wanted her hotels and she couldn’t stand the sight of him. She looked at him as if a monstrous blast of fire would spew out his mouth any second. But she was far from a withering damsel in distress. That made what he was about to do very tricky. He’d tried speaking to her rational side without success, so tonight he’d have to speak to her emotions.
When they reached the seaside restaurant, Evan took Laney’s hand and led her inside. They were immediately shown to an intimate corner table he’d reserved for the night.
“I hope this meets with your approval,” Bradley, the maître d’, said.
“This is perfect. Thank you.”
Oysters on the half shell and a bottle of fine red wine awaited them. Outside spotlights shimmered on the shoreline, illuminating crashing waves upon the sand. Stars glimmered above. Warm summer air filtered in through the expanse of open French doors lining the back of the restaurant.
“This is very nice, Evan. But hardly a place to conduct business.”
Evan smiled. “Let me worry about that.”
He poured her a glass of wine and then one for himself. Color drained from Laney’s face the minute she glanced at the oysters.
“What’s wrong? I know you love oysters. We had our share of them—”
“Stop!” She put up a hand and closed her eyes. “I’d appreciate you not reminding me about anything I said or did on Maui. Okay?”
He narrowed his eyes. What was up with her? “What are you afraid of, Laney?”
“Can we get just get down to business,” she said, pushing aside her glass of wine and the decorative plate of oysters, without giving them so much as another glance.
“Before we order? Sorry, babe, but I’m hungry. We’ll talk business after the meal.”
When the waiter came by, he appeared genuinely concerned. “Is there something wrong with the wine, Mr. Tyler? Or the oysters? I can assure you they’re the finest quality—”
“No, no, everything’s great. The table is just as I arranged.” Evan sipped from his glass of wine to appease him. “I think we’re ready to order now.”
The waiter put on a smile and began reciting the nightly specials. Evan listened, darting quick glances Laney’s way. Her face paled even more when the waiter began describing the fare in great detail.
“If you’ll allow me to order,” Evan said, looking at Laney with keen interest now, “their grilled swordfish is the best—”
“I’ll just have a salad, Evan.” She cast him a small smile.
“Salad?” Evan scratched his head. The waiter jerked back, appearing slightly insulted.
“If I might suggest the jumbo Cajun prawn salad with lobster dressing,” the waiter offered.
Laney’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “Please, just a green salad with no dressing.”
Evan glanced at the waiter. “Bring us two swordfish dinners. I’ll see if I can’t get the lady to change her mind.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me you’re not on a diet.” Evan said, once the waiter was out of hearing distance.
Laney glanced out the French doors appearing extremely interested in the shoreline. “No, but I’m not very hungry.”
“You’ve lost weight, Laney. Not that you don’t look good, but you’re—”
“Stress, Evan. Okay? I said it. I’m under a good deal of stress lately.”
Evan sipped his drink. “That’s why I’m here. To wipe away all your stress.”
“You only add to it,” she said quietly.
“Have some wine. It’ll relax you.”
Laney glanced at the goblet filled two-thirds full of rich red wine. “I’m not… I’m not…”
Tears built up in her eyes. She tried valiantly to hide them, but Evan noticed and something powerful tugged at his heart. “Laney, listen. No more jabbing at each other. Your hotels are sinking fast. I know more than you think I know about your problems. Get out while you can. While they’re still worth something.”
“It’s not that bad, Evan. You’re making the situation out to be worse than it is.”
“Maybe you don’t know all the facts.”
“I’m aware of the facts.”
“Your father wouldn’t want to see his hotels go under, Laney. I’m sure he’d rather have you sell out than to have their reputation ruined. Your father was desperate to save them. That’s why he called you home. He didn’t know whom he could trust, other than you. He was under a great deal of stress. And now, you’ve admitted that you’re under that same sort of stress. He wouldn’t want your health to suffer, Laney. And he wouldn’t want you to go broke.”
She gasped. “I’m not going broke, Evan. For heaven’s sake.”
The salad arrived along with a basket of assorted bread and Laney stopped speaking long enough to allow the waiter to place it on the table. Evan watched her pick up her fork and shuffle romaine spears around on her plate. Still, she didn’t eat a bite.
“You will if your hotels don’t stop draining your cash reserves.”
Laney snapped her head up. “For all I know, you’re the one behind the mishaps at Royal. You want them that badly.”
Evan swore under his breath. “If you really believed that, you wouldn’t be sitting here having dinner with me. No, I think you really want to hear what I have to say.”
But they were once again interrupted when the waiter arrived. He set two plates of swordfish, garlic potatoes and creamed spinach before them. The mingling of aromas made his mouth water, but the arrival of the food had the opposite effect on Laney. She turned away from the sizzling hot plate.
“Is everything satisfactory?” the waiter asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Evan answered. “That’s all for now.”
Laney picked up a forkful of greens and put them in her mouth. She chewed as if she were accomplishing a great feat. “I’m not sure what I believe about you, Evan. But I need to know what happened that day between you and my father. And I’d appreciate the truth.”
Laney didn’t believe Evan Tyler. She sat back in the limousine after their dinner, rehashing his denials. Her traitorous stomach refused to calm. Her head swirled. She gazed out the window at the passing moonlit scenery as they drove home, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Evan’s close scrutiny.
It had been business as usual with Nolan Royal that day. Evan had said nothing out of the ordinary. He’d made his case, presented her father a fair deal and was willing to negotiate. He’d
