Page 21 of The Romance Library

No, I warned myself again as I pushed the door open. I’m not going there. Theodore was not hot. He was the enemy, he was…

Good Lord.

When I caught sight of him standing beside Edwin’s desk, I swallowed hard.

He was dressed in a tux with a black bow tie, and he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a James Bond film. The word hot didn’t even begin to cover it. Never mind licensed to kill—looking like that, the man was licensed to thrill.

I caught myself swooning, then pinched my palm to snap out of the trance.

Repeat after me, my brain commanded:

Theodore’s the competition.

He’s the enemy.

Do not be fooled by his looks.

Remember what happened last time you fell for a handsome man.

That was all it took to bring me back to my senses.

‘Hi,’ I said to Edwin before nodding in acknowledgement to Theodore, then quickly tearing my gaze away. The less I looked at him the better.

‘Hello, Jessica!’ Edwin chirped. ‘Lovely to see you again.’

‘Jessica.’ Theodore nodded, raking his eyes from my head down to my toes, then looking away.

No doubt he was judging my floaty orange-and-navy-blue printed dress. It was the smartest thing I could find in my wardrobe. I’d got it in the charity shop for five pounds and it was a world away from the designer tux he was wearing. I bet that cost more than three months’ rent.

Edwin was dressed more casually in a jumper and brown corduroy trousers, but he still looked smarter than me. I was probably going to stick out like a sore thumb at this fancy restaurant, but there was nothing I could do about it. This was how I was, and if Edwin wanted me to dress a certain way to secure this building, then I wasn’t going to do it. I wanted this job, of course I did, but I’d changed my identity for a man before and I refused to do it again.

‘Shall we make tracks?’ Edwin said. ‘The restaurant isn’t far from here. I thought it’d be good to get you better acquainted with the town.’

‘Ladies first.’ Theodore gestured for me to walk ahead of him.

As he got closer, that annoying woody scent surrounded me and I winced. How did he smell so good?

I quickly hurried to catch up with Edwin and create some distance between me and Theo.

‘Have you visited the beach yet?’ Edwin asked.

‘Briefly,’ I replied. ‘When I came here with Mrs Davis. It’s beautiful. So calm and pretty. It’d be the perfect place to sit and relax with a book borrowed from a library across the road.’ I smiled.

‘Indeed.’ Edwin nodded.

‘Or for residents to walk to from their new home,’ Theodore added. ‘Having a collection of luxury apartments would provide a significant boost to the local economy, which would mean more money for the town. To keep the beach clean and—’

‘Are you saying the beach isn’t clean?’

‘No, not at all!’ Theodore replied. ‘I was just saying that I’m sure every town could benefit from investment.’

Edwin was silent. I’d definitely won that round. It was clear that this town meant a lot to Edwin, so I knew my complimenting the beach and saying I’d spent time here worked in my favour. If I kept this up all night, I’d definitely come out ahead.

‘This town has a thriving community.’ Edwin crossed the road. ‘Over there on the corner is Violet’s Florist’—he pointed to a small shop with a blue-and-white-striped awning and colourful floral window displays—‘which has been here for three generations.’

‘Very nice.’ I smiled.

‘Seaview B&B, which overlooks the beach, has existed for almost a hundred years.’

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