Page 51 of Booked for Summer

‘Boat? What boat?’ Jade frowned. ‘I thought you stopped him from going to a cove?’

Adam shifted awkwardly on his chair. ‘It was a private beach that my family owned. He had no right to be using it in the first place.’

‘And now he owns the waterfront, so really we have no right to tell him what to do with it,’ Jade countered, earning a smile from Claire. ‘What happened with the boat?’

All eyes were on Adam now and a red stain crept up his neck. ‘Haven was trying to repair some heap of crap that was never going to be seaworthy. Another way to look atthat, is to say by torching it, we probably saved his life.’

‘Oh, my God, you burned his boat? Why on earth?’ Jade demanded, horrified.

Adam’s eyes shifted away from hers. ‘Look, the guy was annoying, even then, always putting himself where he wasn’t wanted. Bad enough on land, but we didn’t want him following us out to sea.’

The twelve-year-old boy who’d wanted to fit in. Be part of the gang. Her heart lurched and as she scanned the room she could see the others were as shocked as she was, the view of the world they’d happily lived with, suddenly tilted. Adam of the warm hazel eyes and flirty smile had been a bully. Liam, of the wintry eyes and cool,do not get close to meexpression, had been the one bullied.

‘I remember Liam as a quiet kid,’ Philip said into the stunned silence, his brow wrinkling as if he was trying to picture him. ‘Mother was highly strung. Used to be a housekeeper at the Chase Resort, like her mom. But then she just upped and left, leaving Pat to bring Liam up.’

‘A tough woman, Pat.’ Mary interjected. ‘Too proud to accept any help. I always wondered how she managed, suddenly faced with having to take care of a young kid at her age, and on a housekeeper’s salary.’

‘Well he went to the same boarding school as me so he wasn’t that poor,’ Adam muttered. ‘And he’s hardly short of cash now. Not content with buying up this part of the island, he’s bought a plot in Siasconset and is building a huge fuck-off mansion.’

‘Which he’s entitled to do, surely?’ Jade sighed. ‘Look, I’m only a visitor but I can see there’s a lot of tension around what’s happening to the island. I’m not sure being antagonistic is going to help though, because he’s not doing anything wrong. It’s up to us to show him what he could do with the waterfront and the bookstore that would still benefit his resort but also the island. Appeal to his heart, rather than his finances.’

‘Assuming he has a heart,’ Mary added dourly, but then she batted her hand in the air. ‘I’m not sure I feel right saying that after what I’ve just heard. But he is still hellbent on expanding his resort at the expense of parts of the island that many of us born and bred here hold very dear.’

‘So let’s continue with the plan to hold a book evening at the library, but let’s promote it as being a collaboration between the library and Haven Resorts, because technically the bookstore is part of that now, whether we like it or not.’ Jade couldn’t tell whether the group were with her, only that it felt right. That somehow her dream to prove she could manage the bookstore had morphed into a desire to get Liam and the island community working together to help them both. ‘It might begin to shift people’s opinions of him and he in turn could then see the value in getting the island on side, rather than always against him.’

‘It’s a nice sentiment.’ Adam shrugged. ‘It won’t work but you’re not going to take my word for it, so hell, why not. Nothing to lose at this point.’

‘Doubt you’ll get his agreement,’ Philip added.

‘Leave that to me.’ She was an expert at doing first, asking permission later. If she got found out.

The meeting wrapped up, and as the others left, Adam strode up to her. ‘How come you’re taking Haven’s side now?’

What was it with these men? ‘I’m not taking sides. I’m also not an eight-year-old. Maybe it’s time you guys tried to act your ages, too.’

He reared back. ‘Wow, for a cute blonde with a sunny smile, you sure pack a nasty punch.’

Gah. ‘Well, for a passably handsome fair-haired bloke, you say some pretty juvenile, sexist twaddle.’

She left him standing, jaw open. Feeling mighty proud of herself, she headed down the wide cobbled main street towards the bike rental shop. This afternoon, she was finally going to do some sightseeing.

* * *

Was he really driving across the island to look at a lighthouse he’d seen a million times before, on the off chance he might also see a short blonde figure? He should be going through the applications he’d had for the manager post. A post that once filled, meant he was no longer tied to spending every day on this goddamn island.

Yet here he was, chasing after a woman, when he knew damn well the only way he’d remain unscathed was to keep well away from her.

He was only here to apologise, he reminded himself. And felt marginally better.

Driving past the golf course, he turned into a residential lane and parked the car at the top. The red and white cylindrical lighthouse stood tall and proud on the cliff, the sweeping greens of the golf course to the left of it, and the vivid blue ocean to the right. But there was no sign of Jade. Had he missed her… His heart gave a little kick as he spotted a female figure on a bicycle cycling up the lane towards the lighthouse, blonde ponytail flying out of the back of a pink baseball cap, shapely legs peddling away beneath a pair of denim shorts.

Unable to help himself, he smiled and honked the horn.

She turned to look at him and, to his horror, began to wobble.

Then promptly fell off the damn thing.

Heart in his mouth, he lunged at the door handle and threw himself out of the car.

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