Swept into the Rich Man's World(7)

Unlike her cottage.

She needed to think straight, but her mind was ping-ponging all over the  place. Work. Deadlines. Insurance claims. Where would she even start in  finding a reputable builder to carry out the necessary repairs?

She turned to the sound of the door opening.

A middle-aged woman stood there, a puzzled look on her face. As though  she was surprised to find someone standing at the door. 'Can I help  you?'

'Can I speak to Patrick, please?'

The woman looked totally taken aback. To assure her that she wasn't some  random stranger, Aideen quickly added, 'I'm Aideen Ryan. I live in  Fuchsia Cottage, down by the lough. Your estate manager was at the front  gates, repairing them after last night's storm. Patrick had told him  how my cottage flooded last night and he let me in when I said I needed  to talk to Patrick again.'

'Oh, you poor thing. Of course-come in. Sure, half the village is flooded. I never saw anything like it in my life.'

The woman led her to a large reception room off the entrance hall, chatting all the way.

'You took me by surprise. We don't tend to get many visitors. Make yourself comfortable and I'll let Patrick know you're here.'

It took Patrick so long to arrive that for a while she worried that he  was refusing to see her. He marched into the room, his brow furrowed. He  was wearing a light blue formal shirt, open at the neck, fine navy wool  trousers and expensive tan-coloured shoes. It all screamed expensive  Italian designer and he looked every inch the successful billionaire  that he was.

She gave him a crooked smile. 'I'm back.'

His frown didn't budge an inch. 'So I see.'

She took a deep breath. She had to focus on work. A little bit of  humility had never killed anyone. 'My cottage is uninhabitable. The  insurance company is sending out an assessor tomorrow. I tried to go to  Mooncoyne, but Foley's Bridge is still impassable.' Trying not to wince  at his deepening frown, she said in a rush, 'I was wondering if it would  be possible for me to work from here...until the flooding subsides.'                       
       
           



       

His head tilted forward and he pinned her with a look.

'It's just that I have a commission I need to complete by the end of today and I need access to the internet.'

'What condition is the cottage in?'

Her stomach lurched, but she clenched her fists and forced herself to  speak. 'There's still floodwater in both the cottage and the studio.  Most of my furniture and all the fitted furniture will probably need to  be replaced. At a guess, and after speaking to the insurance company,  I'll be out of the cottage for at least a month.'

* * *

She was feigning calmness about the whole situation but she wasn't  fooling him. The storm damage was exactly as he had anticipated. He  clenched his teeth in frustration. Why had she been so stubborn in  refusing his offer to go with her? He'd had some spare time then. Now he  had back-to-back meetings scheduled for the rest of the day.

He would give her fifteen minutes. Get her to see the sense of his plan.  And then he would get back to wrapping up this acquisition.

'How about all your personal belongings? Are they okay?'

'All of my clothes survived, but not my shoes-unfortunately.' A sad,  crooked smile broke on her mouth before she added in bewilderment, with a  catch in her voice, 'I mean, shoes! They are the least of my  worries...but I loved them so much.'

'Where are you going to live?'

'I'm not sure... I called the Harbour View Hotel but they're completely  booked out tonight, and apparently all the bed and breakfasts in a  ten-mile radius are the same because of people having to evacuate. I'll  probably have to stay in one of the hotels in Ballymore.'

There was no way she was going to manage the renovations from twenty miles away and work on her commissions at the same time.

'It's going to be difficult for you to manage the repairs from  Ballymore. I'll get William, my estate manager, to project-manage the  renovations for you.'

She stared at him in disbelief. 'Why on earth would you do that?'

'Because you need to concentrate on your business-not spend your days driving all over the countryside and chasing builders.'

'I appreciate the offer, but I need to manage the renovations by myself.'

'Why?'

Tiredly, she rubbed her palms over her face and looked at him  imploringly. 'Let me ask you the same question. Why? Why are you doing  this?'

Taking a step closer, he stared down at her. Boy, was she obstinate. 'Maybe I just want to help you. Nothing more.'

'I can't accept your help.'

'Why not?'

'Because...'

This woman was impossible. Why wouldn't she accept his help? She was as bad as Orla.

He gave an exasperated sigh. 'Aideen, will you stop being a pain and  just agree to letting William sort out the renovations...? It's not a  big deal. And I don't know about you, but I have better things to be  doing than standing here arguing about my motives.'

* * *

Not a big deal to him, perhaps, but it was to her. She needed to rebuild her life by herself, on her own terms.

Bewildered, she said, 'You don't even know me.'

'So? You're my neighbour. That's a good enough reason for me to want to help.'

He made it all sound so simple. And for a moment she wanted to believe  him. But then a siren of warning sounded in her brain. She needed to be  in control of her own life. 'I don't want to sound ungrateful, and I do  appreciate your offer, but I have to manage the renovations by myself.'

'And what if your business suffers as a result?'

She flinched at the truth of his words. Ballymore was twenty miles away,  on twisting roads. Trying to manage the renovations and run her  business from a hotel room was going to be a nightmare.

Frustration at the whole situation had her arguing back. 'I'll manage.'

His mouth tensed at the anger in her voice and he considered her through narrowed eyes. 'You are stubborn, aren't you?'

'So it has been said in the past,' she muttered.

On an exasperated exhalation he folded his arms. 'Your business has to  be your number one priority. William will sort out the renovations. You  will move in here until the cottage is ready, and on Sunday you will  come to Paris with me.'                       
       
           



       

A bolt of pain radiated through his jawline as he clamped his teeth  together. Hard. For a few seconds he wondered at the words he had so  casually tossed out. Disquiet rumbled in his stomach. Was he about to  walk into a minefield of complications by inviting this woman into his  life? But in an instant he killed that doubt. This was the right thing  to do. She needed his help. Even if the horror in her eyes told him that  she wasn't ready to accept it yet.

Stupefied, Aideen stared at him for the longest while, waiting for him  to give the tiniest indication that he was joking. But his mouth didn't  twitch...his eyes didn't soften.

She gave a laugh of disbelief. 'Are you being serious?'

'Yes. I have meetings in Paris all of next week. You said yourself that  you should be out meeting clients. Well, now is your opportunity. I have  a chateau close to Paris we can use.'

'But I would be intruding.'

'Look, you've seen the size of Ashbrooke. My chateau outside Paris is  large, too. You can set up a temporary studio there for the week. We can  keep out of each other's way.'

Shaking her head, she folded her arms across her chest. 'You said last  night you like living on your own...and so do I. It won't work.'

'We'll lead our own lives. I'm simply offering you a bed and a place to  work-both here and in Paris. You come and go as you please. My chauffeur  will be available to you whenever you need him. It doesn't have to be  more complicated than that.'

'But why?'

'What is it with you and your questions? Why don't you believe that I'm  just trying to be a good neighbour? That it's the right thing to do? I  admire your tenacity and I want to support you in rebuilding your  business. I think you need help even if you are too stubborn to admit it  yourself.'

Taken aback by the powerful intensity of his words, she wavered a little. 'I'd pay you back.'

Taking a deep breath, he said with exasperation, 'I don't want your money. Can't you just accept it as a neighbourly gesture?'

'I'll be paying rent.'

He held up his hands. 'Fine. You can pay me once your insurance money  comes through. Now I need to get back to work. I'll show you to the  library, where you can work today. Use the same bedroom as last night to  sleep in.' Out in the corridor, he added, 'You met my housekeeper,  Maureen, earlier. Speak to her if you need anything. I'll get William to  call in to see you and together you can discuss the renovation plans.'

She followed him to the library. Was she crazy to agree to this? But it  was the only sensible option open to her. Wasn't it she who had said she  would do anything to make her business a success? Just how hard would  it be to move into his house for a month? She would have the space she  needed and she would be close by the cottage to keep an eye on the  renovations. And she did need to go to Paris.