Jotting down the important parts of his reply, Aria got the feeling there was more behind his project than numbers. “You really believe in your work here, don’t you?”

“I think it will be good for my company and for the town,” he answered.

“Have you considered how it will affect the local businesses, which have been doing pretty well from the tourist market up until now?”

He shrugged and sipped his coffee. “More amenities in the area can only be good for them, since they’ll draw more tourists in.”

It surprised Aria that he’d even considered the matter, let alone formulated an opinion on it. He had read her article last week. Surely, in the face of that, some hesitancy was to be expected? But then, she supposed businessmen didn’t make millions by doing things half-heartedly. She dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from lecturing him about the good of the town, which she knew far more about than he did. Instead, she referred to her list of questions.

“What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the job?”

“My favorite part is the beginning,” he replied immediately. “Finding a new location, scouting out the competition, coming up with a plan of attack. My least favorite part is the human factor.”

His response intrigued her. “The human factor?”

“You may not have noticed, but I have little patience for dealing with people.”

His tone was self-deprecating, and she liked him more for it. It was nice to know he was aware of his flaws. It was also good for her article. She could picture it already: ‘Antisocial businessman cares little for people.’ If she could convince herself to expose him to a public flaying of his reputation. Unlikely.

He continued. “Employees, designers, architects, media liaison staff... They’re there to talk to the right people and make things happen. I’d rather make sure the other details are taken care of.”

“Is that what you do? Sort out the details?”

“I do manage people to a certain degree,” he admitted. “It may surprise you, but I’m not good at delegation.”

“You’re a control freak,” she said, chuckling. “You don’t know how to loosen your grip on the reins.”

He wasn’t amused. “Next question.”

“When are you expecting your work here to be completed?”

“July. From the beginning of construction, it’s a six-month project.”

“When did you start your company, and why?”

“Are the rest of your questions all this personal? Shouldn’t we focus on the development?”

He thought this was personal? Aria scanned over the other questions on her list and crossed a couple off. No need to give the poor man an aneurysm. “This is a profile of you and your company,” she reminded him. “It’s a small town. People are fascinated by outsiders.”