Nobody but Him by Victoria Purman Read Free Book Online

been bothered to paint it. Lucky for them, it was still original, honeyed and mellowed withage, and it cast a warm light over the front bar and dining room.
    Ry smoothed the crisp linen tablecloth, feeling the cool stiffness under his fingers. He’d insisted on them when he bought the business, despite the extra cost of having them laundered. He liked the way they brightened up the dining room and gave the historic pub’s front dining room a classy feel. Not too pretentious, he still wanted it to feel like a pub, but it was a fresh look for an updated eatery. He decided the place looked good. On either side of him, tables were freshly set, silver cutlery caught the light, plain white side plates waited for crusty bread and wine glasses sat sparkling, expectantly round and ready.
    He’d hit the ground running, making sure the menu was refreshed, encouraging the chef to be bold with the menu, and it now featured more local produce from the Fleurieu Peninsula. The wine list had been expanded to include more local varieties from the internationally renowned McLaren Vale wine-growing district. So far it was working and the weekend visitor booking numbers were starting to improve. Some of the locals were a little put out by losing their precious schnitzels, but once they got the hang of schnitzel-only Tuesday, they came back in droves.
    Ry felt a surge in his chest. Proud, that’s how he felt about the pub and his place in it. Which was a much better feeling than regret over Julia, he decided. He let himself ponder for just a moment what Julia would think about the changes. Hell, what did he care what she thought.
    His phone rang and the name Danny Boy appeared on the caller ID. During working hours, Dan was officially his Director of Special Projects. He took the call with a grin.
    ‘Can’t make a decision without me, Danny Boy?’
    ‘Kiss my arse. How’s the tan coming along?’
    ‘Man, it’s like Miami down here. Cold beers, beach umbrellas and women in bikinis who all need suntan lotion rubbed on the bits they can’t reach. And the bits they can. What’s up?’
    ‘Think you can put the sunscreen down and do some work for a minute? I need to run some stuff by you about the Windswept Development.’
    Dan went over the financials for the first major project Blackburn and Son Developments was undertaking in five years. They’d put in an offer on a parcel of old industrial land just outside of Middle Point and hadbeen waiting for a month while negotiations went back and forth with the vendor.
    ‘No word yet on the offer?’ Ry asked.
    ‘No, not yet. The old bloke who owns the land is playing hard ball.’
    ‘What’s he holding out for?’
    ‘Put yourself in his shoes, Ry. His family’s owned that land for three generations and he’s understandably a little upset about selling up.’
    ‘Shit, Dan, when did you get so sentimental?’
    ‘That’s interesting coming from the bloke who buys a small pub in a sleepy coastal town for no reason that’s ever made sense to me.’
    Ry gazed out the window to the rolling sea and smiled. ‘When you learn to surf you’ll understand.’
    ‘You’d better get back to Adelaide, Ry, or I’ll have to come and save you from yourself.’
    ‘I’ll be back for the board meeting. Keep hassling the real estate agent. Remind him about the size of the project, will you?’
    ‘Already done it, Ry.’
    ‘Knock heads together Danny Boy, that’s why I pay you.’
    ‘Peanuts, mate.’
    ‘And I get monkeys.’
    ‘I’ll keep on it and keep you posted,’ Dan replied.
    ‘Thanks. Hey Dan, you really should head down here to the beach. It’d do you good.’
    ‘Shit, Ry, who’d do all the work while you’re surfing?’
    Ry hung up and sat back in his chair. If there was one thing he could be sure of, it was that Dan would get the best deal for the company and for the project. They’d been working together since they left university and were as tight as brothers — brothers who