Chapter Two - James - nning
Richard joins me in the kitchen, peering over my work surface and hob, where onions and mince sizzle
with the spices. “What are we having?”
“Chilli con Carne.”
“Sounds good. Want some help?”
“No, I’m fine. I enjoy cooking.”
“I’ll rephrase that. Do you mind if I join you? It’s getting a little heated in there.”
“Join me by all means.” I nod across to the bottle. “Help yourself to a drink. Problem?”
Richard examines thebel, Hmmms, then pours himself a ss of wine. “Um, not a problem exactly.
But I think when Michael epted my investment in his spa hotel, he thought I’d be a sleeping partner.”
“And…?”
“If you recall, I had the investment made in Elizabeth’s name, and she definitely wants to have an
input.”
I pause from chopping chillies as the humour creeps over me.
Of course, he’s used to running everything himself….
When I invested in Michael’s business, I was a silent partner….
But Beth wants to be involved….
I chuckle, rubbing at the side of my nose, then immediately regret it….
Ahhh… Shit!
Chillies….
Quickly I wash hands, then pour a little oil on a paper towel. Eyes watering, I dab at my face, trying to
rub away the chilli oil as Richard watches in silent amusement.
Then, “Sure you don’t want any help?”
“Yes, sure. I’m all but done.”
Tipping beans and chillies into the pan with the meat and onions, I glug in tomato puree and the rest of
the wine, then p the lid on tight. “That’ll be ready in a couple of hours.”
I grin. “Let’s see how Michael’s bearing up under the strain, shall we?”
*****
Michael’s eyes are zing. Doubt in his voice, sitting over a table-top of rosters and timetables, “We’ve
never done anything like that before, Beth.”
“And that’s a reason for not doing it now?” The normally cid Beth sounds almost strident.
So, she’s a sub, is she?
Michael turns for support. “What do you think, Charlotte?”
The support isn’t forting. “Sounds like a great idea to me.” Charlotte’s eyes sparkle. “The boxing I
used to do gives you a really good workout. And at the end of it, you know a bit about how to look after
yourself.”
“But… Self-defence?” Michael rakes through his hair. “It doesn’t sound like the kind of thing your
friends would want to do, Beth.”
Beth shrugs, unimpressed. “You might be surprised. Most women would like to be able to at least have
a shot at protecting themselves. But somehow, it’s not always seen as something they should work at.”
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Outrage surges over Michael’s face. “That’s because it’s our job,” he protests. “That’s what men are
here for. To protect the women they care about.”
“And if you’re not around?” Beth’s look is pointed. “At the risk of stating the obvious, it was a woman
who got me out of troublest time.” She rolls eyes to Charlotte.
Michael holds up outspread hands. “Okay, you win. Self-defence sses go on the roster. But I’ll have
to find some extra staff first. I’ve no one trained in anything like that….”
Next to me, Richard stirs. “Why not use Charlotte?” His face is suspiciously straight. “You’d be willing to
help, Charlotte, wouldn’t you?”
Michael gives him a hard stare, but our mermaid returns one of her jade-eyed smiles. “Of course I
would. What are we talking about? A couple of hours a week to get it off the ground? And take it from
there?”
“Sounds about right,” agrees Beth. “That’s settled then.” She turns back to Michael. “So, if we fit it in
here in the morning….” With one long, immactely painted nail, she taps at a spot on the timetables.
“…That would leave theter parts of the day for the clientele to lunch first, then have sauna and spa,
massage and all the rest of it. And we’d get them in for the whole day instead of just half a day. All else
being equal, that should bring in twice the money.”
Michael chews a lip, nodding slowly. “You’ve thought this through, I can see.”
Richard ps a hand on his shoulder. “You might remember that Elizabeth’s original role in my
company was as a trainee in Business Studies.”
Not just a pretty face….
Memo to self: never underestimate a woman just because she’s attractive.
*****