“All right. Shall I meet you here at one?”
Mai gaped at him. “Seriously?”
“I’m always serious about business.” He smiled.
Annoyance waged a war with respect. She shouldn’t have opened her big mouth and challenged him, but she could hardly back down now. She needed to know his plan, had to find out where she stood. Her chest squeezed and she breathed through the stress. “I can give you thirty minutes,” she said. “Knock on the front door and I’ll let you in. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” Without waiting for his response, she escaped into the kitchen.
The beeping alarm pierced Nicholas’s dream full of flames and accusations. He rubbed his face as his pulse rate slowed. It had been two months since the incident and yet it continued to plague his mind in an endless loop of how he could have done things differently.
It was still dark outside, almost pitch black, but his phone gave him enough light to make it to the ensuite bathroom. He flicked the light switch and squinted at the glare from the glazed white tiles. He closed his eyes as he stepped under the warm spray.
He needed to have his wits about him with Mai this morning. And a middle-of-the-night meeting after a largely sleepless night wasn’t the best position to start from.
Mai On was nothing like Nicholas had expected. He’d assumed the owner of the bakery would be much older, someone who’d been in the industry for years and was ready for a change. The money on offer for them to vacate the premises should have been snatched up without an issue. But no, Mai was younger than him, and she wasn’t happy.
So much for his assumption she was a sales girl. He’d taken in her petite frame, the most gorgeous, almond-shaped brown eyes, and for the first time being exiled to Blackbridge had seemed like a good thing. But she wasn’t the sales girl – she had a whole lot more emotionally invested.
Shadbolt normally didn’t deal with small fry. ‘Go big or go home’ was their motto, but Nicholas’s father had needed some way to get rid of him and still save face.
Guilt hit him hard. He was lucky he still had a job. If it hadn’t been for his mother standing up for him…
He’d fucked up badly. He deserved worse than this.
Nicholas prayed for the pressure in his chest to ease and then twisted off the taps.
He needed to focus on the job at hand. Everyone had a price, and Mai was a small town business owner. He’d charm her, convince her he offered a solid deal that would be good for her business in the long run. And part of the process meant getting up at the witching hour.
The warmth of the night surrounded him as he reviewed his wardrobe. The full suit held little appeal, but he wouldn’t give her any excuse to refuse him. He wouldn’t fail his father a second time.
The drive from his parents’ holiday home to the bakery only took five minutes. The dark hid the flaking paint on the building he’d bought. Instead of looking decrepit, the building had a majesty about it, the façade solid and decorative, a pillar of the community that had seen the town grow.
It would be a shame to see it go.
He parked at the front, noting the bright lights shining at the back in the kitchen and as he walked up to the front door, the shop lights switched on and Mai strode to the coffee machine. She wore white chef’s pants and a white T-shirt, with her hair tied back in a tight bun. She appeared a lot more alert than he felt.
Nicholas tapped on the glass and she turned, her eyebrows lifting as if she was surprised to see him there. She’d learn that when he made a promise he kept it.
She held up a hand and went back into the kitchen, returning a minute later with a bunch of keys. As she opened the door, the comforting scent of baking bread floated out. “I didn’t think you’d show.”
He snorted at her bluntness. At least he knew where he stood with her. She had no faith in him – that club had a lot of members. “You said it was your only free time.”
She grunted and locked the door behind him. “Free time is a relative term. I’ve been here a couple of hours already.”
He followed her behind the counter, ignoring the rumble in his stomach at the pastries on display. The bakery had such charm, from the pretty blue product name tags, to the big rounded glass jars filled with biscuits and the bread baskets waiting to be filled.
“Coffee?”
“If you’re having one.” He didn’t need to give her any more excuses to be irritated with him.
She quickly made two cups – his an espresso just the way he liked it.
“Thanks.”
“This way.” Mai dragged a chair from a tiny office, which was barely big enough for the desk and floor safe, and rolled it over to him. “Take a seat.”
He sat as he scanned the kitchen. There was nothing tiny about this space. Two huge ovens billowed heat into the room and through their glass windows he could see bread already beginning to rise. Three big stainless steel tables were in the middle, one already stacked with bread pans and a mixer whirred in the corner. Mai wasn’t just alert, she’d been working for hours.
She spread flour liberally over the table and then as if timed to perfection, the mixer stopped and she dragged its dough onto the table, the muscles in her arms bunching as she did so. He’d never realised muscled arms were sexy.
He sipped his drink. “This is great coffee.”
“Yes it is.” She barely glanced at him. “We’ve got twenty minutes before Penny starts, so I’d like to get down to business. Did Aaron mention he and I had a verbal agreement for the purchase of this building?”
Shit. His insides clenched. That information hadn’t been in the project notes – unless he’d missed something again. “No, he didn’t.”
“I didn’t think so. I’ve got pre-approval from the bank for the loan. How much do you want for it?”
Nicholas frowned. “For the building?”
“Yes. I’ll buy it from you.” She stopped kneading and glared at him as if daring him to disagree.
He shook his head. “It’s not for sale.”
“Look, I know you bought the land behind,” she said. “Surely you don’t want to have to deal with an old building with its dodgy wiring and plumbing. I’ll take it off your hands and you can concentrate on whatever plans you have for the block.”
Her tactics were good – acting as if it was a done deal was what he would have done. She really wasn’t going to like his response. He shifted in his seat. “That won’t work. The building is being demolished.”
Mai grabbed the edge of the bench as she swayed. “What?”
Hell. Nicholas leapt to his feet and propelled her into his chair. “Sit down.” He didn’t need her collapsing.
She sat, leaning forward, her eyes closed, chest heaving.
What a bastard. He should have broken it to her gently.
She needed water, where could he find a glass? He hurried into the cafe area, finding a mug next to the coffee machine and filling it from the tap. After he handed it to her, he gave her a minute to recover.
When the mug stopped shaking in her hand he said, “There’s a new development replacing the building.”
“But I’ve still got three years on my lease.”
“There’s a relocation and demolition clause in it.”
She shook her head. “What does that mean?”
He hated the concern in her eyes, but he steeled himself and took an envelope out of his inside jacket pocket and handed it to her. “There are a couple of options,” he said. “You can choose to find different premises for your bakery, or you can take one of the shops in the new development when it’s completed.”
“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” she demanded. “Between you demolishing my business and rebuilding?”
“You’ll be compensated for it.”
Her look of disgust piled an extra foot of guilt onto him. She got to her feet and pushed past him to finish kneading. “Do you know how many businesses that are forced to close down actually reopen?�
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“This will be a planned closure.”
She shook her head. “Have you got shire permission for the redevelopment?”
“That’s just a matter of time.” He preferred the business woman to the fragile person she was a second ago.
“You think so?” She chuckled. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
He didn’t like the confidence with which she said that. “My parents have a holiday home in Blackbridge. I’ve been coming here for years.”
“For what, a week at a time?”
He nodded.
“Then you know squat. What are you planning to do? Knock this beautiful old building down and put up some generic supermarket?” Her gaze pinned him and he fought the urge to squirm.
Why did this woman make him feel guilty about something he did every day of his life? “Didn’t you say it had dodgy wiring and plumbing?”
“That’s part of its charm.” She winked and his heart stuttered, an uncomfortable sensation.
He couldn’t be attracted to her.
Bad things happened when he let his personal feelings influence his business decisions. He’d learnt that the hard way. “The development will contain eight units.”
“And be one of those white, soulless concrete monstrosities?”
It wasn’t how he would describe it. He nodded.
“Do you really think it will suit a town like Blackbridge?”
“It will provide more opportunities to the town’s residents. It’s called progress, Miss On. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?” He regretted the words as soon as they came out. He didn’t normally get defensive.
She laughed then, the sound light and rich and it stirred something in his chest. He squashed it.
“Sure I have,” she said. “Progress enables me to make as many biscuits, bread and pastries as I do. I’m quite fond of it in fact.” She put the dough in a large container and went into another room where he heard the thud of things being moved about. Her voice a little muffled, she said, “I’m also fond of history. Did you know this building was built in 1895 and was the first grocery store in the town?”
He shook his head.
She returned to the room carrying a huge bag of flour. “It was also the only store left standing when the bush fire of twenty-two swept through, destroying half the town. It provided the essentials the town needed to start rebuilding.”
As she spoke, Nicholas could see the development falling down around his ears. If the building did indeed have that kind of history, there was no way the shire would let Shadbolt knock it down. Was his father setting him up? Did he want him to fail again? “Be that as it may,” he said, “it’s my building now.”
Mai nodded agreeably. “And since you’re the landlord, the back steps need repairing. The safety rail is holding on by a nail – literally – and the toilets keep blocking. I’d appreciate it if you could fix them as soon as possible.”
Gritting his teeth, he made a note. “I’ll see to it.” He didn’t need someone falling and hurting themselves. “Do you want to show it to me now?”
“You won’t see a lot; the back light over the car park is also broken.”
Of course it was.
At that moment a woman in her mid-forties walked in, similarly dressed in white pants and T-shirt. She yawned.
“Morning, Penny,” Mai called.
Penny looked at him, her curiosity clear. “Good morning.”
“I’ve got about a dozen special orders for tonight’s celebrations so we’ve got a lot to do,” Mai continued.
“Right. I’m on it.”
“Before you start, can you let Nicholas out?” She glanced at him. “We were finished here, weren’t we?”
Not by a long shot, but he knew when to regroup. “All the information is in the envelope,” he said. “Call me when you’ve read it. I’m sure you’ll have questions.”
She nodded.
Nicholas followed Penny out the door. He couldn’t stuff up another development.
But Mai On was not going to be easy.
Mai’s chest was tight, making it hard to breathe, as Nicholas walked out the door. He couldn’t take her bakery. She wouldn’t let him. She’d worked too damned hard over the past few years to let it all go.
She figured she had a maximum of three days before Nicholas realised she’d been lying about the history of the building, but at least it would give her time to figure out what to do. She couldn’t let him knock it down. She’d met the musketeers here and her whole life had changed for the better – she’d discovered hope for the future. It was her home and her refuge.
“Who was that?” Penny asked as she returned to the kitchen.
Mai swallowed hard. “Our new landlord.”
“What?” Her eyes widened.
“Aaron sold the building to him, despite our agreement.”
“What a bastard!” Penny glanced to the front door. “That explains why he’s wearing a suit at this time of the morning.”
Yeah, Nicholas hadn’t missed a trick. Mai had given him a fifty-fifty chance of turning up, but the fact that he had and was dressed for business meant he was serious.
Penny got to work and Mai’s mind wandered.
Aaron’s betrayal had completely blindsided her. He could have hit her over the head with a two by four and she’d have been less shocked.
What on earth was she going to do now?
She’d had plans to expand and suddenly she might lose it all.
Her throat tightened.
No, she couldn’t think like that. She needed to plan.
There weren’t any empty stores near the main drag. She could hardly be On the Way bakery in the middle of nowhere. Besides, she didn’t want to leave. This was her place, she’d worked until she was exhausted to build it into an institution.
Moving, even temporarily, felt so much like having to start again.
And that was too depressing to even contemplate.
She’d almost given up several times over the past couple of years – too tired to go on. If it hadn’t been for the support of her friends she would have.
The bakery was part of who she was.
Could she really go through it all again?
If she wasn’t close to town, she wouldn’t get the foot traffic of tourists wandering the town and she’d no longer have the view down the hill to the river. People would get their bread at the local supermarket, rather than from her.
What if it signalled the beginning of the end? What if she couldn’t recover? What if she failed?
She bit her lip. She’d put everything on the line to become a baker. She’d disappointed her mother, and endured working odd hours and lack of sleep for the past eight years. The very idea of having to start from scratch made her want to weep. There was simply nothing right about Nicholas’s proposal.
She had to convince him that renovating the building was a better business decision than knocking it down.
He was not taking her bakery from her.
Chapter 2
The pounding on the door woke Mai. She groaned and pried open her gritty eyes. Light snuck in past the sides of her block-out blinds. What was going on?
“Mai, are you in there?” Fleur. She was picking her up to go to Kit’s New Year’s Eve party.
Mai had lain down to take a thirty minute power nap after her sixteen-hour day. She shouldn’t have bothered. Her body was heavy and her mind was like wool. She threw on her cotton dressing gown and padded through her tiny apartment to let Fleur in.
“Did I miss the memo about it being a pyjama party?” Fleur’s normally straight brown hair was a mass of curls, and the blue top she wore brought out the colour in her eyes. Her jeans moulded to her slim frame and she was as gorgeous and put together as always.
Mai rolled her eyes. “I’ll be ready in five. Can you feed Calypso?” Mai’s rag doll cat jumped down from the couch and ran to greet Fleur with a meow.
“Sure. Long day?”
Wh
at an understatement. “Yeah. Jodie called in sick again.” Mai went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, immediately feeling better.
“Kit won’t mind if you’re a no-show,” Fleur called.
True, but Mai hadn’t been out in ages. A little fatigue wouldn’t ruin her night. She slipped on underwear and took a floaty, baby pink summer dress off its hanger. She loved the way the fabric fell and whirled around her as she walked. She zipped it up as far as she could and then headed into the kitchen. “I need a hand.”
Fleur zipped it up the rest of the way. “That’s super cute.”
Mai grinned. “Thanks.” She returned to the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair and quickly applied some makeup. “Who has Kit invited tonight?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Fleur stood in the doorway. “Gail was at the hospital today with the kids, so she won’t be, but she said Gordon was heading out. Aside from that … you know the way word spreads. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the town has been invited by someone or other.”
“Yeah, Kit loves a good party.” She hoped she had the energy for it. Twenty minutes out of town meant loud music and a late night.
She debated briefly between flats and heels, pushing her fire-fighting boots out of the way so she could try both on, but the flats won out. Her feet needed a rest after the day she’d had.
After making sure Calypso had enough water and giving him a treat, Mai grabbed her purse, overnight bag and the cake she’d baked for the party. “Let’s go.”
She locked her apartment and trotted down the stairs after Fleur to the back door of the bakery. Fleur’s small white Hyundai was parked outside and as she sat in it, taking the weight off her feet felt like luxury.
“I saw Sylvia today,” Fleur said as she drove out of town. “She said something about your building being sold.”
Mai swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed her eyes shut to banish the tears. She wouldn’t cry. “Yeah. Aaron sold the building to someone else.”
“I thought she was kidding! How could he sell you out?”
“Money.” It was a bitter realisation. “A property developer bought the building and the land behind it.”
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