Page 27 of Rebellious Hearts

Just like that.

“We’re here to do a job,” I said, my voice hard. “I intend to do it, and then the project is done. Start, finish. Facts.”

Sofia shook her head and turned away from me. She didn’t think I was right, and that irritated me.

Why the hell do you want her to think anything differently of you?

Right. I didn’t care what she thought. She was nothing but an employee. Someone who was here to do her job. I could have done it alone, but I wasn’t going to keep harping on that. At least… not now. I would pout about that again later.

One thing to be pissed off about at a time.

It was called project management.

I snorted inwardly at my stupid joke.

We were taken to our rooms in a private elevator, and finally Sofia was led to a different room from me.

I let out a breath. I felt like I’d been holding it since the moment I’d picked her up from her place. Finally, I could stop bracing myself and relax.

The suite was just what I’d wanted. Spacious, indulgent, comfortable. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the sea, with an intimate living room with plush sofas and a fireplace, a wet bar—thank fuck for alcohol—and a sleek desk and chair. A king-sized bed in the next room took center stage with more windows that looked out over the breathtaking landscape.

Harborview was fucked when it came to the business district, but the part that attracted tourists didn’t need a lot of help from what I could see.

I assumed Sofia’s room looked just about the same—I’d book the two penthouse suites. Would the room be to her liking? Wasthis kind of life, opulent and lavish, something she could get used to?

The moment I thought about her, I dismissed the thought.

My phone rang.

“Yeah,” I said when I answered Alex’s call.

“How’s everything?”

“Good,” I said. “Just got settled. The place is pretty bad on the one end and only half-bad on the other.”

“You think it’s salvageable?”

“Anything is salvageable,” I said. “If you throw enough money at a problem you can usually fix it.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, well, life doesn’t always work that way.”

“This isn’t a life lesson, Alex. It’s a business project.”

“How are things with Sofia there?”

I bristled. “I didn’t need her to come along,” I point out again, just in case Alex forgot that I’m pissed he assigned her to the project.

“Yeah, you keep telling me that, but what’s done is done and she’s there now. You can use her help, Ben. She’s damn good at her job, and it never hurts to have a feminine hand around.”

I frown. I’m not sure what he means by that.

“Marina scheduled the meeting with your investor,” Alex said. “Richard Thompson. I sent you the file. He’s a philanthropist and he lost his wife a few years ago, so he’s really throwing himself into rebuilding places. It was his wife’s life goal, and it’s become his.”

“Oh, that aligns us pretty well then, huh?” I said. “Since that’s what we’re here to do.”

“Just focus on what that actually means for a change, Ben. He lost hiswife. He’s doing this in hermemory. That’s a big thing. It’s a different driving force than money.”

“Right,” I said. I got what Alex was trying to say, but the fact of the matter was he wanted to invest in rebuilding a town, and wewere here to help make it happen. The reasons behind it didn’t really matter all that much.