Page 63 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
“Once I’ve consulted with my colleagues.”
“I can always say no.”
“You can.”
Devan went back up to his room. He changed out of his suit and gave Alan a call.
“Hi, Devan. How’s it going?”
“I like McAllister’s. The position is stunning. Rawlings is closer to transport links and has the golf course, but neither the view, nor the potential. McAllister’s could be a world-class resort. Okay, the weather isn’t brilliant up here, but in winter, I’d imagine it’s moody and inspirational. I’d come to see the wild seas and the night skies. I’d build an observatory and put a telescope in it. The owner’s interested in selling. He said he wants to consult his family and lawyer, but I think it will be a yes.”
“Great. Send your report in and I’ll get Nate working on the preliminaries.”
“I’ve given McAllister until Sunday morning to tell me whether he wants to go ahead.”
“And would you recommend Rawlings if not?”
“No.”
“Seen anything else up there? Or potential sites?”
“I don’t think we’d get planning permission for a new build on the coast. This is a protected area. But if McAllister says no, I’ll make enquiries. I’ll make enquiries anyway. If adding to the hotel square footage is an issue, it might not be worth the effort.”
“And how are you?”
“Fine.”
Devan tried to sound cheery, but the pause before Alan spoke again suggested he’d failed.
“Once you’ve done your report, take some time for yourself. If you want it to still be work-related, do some research on the whole county so we can sell it as a location to our investors.”
“Right.”
“I don’t want you back in the office for a while. Relax. Have some fun. That’s an order.”
Devan ended the call.Have some fun.He’d had fun in mind for today, but now he’d feel too guilty to enjoy himself. Though he had a legitimate reason not to say anything to Jonty, apart from McAllister asking him to keep this confidential. The deal might not even make it as far as a negotiation. At the moment, it had to stay a secret.
He should still leave Jonty alone.
It wasn’t fair to lead him on.
It wasn’t fair to let him down.
Devan called him.
“Big Dicks R Us,” Jonty said. “How may I help you?”
Devan laughed.
“Don’t be shy. What size are you looking for? We can supply almost everything you like.”
“Big isn’t always best.”
“On what planet?”
Devan chuckled.
“Bring your wetsuit in case we want to get kinky. We can wear them around town and freak out the locals.”
