‘I’ve always loved this part of the world,’ she said. ‘And Bay Breeze is the icing on the cake. I love what you guys have done with it, Lizzie. The building, the fit-out, the food. The timing is perfect. Stress and burnout are endemic today. Offering this kind of retreat in such an awesome natural setting is just what a particular lucrative market is looking for.’
Had she read his mind? She could have been quoting him on the pitch for his new luxury boutique resort.
As she chatted with Lizzie, Alex was surprised at how much Adele knew about the hospitality business. She was both perceptive and canny. She understood how success came from meeting people’s needs but also about anticipating them. Giving them what they didn’t know they wanted until it was offered to them, all new and shiny. Knowing your customer through and through. Being open to change and nimble enough to adapt to it.
The strength of Bay Breeze she had pinpointed was on track with what he wanted for his new venue. It wasn’t often he met someone who was so in tune with how he thought about the business. Although that was perhaps not such a surprise when in the past he’d surrounded himself with too many ‘yes’ men.
‘So what are your plans for life after the newspaper?’ Lizzie asked her.
Adele frowned at Lizzie with what was obviously a warning. Alex realised she didn’t want him to hear that. Which made him determined not to miss a word.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
Lizzie sounded outraged. ‘That darn newspaper fired Dell. Booted her out with a cheque in lieu of notice.’
Adele glared at her friend for spilling the beans.
‘Is that true?’ he asked Adele. ‘You’ve lost your job?’
She shrugged. But he could see it was an effort for her to sound casual about such a blow. Especially in front of him. ‘Budget cuts, they said. It...it was a shock.’
‘Because of the court case?’ Regret churned in him. How much damage had he caused for something that now seemed unimportant?
She didn’t meet his eye. ‘No. That was three years ago. Although I was never popular with management afterwards. Being sued wasn’t regarded as a highlight of my résumé.’
He frowned. ‘What will you do?’ He felt a shaft of shame at what he had put her through. Although he had felt totally in the right at the time.
Alex expected a snarl and a rejoinder to mind his own business. But she couldn’t mask the panic in her eyes. ‘I don’t know yet. They only gave me the boot a week ago. But I’ve got options.’
‘Of course you have,’ said loyal Lizzie. ‘Publicity and marketing among them. That would be a logical move for you.’
Adele nodded to her friend. ‘Yes, I’ve thought of that,’ she said. ‘And I can freelance. It will also allow me to give my blog more attention.’
Alex doubted she could make enough to live on from that blog, in spite of the number of readers it attracted. Unless she’d made big strides with attracting advertising since he’d last looked at Dell Dishes.
‘Your husband?’ he asked after some hesitation. He was sure there’d been a husband.
Her mouth twisted. ‘Divorced.’ Her chin tilted upward. ‘In any case, I don’t depend on a man to support me.’
He wouldn’t have expected any other response from the feisty food critic. ‘Do you have children?’
Something he couldn’t read darkened her eyes. She shook her head.
‘Then come and work for me.’ The words escaped his mouth before he’d had time to think about them. But some of his best decisions had been made on impulse.
* * *
Dell looked up at Alex Mikhalis, the man she regarded as the devil incarnate. He towered over her, darkly formidable in black jeans and a black T-shirt that made no secret of his strength, his impressive muscles.
‘Did you just offer me a job?’ She couldn’t keep the disbelief from her voice. From behind her, she heard Lizzie gasp.
‘I did,’ he said gruffly.
‘Why would you do that?’
‘You need a job. I need help with a new venture. Your understanding of hospitality is impressive. You have skills in PR and publicity.’
Entitled and arrogant, he so obviously expected an instant ‘yes’. But it would not be forthcoming from her. She sympathised with his personal loss. That didn’t mean she wanted to work with him. Especially not to be under his control as an employee.
She couldn’t think of anything worse.
‘I appreciate the offer,’ she said. ‘But I can’t possibly accept. I suspect you know why.’
His legal team had undermined her credibility at every opportunity. Even though her newspaper had won the case, she had come out of it bruised and battered with her reputation intact but shredded around the edges. Even three years later she felt it had influenced her employer into ‘letting her go’. And that was apart from the stress it had put on her marriage.
He scowled. ‘I want to make amends.’
Alex Mikhalis make amends? To her? She frowned. ‘Is this some kind of trick?’
‘No tricks,’ he said. His voice was deep, assured, confident. Yet did nothing to reassure her.
‘I find that difficult to believe. You...you threatened me. Told me you would get even.’ He made her so nervous it was difficult to get her words out. She had heard the rumours of how effectively he had brought down his business opponents. But she would not let him sense her fear.
‘That was a different time and place. There is no threat.’
‘Why should I trust you?’ Memories of his intimidation on the courtroom steps flooded back.
Dell became aware that she and the tall, broad-shouldered man were the focus of interest among the customers of the café. She moved closer to him so she could lower her voice. He moved closer as well. Too close. She felt as if he were taking up all the air, making her heart race, her breath come short.
‘I’m a different man,’ he said, his expression intent, dark eyes unreadable as he searched her face.
He looked different, that was for sure. Stripped of designer trappings to a raw masculinity that, in spite of her dislike of him, she could not help but appreciate. As for his nature? Leopards didn’t change their spots. And there had always been something predatory about him.
She couldn’t help the snort of disbelief that escaped her. ‘Huh! You? As if I believe—’
A flash of pain contorted his features but was gone so quickly she might have imagined it if it hadn’t made such an impression on her that it stopped her words short. For a long moment she stared up at him. It had been three years since she had faced him on the courtroom steps. He had been through trauma like she couldn’t imagine. Who knew how that might have affected him? Maybe he was telling the truth.
She felt a gentle tap on her arm and turned, dazed, to see Lizzie. ‘Perhaps you should consider this offer,’ her friend said quietly. Her eyes gave her a silent message. You have debts.
Dell was only too aware of the debts she had run up during her marriage and that had become her responsibility. Lizzie always gave her wise counsel. Her friend would be horrified if she knew the decision she had made just the week before she had lost her job. If it paid off, she might need a job more than ever. And with so many people reviewing restaurants online for free, she felt the newspaper editor had been telling the truth when he’d told her that her role was redundant. Job offers weren’t exactly flooding her inbox. She forced