"So is she flying back?" The hope in Ben's voice reminded Daniel that as much as he wanted Natalie out of his life, Ben needed her in his.
He sighed. "She said not yet."
Now it was Ben's turn to sigh. "Great. So why on earth did she follow you out there?"
Because she thinks she's in love with me. Because she thinks if she's persistent enough, I'll fall in love with her. "She wanted to help me out—to work together," was all he said.
"Is that such a terrible idea? Now she's out there, maybe she could come in useful, do some of your legwork for you."
"That's what she said."
"But?"
"I'd rather not have the help and thereby not have the complications. Natalie was a big mistake for me, Ben, and I just can't get it through to her that I don't want to start it all up again. I told her to come home to you, but . . ."
"It's okay, I understand. I could try to talk to her when she gets back, if you want. I don't know how I'd manage without her, but if she's causing problems for you . . ."
"No, don't do that. This is my problem, not yours. I haven't seen her since she left yesterday, so maybe she took the hint."
Ben laughed. "Don't hold your breath there. That woman's got the thickest skin I've ever come across!"
Chapter Six
Laura rummaged crossly through the antique wardrobe in her bedroom. She didn't know where they were going for dinner, so she didn't dare dress too casually, but neither did she want Daniel to think she was making a special effort for him. And since she had a couple of hours to do in reception first, the last thing she wanted was for all and sundry to realise she had a date.
That thought pulled her up short. Was it a date? Did Daniel see it that way? Just because he'd blackmailed her into dinner tonight, she didn't want him to think she made a habit of dating the guests. Since the exclusivity and rural location of the hotel tended to attract couples, it wasn't a situation she'd ever had to worry about before—although it wasn't unknown for some of the male guests to playfully hint when their wives weren't around. Laura hoped Daniel didn't think she was easy prey for a casual holiday fling. If that was the case, he'd soon find out she was a class act at avoidance. Quick flings weren't her style.
What had she been thinking, giving in to him like that? She could have made up a hundred and one excuses if she'd tried hard enough. Not that it had been easy to think, standing in her doorway clutching a towel around herself. And even that embarrassing memory was overtaken by the physical pull of attraction she'd experienced at the sight of Daniel in a suit. It was like being sixteen again—those stomach flips, the tingling nerve ends, the far too frequent flushes of heat to her face every time she saw him, no matter whether he was being perfectly pleasant or thoroughly obnoxious. She just couldn't understand it.
It wasn't as though she'd never been attracted to anyone before—of course she had. She wasn't immune to the opposite sex. Except it was usually someone she'd known for more than two minutes. And somebody she'd actually liked from the outset. Somebody she felt in control with, so she could allow herself to enjoy a few dates and then pull back before things got too serious—and before she could get hurt. Laura had absolutely no intention of being her mother's daughter in that regard!
She plucked a simple green linen dress from its hanger and pulled it on, then reached for hair clips, glancing at her watch. It was almost time to open up reception, so she snatched up her brush instead, allowing the long dark waves to fall loosely to her shoulders. Satisfied that she looked elegant rather than dressed to kill, she pushed her feet into a pair of flat leather pumps and left her room.
As she walked up the path, her brain still hopelessly fixated on the sight of Daniel in a suit, it occurred to her that if he was a travel reporter, a suit would hardly be appropriate attire. Reminded of her promise to look into who he might be and what he might be up to, she decided it was high time she did something about that—the sooner, the better.
It was a quiet session, giving her plenty of time for a little investigative work—but when she tried to get on the Internet, the connection was down. After fiddling unsuccessfully for several minutes to try to fix it, she threw up her hands in defeat. Teresa was the computer whiz around here, but it didn’t seem fair to drag her down from the house for the sake of a little nosiness. It was hardly an emergency.
Laura sighed in frustration. She would have to try to prise some clues from the man himself tonight, but she would have preferred to go armed with . . . she didn't know what, exactly. Just armed.
It wasn't like her to be on edge over something as simple as going out for dinner. Annoyed with herself and anxious for something to do, she started to tidy the brochure displays, shuffling the leaflets on the desk and knocking them over the far side in the process. Muttering as she crouched down to gather them from the floor, she silently cursed as a deep voice spoke from the doorway.
"Don't tell me. A poltergeist wreaked havoc while you were being busy and efficient elsewhere?"
Laura spun around. "No, just clumsy old me."
"Here, let me help." Daniel crouched beside her, deftly scooping up the papers. She breathed in his scent, masculine and freshly showered, and her stomach performed some sort of circus act. Desperate to put a few inches of space between them, she stood up to place the last of the leaflets back on the desk. Her blood seemed to be racing around her body at twice its usual speed now he was here, and it didn't help one bit when he rose and gave her an appraising stare. She waited for a sarcastic comment, but it never came.
"You look beautiful," he said instead, and her breath caught in her throat as he added, "Although on the whole, I think I preferred you in the towel."
A blush warmed her cheeks, but she was spared further embarrassment when he laughed at her expression, dissipating the electric atmosphere between them.
"I think we'd better go for dinner, don't you?"
"Where are we going?" she asked, keen to deflect the conversation from her earlier state of dress—or lack of it.
"I saw a restaurant down by the river this morning. I thought we could walk down there, if you don't mind?" He glanced at her shoes to check whether they were suitable.
"That sounds good." She knew the restaurant he meant. It stood on a slope a little way back from the river bank, with beautiful views over the water.
"Have you been there before?"
"No," she admitted. "I've walked past lots of times and we recommend it to our guests, but I've never eaten there myself."
"I'm not surprised, if you play so hard to get with every man who asks you out for dinner."
It was a lovely temperature outside, and Laura hoped the walk might dispel her nerves a little. She risked a sideways glance at Daniel. He was wearing charcoal chinos and shirt, a casual jacket flung over one shoulder, the dark colours emphasising his height and lean frame, and she considered how perfectly at ease he seemed in any situation. She wished she could feel the same right now. Teaching unruly teenagers wasn't half as nerve-wracking as this.
Laura wanted to break the silence between them but didn't know where to start. She could try a little casual prying, but she didn't want to risk ruining the evening just to appease Maria's paranoia. In the end, she settled for, "Did your suit dry out alright?"
Daniel's mouth twitched at the corners. "Yes, thanks. A slight whiff of chlorine, but not a deadly insect in sight."
Since he seemed to be in a good mood, Laura decided to risk being a little braver. She could hardly admit to what she'd been trying to do on the computer earlier, but that didn't mean she couldn't do a little harmless fishing.
"I was surprised to see you in a suit at all," she said, careful to keep her tone casual. "It's not the usual choice for a holiday."
"I never said I was on holiday," he replied, quickly adding, "Tell me more about what you're doing here. You said you've been coming out here for years?"
Laura was happy to fill him in—it was hardly a state secret.
&
nbsp; "Why do the owners go away in August?" he asked her when she'd finished. "Surely that's one of the hotel's busiest times?"
Wondering if his question was asked with some sort of professional interest, and thinking she might be getting somewhere at last, Laura answered honestly.
"For a start, Paulo refuses to be in England at any other time of year. They tried it once and all he did was complain bitterly about the cold and rain!"
Daniel chuckled. "And?"
"It's nicer for them to visit when school is out for the holidays—that way, Rachel gets to spend some proper time with her nieces and nephews." Anxious to defend them, she added, "Paulo's mother is more than capable of running the place for a while. I'm only here because the guests like to know there's someone English-speaking on site."
He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "So how is it that you can spare the time?"
"I'm a teacher, so as long as I finish off all last year's stuff before I come out here and then cram a stack of prep in when I go back, I can usually spare about three weeks."
Daniel stopped dead in his tracks. "You don't look like any teacher I had when I was at school. I'm surprised the boys get any work done at all!" When she blushed, he asked her, "What do you teach?"
"French and Spanish."
"So how is it that you speak Portuguese?"
"I took it as a minor subject at university. It's improved a lot since I started coming out here, though."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You must have quite a talent for languages."
Surprised by his obvious admiration, Laura decided to take a compliment from him while she could get it. "Thank you."
The restaurant was filled with locals, the menu written entirely in Portuguese, and she felt childishly pleased to be able to show off a little as she translated for him and gave the waiter their order. Yet he understood some of it himself from the smattering of languages he obviously possessed—another hint he was widely travelled.
"So, what do you do for a living?" she asked him as innocently as she could, helping herself to olives from the dish between them.
"I travel." His tone was cautious and he seemed grateful to be interrupted by the waiter bringing their wine, which he duly tasted and complimented before it was served. By the time the waiter had left, he was deftly back to her teaching career.
"It must be pretty hard these days," he said with more than a hint of empathy. "It's my idea of a nightmare, keeping all those teenage brats entertained and under control. I don't know how you do it."
Laura laughed. "You are supposed to teach them something as well, you know. There are always those who don't want to learn, but it's great when you find those who do."
Their lobster soup arrived. Successfully distracted by a subject she felt strongly about, Laura continued to chat about her work and Daniel seemed happy to listen, laughing at her anecdotes and sympathising with her problems.
"Tell me more about the hotel," he said while they waited for the next course. "How long has your friend Paulo been running it?"
"His parents and uncle started it about twenty years ago," Laura answered openly. Whatever Daniel did or didn't do for a living, she saw no harm in filling him in. "It was originally a wine estate but it was completely run-down. They built it up slowly but surely. The uncle retired about seven years ago, but then Paulo's father died a couple of years later, so Paulo had to take it on even though he was still quite young."
Her voice held genuine admiration. "He's done a terrific job. He added the pool, then had some of the outbuildings converted so they can host large functions like weddings and anniversaries. Each time he does something new, he waits to see if it's worked and the place is making enough money before moving on to the next thing. I sometimes think it must be such a big responsibility for him, running the hotel and providing for his mother and sister. He and Rachel work unbelievably hard. That's why I don't mind coming out to help. They deserve a break. Besides, I love it here. It's not exactly a hardship!"
To make her point, she gestured through the large window beside their table to where the lights from the restaurant shone across the river.
"Has he thought about having a restaurant at the hotel?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, but our guests seem to like exploring the local restaurants. I'm sure there are some nights when they'd rather just stay put, which is why we serve snacks at the bar, but setting up a proper dining facility would be an expensive gamble if there was only the occasional couple wanting to eat there on the odd night."
When Daniel nodded his understanding, Laura breathed a sigh of relief. Their main course arrived, and with it some frustration. This evening seemed to be going all Daniel's way. Although he'd asked plenty about her and the hotel, she'd barely managed to do any fishing of her own. He'd avoided answering her earlier question about what he did for a living, and she could hardly harangue him about it. But why shouldn't he want to talk about what he did if it was above board?
Racking her brains for another way to broach the subject, she suddenly remembered the leaflet she'd shoved into her bag earlier in the evening.
"I thought this might be useful for you," she said as she handed it across to him.
Daniel glanced from the brochure back to her. "Coach tours?"
"Well, of course you won't want to take coach tours when you have your car," Laura said, "but their brochure could be helpful. If you haven't been to this area before, you can see what they fit into a day, the different routes they choose, so you can design your own itinerary." She shrugged. "Just a thought."
Daniel raised an approving eyebrow. "It's a good thought. Thanks." He flicked through the brochure. "Anywhere in particular you want to recommend?"
Laura obliged him, pointing out some of her favourite places and asking him what he most liked when he travelled. She was hypnotised by his eyes—blue and bright and intense as he talked—and fascinated by the movement of his hands as he told her how much he liked northern Portugal already and how it compared to other places he'd been. Finding his enthusiasm catching, she eagerly interjected here and there with snippets of information about the area, and happily forgot her supposed mission.
Chapter Seven
When they'd finished their meal, Daniel refilled Laura's wine glass and watched her as she gazed contentedly out of the window. She'd seemed nervous at the beginning of the evening, but that had gradually disappeared once he'd got her talking about her job, and later about the local area. Then, she'd become animated and enthusiastic, displaying her genuine love for the place.
He admired her obvious loyalty to her friends—in fact, it made him feel a little guilty. He'd had an ulterior motive in insisting she join him for dinner tonight. With the Silvas away, she was his main source of information about the hotel and its surrounding area. It was still inconceivable to him that a hotel's owners would go away in high season, but her explanations and quickness to jump to their defence had already convinced him they left it in good hands.
Laura was both competent—a revelation after their first few encounters—and attractive. A lethal combination. When he'd arrived at reception tonight, it had taken quite an effort not to gape at the way those chestnut waves spread across her shoulders, exactly as he'd imagined they would. Her simple dress confirmed curves in all the right places, and he never ceased to be captivated by her eyes. They were the oddest colour, like jewels . . .
His reverie was interrupted by the noise from a large family at a nearby table. There were several children in the party, all smartly dressed and exuberant, and he and Laura watched as a birthday cake was brought in. But when Daniel turned back to Laura, to his dismay, her eyes glistened with tears.
"Laura, what's wrong?" he asked with genuine concern.
She forced a smile. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." But as everyone sang and clapped and cheered the birthday child, her unshed tears made a mockery of her words.
Daniel tried to hold himself in check. He didn't know her well enough to pus
h – and getting to know her wasn't a good idea anyway. His own life was too . . . well, there simply wasn't room for any complications. He'd learned that the hard way with Natalie.
But when one of those tears escaped, all logic went out of the window. Before he could stop himself, he'd reached across to smooth it from her cheek with his thumb.
"No, you're not. Tell me. Maybe I can help."
Laura shook her head, clearly embarrassed. "I'm afraid you can't. I was reminded of something that happened a long time ago, that's all. This is silly of me. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. It's not silly to be upset by something just because it happened a long time ago. If I can't do anything to help, at least I can listen."
She hesitated, then finally gave a curt nod. "My last proper birthday party was in a restaurant," she said, her brisk and efficient tone not quite glossing over pain. "I was fourteen and getting too old for parties, so my parents took my brother and me to an Italian place in town. The waiters delivered those sparklers stuck in a dough ball, and my dad clinked his glass against mine. He winked at me. And then he said, 'You're a big girl, now, Laura. Remember that.'" Her voice hitched. "A week later, he left us."
Hiding his surprise at the sudden revelation, Daniel said, "And the party over there reminded you?"
Laura nodded, swiped at another tear, and sat up straight. "I don't usually go blabbing my family secrets to strangers," she said a little crossly. "I only told you so you'd know I had a good reason . . . that I'm not some mad woman who makes a habit of bursting into tears when she's taken out to dinner."
Daniel's lips twitched. "I'm glad to hear it." He cocked his head to one side. "How did your mother take it—your dad leaving like that?"
"Not well." Laura traced a fingertip around the rim of her wine glass. "Actually, that's an understatement. She completely fell apart."
"That must have been hard for you."
Laura nodded. "It was hard, but I think it was good for us in a way, too—me and my brother, I mean. It made us close. We still are. We had to do everything that needed doing for quite a while, and we learned pretty quickly. Fixing the flush on the toilet, changing the light bulbs, looking for special offers at the supermarket—you name it, we had to learn how to do it."
Holding Back Page 5
