Page 3 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

“He what?”

“I had no idea. He told me when he invited us for dinner. I think he’s going to offer me a job. I’m pretty sure he wants me to run Windemere for him. That would be great, wouldn’t it? We wouldn’t have to stress about finding jobs or a place to live, and with the baby coming, you’ll want to be close to your family.”

She searched his face. He was serious. She’d shared her family’s worries about Windemere on her return to London. But it wouldn’t matter to David. For as long as she’d known him, he’d been vying for his father’s attention and respect. If Gavin offered him the job, she had little doubt that he’d jump at the offer. And she wasn’t sure that she could come up with a legitimate argument to get him to change his mind.

He rushed on. “I know your family’s worried about their restaurant, but they’re not seeing the big picture. Windemere will attract a high-end clientele to Sunshine Bay, and that will benefit all the local businesses, including La Dolce Vita,” he said as the taxi pulled into the circular driveway in front of the grand historic mansion that housed Windemere.

David paid the driver and got out of the car, holding out his hand. “Please, I need you. I can’t do this without you. We’re a team.”

A team that needed jobs and a place to live, she thought on a sigh. She had no doubt David would eventually bring up the fact that he’d worked for her father and lived in London because of her, so she owed him this. It wasn’t an entirely fair argument, but he didn’t always play fair.

“I promise, we’ll leave as soon as dinner’s over. We won’t even stay for dessert. I’ll rent a car. And you don’t have to worry about running into your family,” he said as she got out of the cab. “It’s not like they’re going to patronize the competition.”

He made a good point. Her family wouldn’t be caught dead at Windemere’s grand opening. All Lila had to do was get in and out of the restaurant without being recognized. It shouldn’t be hard. She’d left Sunshine Bay for London ten years earlier, and she only made it home for visits twice a year. Something her mother hadn’t forgiven Lila’s father for. No doubt she’d blame him for Lila’s upcoming marriage too. And if Gavin offered David the job, and he accepted…

She pushed the thought away. Her stomach was already queasy with nerves. The maître d’ greeted them when they entered the dramatic reception area, smiling broadly when David gave his name. Thankfully, Lila didn’t recognize the man. As they followed behind him, she got her first look at the restaurant and sucked in a breath at the view of the shimmering sapphire bay through billowing sheer curtains that separated a white marble dance floor from the patio. The restaurant wasn’t only stunning, it was also packed.

“Walk in front of me.” She tried to look natural, but it was difficult when she had to bend her knees and duck her head to stay out of sight behind David. “Promise me there are no more surprises,” she whispered in his ear.

His shoulders tensed. “There might be, but trust me, you’ll be happy about one of them.”

Lila was about to stop him and get him to tell her what he meant, but she spotted a man with a familiar head of golden hair and broad shoulders sitting at the table with David’s family. It was her father, James Sinclair. Despite having seen him two weeks before, she gave a delighted cry—“Dad!”—and rushed past David to greet her father.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she hugged him.

“I thought you might need my support. How did your mother take the news?”

“The news?”

“James, don’t ruin my surprise.” David’s mother pouted while standing to greet Lila and David. She hugged them, then gestured at the empty chairs across from her. “Now sit before I burst.”

Her stomach gurgling with nerves, Lila greeted David’s father and his older brother with a strained smile. While she loved David’s mother, she wasn’t overly fond of his father and brother. Gavin IV, or Gavin Jr. as she thought of him, was the exact opposite of David in looks and personality. He was a flashy dresser who talked incessantly about himself. Apparently he’d been a big deal in high school and college but hadn’t fared as well when he got out in the real world. He changed jobs as often as he did girlfriends. The last Lila had heard, he was working in commercial real estate. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d put the Windemere deal together.

Once they’d taken their seats, Jennifer clapped her hands, her eyes shining. “Okay, are you ready for my surprise?”

Lila’s father rubbed his hand up and down the side of his face, something she’d seen him do when he was avoiding breaking unpleasant news. Gavin must’ve told him he planned to offer David the managerial position. It explained why he’d asked how her mother had taken the news. Lila had talked about Windemere with her father. Unlike David, he understood her family’s concerns.

“We’re ready for your news, Mom,” David said with a covert glance at Lila. He covered her hand with his as if ensuring she wouldn’t bolt.

Practically bouncing on her chair, Jennifer made a ta-da motion with her hands. “We’re having your wedding here at Windemere! And you don’t have to worry about a single thing, Lila. I’ve taken care of everything. Your wedding will be the talk of the cape. Everyone is so excited. I’ve already heard back from half the guest list confirming they’re coming, and I only sent the invitations out last month. I think it’s because it’s a weekend-long wedding. They’re becoming quite the thing, you know.”

“Woman, relax.” Gavin shook his head. “Once she gets started about a party, you can’t shut her up. But hey, even I have to admit, I was blown away by the response. Three hundred of the crème de la crème of Boston society coming to Windemere for a weekend? It’s just what we need to put this place on the map.” He pointed his wineglass at David. “Don’t screw it up, son.”

Chapter Two

Eva Rosetti willed her body to feel something as the man in her bed nibbled on her neck. She waited for a shiver of desire, a spark of lust, but her body was devoid of anything except frustration. She couldn’t say the same about Ryan. The handsome lobsterman was obviously turned on. So much so that he didn’t seem to notice that Eva wasn’t.

It wasn’t his fault. Eva’s libido had gone into hibernation the winter before she turned fifty. Up until then, she’d been as passionate about sex as she was about food and wine, and she was desperate to get her groove back.

“Mmm, you like that, don’t you, babe,” Ryan murmured as he kissed and licked his way from her neck to her chest, his thick head of tawny hair disappearing under the red silk sheet.

Eva supposed she could simply tell him that no, she didn’t like it at all. But she couldn’t work up the energy for a conversation that would undoubtedly bruise his ego—which she would then have to soothe.

The weeklong heat wave had sapped not only her energy but her patience, which lately had been in short supply on a cool day. Any day, really. By midafternoon Sunshine Bay had shattered a decades-old record for the hottest day in June.

As perspiration beaded along her hairline, Eva edged up on the mattress to get a look at the air-conditioning unit in the window across the room, wondering if it was on the fritz again. Her bedroom was decorated in dramatic reds and antique golds, the lush velvet drapes keeping out the light but not the heat. Today her bedroom felt more like a sauna than a sanctuary.

“Oh yeah, that’s it, babe.”

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