Chapter Five
Damon walked into the restaurant, feeling like a hundred dollars. Actually, more like a hundred pennies. His head was about as light and fuzzy as a dandelion blowing in the wind, and he had the beginnings of a sore throat, thanks to some post nasal drip.
Happy friggin’ spring.
At least, he assumed he was suffering from allergies. Allergies to that damn judgmental cat in his office. Or maybe he was allergic to this town. Either way, it had only been a few days and both were getting to him.
Cape Harmony was about as 180 degrees from New York City as you could get. It took him forever to find a restaurant that was even open tonight. Apparently the town’s businesses really did count on the summer tourist season for income. No wonder the hotel was barely surviving. Another checkmark against it. He didn’t have time to play nursemaid. Business was business. No matter how much those sad brown eyes of Kinsley’s haunted him. She was just going to have to learn, like everyone else in his life, that Damon St. James was not one to count on when you needed help.
Glancing around for the hostess, he spotted Wade Roberts heading in his direction. Wade looked to be on his way out but made a point to stop and shake his hand.
“Damon,” he said with a slight nod of the head, “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be managing things from New York.”
“Normally that would be the case, but I’m here for a few months, since I have some other business in the area. I’ve decided to give the hotel a second look.”
Just then, a sparkling feminine laugh caught his attention. He gazed over Wade’s shoulder and saw Kinsley sitting at a table with what looked to be a girlfriend. As with every time he saw her, his body instantly became alert as if ready and waiting. Ready and waiting for what, he was afraid to know. Kinsley wasn’t glamorous or flashy in her blue paisley blouse and slim navy pants, but she still managed to shine in the crowded restaurant like moonlight on a starry night, and he had trouble looking away.
Wade glanced over his shoulder to see what had captured his attention. When he turned back around to Damon, he wore the look of a warrior prepared for battle. “You’ve decided to give the hotel a second look?” he asked. “Really? Is that the only thing you’re giving a second look?”
Damon was feeling a little congested, but he would have had to be downright deaf to miss the irritation in Wade’s tone. “Yes,” he stated, meeting Wade’s gaze. “Only the hotel. That’s all.”
Wade sized him up for another couple of seconds then, appearing satisfied, backed down his guarded stance. “Good, because Kinsley’s not in a state to be toyed with, and, quite frankly, I’m not in a state to have to kick your ass. So I’m glad to hear that. See ya around,” he tossed out before turning away. He was out the door before Damon could muster a response.
Well, that was interesting. A chilly encounter with his former friend for sure, but he didn’t blame Wade one bit. If Damon had a sister—and one as pretty as Kinsley—the last person he’d want sniffing around would be someone like himself.
A woman appearing to be in her mid-fifties with spiky blond hair, carrying an armful of menus, finally came over to him. “Thanks for waiting. It’s been a crazy night. Oh hey, are you the guy who bought The Harbor Light?”
Damon blinked at the woman. “I am.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have? I’ve only been in town a few days.” Plus, the time he’d been here had hardly been spent talking about himself.
She let out an easy laugh. “Small-town gossip.” She leaned in and added in a conspiring whisper, “You should know you’re even better-looking than what people have been saying.”
“Uh, thank you,” he choked out. “That’s…good. I think.”
The woman laughed again. “It is good. Very good. I’m Kathy, by the way. Are you single?”
Talk about being direct… Nothing against Kathy, but she wasn’t exactly his type. Or his age. He hadn’t even sat down at a table yet and already he was wishing he’d just gone through a McDonald’s drive-thru.
He hesitated. “I—”
“It’s okay, hon. I wasn’t asking for myself. I’m just saying that if you’re single and want to keep it that way, or in a relationship and want to keep it that way, I’d steer clear of the coffee shop down the street.”
“Thanks for the tip,” he said, already committing it to memory.
“Consider it my welcoming gift to you. Are you dining alone tonight?”
Damon glanced around the crowded restaurant. Once again, like a magnet to a refrigerator, his gaze landed on Kinsley. She was staring at him now, and surprise surprise, she didn’t seem pleased. That reaction would have been easy enough to deal with if she had just looked pissed off, but instead, a thin veil of vulnerability hung over her annoyed expression.
Suppressing a sigh, he looked at Kathy and nodded. “Yeah, I’m alone.”
Kathy sent him a perky smile. “I have a nice table over by the coffee bar for you, then. Follow me.”
Considering the kind of day—and now night—he was having, Damon wasn’t at all shocked when Kathy showed him to a table right next to Kinsley’s. But with his allergies getting the best of him, he didn’t have the energy to ask to be moved. Kinsley was just going to have to get used to seeing him around town as well as at work.
“Good evening, Kinsley,” he said, picking up a menu.
She stiffened. “Hello, Damon.”
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Kathy asked him.
“Yes. Give me the strongest thing you have.”
Kathy frowned. “You want a strong drink?”
He’d thought he’d made himself pretty clear. But this town and the people in it were an oddity for sure. “Yeah. You know. Whatever will take the edge off.”
Looking confused, Kathy glanced at the ladies next to him then shrugged. “Coming right up.”
Once Kathy walked off, Kinsley’s pretty blond companion with the extra large dose of smiles extended her hand out to him. “Hi, I’m Arden. I remember seeing you last Saturday.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. At Lori and Jim’s wedding. I was the wedding planner. And how funny that you and Kinsley ended up being there and now we find out that you’re her boss. Small world, huh?” she said with amusement bouncing in her blue eyes.
Too small, he thought, but Damon remembered her now, and for some reason suddenly wondered if she was the one who would have been planning Kinsley’s wedding as well. “Nice to meet any friend of Kinsley’s.”
“Oh, we’re not just two friends having dinner,” Kinsley chimed in.
Arden gaped at her. “We’re not?”
Kinsley shook her head, widening her eyes at Arden. “No. This is a business dinner, remember? About hosting weddings and receptions at The Harbor Light.”
Damon ran a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at the are-you-out-of-your-mind expression all but spewing off Arden’s face. “Oh, really?” he asked in all seriousness.
“Yes, really,” she said with a defiant lift to her chin.
Damon turned his attention to Arden. “And how is this little business dinner going? Do you think you would have clients interested in having their wedding at the hotel?”
“Um…well…” Arden shifted uncomfortably under his unwavering stare. “I think it’s a great venue for sure.”
Kinsley’s expression grew smug as she folded her arms. “See?” she said to him. “I told you there is business to be had in the off season with events like that. We’re small, but we are in a great location.”
“I did say it was a great venue,” Arden hedged, “however, it does need some work.”
“You said some paint,” Kinsley countered. “A little paint and then we could talk again.”
“I did?” Arden suddenly glanced up and pointed. “Oh, look, there’s Ronnie Lafferty. He’s been wanting to ask me out forever. Today is obviously his lucky day,” she said, popping out of her seat and rushing over to him.
“Some friend she is,” Kinsley muttered. “Ronnie has bad breath and still lives with his mother.”
Damon suppressed a grin. Kinsley looked about as down as a child who didn’t receive a puppy for Christmas. Her lower lip all but jutted out in a sexy little pout. Along with beauty and heart, she had tenacity, too. He admired that kind of spirit in business.
“Look, Kinsley, don’t get upset at Arden. I understand she has to look out for her clients. What’s business is business and what’s personal is personal. Don’t confuse the two.”
She folded her arms. “You sound like Donald Trump.”
“Actually, I was going more for Vito Corleone from The Godfather.”
“Same difference.”
He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to sound like a friend, too.”
Her espresso-colored eyes narrowed. “You want to be my friend?” she asked with a dose of incredulousness.
Her friend? Damon paused, a little shocked at his own words as well. He had very few friends—and none of them were women. He preferred to not get involved with people in general, to keep them at a safe distance. That arrangement benefited everyone. Less chance of him letting people down and less chance of people pulling away from him when that eventually happened. But it seemed as if Kinsley was searching for something by investing so much time and energy into the business, something he might be looking for himself, and he felt a strong pull to know more about her, if only to understand himself.
“Yes. I want to be your friend,” he told her honestly.
“Really…” Kinsley cocked her head, seeming to think it over. “I’m not sure if that can work—no offense. Just speaking from past experience. My ex was my last boss, if you remember, and that ended rather poorly.”
“I’m only looking to be your friend, not your fiancé.”
She continued to study him with wary eyes. “I tend to speak my mind to my friends. I’m sure I’ll say something to you that will get me fired or at the very least kill any chance of you giving me a reference.”
“Maybe we can have some sort of mutual code to let me know when your mouth is officially off duty, so no offense is taken.”
“Like a safe word?” Kinsley grinned.
“Exactly.” Damon smiled back, enjoying her humor and her company, just like he had at the wedding last weekend. They weren’t even officially friends yet, but he was already feeling a warm connection with her. And quite frankly, up until now, he’d had no idea how badly he could use a friend.
“I suppose I can make the time-out sign,” she suggested, demonstrating by making a T with her hands, “and say ‘off the clock’ or something along those lines. How about that?”
“Off the clock and a time-out sign? I can abide by that code.” Turning his head, Damon suddenly sneezed. It made his throat and head hurt even more. Damn allergies.
“Bless you,” she said. “Coming down with something?”
He shook his head, feeling a slight chill as well. “Allergies.”
“What could you be allergic to? We’re next to the beach.”
Damon picked a white cat hair off his jacket and sneezed again. “Your cat. You’re going to have to get rid of her.”
“Colette?” Kinsley’s hands shot up in an immediate T. “Off the clock?” she blurted.
He paused. “Okay, off the clock.”
She dropped her hands, huffed out a breath. “FYI, I am not getting rid of Collette. She’s practically family, and besides, she was there first.”
“I can barely breathe because of that thing.”
“Oh dear, that is a dilemma.” She made a tsk tsk sound. “Well, maybe it would be better for everyone all around if we just got rid of you instead,” she said, batting her eyelashes.
“Now, now,” he chided lightly, “friends don’t say things like that to each other.”
“This friendship is obviously a work in progress.”
He was still grinning at her when a waitress finally came over and plopped down a orangey pink–colored drink in front of him. “There you go,” she announced proudly.
Damon raised an eyebrow. “I think there’s been some mistake. I didn’t order this.”
Her young face scrunched in confusion. “Kathy told me you wanted the strongest drink on the menu.”
“I did…but what’s that?”
“The strongest drink we have. It’s called The Terminator—a smoothie of carrots, beets, kale, pineapple, and dandelion. It has a little Greek yogurt and protein powder in it too, for your muscles.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Oh, no, I’m totally serious. I made it myself. I promise you it’s very strong. Your body is going to feel great. You’ll thank me tomorrow for sure,” she said, beaming.
I certainly won’t be thanking you now. That is for sure.
Damon ran a hand over his face. His patience for this town was worn down. “Look, maybe Kathy misunderstood. Why don’t you drink it? At this point, I’ll just settle for a beer.”
Kinsley started to chuckle. “Good luck with that order. Damon, don’t you know Cape Harmony is a dry town?”
“You mean I can’t get any alcohol here at all?”
The waitress nodded. “Or anywhere in town. Except in your own house or for private parties, like weddings or fundraisers. Been like this forever.” She cracked her chewing gum and pulled out a small pad. “Are you ready to order your dinner?”
He looked at the thick Easter egg–colored drink before him and debated getting up and heading back to his hotel room. He certainly wasn’t in New York City anymore. “I’ll have the pasta special,” he muttered instead.
The waitress’s face lit up. “Ooh, yay, you! It’s yummo! But everything here is yummo. I’ll go put your order in and then I’ll be back,” she said in the worst Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation.
Yummo. Yeah, yay, me. Damon refrained from rolling his eyes. He needed to get out of this dorky town and return to New York, where waitresses expressed their approval of his food order by a nod or a simple “good choice, sir.” Not exclaiming yummo. There certainly wasn’t any lack of smiles around here, either. Did they put Prozac in the water or something? He wouldn’t be all that astounded, because he couldn’t remember laughing or smiling so much since being here. Although he had a sneaking suspicion a good chunk of that reasoning was also due to the quirky brunette sitting next to him. The muscles in his cheek were starting to strain from all the overuse.
But if he was truly honest with himself…on some odd level, he kind of liked it. It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of welcome.
“Maybe you should drink that stuff,” Kinsley suggested, gesturing to his carrot smoothie. “You don’t look so hot.”
“Is that an ‘off-the-clock’ comment or a regular comment?”
Smiling, she shook her head. “No. I’d tell you that as your dutiful employee as well. Are you sure it’s only allergies you have?” she asked, handing him a tissue from her purse.
“I never get sick.” But he took the tissue anyway.
“Right. Because you obviously have a superhuman immune system.”
“That’s right. Among other superhuman qualities,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
“In that case, if you’re sure your defenses aren’t down and I’m not taking advantage, I won’t have to feel guilty about asking you again for more money to be put back into the hotel budget.”
He held in a sigh. “I thought we already went over this. What exactly do you need a bigger budget for?”
“For renovations to the ballroom.” She bit her lip.
“Good grief, Kinsley. Don’t you ever give it a rest?” But truth be told, he wasn’t that upset at her. He wished he had more employees with the kind of drive for success she possessed. Just not with this particular property.
She shrugged. “One of my professors at Rutgers said, ‘If you don’t ask, then the answer is always no.’”
“Good to know. Remind me to never hire anyone from that school,” he muttered.
“Speaking of school, where did you end up graduating? Wade said you might have transferred to Florida.”
“No.”
A frown tugged between her brows. “No, you didn’t graduate, or no, you didn’t transfer to Florida?”
He sighed. “I transferred and graduated from NYU, if you must know.”
“The business school?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I would have loved to have gone there myself, but I couldn’t afford it. Great networking opportunities, though. Is that why you decided to transfer there?”
Damon stiffened. He didn’t necessarily decide to transfer, and if Carson hadn’t had his accident, Damon most likely would have stayed and graduated from North Carolina with Wade. However, the topic of his brother—or anything else personal about himself—was one he never liked to delve into with anyone, no matter how tempting or engaging the person bringing up the topic was.
“Kinsley, I’m not sure what your point is with all these questions,” he said, deliberately keeping his voice light.
“Come on, Damon. I thought we were friends. This is what friends do. They talk. Usually to each other.”
“Oh, now you’re pulling the friendship card?”
“Yes, and you know what? Friends also do favors for each other. Like increasing their operating budgets,” she said, batting her eyes.
He cracked a smile. “Nice try, but the answer is still no.”
She took a deep breath and paused. “Fine.”
“Kinsley, I— Did you just say fine?”
“Yes, fine.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I mean it. The board still has to weigh its decision on anything pertaining to the hotel. If you do anything without my consent, it’ll be coming out of your paycheck. Do you understand that?”
Kinsley pulled her bottom lip between her teeth nervously, and his gaze was immediately drawn to her mouth. Like he needed an extra reason to focus on it. Then she tilted that pretty little head of hers, looking as if her brain was turning over like a turbo hamster wheel.
“I told you it’s fine,” she said again.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“Yep. Especially since that’s all you seem to have to say.”
“This isn’t like you,” he said, ignoring the remark about not wanting to talk about himself.
She flipped her long brown hair off her shoulder. “Well, maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Maybe not, but I think I’d like to. A dangerous notion to have, although he felt it just the same, because getting to know her better would mean she would get to know him in a more personal way, too. He couldn’t go there. No. Friends. That’s all they were. Friends and business associates. That’s all they ever should be. As attractive as he found Kinsley, she was still not his typical female type. Women he usually got involved with knew upfront what they were getting into. There would be no white picket fences in their future. Kinsley was the kind of woman who would want marriage and a family, seeing how much tradition meant to her. Plus, as Wade not so kindly reminded him, Kinsley was not a woman to be toyed with, especially after her recent breakup.
She shrugged good-naturedly and stood. “I had to try, right? Although I think you’re making a big mistake. But don’t worry. I can and will totally respect your decision.”
Damon frowned, then looked over his shoulder to make sure aliens hadn’t burst into the restaurant and started taking over all human minds. He hadn’t known Kinsley that long, but her immediate agreement with him had him feeling edgy and just a bit suspicious.
“Is that so?” he asked.
“Absolutely. I will not spend any extra money of the hotel’s operating budget on renovations unless first approved by you or the board.”
It took Damon a moment to answer. “Well…good,” he said, still feeling like he was missing something. But maybe it was just the allergies clouding his head.
She slung the strap of her handbag over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow, then,” she said, flashing him a grin.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” Puzzled by her abrupt change of mood, he watched as Kinsley made her way over to Arden and Ronnie Lafferty. And almost immediately wished he would have shared something about himself to make her stay a little longer.