Page 13 of Emergency Engagement

‘It involves a lot of smiling.’

‘You’ll have to teach me some time,’ he murmured. ‘I’ve always had a problem with that.’

‘I know.’ Sammy laughed. ‘I remember once seeing you outside the principal’s office. I have no idea what you’d done but you must have done something.’

‘I was always doingsomething.Looking back, the guy had the patience of a saint...’

‘Anyway, you were chewing gum and had your legs stretched out and you were playing something on your phone. You didn’t look as though you were going to be smiling your way through whatever punishment was in store for you. At any rate, I’ll be perfectly fine finding my feet.’

‘I’m not doubting that for a second.’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘No.’ He turned to her and their eyes met briefly. ‘You don’t strike me as being afraid of much. Youdidshow up at my office and yell at me because I’d bought the hotel from under your feet. I’ve probably been scarred for life.’

He grinned. ‘So, no need to become defensive. I have every confidence in your culinary capabilities as well as your socialsavoir faire. I had a look at your social media profile. You’ve had a convincing amount of experience working in different milieu—different restaurants with different chefs, and also catering for the rich and famous. It might have been a slow climb for you but not because you haven’t excelled along the way.’

‘No need to over-egg the pudding,’ Sammy muttered, burning with a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment.

‘I’m being truthful.’ The main road, such as it was, had been left behind and they were now in the capital. It was a charming mix of restaurants, bars and shops, from the sophisticated,catering for wealthy tourists, to the authentic, where the locals tended to hang out. Rafael eased the pick-up into a spare bay along a buzzing little street that was bustling with people. ‘Are you always this prickly when you’re paid a compliment?’

His dark eyes roved over her flushed face. ‘Look,’ he said softly, raking his fingers through his hair. ‘What I want to talk to you about has nothing to do with...your abilities to cook or mix or anything like that. Not at all. You couldn’t be further from the truth.’

‘Then what?’ She hesitated. ‘Have you...have you decided that I won’t be suitable for the...for the...?’

‘Let’s go inside.’ He nodded to the bar directly opposite them but his eyes remained pinned to her face.

He climbed out of the pick-up, hit the passenger side before she could even open her door and rested his hand on hers to help her down because it was a crazily high vehicle.

His fingers were cool against hers and sent a tingle through her as he touched her.What was going on...?

Sammy had expected a number of things, starting with sickening nerves, disorientation and borderline panic, all mingled with a healthy dose of sourness and resentment. She hadn’t expected to feel at all relaxed, not at any point; nor had she expected to see any funny side to Rafael and she certainly hadn’t expected him to be...hesitantwith her about anything.

And yet, she hadsensedhis hesitancy when he had brought her here and suddenly she realised that she wanted this job a lot more than she had told herself. She’d worked and worked and worked to get this far and she couldn’t face any more setbacks in her quest to forge her own path. She didn’twantto have to start thinking about putting aside more money so that she could findsomewhere else, somewhere that wouldn’t be half as suitable as the hotel, which was no longer even a possibility.

She’d subconsciously started making plans with the money he had dangled in front of her, even though she had fought against the temptation; she had hung onto the reality that there would still be a probationary period to climb over, not to mention the sickening prospect of being on this island on her own, making decisions that would affect her future. Bracing lectures to herself could only go so far.

She nervously detached from him as soon as her feet hit the ground. ‘So, want to tell me what’s going on?’ she asked.

Silhouettes of palm trees swayed all around them, a thick, dense forest leading to the sea; it wasn’t visible yet, but she could tell it was there from the salty aroma in the air. The stars were tiny, glittering diamonds in a velvety black sky and the warmth penetrated even her thin tee-shirt and the loose jeans. Even the fact that they were in a bar couldn’t detract from the dramatic splendour of their surroundings. In the darkness, all she could make out was Rafael’s powerful build and his chiselled facial features.

‘What’s going on is that there’s a slight spanner in the works.’ Rafael cleared his throat.

‘Meaning? Look, if you’re having second thoughts about taking me on after this stint, then that’s fine. There’s no need to think that I’m going to take you to court because of a stupid contract.’

‘Point of order—you couldn’t. The contract stipulates complete freedom for me to release you without obligation should I no longer think that you can handle the six-month part of the job at my hotel. Didn’t you read the fine print, Sammy?’ He shook his head. ‘Anyway. This isn’t to do with that. It’s to do with...how can I put this?...a certain delicate situation that’s, er, arisen concerning one of the guests at my villa...’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Let me get you something to drink. They do an excellent rum punch here.’

He ordered drinks and nibbles while Sammy looked at him in utter bewilderment. She was barely aware of a cocktail being put in front of her or of the plate of nibbles. He’d told her that whatever he had to say had nothing to do with her contract but, in that case, for the life of her she couldn’t work out where this was going.

‘The couple I mentioned... Clement Hewell and the woman he’s brought with him...’

‘Yes...?’

‘He’s an important player in this particular game. He needs to be persuaded into parting with the company because, without him, the various other IT and software companies would find it hard to amalgamate. His company has certain software programmes that are vital for the whole tie-up to be possible, and that means a lot, because a lot of jobs depend on this deal. Without his contribution, the deal falls apart, and with it two of the companies, which will splinter, and that will affect a lot of people’s livelihoods. The climate’s not great for job hunting, and I personally know of the dozens that will be let go if this doesn’t go through; most are nearing retirement age and would struggle to find anything else.’

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