “You can’t just stay here indefinitely. Whatever needs said can be done via the phone.”
“It’s better face to face.”
She didn’t agree. Being so close to him distracted her. “There’s no room available. And...” Her rapid thoughts tripped over each other. “And there’s a wedding this weekend. And we’re booked solid.”
He stepped forward and made himself comfortable in one of the two chairs facing her desk. “I’ll guess we’ll be bunking together. Again.”
Immediately her thoughts went back to the time when they had in fact bunked together, but there had been no sleeping done that night—no sleeping whatsoever. And not much the following night. Heat swirled in her chest and rushed up to her face. She immediately squelched the very steamy memories.
Stay focused. Don’t let him rattle you.
“That isn’t going to happen again.” She maintained as firm a tone as she could muster.
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “That’s a shame because it was quite an unforgettable night.”
He’s definitely right about that.
She gave herself a mental jerk. Stay focused.
She tilted her chin upward. “So, you see that leaving is the only option.”
“Actually,” he said, leaning back in the chair, resting his elbows on the arms and steepling his fingers, “you have an empty guest room. I’ll just stay there. And then we can talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Liar. Liar.
The look on his face said he didn’t believe her. “Even you don’t believe that.”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Fine. We can talk now. You start.”
“I’ve had a look around the island and it needs numerous repairs and updates to bring it back to its former glory, as I’m sure you know.” He sighed. “I don’t want to make this sound harsh, but if you’re already struggling, how are you going to handle things when the baby comes?”
She lifted her chin ever so slightly. “I have a plan.”
His eyes filled with interest. “Mind sharing the details?”
“Actually, I do mind.” Anxious to wrap this up, she said, “Now if there’s nothing else—”
“There is something else.” He leaned forward. “I’m willing to invest in the island.” She shook her head but he continued. “You can’t afford to turn me down.” And then he named a staggering sum of money.
She didn’t know anyone that had that sort of wealth. The things she could do with it. The island would once again glow like a rare Mediterranean jewel. They’d be able to take on twice the number of weddings.
But in the end, she knew what her answer must be. “No. This is my problem. I’ll fix it on my own.” She stood. “I really do need to get back to work.”
A distinct frown settled on his face. “Why are you refusing my help?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“Apparently I do.”
It boiled down to one simple fact. “If it’s your money, you’ll want to call the shots.”
“And if I said the money came without strings—”
“I wouldn’t believe you. We aren’t talking about a small sum of money.” She noticed how he didn’t argue that point.
“And that’s it? There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”
