He studied her for a moment. Was she saying that she wanted a family? With him? Impossible. She’d already made it clear that she could get by on her own.
Still, he thought she was being foolish for clinging to her pride instead of taking the money. In his business, he hadn’t met many people who didn’t value money above most everything. But the better he got to know Lea, the more he realized she was unlike anyone else he’d ever known.
“I need to get back to my guests,” she said.
As she began to turn away, he instinctively reached out to her. His hand skimmed down her forearm and caught hold of her hand. She turned back with a surprised look in her eyes that were more green than blue today.
And then her gaze lowered to their clasped hands. He reluctantly let go of her. He was surprised by how much he missed her touch.
“Lea, please reconsider.”
“I don’t want to be indebted to you.” She shook her head. “It wouldn’t work.”
She walked away before he could figure out his next words.
He remained at the café and purchased a black coffee while Lea escorted the couple to the seaplane waiting in the marina. He wondered if she’d made the deal. He couldn’t tell. From where he stood by the railing of the café that looked out over the cove, he was able to see them on the dock. Lea shook hands with the man and the woman gave her a hug. It was a very friendly exchange.
Xander’s jaw tightened. He had to make some big decisions and quickly. The first being, how far was he willing to go for Lea and the baby? To his surprise, he didn’t have to think very long. The truth was he’d known the answer all along. He’d do whatever it took to keep them in his life.
Trying to invest in the island wasn’t working. It seemed like Lea would rather let it fall into complete and utter ruin rather than take his money. He supposed it was because she felt a protectiveness toward this place. He’d never felt that sort of connection to any place. His lack of connection was what had made it easy for him to buy properties and sell them without any hesitation. Even his parents’ home hadn’t been hard for him to sell after their deaths. His sister, on the other hand, had an awful time parting with it. And for her sake, he had let his sister set the pace of the sale.
But Lea hadn’t grown up on the island. It wasn’t steeped in childhood memories for her. And yet she seemed to have automatically bonded with the island.
However, the more time he spent here, the more solace he found in its peacefulness. There was no rush-rush, no aggressive traffic with the angry horn blasts, and everyone was so friendly and helpful.
He needed a Plan B. That was how he’d gotten to the top of his professional world. So if he came at this from a business view, the first thing he needed to do was more research. He needed to learn how this island and Lea’s business worked. It might just give him the insight he needed.
CHAPTER SIX
HIS GAZE FOLLOWED HER.
She could sense it.
It was late in the afternoon when Lea had finished with her guests. As she saw them off on a seaplane, she was aware Xander stood at the café, looking directly at her, but she turned her back and walked in the opposite direction.
She resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder. She’d made her decision and she wasn’t going to change her mind now. It wouldn’t work having Xander overseeing her every move and second-guessing her plans. He was used to being the one calling the shots and eventually he’d take over the operation of Infinity Island—just like Charles had attempted to take over her life.
Charles had been her boyfriend in college. At first, she’d thought it was cute how he would order for both of them at the restaurant. But then his opinion started to override hers in other areas of her life, from what movie to watch to what vehicle to buy. Eventually her voice was drowned out.
It took her roommate pointing this out for Lea to see what she’d let happen. And then she’d dumped him. He hadn’t taken it well, telling her that she didn’t know what she wanted—that she was allowing her friends to influence her. That last part would have made her laugh if he hadn’t just done that very thing to her.