Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(30)
Daniel turned to face forward, picking up the in-flight shopping magazine from the seat pocket. “Is that so?” he remarked, equally matter of fact in his tone. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but smiled to himself. “You want anything from duty-free?”
“Stop shopping, there’s no duty-free until we’re in the air after Miami. You need to tell me about what to expect in Panama.”
“This isn’t a non-stop?” Daniel looked at Nina as if he’d been tricked.
“There aren’t any non-stops between Boston and Panama City and there’s a very nice VIP Club in Miami. I think you’ll live.”
Daniel sighed and stuffed the magazine back into the seat pocket. “No, you’re right. We should talk about Arturo and the resort.” His face brightened, “Did you hear what I just said? We really are starting to act like a real couple!”
Nina had to laugh, “See, all successful couples know that the way to wedded bliss is just doing what the woman wants.”
The flight attendant was back, dangling her breasts in front of Daniel’s face. Daniel turned away, leaning over to give Nina a little kiss. The flight attendant picked up their glasses with a huffy clank. Without looking at the flight attendant, Daniel simply said, “I don’t think we’ll be needing anything else for a while.”
“Nice. That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Nina felt much better.
“It’s be easier if you’d let me see your boobs.”
Nina gave Daniel a playful little shove, “Focus!” Secretly, though, Nina wondered if Daniel was just being a silly flirt, or whether there might be something behind his kisses.
Clicking on his iPad, Daniel flipped to a map showing a footprint of the resort. “So here’s what’s genius about the resort—Arturo has integrated sustainable agriculture within the boundaries of the resort in a way that doesn’t detract from the natural beauty of the location, and which completely reduces its carbon footprint. Kitchen and dining room waste becomes compost for the gardens and grey water from the hotel is filtered and used to water the grounds along with rainwater that’s trapped on the green rooftops in hidden containers. Most of their power is solar generated. There are cute little goats that are also lawnmowers, and they raise their own chickens and animals for dairy. There’s a sustainable trout farm too. They barter with Panamanian farmers and merchants to get whatever products they don’t grow themselves like fruit coming from the lowlands, or coffee and sugar coming from Rainforest Alliance certified plantations. It’s amazingly efficient.”
Nina was impressed. “It sounds like you really know what’s going on with this place.”
“Yeah, I’ve really been studying it since we got back from India—looking into the science and the management techniques behind it, the different kinds of certifications and which ones are really meaningful in terms of both the ecology and the economy. It’s helping a lot of people to live really well.” He flipped to some photos of the property, “And it’s beautiful. You’re going to like it there.”
“So why does Arturo want to sell it?”
“I think he’s just ready to retire. He’s worked really hard his whole life, and now he wants to enjoy the fruits of his labors—hang out with his grandkids, do a little fishing, go traveling with his wife.” Daniel gave Nina a little nudge. “It’s weird, but people who live in tropical paradises actually enjoy going someplace else for a change.”
“And the catch?”
“He’s definitely not going to sell it to someone unless they will continue running the place in a sustainable way. And…” Daniel’s voice trailed off.
“And what?”
“There’s his whole perception of me.”
“So why not sell it to your dad? The DeVere Foundation has some great projects in Panama, Wilson’s reputation is intact.”
“Dad doesn’t know it’s on the block to be sold. He thinks I’m just doing ‘research.’ In other words, I’m goofing off at a beautiful resort in the rainforest. I really want to show Dad that I’ve got business acumen, and more than that, that I have vision. It’s a seriously good model, Nina. With DeVere money backing it, we could take this concept worldwide and really do some good at the same time. Do you have any idea how much waste hotels generate? And they can suck local water resources dry in the developing world.”
Nina looked at Daniel thoughtfully. “You have really been thinking about this.”
“Why so surprised Nina? I’ve been trying to tell you that I’m a lot more than what the tabloids make me out to be. If I can pull this deal off, then I think I can turn a corner, get my Dad to respect me, and well, I’ll be able to respect myself.”
There was a brain in that pretty head, Nina thought, and more than that, its motivations were pretty sound. The more Daniel revealed about himself, though, the more difficult it was for Nina to simply regard him as a friend. She thought of the kiss, and it made her shiver. She tried to shake it off. “So our main strategic objective is to convince Arturo that you’ve already turned that corner?”
Daniel paused and then nodded seriously, “Yes, I guess that’s putting it in a nutshell.” He leaned his head back against the thick, padded headrest of the leather seat and tilted the seat. “You know, I’m feeling really tired.” He reached over and took Nina’s hand in his as he drifted off to sleep.