Page 29 of Booked for Summer

His tall frame stiffened, tension rippling through it. ‘Not for sleeping with you.’

‘Yeah, well I’m gutted about all of it.’ Unwilling to look at him, she kept her gaze ahead, her chest pinching when she caught sight of the wooden pontoon, and the grey tiled roof of Little Bay Book Shack beyond it. ‘Having sex with the first guy I met out here was unbelievably cheap, even by my standards.’

He reached for her arm, his touch burning her skin. ‘Don’t.’

She shook his hand off. ‘Don’t what?’

‘Demean yourself, or what we did.’ His gaze pinned hers. ‘We had a rare chemistry, which lead to some phenomenal sex. I was wrong not to stop it as soon as I realised you were working in the bookstore, but I figured as I was going to pay you and let you stay, you wouldn’t be too upset.’

She forced her gaze away from his, determined not to be swayed by those beautiful eyes. ‘Of course you thought that. I was some blonde happy to go back to your boat and have sex with you even though we’d only just met. Why wouldn’t I also be happy lazing about by the pool all day and taking your money?’

He let out a coarse oath, showing that rough edge again, at odds with his expensive good looks. ‘Stop twisting what I say.’

‘Am I twisting it? Or am I just saying what you really thought?’ Once more, she felt the sting of tears. She needed to get away from him, to lick her wounds and regroup. ‘Look, thanks for the offer to let me stay. It’s decent of you. I mean, three months of paid holiday isn’t something I should be grumbling about, right? So let me think about it, and meanwhile I presume there’s stuff I need to do to close the shop, so I’ll see if Flo can help me with that. Or Daisy.’ Crap, she could feel the tears overflowing and made a desperate swipe with her hand. ‘We spent the last few days pinging ideas back and forth for how to grow the business, but I guess learning how to wind it down is just as useful.’ A sob squeezed past her throat, and she turned away, embarrassed. ‘Anyway, I’ll catch you later.’

Not giving him a chance to reply, she set off towards the wharf, praying he didn’t follow her. The next time she talked to him, she needed to have her emotions under control.

The further she walked away from the resort, the quieter everything became. She knew he wasn’t following her because she couldn’t hear any footsteps. Couldn’t hear anything at all but for the creak of the wharf as she walked across it.

Her heart melted at the sight of the grey-shingled building as it came fully into view. She’d arrived with such high hopes, a nervous bundle of anticipation and excitement, and now… now she felt hollowed out. Sure, she could stay, but what was the point? Being paid to do nothing wouldn’t help her confidence, it would make her feel like a scrounger.

With a sigh she unlocked the shop and stepped inside. As she walked across the wooden floor, her eyes drank in the driftwood shelves, the rainbow book displays she’d agonised over, and her heart twisted at the wasted opportunity, the utter disappointment of it all.

A buzz in her pocket alerted her to her phone ringing.

‘Mum.’ She swallowed down the boulder of emotion and forced her voice to sound calm as she answered the call. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Hello love, everything is just fine, but how are things with you? I can’t stop thinking about you and wondering how you’re getting on.’

Shame flooded her, followed by a pang of regret. She should have phoned home yesterday. That way she’d have given herself a few days before she had this awkward conversation. ‘Sorry, I meant to phone, but there’s so much going on.’I’ve been shagging my boss and losing my job.God, she felt sick. How could she explain this to her parents, to Lauren? To the team at work who’d been rooting for her?

It’s not your fault Liam’s closing the shop.

‘Of course, you’re busy,’ her mum replied. ‘Running a business, especially when you’ve not done it before, and it’s in a foreign country, is not for the faint-hearted. We’re so proud of you, Jade.’

Bollocks. Tears crept down Jade’s cheeks and it was hard, so frigging hard, not to start blubbering. ‘Thank you.’

‘Well, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to hear your voice and check everything was okay. I can’t wait to hear more about the shop and how you’re doing when you’ve got the time.’

Jade ended the call and slumped to the floor, hit by a wave of acute sadness. She wasn’t the only one who was going to be disappointed when she went home without having achieved anything.

No.Not happening.

Reaching for the hem of her blouse, she wiped away the crappy tears. She was done disappointing her family. More than that, she was done being underestimated by everyone…includingherself.

She was smart, capable. Maybe she didn’t totally believe that yet, but the thing about faking it till you made it? She could fake the hell out of this.

Smart, capable women didn’t take the money and go quietly.

They made things happen.

Settling onto the ocean-blue sofa, she scrolled through her contacts and found Flo’s number.

* * *

Liam’s gaze skimmed across the wharf, and the bay frontage beyond. Now it was all his, he could start to picture the cottages his architect had designed, in consultation with the HDC (Historic District Commission) who oversaw every build, preserving Nantucket’s historic character. High-class buildings, each with a large upper balcony and lower terrace.

Luxury holiday accommodation for those prepared to pay top dollar for a little exclusivity, a lot of high-end furnishings and a private wharf to moor their yacht. Years in the making, it was a critical addition to his portfolio.

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