Blind Date Rivals

by Nina Harrington

  She dropped the envelope onto the draining board, not caring that it would be soaked. ‘I have been stupid and naive. I am probably not making much sense this morning. This news is all still very new to me and I’m having a problem working out where I go from here.’

  Sara blinked several times and wiped a very grubby finger under her eyes and gave him a half smile. ‘I accept your apology, and thank you for coming in person, but it might be better if you left now.’

  Then she lifted her head and gave him something close to a scowl. ‘From what Tony Evans told me, you are part of the Rizzi family who have just bought me out,’ she whispered, her mouth tight and thin with suppressed feeling. ‘I know that you are Caspar’s friend but I have a great deal to think about and would appreciate being left alone to get on with sorting my business out. So thank you and have a nice day. Life. Whatever.’

  And, before Leo could reply or react, she grabbed the nearest pale yellow orchid plant, which was about three feet tall and bursting with huge blossoms, and thrust it at his black jacket and shirt with such vigour that the only thing that he could do was grab hold of it before it caused serious damage.

  He had only just clasped it against the front of his jacket when she slipped behind him on the narrow walkway, giving him a waft of floral scent and bleach mixed with warm girl, and grabbed hold of both of his shoulders with hands which were probably grubbier than he was used to, and physically turned him around to face the entrance.

  The next thing he knew, Leo was standing outside the greenhouse cuddling a yellow orchid in a transparent pot and not entirely sure how he’d got there.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  SARA stumbled down the centre of the greenhouse as best she could, her head dazed from all that had happened in her normally tranquil life in the past twenty-four hours.

  She really could not handle any more surprises today—all she wanted to do was block out the effects of the shocking news she’d received and seeing Leo again in daylight, and liking him even more, with hard physical work.

  There were people relying on her to deliver their orchids. That was what she had to focus on now—getting through one day at a time, and somehow, along the way, she would come up with a brilliant idea about how to get out of this mess.

  Her hands stilled on the cool ceramic of the sink.

  But of course there was no way out.

  If the land was sold, then the hotel would want to use every square inch of the expensive real estate they had invested in. She could hardly blame the elderly farmer she had known most of her life for taking a chance to retire in comfort with his family when he was offered it.

  And of course the hotel did not want only the kitchen gardens—oh, no, they wanted another ten acres of his land as well. For car parks.

  Car parks! In a few months her cottage garden would be backing onto tarmac car parks.

  Sara pushed away from the sink and walked slowly down to the side exit of the cool greenhouse, carefully drew open the door and walked the few steps towards the hotter and more humid tropical orchid house. She reached out a hand towards the door and then let it fall away, stepped back and looked around, content to simply enjoy this stunning place which she loved so much.

  The high brick wall of the hotel which had once been her home was on one side, the curved walls designed to retain the heat of the fruit trees which were still trained against the surface. Apples and pears. Turkish figs. All so delicious when they were picked straight from the tree.

  It had been her grandmother’s idea to put the orchid houses on the opposite west-facing side of the kitchen garden so that she could control the light but still have the heat for most of the day, and this was where she had spent so many of her final years, just pottering around, enjoying the plants that she had treasured and created. A vegetable plot for one person did not make much sense, but orchids had been her passion. She’d even admitted over one too many glasses of sherry one Christmas that she sometimes preferred her orchids to people.

  Orchids did not let her down, or run away, or desert their families when they needed them.

  Oh, Nana!

  Car parks. They would probably knock down the old walls to make a direct link to the main hotel building through this space, then onto the fields. Tearing away centuries of heritage at the same time.

  What did they care about that? This was a business, after all. No room for sentimental nonsense about the past and the people who had created these buildings and cared for them with such love over the generations.

  Her eyes fluttered closed and she sniffed away a rising swell of panic. No. This was not the end. It could not be the end. Not after three years of relentless work.

  She was so preoccupied with thoughts and concerns that the sound of footsteps at the door barely registered until she heard the greenhouse door creak open behind her.

  Trying to fix a smile on her face, Sara turned back towards the entrance, then jumped, surprised to see Leo only a few feet away. Her shoulders slumped in startled surprise.

  ‘Oh, please do not make this any more difficult than it already is,’ she said to Leo, who was leaning casually against the door frame simply watching her in silence.

  Last night, in his costume and under the moonlight, she could not have imagined that he could be more handsome or more attractive, but the soft sunlight infused his Mediterranean complexion with an entrancing glow that highlighted his natural tan and made the smile lines around his mouth and the corners of his eyes even more attractive.

  He had a mouth designed for smiling. Those blue-grey eyes were so mesmerising that she could barely look at him without remembering the touch of his hand at her waist and how it felt to be swept along in the glorious waltz they had shared the previous evening.

  For a few minutes she had felt like a normal girl out on a normal date with a normal guy and had actually dared to enjoy herself—until he had brought her crashing back down to earth by reminding her that she had been set up by Helen on a blind date. With the bloke who had no desire whatsoever of going out with his friend’s school pal.

  And she had been right back where she always was. Last of the line when it came to being picked for anything.

  She had been so humiliated even before she’d realised that he had seen her underwear and the turmoil inside her simple one-bedroomed cottage.

  And now here he was, looking slick as a slick thing from slick land while she was… Who she was.

  It was a shame that her poor treacherous body refused to ignore the fact that she was staring at the way the fine silky fabric of his fitted black shirt was stretched across a broad muscular chest—and liked it far too much for comfort.

  She could not like him. She dare not like this strange alien creature who had just arrived from outer space to appear in her little world.

  A slim tailored black suit and fitted black shirt was just about the most inappropriate clothing she could have chosen for any guest to come to a plant nursery and yet somehow he managed to look cool, contained and sophisticated. An elegant man used to an elegant lifestyle and elegant people in elegant surroundings. So what was he doing here with her?

  Ah, of course—the ring! She had not given Leo his ring back! And from the determined look on his face he was not going to go without it. Leo Grainger could have invented the expression ‘stiff upper lip’.

  Pity that his plump lower lip was trying to smile and not succeeding. He must be hot under all of that black clothing in the warm sunshine but he didn’t show it. The top two buttons of his black silk shirt were undone, revealing a hint of tanned chest and the possibility of chest hair. No doubt there was some beautiful fashion model-cum-personal assistant waiting for him back in London whose job it was to admire that broad muscular chest on a daily basis.

  It was a tough job but someone had to do it, she supposed.

  Perhaps she could go on a waiting list?

  It was strange how the longer she felt him watching her, the warmer she became. A blush of heat bu
rst up to her neck and she quickly turned away, back to the work in hand.

  She was not allowed to stare at his chest or any other part of his anatomy, for that matter. Shame on her! Crushes of all kinds were for teenagers, not grown women, especially when she had only known him a few hours.

  For all she knew, he could have found out the previous evening who she was from Caspar or Helen when he’d rejoined the party.

  That must have come as a shock.

  For a tiny fraction of a second she almost felt sorry for him, but then she remembered her humiliation and embarrassment and lifted her chin defiantly.

  This was the man who was working for the hotel management who were going to evict her!

  ‘Have you forgotten something?’ she asked and blinked several times, content to watch his exasperated expression for a few seconds before the pale grey-blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly. ‘Or have you come back to gloat about how your family are just about to put me out of business?’

  Leo cleared his throat. ‘Yes to the first question but no to the second. It’s been a while since someone escorted me off their premises and I have to confess that I am not sure I like it.’

  ‘Oh, I have every confidence that you will soon recover,’ she said in a low voice and gave him a very brittle smile. ‘I’m sure you appreciate that I am pretty busy trying to save what I can right now, so have a good trip back to London.’

  She raised one hand and gestured over Leo’s shoulder. ‘And please close the door on your way out.’

  ‘Not so fast. You seem to have all the answers,’ Leo replied with a tilt of his head while the rest of him stayed stubbornly where it was, totally ignoring her. ‘Except that you may not have all of the facts,’ he added, folding his arms and looking down his long straight nose at her with a fierce sparkle in his eyes which was no doubt intended to pressurise business executives, and any female in sight, into total submission.

  She should detest him for how effective it was, but instead she took the hit by locking her wobbly knees and breathing a little slower to calm her racing heart.

  ‘Okay, I confess,’ he said and pressed one hand flat against his chest. ‘I did recommend your plant nursery to the hotel in the vain hope that it would act as a small form of apology, but I was happy to do so. I’ve known Caspar long enough to trust his judgement, even if it did mean putting my neck and my reputation on the block. And who is Tony Evans, by the way?’

  Sara knew that she should leave this conversation alone and get back to work. All of her instincts started screaming and ringing alarm bells, warning her not to get involved by asking for more information, but she could not help it.

  ‘Tony is the Events Manager at the hotel,’ she answered meekly, only too aware that he was using this side question to deflect her from the true enormity of the problems. ‘I went looking for more work there today and he mentioned that you had recommended my nursery and—’ she paused and shrugged her shoulders ‘—he might have mentioned that you are related to the owners of the hotel. And apparently you are a mega business consultant.’

  ‘Ah—’ he nodded knowingly ‘—I only dealt with the hotel manager, not his team. And you added two and two together and came up with five? Is that about right? Well, at least some of that is correct. Yes, my aunt is one of the Rizzi family who bought this house three years ago from your family,’ he said. ‘But I actually have my own business consultancy—which has nothing to do with the Rizzi Hotel chain. Sorry to disappoint you but I am not on the hotel payroll.’

  ‘Oh. So you don’t work for Kingsmede Manor?’

  Leo shook his head very slowly from side to side.

  ‘And you didn’t have anything to do with the decision to buy the old kitchen garden?’

  His reply was a slight nod in her direction, combined with a killer smile. ‘Nothing at all. That decision would have been taken months ago by senior management.’

  ‘Oh. Okay. I always have had a vivid imagination,’ she admitted with a tiny shoulder shrug. ‘Especially when I feel sorry for myself. Which is not very often,’ she hastened to add. ‘It’s just that I don’t get out very often and every waking moment of the last three years has been spent building up these three greenhouses to the point where I can start to think about making improvements. This is my world and it means everything to me.’ And then she shut up, realising that she was giving far too much away. ‘And I’m rambling. Sorry—I don’t usually tell my problems to a complete stranger.’

  Her head dropped and she focused her eyes on the sunlight on the stone flagstones, which was why it came as a total shock when his forefinger pressed against her chin and tipped it up towards him.

  ‘Hardly a stranger,’ he said with a gentle smile. ‘We have our own song and everything. We even like the same chocolates. Besides—’ and he dropped his hand and rested it lightly on her arm ‘—according to Helen, we are perfect for each other, and who am I to argue with such a higher force? Oh—and there is something you should know. I do not gloat. Ever.’

  ‘You should gloat. Seriously. I have no idea why Helen thinks that we are in the least compatible. Apparently you are a famous business consultant—’ and she gestured towards him with one hand, then flipped it over to point to her chest ‘—while I have a business which just started going downhill fast. Not a happy comparison. Let’s just say that I suspected a heavy amount of guilt was involved in your decision to recommend me. Oh—and a burning desire to get your ring back.’

  Sara could not help it. Her mouth twisted into a grin. ‘No, I hadn’t forgotten about it. I was going to bring it up to the hotel later,’ and then she winced sharply as Leo moved his fingers over the scratches on her arm that Pasha had given her the evening before.

  He gasped and looked down at the inside of her arm and the line of red scratch marks. ‘What happened to you? Did you burn yourself? Or was it an attack of the killer mutant orchids?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Sara laughed. ‘Did you see that giant lazy cat of mine? My boy might be an old man in cat years but he can still wield a mighty scratch.’ And then she shrugged slightly. ‘I’m allergic to cat hair so when Pasha scratches me I have to put up with an itchy red arm for a couple of days. I got away with it last night by taking a couple of allergy tablets, which was probably not a good idea combined with Caspar’s special cocktail.’

  Sara lifted her right hand to waist height palm side up, fluttered her fingers and then flipped it over and brought it sharply down towards her knees. ‘I crashed out when I got back to the cottage, didn’t I? I blame Caspar for the whole thing.’

  Leo raised his eyebrows. ‘You wouldn’t be the only person.’ And he looked at her with soft eyes. ‘Why do you have a cat if you’re allergic to cat hair? I can’t quite understand the logic in that.’

  ‘Pasha belonged to my grandmother and was thirteen years young when she passed away. Nobody else would take a cat that age and I promised my grandmother that I would give him a home. And that’s it. I now have an elderly tomcat for a pet. He is good company, actually, even if he is hopeless when it comes to catching mice these days.’

  Sara peered through the glass to Pasha, who was still stretched out in the sunshine with his tail flicking up now and again to indicate he was dreaming. But when she looked back towards Leo she was taken aback by the expression on his face.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked softly and their eyes met. For a fleeting second she felt as though he was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. He had a look in those blue-grey eyes with that certain something that, in another time and another place, she could almost have said was interest.

  Or was he more interested in her old cat and her sob story? Both of them pathetic and both of them on their way out, in one way or another.

  Lovely. He must be so impressed!

  ‘Don’t you dare feel sorry for me,’ she snorted before he had a chance to answer. ‘I chose to give Pasha a home. I chose to invest everything I have in these orchid houses, even thou
gh I am only renting this piece of land. My decision, for better or worse—’ and then she faltered ‘—no matter how dim that looks right now.’

  ‘I didn’t say a word,’ he retorted and raised both hands in surrender, before dropping them back onto his hips.

  ‘You don’t have to. I know that I must seem totally pathetic. Gloat away.’

  And then he did something which totally knocked the wind from her sails and the air from her lungs.

  He pushed away from the greenhouse door, reached forward and took both of her hands in his so that her fingers were completely encased inside his palms.

  She was so startled that she didn’t have time to pull away before he was in her personal space and talking in a low intense voice and those stunning blue-grey eyes were focused totally on hers, making it absolutely impossible for her to look away.

  ‘You are not pathetic,’ he said in a clear, calm voice, as refreshing as a waft of cool air on a hot afternoon. ‘And I do not feel sorry for you. On the contrary, I admire you for making a decision and sticking to it. You made a promise to someone you cared about and you did that knowing that it could cause you problems. That is something you should be proud of.’

  He admired her? Was this some sort of joke?

  Sara looked deeper into his eyes and saw only sincerity that brought a lump to her throat and the blood thumping in her chest.

  ‘But you were looking at me as though I had two heads a minute ago,’ she replied in a low voice which was a lot more unsteady than she would have liked.

  ‘Let’s just say that not many people surprise me these days,’ he replied with a smile. ‘I admire loyalty in anyone, especially if it costs them. Okay?’ And then his voice softened to match his sweet smile. ‘Okay?’ he asked again.

  Her shoulders seemed to drop ten inches just at the sound of his voice. Perhaps Leo should go into the massage business?