Winner Takes It All by Karen Mason

the island to party. Mel also had the idea that perhaps we
could target the Spanish during the winter, just so it made some
money all year round.’
    ‘ Sounds
promising.’
    ‘ Trouble is,
by the time it’s built, my year will be up.’
    ‘ I wouldn’t
worry too much about that darling. You’ve got another two hotels to
buy and open. Anyway, if you oversee this whole Spanish thing well
it’ll just prove to me how organised you are.’
    ‘ He’s asking
for five million Euros. Does that sound like a lot to
you?’
    Christian sighed,
obviously contemplating it.
    ‘ That’s about
three million pounds isn’t it? No, that sounds reasonable
enough.’
    ‘ So you think
I should go ahead?’
    ‘ That’s
entirely up to you darling,’ he laughed. ‘The whole point of his
exercise is for me to see if you’re capable of running things for
yourself.’
    ‘ Okay. Well
I’ll think about it some more. I don’t want to go wasting
money.’
    Alex ended the call to
her father and knew what she had to do. She thought of her
forefathers. The original Sheridans were lowly hop-pickers who from
nothing built a mighty brewery. Indeed her own grandmother went
from being a publican’s daughter to the author of children’s books
– many of which were still immensely popular today. If they could
achieve that, she could build a hotel from scratch.
    She found Mel in her
room, rifling through her wardrobe for an outfit to wear that
night. They were going to Pacha and as was the norm with Mel, she
wanted to stand out. Alex flopped down on the bed, looking up at
her friend and realised she was in no mood for partying; she just
wanted to get on with business.
    ‘ I’m going to
go for it,’ she said. ‘Do you fancy staying out here a bit longer
Mel?’
    Mel turned around, a
shocked expression on her face.
    ‘ On me
own?’
    ‘ Yes!’ Alex
laughed. ‘I’ve got to get back to Liverpool and meet with Jack. Can
you liaise with Fernando Alonso? I want building to start as soon
as possible. You go to Pacha tonight, I’m going to get on the
internet and start looking at the sort of designs I want for the
hotel.’
    ‘ All work and
no play makes Alex a dull girl,’ Mel said with a shake of the
head.
    ‘ Maybe so, but
if I’m going to become head of Sheridans one day, it’s important I
start taking it all seriously.’

    ***
     
    Alex arrived home late at
night to find Tim already asleep. She undressed quietly, hoping not
to wake him. The last thing she wanted was him pawing her, trying
to get her to have sex. Her head was so full of other things, she
had no time for that sort of thing. Or maybe it was just that she
had no time for Tim anymore.
    Awaking the next morning
to leave and catch her train to Liverpool, she discovered her
boyfriend was still asleep in exactly the same position she’d left
him. Thirty years old and still living like a teenager, sleeping
until noon only to get up and piss about on the internet
‘researching’ Charles Dickens. Alex swallowed down her resentment,
feeling guilty for not appreciating his career. It wasn’t his fault
that she had the Cusack work ethic and thrived on business. She
could have been like him, bankrolled by her parents all her life
but she always felt the need to prove herself. That was how she
ended up going out with him in the first place. To prove she wasn’t
just some kind of bimbo. But things had moved up a level now and
she had a far greater responsibility resting on her shoulders. One
Tim couldn’t understand.
    Like an excited child,
Alex had to keep distracting herself on the journey up to
Liverpool. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew the cause of
these feelings was the prospect of seeing Jack. She wondered how
she would cope with him without Mel around for moral support. As
his cousin, she was immune to his charms but Alex knew that he’d
only have to look at her with that sexy, lopsided smile and she’d
turn to jelly and seriously let the side down.
    Her phone