the midnight-blue draping. Black-and-white-clad waiters wove through the crowd while men and women in tuxedos and evening gowns air-kissed and wafted around on clouds of self-importance.
Blake almost rolled his eyes—until he remembered the guests were there in his honour. The thought made him empty the entire champagne glass and exchange it for a full one from the next waiter. He noted that the power outage hadn’t seemed to dampen the evening’s festivities. But when he looked at the scene with the eye of a manager he could see some slightly frazzled members of staff weaving through the crowd doing damage control.
He managed to get the attention of one of them, and took the frightened young man to a less populated corner of the hall.
‘What happened when the electricity went out?’
As Blake spoke the man’s eyes widened and Blake thought that ‘boy’ might be a more appropriate description.
‘It was only a few moments, sir. As you can see, everything is running smoothly again. Enjoy your evening.’
The boy made to move away, but at Blake’s look he paused.
‘Was there anything else, sir?’
‘Yes, actually. I was wondering if you brush off the concerns of all your guests, or if you reserve that for just a handful of people.’
If the boy had looked nervous before, he was terrified now. ‘No...no, sir. I’m sorry you feel that I did. We’re just a bit busy, and I have to make sure that everything is okay before Mr Owen gets here.’
‘That would be me.’
The words were said in a low voice, softly, but for their effect they might have been earth-shatteringly loud.
‘Mr... Mr Owen?’ the boy stammered. ‘Sir, I am so sorry—’
‘It’s fine,’ Blake said when he saw the boy might have a heart attack from the shock. ‘You can answer my original question.’ At his blank look, Blake elaborated. ‘The power outage...?’
‘Oh, yes. Well, it wasn’t such a train smash here. The candles gave sufficient light that there wasn’t much panic, and Connor—Mr McKenzie, I mean—managed to calm whatever concerns there were.’
Blake was surprised the boy had been able to string enough words together to give him such a thorough explanation.
‘And that was it?’
‘Yes, sir. The generator was back on in under thirty minutes, so it wasn’t too long. Although I did hear there were people trapped in the elevator.’
Blake thought it best not to tell the boy he had been one of those who had been trapped. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle another shock.
‘When was the last time the generator was checked?’
‘I...I don’t know, sir.’
Blake nodded and left it at that, making a mental note to check that out when he officially started on Monday. The list of what he would have to do at the hotel seemed to grow the more time he spent there, and he wasn’t having it. Not any more. Somehow the Elegance in Cape Town had flown under his radar for the past few years, while he had focused on his other hotels in South Africa.
And while he focused on rebuilding his self-respect after letting himself be fooled into a relationship that should never have been.
When he had eventually started reviewing the financials he’d realised that although Connor McKenzie had pulled the hotel out of the mess that Landon Meyer, the previous regional manager, had made, it wasn’t enough. The hotel hadn’t made a profit for three years, and he couldn’t let that continue.
But that wasn’t tonight’s problem, Blake thought as he scanned the crowd. He knew it would only take a few minutes before he would be recognised, and then he would have to start doing the rounds as guest of honour. He paused when he saw the woman he had been stuck in the elevator with a few moments ago. She was standing near a table full of champagne, and before Blake knew it he was walking towards her.
As he came closer he saw that his recollection of their time spent in the elevator didn’t do justice to what he saw now. He had noticed that she was attractive when she’d walked in, but he had taken care not to stare. And with the darkness that had descended only a few moments later, he hadn’t been able to look at her as he was now.
The red dress she wore clung only to her chest and then flowed regally down from her waist to the floor. Her black hair stood out strikingly against the dress, her golden skin amplifying the effect, and for reasons he couldn’t quite place his finger on it disconcerted him. Her round face held an innocence he hadn’t been privy to in a long time, and her green eyes persuaded him to consider pursuing her.
The thought shocked him, as there was nothing in her expression to prompt it. There was also nothing in his past that encouraged him to trust a woman again. Yet now he felt an intense desire to get to know this woman. One he had only just met an hour ago.
* * *
‘I think that after being stuck in an elevator the least we could do is have a drink together.’
Callie heard the deep voice as she reached for a glass of champagne. Her hand stilled, and then she continued, hoping that her pause wouldn’t be noticed.
‘I don’t know if I’m inclined to agree,’ she said and took a sip of her drink. ‘I never have drinks with anyone I don’t know.’
‘Really? But you have nothing against flirting with strangers?’ He gave her an amused look, his smile widening when she blushed.
‘Must have been a temporary lapse in judgement.’
‘How do you date if you don’t flirt?’
‘I don’t.’ She sipped her drink.
‘Which would explain the lack of a boyfriend.’
Callie aimed a level look at him. ‘Yes. And it would also explain why I don’t have to deal with conversations like this very often.’
‘Touché.’ He smiled and lifted his glass to her in a toast.
Her lips almost curved in response, but then she stopped herself. What was she doing? A memory flashed into her mind, of him sitting with her in the elevator, patiently talking to her to distract her from her fears. And then she remembered. She was flirting with him because there was something about him that had kept her calm when she should have had a panic attack.
Heaven help her.
‘And you’ve told me everything I need to know about why you’re single, then?’ she asked, and immediately regretted it when his expression dimmed. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘No,’ he responded, ‘it’s fine.’ But he changed the topic. ‘Since you seem to want to know so much about me, how about you offer me the same courtesy? You can start with your name.’
She smiled. ‘Callie.’
She held out her hand, proud that her voice revealed none of
