‘Hah! Very amusing. Not a bit. No boyfriend, jealous or otherwise. I am working on my master plan to take over the tea trade one festival at a time. No time for boyfriends; hell, no. They are far too distracting to a lady entrepreneur like myself.’
‘Of course. I completely understand. Today Lottie’s Cake Shop and Tea Rooms, tomorrow the world. I can see it now. And a great idea for a franchise.’
‘I know. But the tea shop is only one of my many talents.’ Dee coughed dismissively. ‘I was quite serious this morning when I answered the shop phone. The tea-import business is at the very early stages and I am taking my time to think about the name of the company and how to brand myself. So important, don’t you agree?’
Sean opened his mouth to answer then looked down at this girl who was capable of rendering him silent.
Then he looked at her again in silence before replying. She was serious. Totally, totally serious.
And his interest in her just ramped up another notch.
‘I do agree. The right name and brand are crucial for creating the perfect image for your company. It has to be unique, creative but easy to recall. Not easy. Which is why there are a lot of companies making serious money working for clients who have exactly that problem.’
His reward was a short nod. ‘I had a feeling that you would appreciate my business sense, which is why I plan to launch my new company at the tea festival. That way I get the perfect feedback direct from the experts in the trade. It’s an ideal opportunity.’
Then she looked up at him with a sly glance.
‘Ah. So this is not just about the tea. Now I understand; you are taking a chance. That’s quite something. Brave.’
‘Daft more like,’ she replied and flashed him a light, quizzical glance though her eyelashes. ‘As a matter of interest... Were you...planning to make a move? Just curious.’
‘Might be. Miss Curious.’
‘Not Miss Anything. The name is Dee, but my friends call me Dee.’
Then she bumped her head against his side. ‘Dee.’
Sean slid his hand down his side and clasped hold of her fingers. ‘My friends call me Sean. Conventional, but I like it.’
‘Sean,’ she whispered and the sound was carried away in the breeze like the sound of the wind in the trees. ‘I like it too.’
He grinned and took a tighter hold of her fingers. ‘Let me show you my hotel. Somehow, I think it might be a perfect match. Ready to find out?’
* * *
‘Prakash! What on earth are you doing here?’
A slim, elegantly dressed man with a Beresford hotel name-pin on his lapel and a lively open smile turned towards them in the foyer of the stunning hotel. But he did not have a chance to reply because Dee squealed and practically pounced on him, pressing her chest against his suit before pecking his cheek.
Then she stood back and covered her mouth with her hand.
‘Oh no, you’re working here. Sorry, Prakash. Especially since your boss is right here with me. Do you know Sean?’
Sean stepped forward and in an instant scanned the employee name-badge and mentally made the connections.
‘Prakash.’ He nodded. ‘Of course.’ They exchanged a hearty handshake. ‘Haven’t you just graduated from the management academy? I know my father was very impressed with the whole team.’
‘Thank you, Mr Beresford. It was tough but I learnt a huge amount.’
‘But what are you doing here?’ Dee pressed, looking into her friend’s startled face as she grabbed his arm. ‘Last time I saw you was when we graduated from catering college and you were all set to run your parents’ chain of family restaurants.’
Ah. So they’d been at catering college together. That would explain why Prakash Mohna was looking shell-shocked. He was probably terrified that Dee was going to start sharing some scandalous student prank that they had got up to.
As though a hidden sensor in the back of Dee’s head had detected that Sean was thinking of her, when she turned his way her face twisted into an expression that screamed out: go on, say something snarky about students.
‘Actually, I am the new conference manager. Started yesterday,’ Prakash blustered.
‘Conference manager.’ Dee laughed and thumped him on the shoulder. ‘That’s brilliant news. Because I, Miss Dee Flynn of Flynn’s Phantasmagorian Tea Emporium, need a conference room. In a hurry. Sean here—’ she flicked her head over her shoulder in his direction ‘—found out that I had been double-booked at another Beresford hotel. And several hundred tea lovers are going to descend on London looking for a tea festival a week on Saturday. Do you think that you can help me out? Because otherwise we’ll be setting up the stall in this gorgeous foyer.’
Her college friend flashed Sean a look of sheer panic before licking his lips and waving down a hallway. ‘Why don’t we check the booking system and find out?’
‘Is it computerized?’ Dee winced.
‘Well, yes, but we also have the printed booking sheet as back-up,’ Prakash replied, obviously confused, then he nodded. ‘Don’t tell me that you are still a complete technophobe? Dee!’
She held up both hands in protest. ‘Not a bit. I have a laptop. Lottie has set it up for me and I run my world-class tea empire from the comforts of my own home. Progress has been made.’
Then she turned and opened her mouth to say something with that glint in her eye which told Sean that she couldn’t resist giving him a sly dig, but Sean saw it coming and cut it off.
‘Human error caused the double booking at Richmond Square, so we are going to have to convince Dee that our systems can handle it.’
Sean looked up at Prakash who had pressed a finger to his lips as though he was finding the fact that his boss and his pal from catering college were on first-name terms very amusing.
‘I checked the system this morning, Prakash, and we had a cancellation which might fit the bill. Why don’t I leave you to look after Dee and sort out the details while I take care of some other business? I’ll be just over here if you need me.’
* * *
Sean looked up from the reception desk as Dee’s laughter echoed out across the marble foyer. She was strolling out of the main conference room with her arm looped around Prakash’s elbow.
Right now Prakash seemed to be doing a fine job of charming their latest client and keeping her entertained.
Strange that every time he looked up Dee just happened to glance in his direction and then instantly turn away. With just enough of a blush on the back of her neck to tell him she was only too aware that they were sharing the same breathing space.
Sean paused. For a moment there he thought... Yes, he was right. They were chatting away in what sounded like Hindi.
Of course. She had grown up in India. Nevertheless, it was still impressive.
Dee Flynn was certainly an unusual girl. In more ways than one.
He had made a mistake when he’d walked into the cake shop last night and taken her for a baker or shop assistant.
This girl was a self-employed tea entrepreneur who was organizing what sounded like a very impressive festival on her own.
That took some doing.
She couldn’t be a lot older than his half-sister Annika, who had grown into a lovely and talented photo-journalist. But when it came to organisation? Not one of her