Page 23 of Sunset Tides
Rob sat back and crossed his arms. What did she care that he was still here? He wasn’t going to go after the farm. She’d won that battle, somehow. Maybe she’d bribed them.
No. He knew it was his own fault. He’d misjudged Carriageway’s needs.
Either way, the farm was useless to him now. “You’ve won. I’m not going to fight with you.”
“Not even for our top-of-the-line distillery technology?”
That made him laugh. “I have no idea what to do with those sorts of things, as you well know. I still haven’t mucked out a stall, and to be honest, I’m relieved I won’t have to.”
She just stared at him.
He met her silence with his own silence.
Finally, she said, “So what do you want?”
“I’m not sure.” He got up, turning to look out of the small window behind his desk before facing her again. “My boss is pretty unhappy with me, as you can imagine.”
She made a face, almost like a wince, before quickly recovering. “That stinks. You could always quit.”
“Hm.” The thought had never even crossed his mind. “Not yet. I’d like to still find something on the island. Some business to revive.”
“That’s what you want? To revive something?”
He nodded. “It is. Maybe you could help me. I’m getting nowhere on my own. I don’t know anyone and I can’t even get a table for dinner around here.”
“Oh, that was because of me.” She flashed a grin. “I told everyone I knew not to serve you.”
“Really?” He stared at her, at a loss for words. “How incredibly…”
She cut him off. “Petty?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Brilliant. It worked well. You must know a lot of people.”
Lucy smiled. “I do.”
“Will you help me? I’m just trying not to get fired.”
She sat back, studying him for a moment. “Only if you promise to stay away from Grindstone.”
He stuck a hand out. “Sure. Let’s make a deal.”
She kept her arms firmly crossed. “If I see you anywhere near that auction, you go right back on the do-not-serve list. I might get you banned from the ferry, too.”
He didn’t know how she would do it, but he believed she was capable of it. “I won’t try to buy anything at the auction, I swear. Actually, if you want, I can talk you through it. I’ve been to a few auctions.”
“Fine.” She paused. “I mean, deal. I guess.”
They shook hands.
Maybe she could help him, or maybe not, but at least he’d be able to get a decent meal for once.
Chapter Thirteen
That was enough acting chummy. Lucy stood from her seat. “I’d better get back to work. There’s a lot to prepare.”
“Maybe we could get together for dinner today and I could try to help?” he asked.
Ha. Dinner.
