pitched to for business along with a tour.’
‘No wonder you’re doing all this. Maybe now would be a good time to ask for a raise.’
He laughed. ‘I’ll take that under advisement.’
‘I’ll have Connor put in a good word for me!’
When Blake’s face sobered, Callie realised how that might have sounded.
‘I was joking, Blake. Connor would never do that.’
‘That’s not exactly what he told me.’
She frowned, and then remembered the time when he’d told her she would have to pitch to their investors with him. He already seemed to know that her title wasn’t a normal one.
‘What do you mean?’
Blake drank the rest of his champagne and then asked the waiter to bring him a glass of whisky. She shook her head when he raised his eyebrows and the waiter nodded, presumably concluding that he would only need to bring one glass.
‘Connor told me he gave you a job after your parents died.’
‘Well,’ she said, grasping for something that would make the situation sound better, ‘I didn’t get paid at first, so it was more of an internship than anything else.’
‘He also said that you had been studying towards a degree in anthropology. A degree which, if your human resources file is accurate, you didn’t complete.’
Callie opened her mouth and then closed it again. How was she supposed to respond to that? That it had been an internship was true, but she knew it didn’t make sense since she hadn’t studied tourism or anything related to what she was now doing. The fact that she hadn’t finished her degree made an even stronger case for nepotism, she thought, and cringed when she realised that she was going to have to tell him part of what had really happened.
‘Yes, that’s true. But Connor was just trying to help me.’ She had long since stopped eating, but the food felt like lead in her stomach. ‘I...I didn’t cope very well with my parents’ deaths. So, yes, maybe Connor wasn’t being completely professional when he got me the internship. But I’ve worked incredibly hard for the hotel. And I’ve built up a good reputation with our tours. I can show you—’
‘Callie.’
Blake was looking at her strangely, and she felt her heart stuck in her throat.
‘I’m not asking you to defend your job.’
‘I know that,’ she said, and resisted the urge to shake out her shoulders. ‘I just...just thought you should know that Connor has never done anything like that again. It was a one-time thing.’
Blake didn’t say anything for a while. The waiter brought his whisky and Blake thanked him. After what seemed like an eternity he drank, put his glass down and settled back into his chair.
‘I was there when we hired Connor. Did you know that?’
She shook her head, wondering where he was going with this.
‘My dad was still in charge then, and Connor started out as the operations manager of the Cape Town branch. During his interview I remember thinking that he was going to be a good fit for the hotel. He understood our values and seemed just as dedicated to our guests as we were. And then he worked his way up and I had the honour of seeing how much of himself he invested into the job. And the pride he took in the work he did. When I promoted him to regional manager he told me that he would make sure we got out of the mess Landon had made.’
He paused, and bit into a piece of cheese.
‘Of course neither of us really knew the extent of the damage Landon had caused. But that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to tell you, Callie, is that I was always fairly sure of your brother’s character. Only one thing has gone against the opinion I had of him—your appointment.’
Callie wished she could stand up and give her restless legs something to do. But she didn’t think that would be wise, considering that she was on a boat with men who would probably think she was crazy if she did. Instead she pushed a hand through her hair, resisting the urge to pull at it.
‘You know, Blake, sometimes we do things for our family that go against what we believe in.’ She cautioned herself against the fury she felt behind her words, but it didn’t work. ‘I know your family wasn’t like that, but in mine we did things for one another. Helped each other. Supported each other.’
She rubbed her hands over her face and almost immediately her anger fizzled out.
‘I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.’
Blake’s face had blanched at her words, but he nodded. ‘It was.’
Callie bit her lip, and hated herself for lashing out. ‘It’s just that Connor saved my life with this job. No, he really did.’ Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes but she forced them back. ‘My parents’ deaths nearly destroyed me.’
There—she’d said it. The words she’d never really said aloud to anyone else. She was afraid to look up, to see the pity she knew would be in his eyes. She didn’t want that. It would remind her of how almost everyone had treated her after her parents had died. As if she was something to be pitied.
She looked up at him when she felt his hand gentle on hers, and there was no pity in his eyes. Just compassion. And she felt the coldness that had started to chill her bones thaw.
BLAKE KNEW HE shouldn’t have pushed, but he’d wanted to know. He’d needed to. Callie awakened desires in him that had been dormant since...well, since Julia. And even then, he hadn’t needed to know her this badly.
Ever since Callie had told him about her parents’ deaths Blake had wanted to ask her about it. He wanted to know how she’d handled it, who had been there to support her. The information he had gathered from Connor after she’d mentioned it and the little he had shared with Callie a few moments ago had only made him more curious. Especially since he knew that her specialist job wasn’t something that existed in any of the other hotels.
But now, seeing her anguish right in front of him, he felt like an absolute jerk.
‘I’m sorry you had go through that,’ he said, wishing there was something more he could say.
She slid her hand from beneath his and laid it on her lap. ‘I am, too.’ She attempted to smile, but her sadness undermined its effect.
‘Well, you don’t need to talk about it.’ He gestured to Rob, the man who had been serving them all night. ‘Could you bring some tea for Miss McKenzie, please?’ Rob nodded, and Blake turned his attention back to Callie. ‘I figure you could use something a little more soothing than champagne.’
‘Thanks.’ She smiled again, and this time it wasn’t quite as sad. And then she took a deep breath and said, ‘Blake, I...I want to tell you what happened when my parents died, okay? But only because I need you to understand why Connor did what he did. And then
