she did not understand her strange reaction to him. And she wasn’t imagining it. Not when she was beginning to feel hot all over.
Quickly taking a sip of her own water, she decided to ask him about his accommodations. “So are you staying at Shelby by the Sea or an Airbnb while in the cove?”
He placed his glass down and looked at her. “Neither. I’m renting a yacht.”
“A yacht?”
“Yes, and it’s docked right off the marina—” he nodded in the direction of the pier “—and has everything I need. A spacious bedroom, bath with shower, galley and sitting area. However, my favorite spot is topside.”
“I can imagine. Have you gone out in it?”
“I arrived two days ago and went out both days. You were right. Catalina Cove is a nice place. Quiet and quaint. Somehow it’s been able to retain its small-town charm.”
Victoria’s lips stretched into a big smile. “You can thank Reid Lacroix for that.”
“Who?”
“Reid Lacroix,” she said. “He’s one of the wealthiest men in town and owns the blueberry plant that employs a lot of people. I understand he stopped a multimillion-dollar tennis resort from setting down roots here. I’m told he hates change and has worked with the zoning board to block a lot of the new, more progressive developments from coming to town. His goal is to keep Catalina Cove as a small town. He doesn’t mind the tourists—he just doesn’t want large businesses coming in and overtaking all the mom-and-pop establishments. Some of those businesses have been here for generations.”
He nodded. “You seem to know a lot about it.”
“Only because I covered their seafood festival one year. It was my first time here and I was amazed by how this town was such a well-kept secret, free from rampant commercialism. I asked several locals about it. People around here see Reid as a hero for his vision to retain a small-town atmosphere. He’s always looking out for the local business owners, making sure big businesses don’t shoulder their way in and eventually shut down the smaller establishments.”
They stopped talking when the waitress arrived to take their order. When she left, he asked, “When was the last time you saw Christy?”
“A little over a week ago. She was in New Orleans for a journalism conference. I talked her into staying the last night here with me in the cove and we had breakfast the next morning at Witherspoon Café. She fell in love with their blueberry muffins.”
“The blueberry muffins are good there?”
“Yes, you’ve got to try them. Catalina Cove is considered the blueberry capital of the world. The blueberry plant ships berries all over the nation and abroad.”
He nodded. “Do you eat at that café often?”
“I grab breakfast there a lot. Now that I do the noonday show I don’t have to be at the station as early. That’s how I got to meet so many of the locals. A number of them go to the café for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a nice place. You need to eat there at least once before you leave.”
He smiled. “I think I will.”
After taking another sip of water, she asked him, “When was the last time you saw Christy?”
“At that fundraiser Jake gave me at his ranch last year. Before that, I hadn’t seen her or Alex for a couple years. Of course, I’ve been keeping up with her through Mom and Marilyn. I understand she has three kids now.”
“Yes, she does, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they want a fourth.”
“She always said she wanted a big family,” Roman said.
He was right. Christy always said that. “You’ve gone fishing both days since you’ve been here. How’s the fishing going?”
“Great. I toss them back.”
“And then you catch those same ones the next day,” she said in amusement.
He laughed. “You’re probably right, but it wasn’t nice of you to point that out, Victoria.”
Victoria’s breath caught in her throat. There was just something sexy about the way he said her name. Sexy, just like the rest of him. Now she was reacting to him like the women in her office had. But then, could she really fault herself when he was so darn sexy? Still, her reaction bothered her.
“Just keeping you honest, Roman,” she teased.
He leaned back in his seat. “And speaking of honest, would you like to tell me what you have against politicians?”
CHAPTER FIVE
ROMAN HADN’T BEEN able to believe his luck when he’d walked into the restaurant, found it packed and spotted Victoria sitting alone. When he’d