Читать книгу A Proposal Worth Millions - Sophie Pembroke, Sophie Pembroke - Страница 9

CHAPTER THREE

THE MOMENT THEY were settled at their table—obviously the best seat in the house—Sadie launched into what had to be a rehearsed sales pitch. Dylan tried to pay attention as she listed the details of room numbers and styles, amenities and so on, but in truth very little of it went in. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her—and apparently he’d lost the ability to stare and listen at the same time.

Sadie was beautiful as ever, he’d known that since he arrived at the Azure. Before, even. Sadie was Sadie, and her beauty was an intrinsic part of her—and had very little to do with what she actually looked like at all. But now, soaking her in over the candlelit table, he had a chance to catalogue the changes. She was more fragile now, he decided, more closed off. Somehow more off limits than she’d ever been, even after she’d married Adem. Now she was The Widow, and he couldn’t seem to help but let those two words—and the tragedy they encompassed—define her in his mind.

Her spark seemed dimmed, and it hurt him to see it. Maybe this week could be useful in more than one way. He’d help her with her hotel, of course. But how could he not try to bring that spark back too? To make sure she was really okay here, alone with a crumbling hotel, a small boy and her memories.

Just as a friend. Obviously. Because there was no way she’d let him close enough for anything else now, if she never had before. Besides, given the position she was in, he wouldn’t risk it. Not if it would just make things worse for her. All he had to offer was the money she needed and business support maybe. Then he would be on his way. He wasn’t Adem and he never had been.

Dylan knew himself too well—at least as well as Neal, Adem and Sadie always had. He was too like his father to ever settle to one life, one set of possibilities—not when the next big thing could be just past the horizon. So this was temporary, and that was fine with him.

It just meant he only had one week to find the promise in the Azure Hotel and come up with a plan to make it good. He needed to get started on that, pronto. Priorities, Dylan.

Their starters arrived without him ever seeing a menu, but as he examined the seafood platter he decided he didn’t mind at all. If all else failed, at least he could honestly say the food and drink at the Azure were good. It was a start.

‘Did Adem make you memorise all that?’ he asked, as Sadie reached the end of her spiel and reached for a calamari ring.

‘No,’ she said. ‘Well, just some of it.’

‘But it’s all his plan, right?’ He’d known Adem since they’d been eighteen. He’d recognised his friend’s touch before Sadie had reached the second bullet point.

‘How can you possibly...? We worked on it together. Of course.’

‘Of course. But this was his dream.’ He followed her lead with the calamari, hoping it tasted as good as it looked. One piece of rubbery calamari could ruin a whole meal. But, no, it had the perfect mixture of crunch in the batter and melting seafood. He reached for another.

‘His heritage.’ She shrugged, her shoulders slim and delicate now she’d taken her jacket off, and more tanned than he remembered. ‘He wanted a future here for our family.’

Family. Stop thinking about her shoulders, Jacobs, and focus on what really matters to her. ‘Where is Finn, anyway?’

A shadow crossed her face, and he almost regretted asking. ‘He’s staying with my parents for the week. I’m flying over to England to collect him after you leave.’

‘Because I was going to be here?’ That stung. He may not have seen much of the boy since he’d been born, but that didn’t make him any less of an honorary uncle.

Sadie gave him a look—the sort she used to give him in the pub when they’d been twenty-two and he’d been acting like an idiot. ‘To be honest, I didn’t know you were the one coming, which I think you must have guessed. Besides, that wasn’t it. He’s due to start school next year, and my parents wanted to spend some time with him outside the holidays before then.’

There was something else, hiding behind the lightness of her tone, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, and it was still too early to press too hard for information—frustrating as that was. He had to have patience. Eventually she’d open up to him again.

A waiter cleared their starter platters, even as another brought their main course—some sort of delicious, spicy, lamb stew thing that Dylan vowed to find out the name of before he left. But right then he had bigger priorities than his stomach.

‘Okay, so, I’ve heard all the grand plans,’ he said between mouthfuls. ‘How far have you actually got with them?’

Sadie put down her fork and ticked the items off on her fingers as she spoke. ‘The lobby, restaurant and bar are finished, as you’ve seen. So is the spa. Of the bedrooms, the top floor with the penthouse suite—your suite—and the other family suites is done, and the first floor of luxury doubles.’

‘So that leaves you, what?’ He tried to recall the floor numbers from the lift. ‘Another four floors to go? Plus any other reception and function rooms?’

She nodded. ‘We had a timescale planned but...’

‘The money ran out.’ Not a surprise. He’d seen it often enough, even in projects less plagued by tragedy and uncertainty.

‘Yes. So we opened anyway, to try and get enough funds to keep going. But at least one of the floors is uninhabitable as it stands, so occupancy is never very high.’

‘What about the outside space?’ That had to be a selling point in a climate like this.

‘The outside pool needs retiling and the path down to the beach needs some work. Fortunately the inside pool is attached to the spa, so got done in the first wave, before...’ She trailed off, and he knew exactly what she wasn’t saying. Some days, he thought that if he didn’t say it, it might not be true, too.

‘There’s a lot left to do,’ he finished for her, cutting short the moment.

‘That’s why we need your money.’

His fork hit china and he looked down to see he’d eaten the whole bowl without tasting anything beyond that first delicious mouthful. What a waste. He put his cutlery down. ‘Dinner would be worth investing in alone. That was truly delicious.’

She blushed, just a little. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. Somehow I suspect one meal isn’t quite enough to win over your shareholders, though.’

‘Maybe not. Okay, listen. I’m going to tell you a bit about my company, and you can decide if you want us involved. If you do...then we can discuss what else I need to see and do, what questions I need answered, before I can take a proposal to the board.’ She’d been straight with him, as far as he could tell. Time for him to do the same.

‘Okay.’ Eyes wide, her nerves were back, he realised, pleased to still be able to read her so well.

‘My company isn’t generally interested in long-term investment. Mostly what we do is take on a failing business, tear it down or build it up until it’s successful, then sell it on.’

‘In that case, I’d think the Azure would be perfect. We have “failing business” written all over us.’ She reached for her wine—a local red, he assumed—and took a gulp.

‘The key is, the business has to have the potential to be a huge success,’ he clarified. ‘In the right hands.’

‘Yours, you mean.’ She sounded more sceptical than Dylan felt was truly necessary.

‘Or whoever we put in charge. In this case...we’d need to be sure that you could turn this place around on your own, with just money and guidance from us.’ Make it clear upfront that he wouldn’t be staying around—not that he imagined she wanted him to.

‘I see.’ This time her tone gave nothing away at all, and he found himself talking just to fill the silence that followed.

‘Unless, of course, you’re in favour of taking a bulldozer to the place, putting someone else in charge of the rebuild and taking a back seat until the money starts rolling in?’ He knew she wouldn’t say yes, but part of him couldn’t help but hope she would. It would be the easy way out—but since when had Sadie ever taken that?

She shook her head. ‘Sorry. This is personal for me. I made a commitment to make this hotel a success. For Adem.’

‘I guessed you’d say that. Don’t suppose you’d consider changing the name either?’

‘No,’ she said, giving him a curious look. ‘Why? What’s wrong with the name it has?’

‘No reason.’ She stared and waited. He sighed. He should have known that wasn’t a good enough answer for her. ‘I had a bad experience at an Azure Hotel once.’

Her wide grin made the admission worthwhile. ‘Let me guess. Some woman’s poor husband showed up at the wrong moment?’

Of course that’s what she would think. And, really, who could blame her? ‘You know me.’ But not all his secrets—which was probably for the best. For both of them.

‘Okay, so if we’re not going to knock this place down, what do I need to show you to convince you we’re worth your time, money and effort?’

Honestly, he could probably make the decision based purely on the numbers. But that would have him flying back to Sydney tomorrow, instead of spending time with Sadie. He had to give her a real chance to convince him.

‘Here’s my proposal. I want a proper tour of the hotel. Then I need to see the local area—get a feel for the economy and tourist potential. Numbers are all well and good, but you need to visit a place to get a real feeling for it.’ All true, up to a point. ‘Then we’ll sit down together and see if I can help you save this place.’

She nodded. ‘Okay. Do you want me to set you up with the local tour company we use?’

Where would be the fun in that? ‘No. I think this will work much better if you show me yourself.’ Not to mention give him a clearer idea of how Sadie was really coping after her husband’s death. Multitasking was the key to any successful business, after all.

Sadie nodded her agreement, and Dylan sat back to anticipate dessert, hoping his smile wasn’t too smug. Everything was going to plan.

* * *

After a restless night, full of dreams that were half memory, half fantasy, Sadie met Dylan in the lobby the next morning, dressed in her best black suit and determined to impress with her business skills. His proposal had been more than fair. Neal must have told him what dire straits they were in at the Azure, but still Dylan had agreed to spend time on the ground, studying and evaluating everything himself, before he made his decision.

Sadie suspected that had more to do with friendship than good business sense. Still, he’d made it very clear over dinner what he needed from her—professionalism—and she intended to give it to him in spades.

Except Dylan, when he arrived, was dressed in light trousers and a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sunglasses tucked in his pocket, making her feel instantly overdressed—even though she was the one who was appropriately attired. How does he always manage that?

‘Right, let’s get going,’ he said, as he approached. ‘Lots to see today!’

‘Before we start our tour,’ she said, stalling him, ‘I realised there was something I forgot to show you yesterday, and I’d hate you to miss it.’

Striding across the lobby, she led him to the windows at the far side of the elevators. Dylan wasn’t the sort to stop and sniff the roses, unless someone reminded him to, and she couldn’t have him missing the most magnificent thing about the Azure, just because he forgot to look.

‘Oh, really? What’s that?’ Dylan asked, following, his eyes on the screen of his smartphone.

‘Our view.’ Sadie stared out across the bright blue waters, the sea almost the same colour as the sky, white foam echoing the wispy clouds overhead. They were high enough to see for miles, out along the coast and out to sea. Her heart tightened the way it always did when she looked out over the water and coast beyond the Azure. Whatever had happened here, she was lucky to have had the chance to live in such a beautiful country. She had to remember that.

‘There’s a path from the back door that leads straight down to the beach,’ she murmured, but Dylan’s eyes remained fixed on the view, just as she’d known they would.

It was this view that Adem had used to convince her, back when buying a crumbling hotel had just been a pipe dream.

Look at it, he’d said. Who wouldn’t want to be here?

And in that moment she hadn’t been able to imagine anywhere she’d rather be than in the Azure Hotel, making Adem’s dreams a reality.

Dylan looked similarly entranced, his phone forgotten in his hand. Sadie allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps this would be easier than she’d thought.

‘Of course, the view would still be there, even if you knocked this old place down and rebuilt it,’ he said, turning his back on the view, but his tone told her he was joking. Mostly. ‘You could put in a whole glass wall in the lobby, and rooms with a sea view could have folding glass doors and balconies. Really make the most of the asset—and change the name while you’re at it...’

Sadie rolled her eyes. Some woman—or her husband—had really done a number on him in an Azure Hotel, hadn’t she? Funny that Adem or Neal had never told her that story, when they’d shared so many others.

Was that why he couldn’t see it? The romance of this place? This old building was more than just its stones and its view. It was the heart of the place.

‘Time for the rest of our tour, then. But I want you to remember—this is all business.’ Sure, he’d said it himself the night before, but it couldn’t hurt to hammer the point home. ‘I want you to treat me and the Azure like you would any other business proposition. We’re here to impress you, our client. So, what do you want to see first?’

‘I’m the client, huh? My wish is your command. Sounds good.’ Giving her a lopsided smile, Dylan stared around him, obviously thinking. ‘Let’s start with the bedrooms.’

‘The suites? Or the luxury doubles?’ Which would be best? He’d already seen the best suite in the place—he was staying in it. So maybe the doubles...

‘The uninhabitable ones,’ Dylan said, cutting short any hopes of impressing him that morning. Sadie silently cursed her loose tongue over dinner. It had to be the fault of the wine.

‘Right this way,’ she said, her smile fading the moment she turned away to press the ‘Call Lift’ button.

* * *

The bedrooms were worse than she remembered. A lot worse.

‘Lot of work needed here,’ Dylan said, winning the prize for understatement of the year. Sadie sighed as she took in the broken tiles, missing bed, ripped wallpaper and strange black marks on the carpetless floor.

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘And a lot of money to do it.’ If there were anything guaranteed to send Dylan running...and she’d brought him straight there. Why had she even given him the choice?

But Dylan just shrugged and smiled. ‘But I’ve seen worse. Okay. Now let’s see the ones you’ve done up.’

Sadie wanted to ask what sort of hotels he’d been staying in, to have seen worse, but instead she decided to grab the life belt with both hands and swim for the shore. ‘Luxury doubles coming up,’ she said, with a smile that made her face ache.

At least she knew they had carpets.

* * *

By the time they were done viewing the hotel, Sadie was exhausted from excessive smiling and from scraping around in her brain for the answers to Dylan’s incredibly detailed questions. At least she could never complain that he wasn’t taking this business proposal seriously. For all his tourist clothes, he’d been professional to the hilt, asking questions she’d never even imagined she’d need to know the answers to.

Back in the lobby, she looked over her scribbled list of things to look up for him. It was up to two pages already, and he’d only been there less than a day.

‘I’d better get back to the office and type up my notes from this morning,’ she said. ‘I should have answers for you by this evening...’

‘Oh, I’m not done with my tour yet, Mrs Sullivan.’ He flashed a smile. ‘I want to see the town next.’ He looked her up and down, and Sadie resisted the urge to hide behind her clipboard. ‘Why don’t you go and get changed into something more suitable for sightseeing?’

Something more suitable... What had happened to this being all business? What was he imagining—a Hawaiian shirt and a bumbag? But she had said he was in charge, so she bit her tongue. Hard. ‘Give me ten minutes.’

He nodded, but since he was already frowning at the screen of his phone she wasn’t sure he noticed her leave.

As she dashed up to her room she ran through the morning again in her head. Dylan had seemed somewhat underwhelmed by the hotel as a whole, with far more questions than praise, but Kuşadasi was bound to impress. The local economy and the blossoming tourist trade was what made the Azure a safe bet. She just had to make sure he saw that.

Dylan was so like Adem, in so many ways, she thought as she slipped into a light sundress. Adem had always worked on gut instinct, trusting his feelings to lead him to the right decisions. And instinct mattered to Dylan too—so that was what she needed to win over.

Hadn’t he made it clear his business specialised in short-term, in-and-out projects? All she needed to do was hold his attention long enough to get him to invest. Then the Azure would take off, she’d be able to pay him back or buy him out in no time, and it would be back to just her and Finn again.

Grabbing her sunglasses and bag, Sadie took a deep breath and headed down to wow Dylan Jacobs. Whether he liked it or not.