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“There’s a job for me in the new place if I want it.”
“And do you want it?”
Ally forced her lips into a smile, deciding a lie might be better than the truth. “Yes, I do. This could be a great opportunity for Angel Sands. The tourists are going to love it.” Think positive, right? That way she might even begin to believe it herself.
Maybe.
She reached for the door handle, curling her fingers around the metal, feeling the warmth of it against her palm. For a second she remained still, her chest tightening at the thought of all the changes that were happening. From the youngest age she’d seen that as a bad thing.
Changes meant people left her. They meant she’d be pushed this way and that, like a piece of jetsam floating in the ocean.
Opening her lips, she took a jagged breath in, and squared her shoulders. She wasn’t that little girl anymore, and there was no need to be afraid. She was surrounded by friends. Nothing bad was going to happen.
“Well here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself, pushing open the door.
It was time to face the future – her future – and whatever it was, she could handle that.
* * *
“You’re giving us two weeks off?” Jeff’s face lit up as he leaned forward and grinned at Nate. “Seriously? That’s fantastic.” He paused for a moment then frowned. “Wait, I’m still gonna get paid, right?”
“Yes, you’ll be paid. And you’ll need to come in toward the end of the second week for training along with the new staff. I want us to hit the ground running when we open.”
It was funny how easy it was to gain the loyalty of some people. Jeff looked as though all his Christmases had come at once. Ally, on the other hand, was biting her lip at what he’d just said. As though he’d told her she was fired rather than offering two w
eeks paid leave.
He couldn’t work her out at all.
“Sure, great. Can I go now?” Jeff stood up and rubbed his hands together, a big smile splitting his face. “See you in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the time off, Mr. Crawford. You sure are a great boss.”
It might have been Nate’s imagination, but he thought he saw Ally shudder at this. “Yeah, sure, you can leave now. I’ll send some paperwork through the mail to you. And I’ll call you with the dates for training.”
Whether Jeff heard or not, Nate wasn’t sure. The cook was already halfway out the door by the time Nate finished speaking. As the door closed behind him, Nate turned to look at the woman sitting opposite him. Her elbows were resting on the table, and there was the strangest expression on her face. She was impossible to read.
God she was pretty, though. Not that he should be noticing – she was an employee. And after the debacle with Stephanie, he was pretty much done with relationships for life. What woman in her right mind would want to get involved with a guy with a teenager? Ally Sutton might have a body to die for in that spandex running gear, but he was a grown up, he could push that out of his mind.
“Is everything okay?” he asked her.
He noticed she was drumming her fingers on her thighs beneath the table. “Um, yeah, it’s fine.” Her whole body started to move to the rhythm. “Are you sure you don’t want me here?” she asked him. “Won’t you need someone to show you where everything is? The electric box, the water supply, all that jazz? I’ll happily hang around to help.”
“Your father’s lawyer sent us the plans for the place. They include all the utility points. I have a whole team of people who plan out the renovations and liaise with our construction companies. They have it under control.” That didn’t make her look any happier. The smile slipped from Nate’s lips. “Seriously, Ally, if anybody deserves a break it’s you. I looked at the staff rosters before I bought this place and I saw how many hours you’d been putting in.”
She shifted in her chair, her fingers still drumming. “I like working,” she said. “I don’t believe in doing anything half-baked.”
Yeah, he could see that about her. And it only made her more attractive. Another good reason for her to take two weeks off so he could concentrate on getting the latest Déjà Brew up and running, without being distracted by those lithe, tanned legs.
He cleared his throat. “You won’t be doing anything half baked,” he reassured her. “Once we’re up and running I’m going to need all of your energy and concentration. I won’t have the ability to be spending a lot of time here, so I’m going to need to trust you. That means that when we start training in a week’s time, I need you well rested and ready to learn. So go home, relax, and enjoy your break.”
He stood up and waited for her to do the same. When she did, he walked slightly ahead of her, gesturing to the door. She followed silently, opening it up, still unlocked from when Jeff had made his speedy escape, and turned back to look at him.
“Go on,” he said, giving her an encouraging nod.
Nate had spent most of his life surrounded by women in one way or another, but he’d never quite understood them. Chuckling softly, he walked back to the counter and rolled open the plans the building contractors had couriered over, making sure everything was ready for the construction team.
* * *
Later that night, Nate lifted a whiskey glass to his lips, taking a moment to smell the aroma of the warm grain before tipping his head back and letting the liquor coat his tongue. He’d been working since the early afternoon, setting up his office at the back of the house, chairing two video conferences with his staff in Seattle, and making phone call after phone call to try and trouble shoot some zoning issues.
