Page 26 of The Romance Library

‘Oh, don’t worry. I’m not that busy these days, and on the contrary, it’s not unnecessary. This is very important to me. Everyone in this town has been here for generations. This place is known as Sunshine Bay for good reason. It’s a great place to live and that’s because we’re very protective of the community. Like I said, if you don’t know the people here and don’t have ties, you won’t care what happens to it.’

‘I understand,’ I said quickly. ‘Count me in!’

It was obvious that Theo wasn’t keen, and that gave me an advantage that I intended to use. If I was happy to stay here and Theo wasn’t, that automatically made me the frontrunner.

‘And what about you, Theo? If community isn’t important to you, best that you remove your hat from the ring now and forfeit to Jessica.’ We both fixed our focus on Theo, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. ‘Just say the word and it’ll be a one-woman race.’

‘No, no.’ Theo plastered on a smile. ‘I’ll… I’d be happy to stay here!’

I barely knew the guy, but even I could tell he was about as happy about staying in this town as he would be about getting two root canals without anaesthetic.

‘That’s settled, then! I’ve already spoken to Glenda at the B&B and asked her to reserve two rooms.’

‘B&B?’ Theo’s eyes were popping again. ‘I wouldn’t want Glenda to go to any trouble. My assistant can find a hotel or apartment nearby on Airbnb.’

‘We only have one place to stay here and that’s what Glenda runs. There’s no Airbnb here.’

I almost snorted. Theo was shitting himself. Even if this B&B was lovely, I doubted it’d compare to the five-star lifestyle that he was used to.

Theo wasn’t going to last five minutes living in this town. And when he ran back to his fancy mansion, the building would be mine.

This was perfect.

8

Theo

‘We have an issue.’ I took a seat at my father’s desk.

I’d thought about calling him straight after the disastrous dinner with Edwin last night to break the news, but I was still trying to wrap my head around this crazy development.

How could he seriously expect me to live in that town for three weeks? The pitch and meeting for a couple of dinners was reasonable, but forcing me to stay there to secure a deal was overkill.

And there was no way I could live and work in a B&B for that long. Especially with my competitor in the same building.

I didn’t have a hope in hell of concentrating with Jessica around.

When she’d first stepped into Edwin’s office, I’d had to fight to stay focused. Although her dress was loose, it couldn’t hide those curves, and I’d struggled to keep my eyes off her all night.

God knows what she must’ve thought of me, wearing a fucking tuxedo to a fish and chips restaurant. I’d never felt so out of place.

And when she teased me about the fact that I holidayed in the South of France and had a cook, it just reminded me that we came from completely different worlds. Maybe that was why I found her so intriguing.

She was right about the whole fish and chips thing. Although we’d eaten it at boarding school, it was never something Father would’ve allowed at home. He would’ve considered it too common.

But just because I’d enjoyed one meal in the town, that didn’t mean I wanted to repeat the experience for another twenty-one days.

‘What’s the problem? Don’t tell me you’ve lost the opportunity to pitch?’ Father sighed, preparing himself for disappointment.

‘No. I’ll still be pitching, but in three rather than two weeks’ time.’

‘Considering I wanted this deal wrapped up ASAP, that’s not ideal, but it’s not a disaster either. Don’t be so dramatic.’

‘The real issue is he’s insisting I live in the town—for three weeks.’

I filled him in on Edwin’s community spiel and the fact that if I didn’t accept, I’d automatically forfeit the deal and it’d be given to our competitor.

‘And you’re sure he can’t be swayed by more money? Perhaps I should speak to him.’

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