He would give her fifteen minutes. Get her to see the sense of his plan. And then he would get back to wrapping up this acquisition.
‘How about all your personal belongings? Are they okay?’
‘All of my clothes survived, but not my shoes—unfortunately.’ A sad, crooked smile broke on her mouth before she added in bewilderment, with a catch in her voice, ‘I mean, shoes! They are the least of my worries...but I loved them so much.’
‘Where are you going to live?’
‘I’m not sure... I called the Harbour View Hotel but they’re completely booked out tonight, and apparently all the bed and breakfasts in a ten-mile radius are the same because of people having to evacuate. I’ll probably have to stay in one of the hotels in Ballymore.’
There was no way she was going to manage the renovations from twenty miles away and work on her commissions at the same time.
‘It’s going to be difficult for you to manage the repairs from Ballymore. I’ll get William, my estate manager, to project-manage the renovations for you.’
She stared at him in disbelief. ‘Why on earth would you do that?’
‘Because you need to concentrate on your business—not spend your days driving all over the countryside and chasing builders.’
‘I appreciate the offer, but I need to manage the renovations by myself.’
‘Why?’
Tiredly, she rubbed her palms over her face and looked at him imploringly. ‘Let me ask you the same question. Why? Why are you doing this?’
Taking a step closer, he stared down at her. Boy, was she obstinate. ‘Maybe I just want to help you. Nothing more.’
‘I can’t accept your help.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because...’
This woman was impossible. Why wouldn’t she accept his help? She was as bad as Orla.
He gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Aideen, will you stop being a pain and just agree to letting William sort out the renovations...? It’s not a big deal. And I don’t know about you, but I have better things to be doing than standing here arguing about my motives.’
* * *
Not a big deal to him, perhaps, but it was to her. She needed to rebuild her life by herself, on her own terms.
Bewildered, she said, ‘You don’t even know me.’
‘So? You’re my neighbour. That’s a good enough reason for me to want to help.’
He made it all sound so simple. And for a moment she wanted to believe him. But then a siren of warning sounded in her brain. She needed to be in control of her own life. ‘I don’t want to sound ungrateful, and I do appreciate your offer, but I have to manage the renovations by myself.’
‘And what if your business suffers as a result?’
She flinched at the truth of his words. Ballymore was twenty miles away, on twisting roads. Trying to manage the renovations and run her business from a hotel room was going to be a nightmare.
Frustration at the whole situation had her arguing back. ‘I’ll manage.’
His mouth tensed at the anger in her voice and he considered her through narrowed eyes. ‘You are stubborn, aren’t you?’
‘So it has been said in the past,’ she muttered.
On an exasperated exhalation he folded his arms. ‘Your business has to be your number one priority. William will sort out the renovations. You will move in here until the cottage is ready, and on Sunday you will come to Paris with me.’
A bolt of pain radiated through his jawline as he clamped his teeth together. Hard. For a few seconds he wondered at the words he had so casually tossed out. Disquiet rumbled in his stomach. Was he about to walk into a minefield of complications by inviting this woman into his life? But in an instant he killed that doubt. This was the right thing to do. She needed his help. Even if the horror in her eyes told him that she wasn’t ready to accept it yet.
Stupefied, Aideen stared at him for the longest while, waiting for him to give the tiniest indication that he was joking. But his mouth didn’t twitch...his eyes didn’t soften.
She gave a laugh of disbelief. ‘Are you being serious?’
‘Yes. I have meetings in Paris all of next week. You said yourself that you should be out meeting clients. Well, now is your opportunity. I have a chateau close to Paris we can use.’
‘But I would be intruding.’
‘Look, you’ve seen the size of Ashbrooke. My chateau outside Paris is large, too. You can set up a temporary studio there for the week. We can keep out of each other’s way.’
Shaking her head, she folded her arms across her chest. ‘You said last night you like living on your own...and so do I. It won’t work.’
‘We’ll lead our own lives. I’m simply offering you a bed and a place to work—both here and in Paris. You come and go as you please. My chauffeur will be available to you whenever you need him. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.’
‘But why?’
‘What is it with you and your questions? Why don’t you believe that I’m just trying to be a good neighbour? That it’s the right thing to do? I admire your tenacity and I want to support you in rebuilding your business. I think you need help even if you are too stubborn to admit it yourself.’
Taken aback by the powerful intensity of his words, she wavered a little. ‘I’d pay you back.’
Taking a deep breath, he said with exasperation, ‘I don’t want your money. Can’t you just accept it as a neighbourly gesture?’
‘I’ll be paying rent.’
He held up his hands. ‘Fine. You can pay me once your insurance money comes through. Now I need to get back to work. I’ll show you to the library, where you can work today. Use the same bedroom as last night to sleep in.’ Out in the corridor, he added, ‘You met my housekeeper, Maureen, earlier. Speak to her if you need anything. I’ll get William to call in to see you and together you can discuss the renovation plans.’
She followed him to the library. Was she crazy to agree to this? But it was the only sensible option open to her. Wasn’t it she who had said she would do anything to make her business a success? Just how hard would it be to move into his house for a month? She would have the space she needed and she would be close by the cottage to keep an eye on the renovations. And she did need to go to Paris.
It was a no-brainer, really. But could she really cope with living under the same roof as him? When there was this strange push-and-pull thing going on between them...attraction vying with wariness?
But it wasn’t as if he was welcoming her with open arms anyway. He was a busy man who travelled the world. She mightn’t see him for most of the time she was his guest.
A little while later, she was about to go about unpacking her car when she glanced around to see him watching her with a dark intensity.
How long would it take for him to regret asking her to stay? If he wasn’t already doing so...?
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