Hotel Ladd Page 7

  He raised a brow. “Excited, nervous, scared out of my mind—all of the above.”

  Cal chuckled and downed the warm, soft nut. He remembered the swell of emotion well. The day he learned Caroline was with child was the first day in his life where he seriously took stock of his manhood. Was he ready? Prepared for the change that would come with the new arrival? Could he take care of an infant, a tiny person completely dependent upon him for his or her every need?

  It was a tall order and one he had to get used to, but he’d done it. When Emily was born, his heart burst with feelings and sensations he’d never before experienced. She’d been beautiful, the most beautiful baby on the maternity floor. Regret drenched his memories. If only he could hit a reset button and start over. He wouldn’t make a mess of things the second time around.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Lacy said. “Women have been having babies since the beginning of time.”

  “Yes,” Malcolm agreed, a glint of humor in his blue eyes, eyes a shade lighter than Lacy’s but every bit as sharp.

  “Have you decided on a name?”

  Lacy beamed, her eyes deepened. “Emma Jane.”

  “Emma Jane is a beautiful name,” Cal said wistfully, the similarities hitting home. Lacy was happy as a woman in love should be and looking forward to the birth of her child. It was the way life was supposed to work.

  “Thank you,” she intoned, as though he’d given his personal approval

  “Are you sure it’s going to be a girl, then?”

  “Yes. A psychic told me.”

  Malcolm smiled over Lacy’s head. “My fault. When we were in California to meet my parents, she spotted a sign advertising psychics and made me pull over. Marched right inside and demanded to know about her pregnancy.” Sliding a hand down her back, he continued, “She was only eight weeks at the time, but the psychic assured her it was a girl, a little baby girl who was going to grow up just like her mother.”

  “Well, she will,” Lacy insisted.

  Malcolm held his hands in the air. “It’s been a girl ever since. She named it on the way home, in fact. Emma Jane was something we both agreed on.”

  “Will you be upset if it turns out to be a boy?” Cal asked.

  “It won’t,” Lacy snapped and plucked a biscuit from the edge of her plate.

  Malcolm grinned. “I think it’s going to be a girl but it’s only a guess. Lacy refuses to get an ultrasound to check.”

  “That’s cheating,” Lacy said. “Besides, I already know she’s a girl.”

  Cal laughed, hiding a deep sorrow that penetrated his soul. What he’d give to be with his own daughter. He’d move mountains—was trying to do so with his return home to Tennessee—only he wouldn’t see the results for some time. Although he’d been sober now for ten months and three days, his daughter Emily couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. One terrible mistake and she had closed her heart, ripping him from her life forever. “I hope it is,” Cal said quietly and reached for another peanut. Girls are gifts from heaven.

  “Speaking about a lot on her mind these days,” Malcolm said, “I told Annie I’d be happy to help her along with those permits she needs. Nick and I have established a nice rapport with the guys in the county office, and since we’re already familiar with the paperwork, I think we could manage a permit in a couple of weeks, maybe less.”

  Cal turned on his stool. “That would be great. I know she’d appreciate it.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “How’s the progress of the hotel construction coming along?”

  “Right on schedule. Groundwork for the hotel has been pretty well wrapped up and we’re moving on to the building and hiring stage and—”

  “Already?” Lacy interrupted, a fork full of golden-fried okra suspended before her mouth. “But you haven’t built the first building. How are you going to hire people with nowhere for them to go?”

  He smiled indulgently. “I said we’re moving on to the hiring stage. We have to prepare, don’t we?” Malcolm shifted his focus to Cal. “We want to have our doors open by Memorial Day of next year.”

  Cal let out a low whistle and tossed an empty peanut shell into his bowl. “That’s pretty aggressive.”

  Malcolm nodded. “Nick is organizing our construction crew now. Soon as we’re ready, we’ll ship our people in and get started.”

  Cal cocked his head. “Still, seven months is pretty tight.”

  Malcolm laughed, a confident man dealing in child’s play. “That’s what sets Harris Hotels apart. We get in, we get open. Our guys are the best in the business. We’ve got half a dozen crews that come in. One attacks the hotel, another will take on the stables. A specialized crew out of California will handle our landscape, another the interiors, and the restaurant will be taken care of by an amazing woman out of San Francisco.”

  Lacy’s attention perked at the mention of “woman.” “What woman?”

  Leaning toward her, he said, “An old, wrinkled woman who looks like a man.”

  Realizing the tease, she smirked. “Very funny.”

  Malcolm kissed her nose. “Nobody you have to worry about, my dear.”

  Blue eyes glittering with distrust, Lacy pointed to the front door. “Unlike that woman.”

  “What’s she doing here?” Malcolm asked, appearing genuinely surprised.

  Cal turned his head to see a dark-haired woman standing by the hostess stand in line to pay her bill. She was staring at them. She looked completely out of place in a slinky gold blouse and metallic jacket, her hips wrapped in some kind of spandex skirt with boots that soared clear up to her thighs. Her very thin thighs. “You know her?” he asked.

  Lacy nodded vigorously, swallowing. “Malcolm does. Her name is Jillian Devane and she used to date Nick. Now she’s trying to build a hotel nearby and put them out of business.”

  “She’s a hotel developer Nick and I met during a build in South America. She and Nick hit it off but when it was time to move on, let’s just say Jillian wasn’t quite ready to let go.”

  “Ah...” The woman was a vixen if Cal had ever seen one. Taking a second glance, he noted she was waving to their table, but rather than approach, turned on her heel to leave the diner. “Guess we don’t have what she’s looking for,” he commented, picking up another peanut.

  Lacy gasped. Malcolm commented, “Don’t look now, but we might be in for a cat fight.”

  Cal looked between them. “Huh?”

  With a hand to her mouth, Lacy pointed wordlessly.

  Delaney Wilkins had entered and now faced off with Jillian Devane, who towered over her in four-inch heels. Cal could feel the tension from here. Oblivious diners crowded around the duo. Jillian’s shiny black hair fell straight as a board against her metallic gold jacket and brown skin. Delaney’s pale blonde hair flowed well past her shoulders, blending in with her creamy-white sweater. Jillian wore a full face of makeup while Delaney had barely a touch. A striking pair, they were like night and day. “The two don’t care for one another, I assume?” Cal asked.

  “Delaney should scratch her eyes out,” Lacy hissed. “That woman has no business here and the sooner she leaves, the better.”

  Delaney tried to walk past Jillian, but the woman stopped her. They exchanged words. Delaney reached up and fiddled with a necklace, or something at her neck. Cal couldn’t quite make it out from his vantage point. Jillian smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. Delaney’s reaction was unmistakable. She was not happy. Whether Jillian didn’t catch on to the anger or was intentionally trying to provoke her, Cal didn’t know but watched with wary interest as she leaned forward and said something to Delaney. Whatever it was, Cal mused, it hit the mark. Delaney appeared stunned, then shoved a finger into Jillian’s face. The woman smiled, turned, and made her exit.

  “Good job, Delaney,” Lacy said, trailing her figure to a back table in the corner where she joined an elderly woman already seated. Cal didn’t recognize the woman and chucked the peanut into his mouth. “Jillian is not welcome here,” Lacy went on. “She needs to pack her bags this instant and scat.”

  “It’s a free country, sweetheart,” Malcolm replied, unaffected by the scene. “She’s free to come and go as she pleases.”

  “But she’s here to destroy you! You said so yourself.”

  Malcolm hugged Lacy close. “I’ll keep an eye on her, okay?”

  Lacy huffed, but Cal liked that Malcolm wasn’t worried about the woman. It was a sign of confidence. He knew his business and wasn’t concerned about a little competition. Cal had come to like Malcolm. Although Malcolm was a city boy from Los Angeles, Lacy was weaving the country into him one day at a time. Smart, friendly, the man had an easy way about him and fit right in. Unlike the developer Cal worked for in Arizona, Malcolm was in tune with those around him. He didn’t seem like a one-way road kind of man but a two- way fellow filled with detours and yield signs. Living with Lacy probably made it a must!

  Speaking of business, Cal had been tossing about an idea he wanted to run by Malcolm. While it wasn’t his place to tell a man how to run his business, there was no reason he couldn’t offer a friendly suggestion. “I’ve been thinking about the hotel,” he said, swallowing, not sure how Malcolm would receive the idea but compelled to try. “Have you given any thought to providing history tours for your guests? I mean, I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, but if you’re interested in being in tune with the community, the land, I think folks would get a kick out of hearing about the history of these parts. They might find it intriguin’ to know that Tennessee is the Turtle Capital of the World.”

  A wry smile pulled at Malcolm’s mouth. “Really?”

  “Sure is. We’re called that because of the many species of turtles that inhabit our great state. Literally thousands of turtles live in Reelfoot Lake, including varieties like stinkpots, mud, sliders and map turtles.” Malcolm laughed while Lacy shot a bored look to the ceiling. “Reelfoot Lake itself is a wonder, too,” Cal continued, thoroughly in his element. He loved history and his home state was full of it. “Did you know it was created by the largest earthquake in American history?”

  Malcolm sat back. “You don’t say?”

  “Yes sir. Occurred in the winter of 1812 up in the northwestern part of our state.”

  Malcolm laughed. “Sounds like a great idea. I think guests will love it, and I know just the man to handle the job. What do you say you take on the position of General Manager and organize the entire experience?”

  Malcolm could have run over him with a dump truck, his shock would have been the same. Cal gaped at him. “Me?”

  “Yes. You have experience working in a real estate community. You know people. You have experience. I made a phone call to your old boss, frankly, a man who couldn’t say enough nice things about you.”

  “You called my boss?” Cal asked, alarm mingling with surprise.

  “You don’t mind, do you? I check out all my new hires before I put them in the running. Though I’ll warn you, you’re top of my list.”

  Lacy smiled at Cal, as though reaffirming how great she thought he was, too.

  Cal’s gut tightened. If only they knew. One night in Arizona had changed his life, changed his relationship with his wife, his daughter Emily. Worse than the suffering he’d caused at home, he’d cut a hole in the life of a stranger—a gaping hole which couldn’t be repaired. One night, one bad decision, monumental consequences. Consequences he lived with every day. He was only surprised Peter had spoken so highly of him. On second thought, Cal asked, “Who did you speak with?”

  “A guy named Peter Malone.”

  So it had been Peter. Cal turned the information over in his mind. The last day he saw Peter had not been a pretty one. Peter was angry, disappointed. He felt like Cal had let him down.

  He had. More than quitting without notice, Cal had been a constant thorn for Peter. Between the drinking and the hangovers and the accident that made front page news, Peter had been hounded by Cal’s mishaps. He never missed a day of work because of his drinking, but he sure had been asked to leave for a few. One more fight and you’re fired. Short and sweet. Cal understood. A loose cannon was unpredictable and unpredictability was bad for business. It was bad for marriage, too. Alcohol had made a mess of his life, a mess of others, so he set the bottle down ten months ago and walked away. Clean cut, no second thoughts, he never looked back.

  What had Peter been thinking? He didn’t know Malcolm. He didn’t know Malcolm was a friend. Cal narrowed his gaze on the man sitting across from him. What had Malcolm said during the phone call that made Peter so amenable? Why would he stick up for him after their falling out?

  Allowing the questions to course through him, Cal eased free of the burden. No matter. He was grateful for the small miracle and would take a break wherever he could get one. His drinking days were over. No going back. Some days it amazed him. Other days he understood completely. When you had something to fight for as important as he did, the bottle didn’t stand a chance. Longing pricked at his heart. He missed his daughter. Leaving Emily had been like leaving a piece of his heart. She was the reason Malcolm’s job offer meant so much to him.

  Clearing his voice, Cal reined in his thoughts and said, “Well, it’s nice to hear.” Adding privately, a man never wanted his past employer to be left with a bad taste in his mouth, and Peter Malone’s should be spittin’ mud to this day.

  “I don’t think you have to worry. The man said you were great with the residents, reliable on the job and smart. Odd,” Malcolm paused, “but he underscored your potential almost as much as he commended your past. While you don’t have direct GM experience, he didn’t have any qualms recommending you if I was willing to train you. Which I am.” Glancing sideways to Lacy, he continued, “As you know, I’m setting down roots here, but in the future, Lacy and I will be traveling quite a bit and I’ll need to know I have a good man holding down the fort while I’m away.” Malcolm smiled, and Cal almost felt guilty at the outpouring of trust in the man’s pale blue eyes. “I think that man is you.”

  Cal couldn’t believe his good fortune. He and Malcolm had established an easy rapport over the last several months, spending more and more time together on account of Annie and Lacy, but he never expected a job offer. The position of General Manager for an exclusive boutique hotel sounded incredibly appealing. He’d be interacting with international guests, intriguing people from all over the world... Cal had done his share of managing, making him feel secure on that count. The scale of operations they were talking was hundreds of employees versus thousands, people from this area, people he understood. The South. In Arizona folks didn’t understand the Southerner in him. They heard his accent and immediately thought redneck, hillbilly, neither of which he was. He was a southern gentleman, an educated man who was raised in the hills of Tennessee but understood the finer points of life. Cal considered himself a simple man, but a man of civility. “It sounds like a great offer,” he replied.

  “So you’re interested?”

  “’Course I am. It’s a heck of an opportunity for a small town guy like me.”

  “There’s nothing small town about you, Cal,” Lacy interjected. “You’ve spent the last fifteen years in the big city, haven’t you?”

  “Same as you, but it doesn’t look like it’s changed you any.” Lacy frowned and he chuckled. “That’s a good thing, darlin’.”

  She rebounded instantly and batted her lashes. “I’m a country girl at heart, you know. That’s why I came back home. There’s no place like Tennessee and I’ll never leave it again,”—she reached for Malcolm—“except to travel the world with you, of course.”

  Malcolm laughed softly.

  “Tennessee is the best place on earth,” Cal declared and meant it with every fiber of his being. Arizona was a beautiful state, extremely diverse and filled with natural wonders, like the jaw-dropping vista of red rocks and canyons in Sedona and the nearby Grand Canyon, but Arizona wasn’t home. He’d tried to make it his home, but when his marriage fell apart he realized it wasn’t meant to be, though it would always be a part of him. The most important person in his world was there waiting for him.

  Only she didn’t know it, yet.

  Chapter Eight

  Cal arrived at Annie’s apartment at eight o’clock, a mix of excitement and trepidation roiling in his gut. The position of General Manager for Serenity Springs was a big deal. The more he thought about it, the bigger and better it seemed to him. Not only did it sound exciting and challenging, it would give him a chance to start fresh in his hometown, near the woman who was becoming to mean a lot to him.

  Becoming, hell. He was in love with Annie Owens and it was high time she knew about it. A flurry of nerves skated through his pulse. Cal had been in love with her for most of the summer, only Annie didn’t know it, yet. Not officially. But he needed to be sure of his direction before he took the next step. It was a big one—a step that might sink his boots, preventing him from taking another. Annie didn’t know about his daughter, Emily, about her issues with him. Annie didn’t know about the accident that changed his life forever. Cal felt the usual discharge of adrenaline whenever he thought about it, the consequences it carried, the lives he ruined. Annie couldn’t know, because he’d kept it to himself. It was a part of his past no one needed to know. They only needed to know about his future.

  The way Cal saw it, his life was about where he was going, not where he’d been. It was about moving on and making things right. He needed to prove to Emily he was the man she wanted him to be. Needed him to be. But if Annie were to travel that road forward with him, she’d have to know everything about the mess of road he’d left behind.