The Man From her Wayward Past

‘Were you planning to invest your own money, or are your brothers backing you?’ Luke pressed as the silence ticked by.

‘I’m sure Nacho must have told you that he pays me an allowance like a trust fund brat?’

‘He didn’t, actually. I think Nacho cares a lot more about you than you give him credit for, Lucia.’

And now she felt guilty. ‘I know he does,’ she admitted quietly. ‘If you must know, I divert the money Nacho gives me into a charity.’

Luke shrugged. ‘You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Lucia.’

But she wanted to. ‘Standing on my own two feet doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate or love my brothers any less. I just don’t want handouts from anyone, Luke—and that includes you.’

‘If Margaret agrees to me buying in I’ll make you earn your money.’

‘Then we might have a deal.’

‘Let’s thrash a few things through first,’ he said, standing to tug off his jacket.

‘You’re far too big for a caravan,’ she observed as Luke ducked his head.

‘And you’re far too spoiled,’ Luke countered. ‘There’s plenty of room in here for both of us.’

If they were welded together, Luke might be right. ‘You think?’

‘I know. You just have to be well organised, Lucia.’

‘I’m trying,’ she said.

‘You certainly are,’ he agreed. ‘Why don’t you sit down?’ Luke patted the bed by his side.

Because there was nowhere to sit without sitting on top of him. She settled for perching awkwardly on the very edge of the bed, but even then their thighs were touching.

Luke rested his chin on his shoulder to stare at her. ‘Well, this is cosy—but there are plenty of better places I can think of to chat through your terms and conditions.’

‘Like the Grand?’ she cut in.

Luke’s lips pressed down. He’d been sure she would fold and agree to let him book a room for her.

‘Let’s get one thing straight, Luke. If I work for you, I stand on my own two feet. I don’t commute from the Grand. I live here—on site.’

‘I won’t let you stay here.’

‘You can’t stop me.’

‘Nostalgia is a powerful force, Lucia, as I would be the first to admit, but you should never allow it to cloud your judgement. You can work her

e and live down the road.’

‘And travel in by town car? No way, Luke. I’ve left that life behind, and now I’m going to live my life my way.’

Raking his hair, he somehow managed to keep his mouth shut until they had both calmed down. He had vowed not to get involved. ‘Let me give you some facts, Lucia. The guest house is so far gone this project might not even work with my money backing it. The Sundowner was my first choice when I decided I wanted to reinstate Polo on the Beach, but when I made enquiries I was told the guest house had been failing for years—’

‘Who told you this?’ she interrupted.

‘My second choice: the Grand.’

‘So the small local guest house finds itself in difficulties and the nearby behemoth does its best to stamp it out of business?’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t believe you went along with that, Luke. It’s not what I’d call neighbourly.’

‘If you’re serious about working in the hotel industry it’s time you learned how to get on with the competition. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Lucia.’