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"Yes? I&039;m sorry, your naer If I can speak frankly, Mr Logan, we&039;re never going to be able to compete with the cafe and Nell Todd If I could - "

She broke off when he lifted a finger "I don&039;t care for the word never "

She took a deep breath "I&039;m sorry, but I&039;ve been here the last ten months and you haven&039;t"

There was a deep silence, like a unified holding of breath After a beat, Sam nodded "Point taken And just what have you learned in the last tenback business and generatethe breakfast and lunch hours, we should counter-prograourmet A relaxed atmosphere and, well, fabulous food We need to offer an alternative Elegance, formality, romance, an upscale atmosphere for a business meal or a special date I sent your father a report and a proposal last fall, but - "

"You&039;re not dealing with my father now" It was said so flatly, so smoothly, none of the resentment showed "Get a copy on my desk by this afternoon"

"Yes, sir"

He paused "If anyone else has run ideas or proposals by my father over the last year, they should copy me by end of week I want to make it clear that I own this hotel non and run While my ill be final, I expect input from my department heads I&039;ll have memos to all of you over the next several days, and expect your responses to saht hours of receipt Thank you"

He watched the start before the door was closed One woman remained behind in her seat Another brunette, she wore a si sixty, had worked at the inn for lasses, lowered her steno pad, and folded her hands

"Will that be all, Mr Logan?"

Sam lifted an eyebrow "You used to call me Sam"

"You didn&039;t used to be my boss"

"Mrs Farley" His eyes cleared "Was that your daughter? Stella? Jesus"

"Don&039;t swear in the office," she said priratulations," he added "She was the only one with guts or brains enough to say anything hile"

"I raised her to stand up for herself They&039;re scared of you," she told him Boss or not, she decided, she&039;d known hihter could speak her mind, so could she

"Most of the people ere in this rooanFor better or worse, this hotel&039;s been run by proxy for a decade" There was just enough acid in her voice to let him know her opinion orse "Now, you drop in out of nowhere and stir things up You alere one for

stirring things up"

"It&039;s ree TheLogans haven&039;t taken enough interest in this place"

"My father - "

"You&039;re not your father," she re hiet that point across yourself"

That rap on the knuckles ht Then we&039;ll say I&039;m here now, I intend to take plenty of interest - and ain "Welcoot to his feet, wandered to the- "let&039;s get started The flower arrange what passed for lunch at his desk Because he wanted to keep his business local, he met with an island contractor personally and went over his renovation requirements He instructed his assistant to order updated equip with the head of Island Tours

He re-ran figures, reviewed proposals, refined and solidified random ideas He knew just how much it would cost, in hard capital and inhaul Not everyone would think so, he admitted when he came to the surface and rubbed the stiffness out of the back of his neck Mia wouldn&039;t

He was grateful he&039;d had so hts of her at bay

But he thought of her now, and remembered how he had felt the shies of his mind the day before He&039;d pressed back at it, poked through itin her tower rooht, her hair a fiery fall to her shoulders

Her birthh, had shimmered He had no doubt it had been that momentary jolt of desire that had allowed her to snap the link between the of hi, and he&039;d been sorry for it alize for it, of course There were rules of conduct that neither inti

No ti paperwork and tucked it in his briefcase He&039;d speak to Mia, then grab some takeout and finish his work at home over a meal Unless he could convince her to have dinner with hi Then work could wait He walked out of the hotel just as Mia stepped out of the bookstore across the street They stood where they were a uard Then she swiveled on her heel and walked toward a spiffy little convertible

He had to dash across the street to catch her before she slipped into it

"Mia A minute"

"Go to hell"

"You can send ed the car door she&039;d swung open and closed it again "I was co I have no excuse for that kind of discourtesy"

Being surprised didn&039;tso quick with an apology before" She gave a little shrug "Fine Accepted Go away"

"Give me five minutes"

"No"

"Five minutes, Mia I&039;ve been cooped up all day, and I could use a walk and sole with him for the car door It would be - and look to the people ere trying to pretend they weren&039;t watching - undignified "No one&039;s stopping you There&039;s a great deal of air around here"

"Give me a chance to explain A casual walk on the beach," he said quietly "If you blow ive them more to talk about And me more to wonder about A friendly conversation, in public, doesn&039;t hurt either of us"

"All right" She dropped her car keys in the pocket of her long gray dress "Five minutes"

She took a deliberate step away froled her keys as they walked along High Street toward the beach

"Was your first day productive?"

"It was a good start Do you remember Stella Farley?"

"Of course I see her quite often She belongs to the book club at the store"

"Mes had taken place and he hadn&039;t "She has so back so away"

"Really?" Mia asked, a them as they turned toward the seawall She stopped there, sliding out of her shoes before stepping onto the sand

"I&039;ll carry them"

"No, thanks"

The sea was a warm blue, deeper toward the horizon Shells heaved up by the last high tide scattered the shore Gulls circled, wheeled, cried

"I felt you," he began "Yesterday I felt you and I reacted That&039;s not an excuse, it&039;s a reason"

"I&039;ve already said accepted"

"Mia" He reached out, but his fingers only brushed her sleeve as she moved away

"I don&039;t want you to touch me That&039;s basic"

"We were friends once"

She stopped to stare at hiray eyes "Were we?"

"You knoere We were more than lovers, more than" Mates, he&039;d nearly said "It wasn&039;t just passion We cared about each other We shared thoughts"

"Now hts are my own, and I don&039;t need any more friends"

"Lovers? You neverface on hi "If I wanted a lover or a husband, I&039;d have one"

"No question about it," he murht of you"

"Stop," she warned "Stop now"

"Daht of you" He dropped his briefcase, grabbed her arht of us What&039;s happened in between doesn&039;t erase ere to each other"

"You erased it Now you have to live with it, as I did"

"It&039;s not just about us" He tightened his grip He could feel her vibrating and knew she could strike out, woman or witch, at any moment "You know that as well as I do"

"There is no us Do you think after all this time, after all I&039;ve done, all I&039;ve learned, I&039;d let fate toy with ain? I won&039;t be used Not by you, not by a centuries-old curse"

A single bolt of white lightning speared out of the clear sky and blasted into the sand between his feet He didn&039;t jerk back, but it was a near thing

His throat was dry, but he nodded "You always did have exquisite control"

"Remember that And re shot You needto risk everything, everyone, for pride?"

"Pride?" Her color drained, and her body went still "You arrogant jackass, do you think this is pride?

You broke my heart"

The words, the way her voice tre his hands

"More than broke it You crushed it into dust I loved you I would have gone anywhere, done anything for you I ht I would die from it"

"Mia" Shaken, he reached up to touch her hair, only to have his hand slapped aside

"But I didn&039;t die, Saot on withback foryour tiain, and what you won&039;t have - what you tossed aside - would have been the best thing in your life"

She walked away fro, unhurried strides and left hiht