Chapter Fifteen
Damon had been back five days, and he still couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm at work. He hated being back. The view of New York City’s financial district held no appeal to him anymore. He actually missed the clean, salty air of Cape Harmony, those apple cider doughnuts at The Drip N Sip that Kinsley would sometimes bring him, and even that fat cat who’d stare him down every day. Most of all he missed Kinsley. Laughing with her. Arguing with her. Kissing her.
He dragged his hand through his hair. He was at his wit’s end. He couldn’t work, couldn’t sleep. He needed to hear her voice. But she wouldn’t answer her phone. When he couldn’t stand it any longer, he texted her, asking her to call him so he could apologize again. She didn’t.
And he didn’t blame her.
Damon had known Alec Dunleavy was behind the sale of the hotel and had gotten the board to go along with him to get rid of the property behind his back. For that reason alone, he could have strangled the man with one hand. Dunleavy had always been out for blood, but this time he’d actually drawn it.
A few light raps on his door sounded before he saw his father walk in.
“Damon, I do have a business to run. Therefore, do you want to explain to me why you haven’t responded to any of my emails from two days ago?” he asked, making himself comfortable on his office sofa.
I’ve been too preoccupied thinking about a woman who hates me.
He knew that excuse wouldn’t go over too well. “I’m still playing catch-up with a few dealings.”
“Would one of them be The Harbor Light Hotel?”
Damon stopped writing and peered at his father. “I assigned someone else to oversee that transaction.”
“Why would you do that? You spent well over a month there. You should know it better than anyone.”
“I have my reasons,” he said irritably.
A short silence followed. “Are they personal reasons? Alec mentioned he saw you with a young woman down there. The acting manager, I believe.”
“It’s not personal.” He cringed as he said the words. The “it’s not personal” line was becoming his mantra. And becoming a lie. But he had to save face with his dad. Not express his feelings. Keep it business only and not personal. Be the good, responsible son for a change.
“Alec also told me the manager was going to have a classic movie night at the hotel,” his dad said with a fond smile. “Remember when we’d watch those old movies on the weekends? Drove your mother nuts.”
Damon gazed at the thoughtful expression on his dad’s face and cracked a smile, too. “I do, Dad. I loved that time with you. I was the one who suggested the idea to her.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. They were…good memories between you and me.”
His father looked touched at his answer. “Yes, they were,” he said quietly, studying his folded hands. “I’m glad to hear that meant so much to you. It meant a lot to me, too.”
After several long moments, his dad looked up. “Damon, you and I may not be as close as we once were, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care. I can still tell when something—or in this case, someone—is bothering you. You look as if you haven’t seen the sun in days.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
His father narrowed his eyes. “Normally I would agree with you, but this time your work is being affected. I’m thinking it has something to do with that woman.”
He sat back with a sigh. There was no use pretending. His father was right. She was affecting his work—along with his eating and his sleeping. And the fact that his dad even took an interest in how Damon was feeling was a moment he shouldn’t squander. “Her name is Kinsley. In short, I let her down. And now she hates me.”
“Why would you care so much if this woman hates you?”
“I made her a promise I had a feeling I couldn’t fulfill. But I promised her anyway. I told her I’d give her time to change the hotel around and turn a profit. If she did that, I figured I’d have a chance at convincing the board to hold on to the property. I told her I had faith in her.”
“I doubt you would tell someone that if you didn’t truly believe it. Do you have faith in her abilities?”
“Of course.”
His father hesitated. “And do you have feelings for this Kinsley, too?”
Closing his eyes, Damon let his head roll back on his chair. “Ever since Carson died, I have felt a tight band over my chest and heart. It prevents me from feeling. I can barely breathe because of it. I think about that night a lot.”
“Not now, Damon. It’s not the time or place.”
His eyes sprang open. “Yes, Dad. Now is the time. In fact, it’s ten years too late. We need to talk about Carson. Sometimes I think you wished I was in that car instead of him.”
He blanched. “How could you think that?”
His laugh was bitter. “Let’s face it. We all know Carson was a better son.”
“Your mom and I were devastated over losing a child. Didn’t matter what child. You and Carson were about as different as peanut butter and jelly, but we loved you equally. Maybe I didn’t verbally express it, but that’s how I’ve always felt. It’s how I still feel. Maybe we should have gotten counseling to deal with the accident, but at the time, it was easier to not talk about it. Unfortunately, that drove a bigger wedge between your mom and me. But I had no idea I was driving a wedge between us as well. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well,” he said, running a hand down his face, “apparently I’m a little lacking in the verbal expression department too. I couldn’t tell Kinsley how I felt about her.” But he’d wanted to—and he had been close. The words that had been slowly taking root in his heart just wouldn’t be released. She, on the other hand, was very upfront about her feelings toward him. She was in love with him. And he’d just turned away from that. Away from her.
Away from love.
And Damon was in love with her. He was 100 percent all in. But now it was too late.
“I’m sorry if I never told you. But don’t be afraid to see what Kinsley sees in you. What your mom and I have always seen in you.” His father’s tone darkened. “Look, Carson’s life was cut short. But yours was not. Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith to hold on to some happiness if it’s presented to you. No matter how long that happiness lasts. You might not get a second chance to grab it.”
Damon swallowed hard. “It’s too late. She won’t speak to me. Not after our company sold her family’s hotel without warning.”
“Who says it’s too late?”
“Dad, please. I saw Alec’s email. The hotel is under agreement with that builder you know. He has plans to put condos there.”
“I saw Alec’s email, too. But the hotel is not under agreement.”
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t signed it yet.”
Damon’s heart rate kicked into high gear and he sat up. “What are you talking about? Alec said it was. I saw the paperwork. The email exchanges. The employees have been alerted to the sale already.”
“I’m sure Alec and the rest of the board expected me to sign. And I probably would have under any other circumstance. However…”
“However, what?”
His father shrugged. “You were down there and had seen the operation of it day in and day out. I wanted your take on it first.”
Damon went still. He’d wanted his father’s respect and approval for so long that hearing those words didn’t seem real. “You really wanted to know what I thought before you made a decision?” he asked.
“I did. I still do, son.” He steepled his hands expectantly. “And what is your opinion on this property? What do you think we should do with it? Not that I don’t already have an inkling.”
Damon smiled. “Thanks, Dad. This means a lot to me. For many reasons.”
“Normally I don’t like to get emotions involved with business, but we’ll just keep this between us. Let’s see what your woman can do.”
His woman. He liked the sound of that. Kinsley wasn’t his yet. But he was about to take a giant leap of faith and try to make her his.
Without another word to his father, he picked up the phone to call down for his car. He had a long drive ahead of him. It wasn’t too late for the hotel, and if he had any ounce of luck left on his side, it wouldn’t be too late for him as well.
…
Arden poured the sparkling cider as Kinsley passed out glasses to the staff. Good news needed a little celebration, but since half the staff still had to work the night, Kinsley opted for something non-alcoholic to serve. She even had Chef Rick make up some trays of his specialty hors d’oeuvres for the occasion.
Earlier in the day, she had received an email from the St. James Corporation—from Damon’s dad specifically—explaining the fallout of the hotel sale. He also wanted to alleviate employees’ fears by ensuring that there were no plans to sell at this time and to continue business as usual. Corporate profitability analysis would be determined and discussed by the board in three years.
Thank goodness.
Everything was exactly as she’d hoped it would turn out. Almost. She could only assume Damon was behind the corporation’s change of heart. He obviously wanted to keep his word to her, which she appreciated, and believed in her abilities. Unfortunately, that’s as far it went.
He didn’t believe they had a future together.
Arden came up behind her and clinked her glass with Kinsley’s. “Why so glum? This is what you’ve wanted since you moved back home.”
“Okay, how’s this?” She pasted on a fake smile.
“Go back to frowning.” Arden wrinkled her nose. “But seriously, maybe you, me, and Elena should go out tonight. Celebrate properly. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I don’t have to tell my bride she was going to have to cancel her beach wedding. That in itself deserves a night out on the town. Maybe we’ll meet some men.”
The thought of getting involved with someone else so soon made her queasy, but she nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. We should go out and celebrate.”
“Just no Chardonnay, right?” Arden said with a wink.
“And no tequila.”
“Tequila?” Arden squinted.
She shook her head and sighed. “Personal joke.” And the title of her life if it were made into a movie.
Beaming liked she’d just won the lottery, Elena came around the corner, wheeling in a cart with a tall cake on top. “A party wouldn’t be a party without cake, right?”
Kinsley swung her head around toward Rick. “Oh, it’s lovely. When did you even have the time to whip this thing up? It looks like it would have taken a full day to make.”
Rick lifted his brow. “I didn’t make it.”
Kinsley looked to Elena. “Did you order a cake?”
“No,” Elena said with wide eyes. “It was just…delivered.”
“From who?”
“From me,” Damon said, standing in the doorway.
Kinsley’s heart squeezed when his blue eyes connected with hers. Damon was dressed in his usual workwear: dark suit, white shirt, solid bold-colored tie. However, he looked rumpled and tired as if he’d jumped in the car and driven four hours to tell her the news about the hotel himself.
The room grew quiet as Damon walked over to her. She didn’t understand it any better than her employees. He’d come back. She didn’t know the reasoning yet, but he’d come back to see her. And it gave her hope.
She turned her face up to his. “What are you doing here?”
“Trying to apologize and show you how I feel.”
Her brow lifted. “With cake?”
“Yeah.” The side of his mouth lifted a fraction. “With cake. I was wrong to not tell you the truth about the hotel, and I was wrong to push you away. But I was afraid you’d push me away first. I’m sorry for all that. Regardless of what happens next, I want you to know that I love you.”
Her heart stopped, and she took a step back. “What? You do?”
“I do. And even if you don’t feel the same, I also want you to know that you’re going to kill it as manager here. The corporation is fully behind you and your ideas.”
She paused, digesting what he was saying and wanting more than anything to believe him. Love reflected in his face, but he’d hurt her and part of her was still wary.
“Oh, really?” she said, folding her arms. “So what happens now? I’m just supposed to accept all this and we go back to exactly how things were before?”
“No.” His eyes never leaving hers, he stepped closer. “Definitely not like before.”
She struggled to breathe under his intense gaze. “So then tell me,” she said, finding her voice. “How will things be?”
“I know I haven’t always been open. But I’m going to try and be more communicative from now on. How’s that for starters?”
Not bad. “I’m listening,” she hedged.
“And I want us to be full partners. Partners in every sense. Not just here at the hotel, but also outside the hotel. I want you in every aspect of my life, Kinsley Roberts, because you make me a better businessman and a better man.”
She blinked, moisture rushing to her eyes, then gestured to the cake. “You know, most men bring guilt flowers when they want to apologize.”
“I’m not most men,” he said, reaching out and touching her cheek in a wistful gesture.
She smiled. No, he wasn’t like most men. But that was perfectly fine with her. She didn’t want him any other way.
“I don’t want to be a frosting-only type of guy anymore, Kinsley. I want to try having the whole dessert. With you.”
Kinsley released the breath caught in her lungs. “I’d like that,” she whispered.
He grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss into her palm. “Does that mean you love me, too?”
A giggle bubbled up her throat. “Yeah, I love you,” she said with a wobbly smile. “I love you very much.”
Damon hauled her up against him, his lips landing on hers with such extreme need, her mind spun. She lifted her arms around his neck and held on, kissing him back with as much passion as he gave. Laughter and clapping sounded all around them, and there were some definite hoots from Elena and Arden.
After a few minutes of bliss, Arden tapped them on the shoulder. “Don’t mind us, love birds, but can we cut this cake already? Your staff is getting a little anxious here.”
Kinsley’s laughter was muffled in Damon’s shirt. “What do you think? Should we cut the cake now?”
He pulled back to look at her face and shook his head. “Don’t ask me. You’re the boss.”
“Wow, I could get really used to hearing you say that.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her smiling lips. “That’s what I’m counting on.”