“What?” Eli was tired of Mark’s cryptic statements.

“If you upset her and she goes running to her brothers, they’ll want to destroy you.” Mark was far too pleased by the prospect. “Are they big guys?”

Eli gulped. “Bigger than me.”

“Avoid girls with brothers. It’s just asking for trouble. She’s a hometown girl?”

“Yeah. She grew up here, although she must have lived somewhere else while she earned her degree.”

“She’s an educated woman,” Mark commented. “Interesting.”

“I date educated women,” Eli interjected, taking issue with his friend’s tone.

“You date women who speak multiple languages and were born into power and influence, not necessarily ones who have gone out of their way to earn an education.”

What was the difference?

“Elouise agrees with me. She’s studying for a diploma in interior design, isn’t that right, sweetums?” A murmur in the background. “The point is, winning over this girl of yours requires different techniques from the ones you usually use. What did you do to upset her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then don’t try to figure it out. It’ll hurt your brain. Women aren’t logical, Eli. Their instincts aren’t logical. Now, what does she want?”

“My head on a platter? For aliens to probe me?”

Mark chuckled. “Realistically, what does she want from you?”

“She wants me to leave her alone. She wants a good story.” Realization struck. “She wants to be accepted and respected by her town. She loves this little backwater.”

Mark was quiet while the cogs turned in his brain. “Clearly, option one is out. Option two as well, unless you’ve changed your view on making a fool of yourself in the media. Option three, we can work with. She loves her town. How can you use that knowledge to impress her?”

Eli couldn’t say, off the top of his head, but Mark had given him a lot to think about. “Appreciate your help,” he said. “It was good talking to you.” Then he hung up and started brainstorming possibilities. Before long, he struck gold. His plan wouldn’t be quick to put into action, but it would be effective.

CHAPTER 17

Before long, Aria turned her attention to other work. She looked for stories that didn’t involve Elijah Lockwood or Lockwood Holdings Limited. There were few. She wrote an article about the 100th anniversary of the local fire brigade, and one about the local kid who’d been awarded a rugby scholarship, then her editor directed her to write a series of articles following the construction of the mall complex. The editor was certain that Aria was the best person for the job, considering her background knowledge about the development. Aria couldn’t convince her otherwise, but by interviewing the architect, the interior designer and the draughtsman, she did manage to produce three articles without needing to contact Eli. A good effort.