Anything but Vanilla(42)

‘You know what I mean.’

Yes, she was rather afraid she did. ‘Well, he wasn’t wearing flares, or flowers in his hair.’ Edgy? She was balancing on the blade of the scissors slicing through the herbs... ‘He’s giving Ria a hand sorting out the Knickerbocker paperwork.’

‘Typical. I can imagine how that’s going.’

Why was he so annoyed? Did she have a big sign stamped on her forehead saying ‘Kissed’...?

‘Maybe, if you were nicer to her, she’d have called you,’ she said, unable to resist winding him up a little.

He made a noise that in a less dignified man she would have described as a snort, but, instead of ignoring a business so small that it was beneath his notice, he seemed to take Ria’s laissez-faire attitude to business, her lifestyle, as a personal affront.

‘I’m sure he knows what he’s doing,’ she said, rinsing the parsley under the tap, giving it a shake and handing it to her grandmother. She didn’t bother to tell Graeme that Alexander was a West. She didn’t want to talk about him. At all. ‘Not that it’s any of our business.’

Something she’d been telling herself, without any noticeable effect, all day.

‘If you’re planning on getting involved, it’s very much your business,’ he pointed out. ‘And if he’s helping her, shouldn’t Ria be the one feeding this man?’

‘She’s away.’

‘Away? Where?’

‘Dealing with a family emergency,’ she said, without a blush. ‘Without Alexander’s co-operation tomorrow’s event would have been a disaster, Graeme. Offering him a meal was the least I could do.’

‘You shouldn’t get involved.’

She didn’t bother to point out that he was contradicting himself, merely said, ‘I am involved. I need Ria. Scoop! needs Ria.’

‘Why? Anyone can make ice cream. You did it yourself, today.’ Something warned her not to tell him that Alexander had pitched in and helped with that, too. ‘Don’t even think of a partnership with that woman,’ he warned. ‘All you need is the equipment and you’ll get that at a knock-down price in a creditor sale.’

Shocked, for a moment she couldn’t think of a thing to say. But it was clear now why he’d been interested when she’d broached the idea of taking over the ice-cream parlour. He hadn’t considered Ria’s distress or Nancy and her little girl without an income. All he’d seen was a business opportunity. Simple economics. And clearly he expected her to feel the same way.

‘I was using Ria’s recipes,’ she reminded him. ‘They are her intellectual property.’

‘For heaven’s sake, Sorrel, it’s not rocket science.’

‘No...’ It was magic.

‘It’s a little ahead of schedule but you have to seize opportunities when they come your way,’ he continued.

‘Carpe diem?’ she suggested. The dangerous edge in her voice passed him by but her grandmother lifted her head and met her eye. ‘The fish thing seems all the rage today.’

‘You can take on one of the students who work for you,’ he continued, ignoring her interjection. ‘They’ll all be looking for jobs when the school year finishes in a few weeks. You’ll be able to pick and choose and they won’t cost you more than the minimum wage.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I know Ria is your friend but there’s no room for sentiment in business, Sorrel. I can’t tell you how much I disliked seeing you involved with someone who treated her business as little more than a game. She’s run close to the brink of collapse a couple of times in the past. To be honest, I’ve been waiting for this.’

Clearly with some justification, but did he have to sound so satisfied that he had been proved right? So completely immune to the human cost?

‘This is your moment to take control. You can pick up her local trade and expand it. You’re building a strong brand image. You can capitalise on that.’

Apparently, while she’d been dealing with the practicalities, he’d been working out how to take advantage of the situation.

For her benefit, she reminded herself. He had no stake in this other than as her mentor. This was what she had always wanted. But not like this.

‘I’m sure what you say makes perfect sense,’ she said, ‘and we’ll talk about it when I can think straight, but right now if you don’t mind I’m going to take the dogs for a run across the common before dinner.’