He’d made sure she had enough money to tide her over until she found another job.
And if she didn’t...?
‘Why?’ Sorrel demanded, reclaiming his attention. She was clearly perplexed by his attitude. ‘Do you think you’re going to be trampled in the crush to buy an ice-cream parlour?’
‘No. But then I’m not interested in selling.’
‘What about Ria? What will she do if this place closes? You’re the one who suggested I offer her a job.’
‘I also told you she wouldn’t take it.’
‘Why not? I’d take care of the paperwork leaving her to concentrate on the ice cream. She’d have all the fun and none of the worry.’
If that was supposed to reassure him, to have him overcome with gratitude, she had misjudged his gullibility by a factor of ten. But then he knew Ria a lot better than she did. And he knew nothing about Sorrel Amery, except that she’d sent his hormones into meltdown. But while his body might be ready to leap blindly into bed with her, he wasn’t about to let his libido make business decisions.
‘I didn’t realise that ice cream had become such an essential ingredient in corporate entertaining,’ he said, and if he sounded as sceptical as he felt it was intentional.
‘It’s not. Yet. But I’m getting there,’ she assured him.
‘Frankly, I’m amazed it’s happening at all.’
‘Yes, your amazement is coming through loud and clear, Mr West—’
‘Alexander,’ he said, irritably. His father had been Mr West.
‘Alexander...’
His name was soft on her tongue. Like a lover’s whisper in his ear and he wished he’d let it go. ‘Mr West’ was safer. A lot safer.
‘Maybe you should come along to an event and see for yourself how we do it,’ she suggested, rather more crisply as she gave him an assessing once-over. ‘Get a haircut and if you’ve got a dinner jacket, I’ll give you a job, too. I can always use a good-looking waiter.’
He resisted the urge to rake his fingers through his hair, grab an elastic band from the pot on the desk and fasten it back. ‘I’ll pass, thanks all the same.’ She didn’t move. ‘I thought you were in a hurry to track down Nancy,’ he said, willing her to leave.
‘I am, but...’
‘What?’
‘Your, um, amazement must be catching,’ she said. ‘Cutting off the electricity would be a very simple way of getting rid of me.’
Apparently she didn’t trust him any more than he trusted her. Clearly she was smarter than she looked. But not that smart.
‘It would. Unfortunately, with freezers filled with Knickerbocker Gloria’s only asset, securing the electricity supply is top of my list.’
‘Is it?’ she asked, clearly puzzled. ‘I would have thought the cost of one would have offset the other. Ria makes fresh ices three times a week for the ice-cream parlour, so there can’t be that much stock. In your shoes I’d have flushed the lot down the sink.’
Okay. She was that smart.
‘The bill will have to be paid sooner or later.’ His brain cocked a sceptical eye at him as he took out his wallet and, using his mobile phone, called the number on the final demand, tapping in the details of his debit card in response to the prompts. ‘I’m taking the sooner option.’
He wrote ‘paid’, the time, date and card he’d used on the invoice before tossing it on top of the tax account in the ‘out’ tray. He saw her raised eyebrows and said, ‘Okay, the electric bill was my number two priority. With fines by the day, paying the Revenue had to be number one.’
‘Good decision,’ she said. The thoughtful look she gave him said a lot more, but he wanted Sorrel with her luscious mouth, chestnut hair and endless legs out of his space before he consigned his brain to the devil and let his body do the thinking.
‘If you’re feeling grateful, the coffee pot is empty,’ he said. ‘And if you’re going out to stock up on champagne and cucumbers, you can bring me back a bacon roll.’
‘Does Ria run errands
And if she didn’t...?
‘Why?’ Sorrel demanded, reclaiming his attention. She was clearly perplexed by his attitude. ‘Do you think you’re going to be trampled in the crush to buy an ice-cream parlour?’
‘No. But then I’m not interested in selling.’
‘What about Ria? What will she do if this place closes? You’re the one who suggested I offer her a job.’
‘I also told you she wouldn’t take it.’
‘Why not? I’d take care of the paperwork leaving her to concentrate on the ice cream. She’d have all the fun and none of the worry.’
If that was supposed to reassure him, to have him overcome with gratitude, she had misjudged his gullibility by a factor of ten. But then he knew Ria a lot better than she did. And he knew nothing about Sorrel Amery, except that she’d sent his hormones into meltdown. But while his body might be ready to leap blindly into bed with her, he wasn’t about to let his libido make business decisions.
‘I didn’t realise that ice cream had become such an essential ingredient in corporate entertaining,’ he said, and if he sounded as sceptical as he felt it was intentional.
‘It’s not. Yet. But I’m getting there,’ she assured him.
‘Frankly, I’m amazed it’s happening at all.’
‘Yes, your amazement is coming through loud and clear, Mr West—’
‘Alexander,’ he said, irritably. His father had been Mr West.
‘Alexander...’
His name was soft on her tongue. Like a lover’s whisper in his ear and he wished he’d let it go. ‘Mr West’ was safer. A lot safer.
‘Maybe you should come along to an event and see for yourself how we do it,’ she suggested, rather more crisply as she gave him an assessing once-over. ‘Get a haircut and if you’ve got a dinner jacket, I’ll give you a job, too. I can always use a good-looking waiter.’
He resisted the urge to rake his fingers through his hair, grab an elastic band from the pot on the desk and fasten it back. ‘I’ll pass, thanks all the same.’ She didn’t move. ‘I thought you were in a hurry to track down Nancy,’ he said, willing her to leave.
‘I am, but...’
‘What?’
‘Your, um, amazement must be catching,’ she said. ‘Cutting off the electricity would be a very simple way of getting rid of me.’
Apparently she didn’t trust him any more than he trusted her. Clearly she was smarter than she looked. But not that smart.
‘It would. Unfortunately, with freezers filled with Knickerbocker Gloria’s only asset, securing the electricity supply is top of my list.’
‘Is it?’ she asked, clearly puzzled. ‘I would have thought the cost of one would have offset the other. Ria makes fresh ices three times a week for the ice-cream parlour, so there can’t be that much stock. In your shoes I’d have flushed the lot down the sink.’
Okay. She was that smart.
‘The bill will have to be paid sooner or later.’ His brain cocked a sceptical eye at him as he took out his wallet and, using his mobile phone, called the number on the final demand, tapping in the details of his debit card in response to the prompts. ‘I’m taking the sooner option.’
He wrote ‘paid’, the time, date and card he’d used on the invoice before tossing it on top of the tax account in the ‘out’ tray. He saw her raised eyebrows and said, ‘Okay, the electric bill was my number two priority. With fines by the day, paying the Revenue had to be number one.’
‘Good decision,’ she said. The thoughtful look she gave him said a lot more, but he wanted Sorrel with her luscious mouth, chestnut hair and endless legs out of his space before he consigned his brain to the devil and let his body do the thinking.
‘If you’re feeling grateful, the coffee pot is empty,’ he said. ‘And if you’re going out to stock up on champagne and cucumbers, you can bring me back a bacon roll.’
‘Does Ria run errands
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