A Proposal Worth Millions (Harlequin Romance)

ISBN: 0373743599

Author: Pembroke, Sophie

Condition: New

Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Sadie Sullivan blinked into the sunshine and waved goodbye to the rental car pulling away from the Azure Hotel. If she squinted, she could just make out Finn's tiny face pressed up against the rear window, and his little hand waving back. Her father, in the driver's seat, was obviously concentrating on the road, but Sadie spotted the glint of her mother's ash-blonde hair beside Finn, and knew she'd be holding him in place, making sure his seat belt was secure.He was in good hands. She had to remember that. Even if her heart ached at the thought of being separated from her little boy.The car turned the last corner at the end of the drive and disappeared out of sight, behind the row of juniper trees, onto the road that led up the coast then back inland towards the main roads and Izmir airport. Sadie sucked in a deep breath and wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, quickly, in case anyone was watching. The last thing she needed right now was talk about the boss breaking down in tears. Professionalism, that was the key.'It's one week, Sullivan,' she muttered to herself. 'Get over yourself. In seven days you'll be in England with him, getting ready to bring him back. Enjoy the peace until then.'Except next time it might be for longer. A whole term, even. And what if he didn't want to come home to her in the holidays? No, she wasn't thinking about that. Whatever her father said about British schools, about having family around, Finn's place was with her. The local schools were great, and Finn's Turkish was really coming along. He'd be fine.She swallowed, and stepped back into the coolness of the Azure lobby. Even in late September Kuadasi still enjoyed the warmth of the Turkish climate. In a few weeks, she knew, the locals would start pulling on sweaters and mumbling about the chill in the air-while she, and the few remaining tourists in town at the end of the season, would still be down at the beach, enjoying the sun.This time next year Finn would have started school. The only question left to answer definitively was, where?'Did Finn and your parents leave for the airport okay?' Esma asked, looking up from the reception desk, her long red nails still resting on her keyboard.Sadie nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet.'He's so excited about having a holiday with his grandparents,' Sadie's second in command carried on, regardless. 'And the timing is just perfect, too.'Sadie kept nodding. Then she blinked. 'It is?'Esma tilted her head to study her, and Sadie tried to pull herself into her best boss posture and expression. She had the suit, the hair, the make-up-all the things she usually hid behind when she didn't quite know what to do. That armour had got her through her husband's death, through taking on his ridiculously ambitious business project that she didn't have the first clue about. Why on earth would it fail her now, at the prospect of a mere week without her son?It obviously worked, because Esma shrugged and pushed the work diary across the reception desk towards her.'I just meant with that potential investor arriving this week. Without Finn to worry about, you will have more time to spend winning him over, yes?''Yes, of course,' Sadie responded automatically, her eyes fixed on the red letters spelling 'Investor Visit' written across the next five days. How could she have forgotten?Her priority for the week. The only thing she had time to worry about, at all, was this investor and all his lovely money.She hadn't wanted to resort to outside help, but things were getting beyond desperate, even if only she and Neal knew the true extent of the Azure's problems. When their hunt for local investors had failed, Neal had suggested seeking investment from abroad-with similar results. But he'd had a last-chance possibility at the ready when she'd asked where on earth they went next. A business acquaintance, he'd said, who had interests in the hotel industry