The Bridal Bargain

“A guest apartment?” Tony eyed his grandmother, wondering if she’d gone stark raving mad. Hannah O’Neill was not family or friend. She was an employee, and hardly a highly valued one at this juncture! She hadn’t even been on trial yet.

“I’m sure there’ll be one that’s not being currently used,” came the unshaken reply. “It will give Hannah the chance to settle into her new job and time to look around for suitable accommodation.”

So, it was Hannah now!

“This is very kind of you, Mrs King,” the fair-haired witch chimed in, her dangerous green eyes obviously casting spells in all directions.

“A simple resolution to immediate problems,” his grandmother declared.

“Right!” Tony agreed, knowing he was outgunned before he’d fired a bullet. Feeling constrained to fire other bullets before they could be diverted, he fixed a steady gaze on Hannah O’Neill and stated, “Please understand you start this job on a trial basis. The people who pay for a trip out to the reef on Duchess are promised the best of everything. Any failure to deliver it, in any area of service on that boat, cannot be tolerated.”

“You mean…no second chances?” A touch of anxiety.

“That depends on how large the blunder is. The odd mistake can be glossed over. Anything that spoils a day out…”

“Would be terrible!” she exclaimed, looking appalled at the thought. Like quicksilver her expression changed, her eyes filling with eloquent earnestness. “Any little problem I might cause, I swear I’ll make up for it a hundredfold. I’ve never had any complaints lodged against me, Tony.”

He could believe it. She could probably get anyone to forgive her anything. In fact, before they knew it, they’d probably be helping her out of whatever fix she got herself in. Here was his grandmother, giving her prime accommodation, and every time she called him by his name, his heart did this weird curl which took his mind off what he should be concentrating on.

Was she going to be a hazard for the male members of his crew? What if the dive team lost concentration? She’d better stay in the galley where she belonged. No straying out on deck. At least his current chef on Duchess was gay, so she shouldn’t disturb him while he familiarised her with the job she’d be taking over.

“Chris, the chef you’ll be replacing, wants to leave at the end of the week, so it would be good if you could start tomorrow, learning everything you can from him before he takes off. He’s been a top chef for us and I’m sorry to be losing him.”

“Why is he going?”

“Personal problems.” He sighed, giving vent to some of his frustration. Then with an ironic grimace, he added, “His partner is yearning for the more sophisticated scene in Sydney. Paradise has its limitations.”

“I’m sure I’ll be very happy here.”

She twinkled so much happiness at him Tony’s chest tightened against the barrage. He forced his gaze down to the papers in front of him. He couldn’t even hope she might start yearning for city lights and fly out of his life. It was clear from her résumé she’d been working in tropical climates for some time— Broome, Darwin, even a six-month stint at King’s Eden in the Kimberley. Port Douglas probably was a paradise to her.

“So what time am I to be at the marina tomorrow?” she asked eagerly.

“Eight o’clock. Duchess leaves at eight-thirty and returns at four-thirty. You’ll be provided with a uniform which is to be worn onboard at all times.” Which should cover up her most distracting assets. He glanced at his watch. “If we leave now, I can introduce you to the crew when they disembark this afternoon.”

She immediately leapt up from her chair.

The butterfly pulsed at him.

Tony closed his eyes for one tight moment and rose to his feet, turning to his grandmother and lining up his vision on her.

“Always in a rush, Antonio,” she sighed. “You didn’t eat anything.”

“Sorry, Nonna. Had a big lunch,” he excused, stepping over to kiss her cheek. “Thanks again for doing the interviews.”

“Perhaps Hannah will tempt you with her cooking.”

Her culinary expertise was very low on the list of temptations where Hannah O’Neill was concerned. “As long as she tempts our trippers, I’ll be happy,” he said, hiding his dark thoughts.

“Mrs King, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your kind consideration and the chance to do my best for Duchess,” came the fervent flow from the seductive voice, working some more magic on his grandmother who bestowed her most benevolent smile.

“I hope everything works out well, my dear. You must have afternoon tea with me again one day. I did enjoy our chat together.”

“I’d like that, too, Mrs King.”

Oh, great! Tony thought in high exasperation. Next thing you know she’d be invited to family functions and she’d be in his face all over the place. Apart from which, he now had to contend with Alex’s and Matt’s reactions to her being put into one of the Coral King apartments, free of charge. His employee!

Nonna had boxed him into a very uncomfortable corner. Somehow he had to work his way out of it without upsetting her and without getting himself into big trouble with Hannah O’Neill.

CHAPTER THREE

“COME this way. We’ll take the jeep down to the marina,” Tony instructed, setting a brisk pace along a path that led around to the other side of the castle.

Always in a rush, his grandmother had said, and Hannah could see what she meant. Her legs were working overtime keeping up with him. Her heart was racing, too. She hoped she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew with this job. Living up to Tony King’s standard of excellence was a scary prospect. She was going to have to learn fast, even faster than he walked.

The jeep was parked next to the helipad. Hannah was used to the small bubble helicopters that transported guests at King’s Eden Wilderness Resort. The one Tony King flew was a very sleek machine in comparison. Big money. Big money everywhere she looked. Could a million-dollar-man fall in love with a cook?

Her mind fuzzed with the thought of happy miracles. She shot him her best smile as he opened the passenger door of the jeep for her. Unhappily he didn’t see it. His gaze seemed to be trained on watching her legs swing in before shutting the door again, and he frowned all the way around to the driver’s side.

Business worries? she wondered. It was probably a bit forward to ask, so she held her tongue as they rode down to the marina. He maintained a grim-faced silence until they reached the Kingtripper office where he handed her over to the receptionist with an efficiency that left Hannah feeling somewhat deflated.

“Sally, this is Hannah O’Neill,” he said with almost curt haste. “She will be our new chef on Duchess.”

“Hey! That’s great! Congratulations!”

Hannah didn’t even get time to reply.

“Supply her with a uniform, give her all the information about our cruises, and let me know when the crew comes in. I need to catch up on the latest figures.”

“Will do,” Sally more or less said to his back as he headed towards a door that opened to a private office. His abrupt manner hadn’t dimmed her brightness. She had a pretty, vivacious face, a very short bob of dark brown hair, and blue eyes that danced lively curiosity at Hannah as she aimed a grin at her. “Welcome onboard the Kingtripper line.”

“Thanks.” Hannah grinned back, then nodded to the now closed door, whispering, “Does he always move this fast?”

“Well, the chef situation is getting fairly urgent with Chris all upset about Johnny leaving,” Sally confided.

“Who’s Johnny?”

“His partner. Who threw an ultimatum at him last week and took off to Sydney. Follow him or else.” A roll of the eyes. “Chris would be better off without Johnny, if you ask me, but I guess gay relationships are just as demanding as any other.” She grimaced. “I took this job as therapy after divorcing my over-bearing husband. What about you?”

“Me?” Hannah’s mind was still buzzing through all these new bits of information.

“Well, you’re obviously a stranger in town since you didn’t know about King’s Castle. Are you escaping from something?”

“More looking around,” Hannah said blithely, realising Sally was a gossipy person and it paid to be wary of giving out too much before she knew the lay of the land. Besides which, the ex-love of her life had receded into the far distance since she had met Tony King. She could almost wish Jodie well of Flynn. Almost.

She pasted a smile over the niggling sense of betrayal and elaborated on her carefree theme. “I wanted to get work here and stay awhile. It’s a beautiful part of Australia.”

“Sure is,” came the ready agreement. “And the perfect base for bouncing off to other great places. Have you got accommodation?”