Xander stared through the plate-glass window into the twilight beyond the softly lit balcony. From the bedroom, Jenny’s crooning was soft, but his gut clenched at her need to self-soothe. Was it just first-night blues, being away from home and her mother? What could he do to make her happy again? The long, muted buzzing of the house phone intruded on his thoughts. Welcoming the distraction of work, he snatched up the phone before it rang a third time. ‘Xander here.’
‘Xander, mon pauvre ami, you do not sound like a man whose sister is visiting him—a man who is now on holidays and relaxing.’
‘Chris, did you sort out the seafood problem? Is your car okay?’ He lifted the phone away as a disdainful snort erupted beside his right ear.
‘With you it is always work first. Work, work, work … my restaurant, it runs like clockwork. Your resort …’
‘What about my resort?’ He wasn’t in the mood for Chris’s joshing about the theft of his car from his own secure parking. Not with Jenny’s crooning rising in pitch.
Perhaps some of his frustration leached into his voice, but the response was unexpected. ‘What can I say? It runs like my kitchen. Speaking of which … when I learned you had sent your girlfriend to me, I feared it was some misguided attempt to keep her happy, but you have found me a kitchen goddess.’
‘You’ve met Flick then? Great.’ In the back of his mind Xander dimly registered the girlfriend comment. It worried him less when Chris said it than when Andy had revealed his appreciation of Flick’s looks. If Chris thought he and Flick were together, well … he’d made enough comments about Xander’s bachelor state and lack of female company that he’d probably encourage any perceived relationship, mythical as it was.
He focused on Chris’s last comment. ‘So, if she’s some kitchen goddess, can you make a place for her in your restaurant? Does that mean her résumé stacks up?’
‘Pfft. Mere paperwork! I’ve seen and tasted one of her creations already.’
Flick’s success put one of Xander’s worries to rest. He opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony. She was staying around for now and the job meant she had somewhere safe to stay. A tiny voice whispered in his mind—and I’ll see her each day. ‘I haven’t tasted her cooking, but chatting with her after our cars crashed, it seemed to me she has the same attitude to food as you do.’
‘That’s half the battle right there. I’ve sent her up to your apartment with a sample of her cooking. Little Jenny will like it. You—you may be a philistine when it comes to appreciating good food, but you are a genius when it comes to hiring the right people. And who knows? Your Flick may educate your taste buds where I have failed.’
Your Flick. From what he’d seen, Felicity Ardmore wasn’t anybody’s Flick. She was independent and resourceful. Rising to the challenge of losing her car in an unfamiliar town, her Ruby—he chuckled at the memory of her ‘Doesn’t everyone?’—she’d trudged out to the resort and found herself a job.
Phone pressed to his ear, he leaned on the railing and breathed deeply. Chris liked Flick, and Jenny, who had an uncanny knack of reacting to good people, liked Flick too. All in all, after a pretty lousy morning, the day had delivered positives for all of them. ‘If that happens I may have to put her in charge of the restaurant.’
‘Yeah, yeah, and pigs may fly. Don’t forget, I own this restaurant. You just encourage your guests to dine here. Hey, you’re outside, aren’t you? I can hear the night birds calling. Go inside and open your door. Flick will be there shortly.’
Xander chuckled. Chris’s dry humour usually put him in a good mood, even on the bleakest of days. As he strolled back into the apartment, the doorbell chimed. ‘That must be Flick now. I’ll bring Jenny down to see you tomorrow. Thanks, Chris.’ He put the phone on the desk and headed to the door.
***
Flick balanced the plate of profiteroles on one hand and tucked a loose strand of freshly washed hair behind her ear with the other as she waited outside the penthouse apartment. Her croquembouche had passed Christophe’s intense inspection and met with glowing approval from the bride-to-be’s mother, so why was she nervous about offering the leftover profiteroles to Xander and Jenny?
She adjusted the position of a pair of yellow nasturtiums chosen, in place of the tiny purple flowers gracing the engagement cake, to suit Jenny’s colour preference, and held her breath as the door swung open.
Xander wore a navy polo shirt, casual trousers and a distracted welcoming smile. ‘Flick. Come in. Nice timing.’
As she stepped inside, Jenny’s high-pitched crooning stopped her in her tracks. Her gaze sought Xander’s. ‘Is that—?’
‘Yes. She’s tired from the trip and it’s her first time visiting without Mum.’
‘I don’t know if this will help. I’ve been cooking.’ She held out an oval platter. ‘I brought profiteroles for Jenny and you.’
‘That’s kind of you, Flick. I’ll see if I can entice her out with—’
A door across the room flew open and Jenny appeared, hands clasped to her chest. ‘Flick! What did you bring me?’ Dressed in a white nightie printed with yellow flowers and ducks, Jenny was smiling broadly as she joined them.
Xander’s hesitation was brief, surprised, before he wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulders and drew her across to where Flick stood, still holding the platter. ‘Come and see what Flick cooked for you. They’re called profiteroles.’
Jenny skipped as she crossed the room and pointed at the nasturtiums. ‘There’re flowers on the plate. You can’t eat flowers.’
It seemed Jenny had gone from anxious to excited in ten seconds.
With no experience to guide her, Flick relied on instinct. Jenny’s obvious pleasure at seeing her and turning up with dessert might help the teen’s homesickness, if that was what she’d heard when Xander opened the door. ‘If it’s okay with your brother, and if it isn’t too late for dessert—’ She looked at Xander.
He nodded in approval and Jenny clapped her hands.
Flick deposited the platter on the dining table. ‘You can eat these flowers if you like, although they might taste a little bit peppery.’
Xander moved into the kitchen. ‘I’ll get some plates. Jenny, have you washed your hands?’
‘I will.’ Jenny ran through the doorway and the sound of water splashing into a sink carried into the sitting room.
‘Have a seat. Would you like a drink? Coffee, tea, wine?’ Xander moved around the kitchen with the ease of long familiarity. Even for a resort penthouse, the cupboards appeared to be well stocked.
‘Coffee please, black and no sugar. This is a pretty amazing apartment. Have you stayed here before?’
Xander tipped his head and met her gaze as he set two mugs and a pile of small plates on the bench. ‘I live here. I told you I lived out on the cove.’
Flick looked around. ‘You didn’t say you lived at the resort. Lucky you. I kind of assumed you had a house out this way or something.’
She added what she thought might be an Italian suit and classy BMW to the evidence surrounding her and wondered if he owned the whole place. ‘It’s very nice. Bet it feels like you’re on holiday all the time.’
Xander’s gaze flicked to the door where his sister had disappeared and back to her. ‘I live where I work. This resort is my current project. I’m not on holiday.’
Had she just made the dumbest comment ever or was the concept of holiday unfamiliar to him?
‘But … I thought you were taking a holiday with Jenny? So this apartment is one of the perks of your work?’ She glanced at him, saw him frown and backed away from the conversation. ‘Sorry, it’s none of my business. I misunderstood.’
‘I find it’s easier to oversee the resort renovations when I’m on site all the time.’ Xander switched on the electric jug before setting the plates and three forks on the table. ‘Anyway, I hope I can do both, although I admit it will be a challenge keeping Jenny amused and active while keeping an eye on the work here.’
‘Why don’t you hand over control to a supervisor while you have a proper break?’
‘I don’t need a break. I enjoy my work. Besides, I’ve usually found it quicker to do away with the middleman in renovations like this. I employ the right people and let them get on with their jobs, but when it comes to creating the right tone, there’s nothing like being hands on. Aren’t you the same with your cooking?’
‘Yes, but I also appreciate some down time to just chill. You might benefit from an actual holiday, Xander. You know, the kind where you take a few days completely off work and have fun and relax.’
‘What gives you the idea I don’t have fun?’
Flick opened her mouth to tell him how buttoned-up he’d been this morning, but quickly closed it. They’d both been on edge about their cars.
And I only met him this morning! Who am I to tell a virtual stranger to chill?
Jenny joined them at the table, her gaze drifting from Flick to the profiteroles beneath a glistening topping of leftover toffee shards.
Xander set two mugs of coffee on the coasters and reached for a glass of milk that he set down in front of his sister. She pinned him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. ‘Can we eat now, Xander?’
‘Absolutely. Flick, would you be kind enough to serve?’
‘With pleasure. Here, Jenny, try a piece of toffee while I serve everyone.’
Jenny took a small piece of spun-gold topping and popped it into her mouth. A long-drawn-out ‘Mmm’ was all they heard from her until her plate was empty.
When the last profiterole had been eaten, Xander glanced at his watch and then gently spoke to his sister. ‘Thank Flick and then it’s time for bed, Jenny.’
‘Thank you, Flick. Will you make the profit dessert again tomorrow?’
Xander answered before Flick had time to consider how to respond. ‘No, Jenny. Profiteroles are a special treat, not for every day.’
‘I could help her.’
Xander shook his head. ‘Maybe next time. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.’
Jenny’s face fell, but she headed off into her bedroom and closed the door.
Xander’s eyes closed briefly and he sighed—the sound so soft Flick almost missed it. In repose, his face was sharp planes and the aquiline angle of his nose. When he opened his eyes, grey with reflections of toffee-gold from the outdoor lights, their gazes connected. ‘Would you like a glass of wine or a port?’
Tired as Flick was, Xander’s offer seemed more of a request for company than that of a host doing the right thing. He seemed—lonely.
An odd idea, but one Flick couldn’t shake.
‘Half a glass of white wine please. I’m delighted to say I’m working tomorrow.’ Landing a place in Christophe’s kitchen felt like the first thing that had gone right for her in months.
She glanced at Xander opening a bottle of wine.
Second thing. If Ruby had to be crashed into by anyone’s car, she was grateful it had been Xander’s.
‘I’ll bring it out onto the balcony. There’s usually a breeze off the sea at night. Leave the door open. I need to hear if Jenny calls out.’
Flick wandered out and leaned over the railing. Below, the pool activity was quietening down and several al fresco tables were filled with couples drinking coffee or wine. Tiki torches lined the path leading off to Balinese-style cabins she’d learned were advertised as honeymoon retreats. She raised her gaze and looked out over the treetops. Beyond the palms, waves ran onto the shore of the cove and crashed onto the rocks of the headland.
‘It’s peaceful, isn’t it?’ Xander handed her a glass of wine and touched it with his. ‘How’s the staff accommodation?’
The glasses chinked, the sound cheerful and reminiscent of holidays with friends. A sense of peace and hope filled her, that here in Rainbow Cove her life was finally turning around. ‘Fabulous. I wasn’t expecting a mini-suite all to myself.’
‘Good. Thanks for bringing dessert up.’ Out here, his voice had an intimate quality. Or maybe it was only that the night was close around them and the sounds of the sea were linked in her mind with better times—happier days.
‘My pleasure. Jenny enjoyed it. It must be lovely to have your sister visiting you.’ She sipped the wine, pleased to find it was a light Frascati.
‘You have no idea how much. My last project was closer to the family home. Since I moved up here I don’t see her as often as I’d like to. She’s used to staying with me, but before now Mum’s always come with her. I think her crooning was just first night separation anxiety.’
‘Was she upset before I arrived? I don’t mean to pry only …’
‘You heard her crooning? She does that to soothe herself, but it’s hard for me to listen to. I want her to be happy.’
‘From where I’m sitting I’d say she’s happy to be here. How will you look after her though? I mean, you said you’re not taking time off so how will that work?’
Xander raked a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. ‘Our parents are flying to Fiji for their anniversary. It’s been a while since Jenny’s last visit and I guess I forgot how closely she needs to be supervised, but I’ll make it work. I have to make it work. The most important thing to me is that she has a good time.’
‘Isn’t there anyone you trust enough to oversee renovations for a few days?’
‘My car was stolen from our supposedly secure parking lot. It’s one of the last areas to be renovated, but given the theft, I need to prioritise the upgrade. No, I’ll manage.’
Flick sipped her wine and looked out at the distant sky. Moonlight highlighted low clouds over the sea and made a path that shimmered in the gently rolling waves. ‘There are only twenty-four hours in a day, Xander. Even you can’t make it longer, no matter how much you want to.’
‘Maybe not, but I can make every one of them count.’