Holding Back

by Helen Pollard

  "What will he do if that happens?" Laura asked tentatively.

  "I don't know," Maria admitted. "Paulo doesn't think the Web site will generate enough business in itself. We have word of mouth, of course, and plenty of repeat visitors, but that won't fill the rooms all summer. What with the laundry, cleaning, breakfasts, staffing the bar, and maintaining the pool, I don't think we could afford to have too many empty rooms, especially in high season." She sighed heavily. "We do well with weddings and such, but keeping the rooms filled makes all the difference." She lowered her voice. "Teresa is so keen on that course in hotel management next year, and of course we all want to support her, but . . ."

  "But it will cost money," Laura finished for her, upset to see her friend's eyes brimming with tears.

  Maria nodded. "And then of course there's Rachel . . ." She stopped suddenly, and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh! Shouldn't you be getting ready for your boat trip with Mr. Stone?"

  Laura jumped at the mention of Daniel's name, and her heart dropped to her feet. After Maria's unexpected revelation, she could no longer tell herself that Stone Brothers' possible interest in the hotel might not matter to the Silvas. Seeing how worried and tired Maria looked, she considered telling her the truth about her guest, but at this stage, she felt it would be foolish to get Maria’s hopes up.

  "Yes, I'd better get changed," she said, rising from the table. "Thanks for the tea, Maria. I'm sure everything will work out."

  Kissing the older woman quickly on the cheek, she hurried off to her room to pull on jeans, T-shirt, and a light sweater in case it was breezy out on the water. There was no question in her mind that she must go on the trip now. If Daniel had any interest in the hotel whatsoever, then that business could be vital to Paulo—and Laura was the only person at the moment who could do anything about it.

  ****

  When Daniel knocked at her door at eleven, he didn't expect her to answer. She'd made it clear she'd changed her mind, so when she opened the door, he braced himself for another tirade, but Laura was clearly dressed for the trip in faded jeans and a sweater that looked temptingly soft to cuddle against. Frustrated at the direction his thoughts seemed to take whenever he set eyes on her, Daniel tore his gaze away from her sweater and back to her face.

  Not knowing quite how to break the icy atmosphere, he said, "You decided to come after all, then."

  There was a confrontational set to her mouth that made him suddenly wary. He might have known he wasn't going to get off lightly.

  "Before we go, I have something to say," she declared, hands on hips, for all the world like an extremely cross schoolteacher. He pitied her classes when she was in this frame of mind.

  "I know who you are," she told him. "What you do for a living, I mean. I searched for you on the Internet."

  He raised an enquiring eyebrow, but she carried on, unintimidated.

  "I have no idea whether your stay here is connected with business or not, since you haven't chosen to share that with me. That leads me to assume you wish to be treated the same as any other guest, so let me make myself perfectly clear. The three weeks I spend out here is a favour for friends—unpaid. I see it as my duty to be pleasant with the guests and help with any reasonable requests, but that's as far as it goes. I will not be bullied into doing anything I don't want to do. Is that understood?"

  She stared him down like he imagined she would an errant pupil. Daniel felt like one. He never liked to lose the higher ground, but he also knew when he'd behaved badly enough to warrant an apology. Besides, they had a whole day ahead of them, and it would be a long one if they couldn't keep the peace.

  "I think it's safe to say you've made yourself clear," he said. "And I'm sorry if it came across that way. I was . . . disappointed when you backed out." He sighed. "It gets pretty wearing, doing this sort of thing on my own all the time. Your change of heart was unexpected, but I certainly didn't mean to bully you."

  With the wind taken out of her sails, Laura shrugged. "I suppose I shall have to accept your apology or we'll never get to that boat on time!"

  On the drive into town, Daniel couldn't help but wonder why she'd changed her mind. She'd been adamant about not coming on the trip yesterday, yet here she was. His inner cynic told him it was more than coincidence that she'd found out who he was and what his business in Portugal might be, then suddenly decided to come along after all.

  He risked a glance at her. She was staring intently out of the passenger window, her shoulders stiff and her face set, and Daniel decided his inner cynic could shut up. He'd become a pretty good judge of character over the years, and he reckoned the woman sitting next to him was as straight as they came. Even if her change of mind did have something to do with her discovery, it didn't mean she was mercenary—only that she might want to keep communications smooth while her friend Paulo was away. That made her loyal and professional, not dishonest.

  They arrived in Viana do Castelo without incident and joined the other passengers at the boat. Of the two men helping them on board, Laura introduced herself and Daniel to a cheerful young man he assumed to be Carlos, and they chose a seat at the back while the crew made ready to leave. When they were finally heading out into the middle of the river, she closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sun.

  Daniel watched the cool breeze tease strands of hair from her customary ponytail. "You know, I think I prefer your hair loose," he said, a long tanned finger brushing a stray strand from her forehead.

  Her eyes shot open. "Well, that's a pity for you, then, because I prefer it up," she said stiffly. "It's more practical that way."

  Despite her hostile glare—or perhaps because of it—Daniel laughed. "Don't you ever do anything that isn't practical, Laura?"

  She shook her head. "No, not if I can help it. I like to know what I'm letting myself in for."

  "Is that why you looked me up on the Internet?" he asked quietly.

  She squirmed under his direct gaze. "You didn't seem like the average tourist, and you deliberately avoided any mention of what you do for a living. I was curious."

  Daniel shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't do the incognito bit very well, did I?" He put on an exaggerated defeated expression and was pleased when it made her lips twitch a little.

  "Wearing a business suit in the middle of the day was hardly a subtle attempt at casual attire," she pointed out.

  "I didn't anticipate bumping into you—or your insect friend. I'm usually quite good at the stealthy stuff, but I didn't expect to be put in a room right next to the woman who runs the show." He shrugged. "Guess I must be losing my touch."

  Laura hesitated, as though deciding what to say. "It said on your Web site that you're hoping to expand into Portugal next year?"

  Since his cover was blown anyway, and only too pleased they were having a normal conversation instead of an argument, Daniel nodded.

  "At the moment we cover France and Spain, but Portugal is our next target. I've already sorted things out down in Lisbon and along the Lisbon coast, but I think the Costa Verde would suit our clients, too. They come to us to find them somewhere different, unique. I'd like to offer an authentic taste of northern Portugal."

  "And have you found it?"

  "So far I've been concentrating on the practicalities—flights, car-hire companies, hotels in and around Viana do Castelo. I need to spend time in other places before I go back down to Porto. I'm booked in for a week there." He failed to suppress a sigh. "Plenty more to do. Not much time to do it in."

  "Are you the one who does all the travelling?"

  "It's a small, family-run company. When we first set it up, we shared it a little more evenly, but at the end of the day, my brother's a natural-born accountant and pen-pusher—which apparently makes me the nomadic go-getter."

  Laura cocked her head to one side. "If that's not what you want anymore, you should let him know."

  Daniel stared out across the river. The town had been replaced by flat green banks and open blue s
ky, but he was only half paying attention to the scenery. He should be taking it all in, making notes so he could describe it to their customers in person or in the company's brochures and information packs.

  "It's not always possible to have what you want," he said quietly. "Besides, Ben has a wife and family now. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to jet around all over Europe."

  Sheer disbelief flitted across her face. "Your . . . your brother's married to Natalie? They have children?"

  Daniel's mouth gaped open. "What? No! Whatever gave you that idea?"

  Her disbelief was replaced with confusion. "But I don't understand. I . . ." She lowered her head and shuffled her feet awkwardly. "The other day, in the car park, you told her to go back to Ben because he needed her!"

  The light dawned. "Ah. I see. No, Natalie works for us, that's all. Ben needs her because . . ." He hesitated. "Because we're a small company and she's good at her job. With me away so much, and Ben with family responsibilities, it's hard for him if she's away the same time as me, so I was hoping I could persuade her to go back to the office and take her holiday another time, when it was more convenient."

  Daniel's eyes widened with horror at the sudden realisation that hit him. "You thought I was having an affair with my own brother's wife?"

  Laura nodded miserably. "I suppose . . . maybe. I didn't know what to think. It's obvious you have a relationship with her . . ."

  "Had a relationship with her," Daniel emphasised, anxious to make it clear that Natalie was in the past. "It was a mistake and it's over."

  "She doesn't seem to agree with you on that score," Laura said wryly.

  Daniel grimaced. "No, I'm afraid she doesn't. I didn't expect her to go to quite these lengths, though—joining me out here." He sighed. "But beyond making it clear that I'd rather she hadn't, at the end of the day, it's a free country and she's entitled to her holiday."

  They were quiet for a few minutes while Daniel tried to work out whether he'd said too much or too little, and Laura presumably processed all the new information.

  "You said it wouldn't be fair to expect your brother to do a lot of travelling," she said, finally breaking the silence. "But is it fair on you?"

  Her voice and eyes were full of sympathy. Daniel could happily have drowned in whatever compassion she was ready to show him, but he wasn't willing to play on it.

  "I can hardly complain." He shrugged. "I get to see new places, meet new people, stay at great hotels. Enjoy the sun." Stifled in my suit half the time, he wanted to add. Surreptitious inspections of properties, negotiations . . . It had been great for the first few years, but the novelty was wearing thin.

  It seemed Laura wasn't convinced, either. "Couldn't you employ someone else?"

  "I've thought about it, but there are a couple of problems there. The economy, for a start. The holidays we put together aren't exactly cheap. That's fine—it's a niche market. But even the well-off are feeling the pinch nowadays. Whoever we employed would need to be experienced, go-getting—with a salary to match."

  "And the second problem?"

  "Ah, yes." Daniel gave a rueful smile. "I'm afraid that's down to me. I've been doing this side of things myself for so long now, I suspect I've become a bit of a control freak."

  "Really? I'd never have guessed!" The twinkle in Laura's eyes glittered dark blue amongst the amethyst, and Daniel felt his breath quicken.

  They lapsed into silence again, both content to watch the passing banks as the boat moved slowly down the river. This trip was working out far better than Daniel could have hoped. Laura seemed to have forgiven him for his boorish behaviour yesterday, and accepted her newfound knowledge about his business in Portugal with interest but not an interrogation. In many ways, he was relieved she'd found out—now there was no more need for secrecy on his part, the atmosphere between them was more relaxed.

  "So, have you found any suitable accommodation for your clients up here yet?" she asked him.

  He gave her a sidelong glance. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm more than impressed with the Quinta Maria. It's off the beaten track, but near enough to a main town for shops and restaurants. The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are tasteful and spacious, and the whole place is clean and well-run. I think it would be ideal as one of the places we might recommend to our clients. But of course I would need to speak to the owners. When are they back?"

  "The day after you leave, I'm afraid. Can't you stay on for a few days?"

  He shook his head. "Everything's set up in Porto, and then I have to get back to the office. What about Maria? I know she doesn't speak English, but maybe you could interpret for me?"

  "Maria takes care of the day-to-day running of the hotel on the domestic front," Laura told him. "And she organises the functions they hold. But Paulo has always been the one to deal with the finance and business side of things. Maria's in no better position to bargain with you than I am, I'm afraid. I could try to contact Paulo so you could speak to him on the phone?"

  Daniel shook his head. "I prefer face-to-face for initial contact." When her face fell, he added, "Don't worry about it. I've plenty of other things to do, people to meet, places to go. I'll need to come back at some point—I can meet up with him then."

  But Laura still looked worried. "I know I'm not in a position to discuss business with you on Paulo's behalf," she said earnestly, "but if I can help you in any other way, I will."

  Daniel couldn't help himself. With more than a hint of suggestion in his voice, he said, "Thank you, Laura. I may take you up on that."

  Chapter Ten

  The aroma of charcoal drifted across the deck. Carlos flipped fresh sardines on the grill while his wife prepared salad and cut chunks of fresh bread. Since Laura was absorbed watching them, Daniel wandered off down the boat, chatting with the few English-speaking passengers he found and returning to her when the food was ready. It seemed a little early in the day for the port that they handed round, but they drank it anyway to wash the meal down, and when they'd finished eating, Daniel nudged her and stood up.

  "Fancy helping me with a bit of interpreting? I spoke to some of the other passengers while you daydreamed, and I think this is something we could recommend to our clients. Small boat, not too crowded, nice atmosphere. I wouldn't mind asking Carlos a few things, though, since I'm here."

  The boat had turned around to head back to town, and Carlos and his wife were busy tidying up the lunch debris. When Laura explained about Daniel's interest in the trips, Carlos sat them down and poured more port, happy to tout his new business.

  As Laura interpreted easily for the two men, it occurred to Daniel he had yet another job ahead of him: to add Portuguese to the French and Spanish he'd picked up over the past few years. It always helped to make an effort, even if the other party spoke English. Away from the tourist hotspots in the sort of authentic places his clients liked to visit, English wasn't always widely spoken. The thought of the studying involved made his brain ache.

  They were heading back to their seats when Laura suddenly went back to Carlos, holding a hurried exchange in Portuguese before she came back to join him.

  "What was that all about?" Daniel asked as she sat down.

  She hesitated. "I . . . was just telling Carlos off for being so generous with the port. I didn't get much sleep last night. I think it's made me a little light-headed."

  Daniel wasn't convinced, but he let it pass. "I'm more than impressed with your linguistic abilities," he told her. "You're wasted as a teacher—you should be my personal travelling interpreter instead." He was only teasing—on a subconscious level, the idea rather appealed to him, but it was hardly practical. To lighten it a little before she got the wrong idea, he added, "You're not nearly as incompetent as I thought you were that first day!"

  Laura's eyes flared bright violet. "Under normal circumstances, I'm more than capable, thank you," she replied huffily. "It's only when you're around that I seem to . . ." She stopped short.

  His eye
s danced with amusement, light flecks in the deep blue depths. "It's nice to know I have such an effect on you."

  In a tone more frustrated than angry, she said, "The only effect you have on me, Daniel Stone, is to irritate me so much I can't think straight!"

  She moved off a few paces to lean on the rail, staring out across the water. Daniel watched the breeze loosen her ponytail, the stiff line of her back, the curve of her hips in snug jeans; he imagined the curves under her sweater. Leave it alone, Daniel. But he couldn't leave it alone. Couldn't leave her alone.

  "You can't keep trying to escape from me like that," he said as he joined her. "You ran from me the other night, too. It's not good for the ego, you know!"

  When her lips twitched, he tested a little further. "Why did you run?"

  Laura blushed. "I . . . thought things might get out of hand."

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't call a good-night kiss getting out of hand, would you?"

  She shrugged. "That all depends on where the kiss leads, doesn't it?" She sighed. "I'm not interested in a holiday fling, Daniel."

  "Then what are you interested in?"

  "I'm interested in getting through this year's holiday without throttling one of the guests!" she snapped.

  Daniel laughed. He couldn't help it, even though he knew it would only infuriate her more—and he was right. Her fists clenched on the rail.

  He wished she would lighten up, relax a little. "We're going to have to learn to get along, Laura, especially since you promised to do anything I need while I'm here." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively in an attempt to make her laugh.

  She didn't. "I meant I'd help you within reasonable limits," she clarified. "There's a difference."

  "That all depends on what limits you define as reasonable." His hand brushed hers where she held the rail, and a flush raced across her cheeks – whether in response to him or because she was plain furious, he couldn't tell. He would have placed a bet on the former.