Falling for the Secret Millionaire (14 page)

‘Research?' Gabriel asked, eyeing the fort.

‘Busted,' she said with a smile. ‘I just wanted to take you away for a couple of days to say thanks for all you've done to help me.'

‘It was pure self-interest. We have mutual business arrangements.'

‘And I wanted to spend some time with you,' she said. ‘Just you and me and the sea.'

‘And an old fort—that's as awesome as it gets,' he said.

Three perfect days, where they explored the coast, ate at little country pubs and watched the sun setting over the sea. But best of all was waking up in his arms each morning.

Gabriel was everything Nicole wanted in a partner. He listened to her, he treated her as if her ideas mattered, he was kind and sweet and funny. And he could make her heart skip a beat with just one look.

The way she was starting to feel about him was like nothing else she'd ever known. She'd thought that she loved Jeff, but that paled into insignificance beside the way she felt about Gabriel.

But she couldn't shake the fear that it would all go wrong.

Everything had gone wrong when she'd moved in with Jeff. So, as long as they kept their separate flats and didn't say anything about how they felt, she thought, everything would be fine.

CHAPTER NINE

‘I
CAN
'
T
BELIEVE
how dim I am,' Gabriel said.

Nicole, curled up in bed beside him, just laughed. ‘Dim is hardly the word to describe you. What brought that on?'

‘The Electric Palace. We haven't looked in the film archives. And it's a
cinema
, for pity's sake. Moving pictures should've been the first place we looked.'

‘Film archives? You mean, newsreels?'

‘No. I was thinking of those Edwardian guys who went round the country taking films of everyday people,' he explained. ‘They might have visited Surrey Quays.'

She looked at him. ‘Actually, you're right, especially as your hotel was a spice warehouse—they specialised in factories, didn't they? So they're bound to have come to Docklands.'

Gabriel grabbed his phone and looked them up on the internet. ‘Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon. They made actuality films—everything from street scenes and transport through to sporting events, local industries and parades. The films used to be commissioned by travelling exhibitors, and were shown at town halls and fairgrounds.' He looked at her. ‘And theatres.'

‘If there aren't any films showing the warehouse or the theatre, we might still be able to find out if one of those films was shown at the Electric Palace—the Kursaal, as it was back then,' she said thoughtfully. ‘That would be perfect for our opening night.'

‘Have you decided what you want to show on the first night, yet?'

‘I'd like one of the actuality films,' she said, ‘and a classic film and a modern film, so we cover all the bases. Probably
It's A Wonderful Life
.'

‘In July?' Gabriel looked surprised. ‘It's a Christmas film.'

‘It's brilliant at any time of year.' She punched his arm. ‘Clarence, surely it'd get your vote?'

‘Given your Surrey Quays forum name, what about
Mary Poppins
?' he suggested.

‘We kind of did that on the beach in Norfolk,' she said.

‘The first time I kissed you.' He kissed her lingeringly.

‘You're an old romantic at heart,' she teased.

‘Yeah.' He kissed her again.

‘So, our classic film. Doesn't
Citizen Kane
top the list of the best films of all time?'

‘Let's look up the list.' She did so, and grimaced. ‘There are an awful lot on here I've never heard of, which is a bit pathetic for a cinema owner.'

‘Let me have a look.' He glanced through them. ‘I'm with you—haven't heard of most of these. And on opening night I think we need to have a broad appeal.'

‘I did say I'd include some art-house evenings—I've been working on my scheduling—but I kind of want the film on the first night to be something I actually know. I'm standing by
It's a Wonderful Life
.'

‘It's your show,' he said. ‘And you're right. It's a good film.'

They snatched some time to visit the archives in the week. To Nicole's pleasure, there was footage of both the Spice House and the Kursaal—and they were able to arrange to use it for the opening night. Better still, they had permission to take stills they could blow up and frame for their respective reception areas.

‘Luck's definitely on our side,' Nicole said. ‘I think this is going to work out.'

‘I don't just think it,' Gabriel said, squeezing her hand. ‘I
know
this is going to work out.'

* * *

Nicole was working on a section of wall when she heard a voice drawl, ‘That's definitely not how you used to dress in the office.'

Recognising the voice, she turned round. ‘Hey, Neil—nice to see you. You might like to know that wall over there is partly thanks to the office.'

‘Glad to hear it—I'll tell the team.' He glanced round the foyer. ‘This is really impressive, especially when you see those pictures on your website of what it looked like when you took over. So I take it you're not planning to come and claim your desk back?'

‘I hope not.' She smiled at him. ‘Are you enjoying the view from my desk?'

‘Considering I don't have it, no.'

She stared at him in surprise. ‘But you were a shoo-in to take over from me while I'm away and then permanently if I don't come back. What's happened?'

‘We had a bit of a restructure and the boss headhunted this guy—and if you come back I think this guy will be
your
boss as well.' He sighed. ‘I was never going to like him much anyway, because he got the job that I thought would be mine, but even without that...' He grimaced. ‘I just don't like Jeff. He isn't a team player. I mean, OK, so you never came out with us on team nights out, but we all knew you had our backs in the office, whereas he'd sell us all down the river. He'd sell anything to make a profit.'

Jeff.
She went cold. Surely not? ‘Would that be Jeff Rumball?' she asked, trying to sound as casual as she could.

Neil looked surprised. ‘Yeah—do you know him?'

‘I haven't seen him for a while, but yes, I know him,' Nicole said. And the idea of failing to make the cinema a going concern and then having to go back to her old job, only to end up working for the man who'd betrayed her and left her self-esteem in tatters... Just no. It wasn't going to happen. ‘My advice is to keep a low profile and to document everything. Copy things in to other people to be on the safe side, too,' she said.

‘Got you.' Neil looked grim. ‘We'd all rather you came back, you know.'

‘Thanks for that,' she said with a smile, ‘but I hope I'm going to make this place work.'

Although she chatted nicely with her former colleague and pretended to everyone else at the cinema that she was just fine, Neil's news left her feeling unsettled all day.

Jeff had used her to get ahead in his career. What was to say that Gabriel wasn't doing the same? Even though part of her knew she was being paranoid and completely ridiculous, she couldn't help the fears bubbling up—and Gabriel himself had admitted that he'd only joined the Surrey Quays forum at first to make sure he could head off any opposition to the development of the Spice House.

Eventually, sick of the thoughts whirling through her head, she left everyone working on plastering, painting, or woodwork, and walked to the café on Challoner Road to clear her head. She knew her mum was in meetings all day and Jessie was up to her eyes with her students in the middle of exam season, so she couldn't talk to them about Jeff.

Which left Gabriel.

Nicole had never actually told him about Jeff, but maybe this would be a way of laying that particular ghost to rest—and it would finally convince her that Gabriel was nothing like the man who'd let her down. She bought coffee and brownies, and headed for the Spice House.

But, as Nicole walked down the corridor to Gabriel's office, she could hear him talking. Clearly he was either in the middle of a meeting with someone or he was on the phone. What an idiot she was. She knew he was busy; she should have texted him first or called him to check when he might be free to see her for a quick chat.

She was about to turn away when she heard him say her name, almost like a question.

‘Nicole? No, she's not going to give us any trouble, Dad.'

She went cold.

Jeff had used her to get on with his career. Right now, it sounded as if Gabriel was doing exactly the same.
She's not going to give us any trouble
—no, of course she wasn't, because he'd got her eating out of his hand. Over the last few months he'd grown close to her. He knew all her hopes and dreams; he'd made her feel that he supported her; and he'd made her feel that this thing between them was something special.

She'd thought he was different. After their rocky start, they'd learned to trust each other. They saw things the same way. They'd worked together to develop a conference package and a wedding package. She'd been so sure that she could trust him—with her heart as well as her business.

But that bit of conversation she'd just overhead made it horribly clear that it had all been to keep her sweet and to make sure that, whatever he really had planned for the Spice House, she wasn't going to protest about it.

So she'd just made the same old mistake. Trusted a man who didn't love her at all and saw her as a way of getting what he wanted in business.

Sure, she could go in to his office now, all guns blazing. But it wouldn't change a thing. It wouldn't change the fact that she was stupid and trusting and naive. It wouldn't change the fact that Gabriel was a ruthless businessman who didn't let anything get in his way. So what was the point in making a fuss? It was over. Yelling at him wouldn't make her feel any better. Right now, she wanted to crawl into the nearest corner and lick her wounds—just as she had with Jeff.

She should never, ever have opened her heart like this. And she'd never, ever be stupid enough to open her heart to anyone again.

Feeling sick, she walked away, dumped the coffees and the brownies in the skip, and then sent Gabriel a text.

I can't do this any more. It's over.

Then she walked back in to the cinema and pretended that nothing was wrong. She was smiling on the outside, but on the inside she was purest ice.

She would never, ever let anyone take advantage of her like that again.

* * *

‘Dad, I love you,' Gabriel said, ‘but right at this moment you're driving me crazy. I know that you rescued me from the biggest mistake anyone could ever have made and I appreciate that. But it was nearly ten years ago now. I'm not the same person I was back then. And, if you can't see that, then maybe I'm in the wrong place.'

‘What are you saying?' Evan demanded.

‘Dad, do you really expect your hotel managers to run every single day-to-day decision past you, so your diary and your day is completely blocked up, or do you trust them to get on with the job you pay them to do and run the hotels?'

‘Well, obviously I expect them to do the job I pay them to do,' Evan barked.

‘Then let me do the same,' Gabriel said. ‘You put me in charge of the Spice House, and I've got plans for the place. And yes, they do involve Nicole—we're doing some joint ventures with her, so we can offer something that little bit different to our clients, both business and leisure. And she's using our suppliers.'

Evan snorted in disgust. ‘Using our name to get a discount.'

‘Using our suppliers,' Gabriel pointed out, ‘so her quality standards are the same as ours. It makes sense. And yes, she gets a discount. That way we both win, and more importantly we get to offer our customers what they want. Which means they'll stay loyal to us.'

‘I suppose,' Evan said, sounding far from convinced.

Gabriel sighed. ‘Look, I know I did wrong when I was nineteen. But I've spent years trying to make up for it. If you can't move past what I did and see that I'm a very different person now, then there isn't any point in me working for you. I'll step aside so you can employ the person you need to get the job done.'

‘Are you resigning?' Evan asked in disbelief.

‘I'm pretty close to it,' Gabriel said.

‘But it's the family firm. You can't leave. What would you do? Set up in competition with me?'

‘I'd work in a different sector,' Gabriel said. ‘Which is actually what I'd rather talk to you about. I'd like to work with you. But it needs be on my terms now, Dad. I can't spend the rest of my life trying to do the impossible because it's making us both miserable, and Mum as well. This has to stop. Now.' His mobile phone beeped, and he glanced at the screen, intending to call whoever it was back later. But then he saw the message.

I can't do this any more. It's over.

It was from Nicole.

What? What did she mean, it was over? Had something happened at the cinema—had Patrick found something unfixable? Or did she mean
they
were over?

He didn't have a clue. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to hurt her. So what was going on?

‘Dad, I have to go,' he said swiftly.

‘Wha—?' Evan began.

‘Later,' Gabriel said. ‘I'll call you later, Dad. Something's come up and I need to deal with it right now.' And he put the phone down before his father could protest. This was something that was much more important than sorting out his career with his father. He had no idea what the problem was, but he needed to talk to Nicole and sort it out.
Now.

He found her in the cinema, wielding a paintbrush. Outwardly, she was smiling, but Gabriel could see the tension in her shoulders.

‘Can we have a word?' he asked.

‘Why?' She looked wary.

‘We need to talk.'

‘I don't think so,' she said.

So she
did
mean they were over. Well, surely she didn't think he was just going to accept that text message and roll over like a tame little lapdog? ‘OK. We can do this in public, if you'd rather.'

Clearly recognising that he'd called her bluff, she shook her head. ‘Come up to the office.'

He followed her upstairs, and she closed the door behind them.

‘So what was that message about?' he asked.

‘All deals are off,' she said, ‘and I mean all of it—the conference stuff, the weddings, and us.'

‘Why?'

‘Because I heard you talking to your father, telling him that I wasn't going to give you any trouble.'

He frowned. ‘You heard that?'

‘I was coming to see you about something. I didn't realise you were on the phone and then I overheard you talking.'

‘Well, it's a pity you didn't stay a bit longer and hear the rest of what I said,' he said, nettled. ‘What did you think it meant?'