Page 5 of Catching Trouble

She shrugged, her dark hair shining in the sun. “Just about. Our profits are wafer thin, but we’re not dead and buried yet.”

I looked out at the cove, the sound of the sea filling my soul as it lapped against the pebbles. “It shouldn’t be this hard to keep the place going. We’re operating in paradise.”

She gave me a wry smile. “Your repayment schedule doesn’t match my idea of nirvana. But we’re currently treading water. If we have a successful end to the summer, we should survive the winter.”

I swallowed. Awesome. Nothing like some financial security to help one sleep at night.

“Well, at least you don’t have a loan to repay. I always knew your charm would be good for something.”

I quirked a brow. She had to be kidding. Nobody in my whole life had called me charming.

“Oh, don’t look so bashful. If I had rich friends, I’d probably hit them up for some cash, too. I don’t suppose he’d be open to a second round?”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t exactly call Luc a friend. More of an acquaintance based on circumstance.” But friend, acquaintance, or long-lost brother, I’d be forever grateful that when I’d talked to him about buying and renovating Furze’s old beach club, he’d bankrolled me. Then rented me his villa, too.

The waitress arrived, minus her menus, still looking as if I was about to dismember her. She put down my now steaming coffee with a shaky hand; the cup clinked against the saucer.

This time, her eyes didn’t meet mine. They stayed firmly on my chest, and I swear she bobbed into a little curtsy before leaving.

I turned to Fifi. “Is she okay?”

She raised a brow. “Maxi, do you think it might have something to do with your lack of clothes?”

I scowled, looking down at my tattooed chest. “What do you mean? I’m about to go fishing, not attend a charity ball. What else would I wear?”

She rolled her eyes. “Try a shirt.”

I pulled the coffee towards me. The smell of roasted beans hit my nostrils, mixing with the tang of the salt water outside. I tipped the cup, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste. “This is terrible.”

Fifi scowled at the mug, as ifit’dbrewed the terrible coffee on purpose. She sighed. “I think Gustav may have stretched the truth about his experience. He’s pretty to look at, but sometimes that’s not enough.”

I snorted, the tiniest of smiles dancing at the corners of my lips. Didn’t I know it? I’d always been told I was pretty to look at, but now I was entering my forties with a few strands of silver at my temples, solidly single, and struggling to keep my business afloat. If Gustav was struggling in life, what hope did I have?

“If I could catch more lobster, maybe…”

Fifi wrinkled her nose and patted the back of my hand. “I’m not sure lobster are going to save us. We need to be practical, Maxi.”

She was the only one who knew what making the club a success meant to me. What I truly had at stake.

At her pursed lips, I sank further into my seat; the wicker creaking under my weight. “I’m not sure my being at the helm has done much for our profit margins. We need more customers. There’s a difference between exclusive and empty.”

On cue, the barista yelped, dropping his phone. A plume of steam escaped the coffee machine, and he shook his fingers, blowing on them as if they were on fire.

I fought back a growl.

“Maxime, it’s only coffee. I’ll have another word with him. Whip him into shape. Failing that, we’ll let him go, and I can manage until we find someone else.”

I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, earning a pointed glare from my friend.

“What time is Sophie arriving?” she asked.

She knew me well—knew all my tells.

“Valerie’s driver is dropping her off at the villa later.” My daughter was coming to stay for an entire month. It was the longest time we’d ever spent together. To say I was edgy was an understatement.

Fifi raised her eyebrow. “Valerie’s driver? Oh, the irony. Wasn’t thatyourjob once?”

I chewed the inside of my mouth. She wasn’t wrong. If it weren’t for Valerie’s family hiring me, I’d never have met her. They were also the reason I’d been dumped like a hot brick the moment she came to her senses.