LITMIR.BIZ

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not sure about their previous employers, but since they’ve only worked for me for two weeks this is the first time I’ve asked them anything. Don’t worry—I’ve made it worth their while. Besides, this is minimal effort since we aren’t going anywhere. Now...’ he lifted his champagne glass ‘...shall we toast to what we did today?’

      Callie lifted her glass and toasted, but she still couldn’t believe she was on a boat. Okay, they weren’t sailing anywhere, but privacy after the day they’d had was exactly what she needed. Although she wasn’t sure if privacy with Blake was the smartest kind.

      ‘Did you buy this boat after our tour together?’

      ‘I did.’

      He didn’t offer anything else, and Callie thought perhaps she should be more specific.

      ‘Did you buy this boat because of our tour together?’

      ‘Not really—although our time on the boat did give me some fond memories.’ He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. ‘You’re thinking too much about this, Callie. I wanted a boat so that I can have some peace when I need it. That’s what you told me, right? To do things that make me happy.’ He shrugged when she frowned at him. ‘Let’s just focus on tonight, okay? I wanted to do something nice for you to say thank you. And well done.’

      ‘Well, you didn’t have to. Especially not this.’ She gestured around her, though she could see that maybe he was trying to reassure himself more than he was her. Especially after telling her that he’d bought the boat to make himself happy. ‘I was just doing my job. And I wouldn’t have been able to, I don’t think, if it wasn’t for you.’

      ‘If you’re talking about the fact that these proposals might help to save your job, and all those at the hotel—’

      ‘Actually, no. I’m talking about what you said to me before we left this morning.’

      He frowned. ‘That you could do it?’

      ‘Yeah.’ She laughed a little, feeling silly for telling him this. ‘It made me feel like I really could do it. And...you know...gave me a boost of confidence.’

      He didn’t say anything, and she had a sudden burst of doubt. ‘I’m sorry, I know that sounds corny—’

      ‘No, it doesn’t.’

      She felt herself flush when he smiled at her. There was something different about this smile, she thought. It wasn’t the cordial you-smiled-at-me-and-I’m-returning-the-gesture type she usually got from him. No, it was a genuine smile that made her remember the completely different Blake she’d first met in the elevator.

      The memory awakened other things inside her. Like how much she enjoyed looking at him. The planes of his face, the way his hair fell across his forehead, made butterflies stumble through her stomach.

      It’s just the atmosphere. Which woman wouldn’t have butterflies if a man took her on a boat in the moonlight?

      Yeah, she thought, keep telling yourself that.

      But before she could ponder it further the man who had poured their drinks—she realised now he might very well be a waiter—placed two platters on the table. One held a variety of cheeses and the other a variety of breads and crackers. And, she thought to herself as the waiter described them, she hadn’t heard of most of them.

      ‘So you arranged this at dinner? While we were eating?’

      He grinned. ‘Yes, because even from the starters I could see that you weren’t eating very much.’

      ‘Very perceptive,’ she said as she spread Camembert on one of the crackers. ‘Marco was incredibly interested in some of the sites we took him to. So whenever you were discussing something with Mr Jung he would lean over and ask me about them.’ She chewed slowly, contemplating what he had asked her. ‘I’m actually not sure if he was asking out of interest or if he was testing me.’

      ‘Well, he definitely seemed impressed. Especially when he told me how much he’d enjoyed the novelty of today’s proposal. I don’t think he’s ever been pitched to for business along with a tour.’

      ‘No wonder you’re doing all this. Maybe now would be a good time to ask for a raise.’

      He laughed. ‘I’ll take that under advisement.’

      ‘I’ll have Connor put in a good word for me!’

      When Blake’s face sobered, Callie realised how that might have sounded.

      ‘I was joking, Blake. Connor would never do that.’

      ‘That’s not exactly what he told me.’

      She frowned, and then remembered the time when he’d told her she would have to pitch to their investors with him. He already seemed to know that her title wasn’t a normal one.

      ‘What do you mean?’

      Blake drank the rest of his champagne and then asked the waiter to bring him a glass of whisky. She shook her head when he raised his eyebrows and the waiter nodded, presumably concluding that he would only need to bring one glass.

      ‘Connor told me he gave you a job after your parents died.’

      ‘Well,’ she said, grasping for something that would make the situation sound better, ‘I didn’t get paid at first, so it was more of an internship than anything else.’

      ‘He also said that you had been studying towards a degree in anthropology. A degree which, if your human resources file is accurate, you didn’t complete.’

      Callie opened her mouth and then closed it again. How was she supposed to respond to that? That it had been an internship was true, but she knew it didn’t make sense since she hadn’t studied tourism or anything related to what she was now doing. The fact that she hadn’t finished her degree made an even stronger case for nepotism, she thought, and cringed when she realised that she was going to have to tell him part of what had really happened.

      ‘Yes, that’s true. But Connor was just trying to help me.’ She had long since stopped eating, but the food felt like lead in her stomach. ‘I...I didn’t cope very well with my parents’ deaths. So, yes, maybe Connor wasn’t being completely professional when he got me the internship. But I’ve worked incredibly hard for the hotel. And I’ve built up a good reputation with our tours. I can show you—’

      ‘Callie.’

      Blake was looking at her strangely, and she felt her heart stuck in her throat.

      ‘I’m not asking you to defend your job.’

      ‘I know that,’ she said, and resisted the urge to shake out her shoulders. ‘I just...just thought you should know that Connor has never done anything like that again. It was a one-time thing.’

      Blake didn’t say anything for a while. The waiter brought his whisky and Blake thanked him. After what seemed like an eternity he drank, put his glass down and settled back into his chair.

      ‘I was there when we hired Connor. Did you know that?’

      She shook her head, wondering where he was going with this.

      ‘My dad was still in charge then, and Connor started out as the operations manager of the Cape Town branch. During his interview I remember thinking that he was going to be a good fit for the hotel. He understood our values and seemed just as dedicated to our guests as we were. And then he worked his way up and I had the honour of seeing how much of himself he invested into the job. And the pride he took in the work he did. When I promoted him to regional manager he told me that he would make sure we got out of the mess Landon had made.’

      He paused, and bit into a piece of cheese.

      ‘Of course neither of us really knew the extent of the damage Landon had caused. But that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to tell you, Callie, is that I was always fairly sure of your brother’s character.

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