Page 73 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay
“I am.” Paul was laughing. “It looks like our scheming Mr Stretton has been playing us off against each other. But he overlooked one small but very significant detail.”
Alex nodded slowly. “That we both live here in Sturcombe. And if we decided that instead of competing against each other, we combined our efforts . . .”
“We could beat him at his own game!”
Alex leaned back in his chair, his mind working at Mach speed. Years ago, his instincts had told him to trust Frank Beaumont, and that had worked out extremely well. Now his instincts were telling him to trust Paul Channing.
“Partners.” He reached out his hand across the table. “Yes?”
Paul’s handshake was firm. “Yes.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Lisa was beaming as she glanced from one to the other. “I had no idea that either of you were planning to buy the place.”
Paul smiled wryly. “I was keeping quiet about it too. I didn’t want to get people’s hopes up.”
“So what happens now?” she asked.
Alex raised a questioning eyebrow at his new business partner. “First we agree on a figure for our offer to Stretton. Lower, I think, than either of us offered in the first place.”
Paul nodded grimly. “And it’s a one-time offer — no more games. I very much doubt he’s going to get any more interest in it.”
Alex smiled in grim satisfaction. “It’s going to give me a great deal of pleasure to tell him.”
“Well!” Vicky rose to her feet. “I think we should celebrate with a bottle of bubbly!”
* * *
“Is it right, what Vicky just told me?” Jess came out to the terrace and began clearing the tables. “You’re actually buying the hotel?”
“That’s right.” Paul was sitting with his feet propped on a second chair, bouncing little Kyra on his lap, pulling faces at her and making her giggle. “Me and Alex Crocombe. We’re going into partnership.”
She shook her head, laughing. “I know we talked about what a shame it would be if it closed down, but I didn’t realise you were actually planning to buy it yourself.”
“I didn’t really know myself at that point — it was just a vague idea.” He blew a soft raspberry at the baby. “But the more I thought about it, the more I knew I was going to do it. This place has stood here since my great-great-grandparents’ time. I’d like to think it might still be here in this little one’s great-great-grandchildren’s time. Isn’t that right, Kyra? It should be, shouldn’t it?”
The tot splatted one tiny pink hand across his nose and cheek.
“Was that a yes?” he asked her solemnly. “I think it was, wasn’t it? When you’re a little old lady of Arthur’s age, you’ll stillbe able to come up here for tea and scones on the terrace. What do you think about that?”
Oh damn, what was it about men and babies? All her hormones were racing around her bloodstream, making her feel all squishy and broody.Get a grip.
“So what are you planning to do with it?” Jess worked briskly around the table, sweeping the debris of several empty plates onto one and stacking them up, in an effort to take her mind off the way he was playing with the baby.
Paul shrugged his wide shoulders. “Where to start? I’ve got no illusions — it’s going to need a major overhaul.”
“It’s going to cost a lot.”
“We’ve factored that in.”
Yes, he would have. For all his playboy, ex-footballer image, she guessed that he was very shrewd with money. Lisa had mentioned that he had been running a very successful investment consultancy since he’d retired from the game. And he drove an Aston Martin.
If she dated him —if —she would look like a gold digger. Well, so what? Let people think what they liked. It was between her and Paul. He was the only one whose opinion mattered.
And if he thought she was a gold digger, he really didn’t know her at all.
“So, are you going to run the place?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not me, I’ll be more of a sleeping partner. Mike will still be the manager, of course, but Alex will be taking the leading role in developing our new plans.”
