She handed Joanna a cup. “So is the business going to go down, boss? Because there are rumors.”

“The business is fine.” For now. She’d talked briefly to Michael, their CEO, who was in charge of operations. He’d assured her that despite having lost their figurehead, there was no reason why the business would suffer in the short term. “Bookings are up in all the restaurants, the latest book is done and with the publisher—” She didn’t want to think about this now. For once in her life, she wanted to think about herself and not Cliff.

Was she wrong to have stayed with the business? Should she have extracted herself completely when she divorced him? Maybe, but at the time she was throwing out most of her life, and adding the job to it had seemed too huge. Cliff had begged her not to divorce him, and then begged her not to leave the business. He’d been afraid that without her as his right-hand woman the whole thing would fall apart and he’d be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She’d agreed to continue working with him, which was why she still had to think of the business.

Why did you crash, Cliff? Who was that woman?

“The press are still out there. I made you breakfast. Hope that’s okay.” Nessa tipped scrambled eggs onto toast and put the plate in front of Joanna, who looked at it without enthusiasm.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Try a mouthful. I’m a good cook. Not Cliff good, obviously, but good enough. My mother taught me.”

Joanna felt a pang. Maybe if she’d had a mother to teach her, she wouldn’t be such a disaster in the kitchen.

She picked up the fork, not because she liked the idea of food, but because she liked Nessa. “Maybe you should offer those photographers a drink or a sandwich.”

“You’re kidding.”

Joanna sliced off a small piece of toast. “They’re just doing their job.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t have to help them by keeping them fed and watered. Haven’t you ever seen those signs at the zoo? Don’t feed the animals? Same thing applies here.” Nessa looked pointedly at her. “You’re not eating. My mom always says you can’t handle a crisis on an empty stomach.”

To appease her, Joanna ate a mouthful. “Tastes good. And you’re right that you probably shouldn’t take them food. I don’t want to encourage them.” She was tired of trying to evade them. Tired of not being able to leave her house without having a camera thrust in her face. The fact that she and Cliff were no longer married didn’t seem to worry them. In their eyes no one knew Cliff better than she did, and they were determined to go to any lengths to uncover the truth.