Page 6 of The Orchard at Rosevale
‘You’re travelling?’
‘About bloody time, don’t you think?’
A smile softened his resigned expression. ‘I’m being a selfish, resentful prick when it’s not your fault I’m stuck here for the next year.’
‘You’ll have plenty of time to get back to being a fancy chef in the city, and with Elora’s help putting this place on the map, we’ll have a healthy nest egg to rely on after we sell.’
‘I’ve always wanted to run my own restaurant,’ he said, a faraway look in his eyes. ‘I guess I can put in the hard yards with that as an incentive.’
She’d used the same motivation, but for her it had been the thought of travelling that had kept her sane during the last few gruelling months. She could hardly believe her long overdue adventure was about to start.
‘I’m always a phone call away. Or text. Or DM via an app, depending where I am.’ She winked. ‘With a little luck, there’ll be no phone coverage where I’m going.’
‘Which is?’
‘Anywhere but here,’ she said, relieved when her son laughed before enveloping her in a hug.
Her escape from Rosevale Grove couldn’t come quick enough.
CHAPTER
4
Cruz wanted to curse his father for the ridiculous stipulation in his will, tying him to this place for a year against his wishes. What had the old fool hoped to achieve? It wouldn’t matter if Cruz had to live here for a week, a month, a year or a decade, he’d sell this farm the moment he could.
As for what Mac had done to his mother, ignoring her for years, using her as an adjunct to run the farm and little else … typical narcissist.
Considering Cruz had always accepted his mother’s response about why she wouldn’t leave, maybe he was a chip off the old block, too selfish to delve deeper, because he mightn’t have liked what he heard. He couldn’t begrudge his mum escaping now, but he wished she’d stick around, for no other reason than to act as a buffer between him and Elora.
Elora. A name as beautiful as the woman. A name he hadn’t known last night when he’d been about to have sex with her in the restaurant.
He didn’t believe in fate or coincidences, so having her turn up here after their unexpected encounter last night … unfathomable.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside, the sun, as bright as the golden dress she wore, momentarily blinding him. Everything about Elora appeared golden, from the top of her blonde hair to the bottom of her sparkly sandals the same startling shade as her dress, and every sun-kissed inch of skin between.Dazzling. And she sure as hell had dazzled him from the moment they met.
As he strolled towards her, she looked up and the iced tea in the glass she held sloshed a little, meaning she wasn’t as cool and controlled as she appeared. Good. He hated being caught off guard.
He’d acted like an idiot, demanding to talk to his mother in private. What had he expected? For Ferne to banish Elora? He’d seen the astute gleam in his mother’s eyes. Ferne knew there was more to his acquaintance with Elora than he’d revealed, but he’d be damned if he’d tell her he’d almost had a one-night stand with their new social media marketer.
He could wait until his mother left then fire Elora, but Ferne was right—to get top dollar for the farm, it needed to be marketed well and he’d be a fool to let pride cost him money.
Besides, the more money he made from the sale of this place, the sooner he could open his own restaurant.
‘So, have you recovered from your tanty?’ Elora arched a brow in provocation and Cruz bit back a smile.
‘I didn’t have a tantrum.’
‘It sure looked like you were about to.’ She pointed to the chair he’d vacated earlier, as if she was the hostess. ‘Why don’t we get acquainted properly?’
Unlike last night, when they’d bordered on improper.
He wanted to bring it up, clear the air, but wondered if he’d be better off pretending it didn’t happen, considering she’d be staying here for the next week.
‘If you’re thinking that what happened last night has any bearing on this—’ she waved her hand between them, ‘—don’t. It was a blip, an aberration. So, where do you want to start?’
Equal parts relieved and annoyed she’d dismissed their scorching encounter as an ‘aberration’, he sat. ‘My mother seems impressed by your credentials, but I don’t know anything about you, so why don’t you give me the abbreviated version?’
‘Elora Curtis of EC Marketing. I’ve got a degree in advertising and worked for various firms before branching out on my own a few years ago. Most of my referrals are word of mouth, which is the best kind, but you can check out my website for a feel of what I offer.’
