Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes Read Free Book Online

think I’ll have two puddings. I can’t choose between the chocolate and the crème brûlée.’ She had ignored my look. ‘It’s a reaction against the wedding. You’re trying unconsciously to impregnate someone else.’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ I almost winced. ‘God! The thought of—’
    ‘All right. But it’s obvious you’re bucking against something. Bucking .’ She grinned. My sister’s like that. ‘You should tell Vanessa you’re not ready.’
    ‘But she’s right. I’ll never be ready. I’m not that kind of bloke.’
    ‘So you’d rather she made the decisions?’
    ‘In our personal life, yes. It works well for us like that.’
    ‘So well that you felt the need to shag someone else?’
    ‘Keep your voice down, okay?’
    ‘You know what? I’ll just have the chocolate. But if you have the crème brûlée I’ll try it.’
    ‘What if she says something to Dennis?’
    ‘Then you’re in big trouble – but you must have known that when you copped off with his secretary. Come on, Mike, you’re thirty-four years old, hardly an innocent.’
    I dropped my head into my hands. ‘I don’t know what the hell I was doing.’
    Monica had been suddenly buoyant. ‘God, it’s nice to hear you say that. You don’t know how cheering it is for me to know that you can cock up your life just like the rest of us. Can I tell Mum and Dad?’
    Now, filled with a sudden picture of my sister’s triumph, I forgot where I was and had to glance at my notes. I breathed out slowly, and looked up again at the expectant faces around me. It seemed to have become uncomfortably warm in the boardroom. I let my gaze settle on their team – no one was even remotely flushed. Dennis always said that venture capitalists had ice in their blood. Perhaps he was right.
    ‘As Dennis has explained,’ I continued, ‘the emphasis in this project is on the quality end of the market. The consumers we’ll be targeting in this development are hungry for experiences. They are people who have spent the last decade acquiring material goods, which haven’t made them happy. They are possession-rich, time-poor, and are searching for other ways to spend their money. And the real growth area, according to our research, is in their sense of well-being.
    ‘To that end, this development will not just offer accommodation of a quality that will ensure it a slot at the top end of the market, but a variety of leisure opportunities suited to the surroundings.’ I clicked the remote control, bringing up the images that the artist had only delivered that morning, leaving Dennis turbo-charging what barely remained of his blood pressure. ‘It will have a state-of-the-art spa, with six different pools, a full-time therapeutic staff and a range of the newest holistic treatments. If you turn to page thirteen you will see the space itself in more detail, as well as a menu of the kind of thing it will offer. And for those who prefer to get their sense of well-being from something a little more active – and, let’s face it, that’s usually the men . . .’ here I paused for the amused nods of recognition . . . ‘we have the pièce de résistance of the whole complex – an integrated centre devoted entirely to watersports. This will include jet-skis, waveboards, speedboats and waterskiing. There will be game-fishing. There will also be PADI-trained instructors to take clients on tailor-made diving trips further out to sea. We believe a combination of top-class equipment with a highly skilled team will give clients a never-to-be-forgotten trip and offer them the chance to learn new skills.’
    ‘All while staying in a resort that will be a byword for service and luxury,’ Dennis put in. ‘Mike, bring up the architect’s pictures. As you can see, there are three levels of accommodation, to suit both the affluent singles and families, with a special penthouse for VIPs. You’ll notice we have avoided the budget option. We’ve already had