FOURTEEN
For the next two weeks, things were going great. Cat got everyone scheduled, and assigned employee rooms to seven members of her staff. The rest of them were all local people, and at least three of the seven who weren’t intended to get a mobile home together within the next month or so. Aiden was able to spend most of his time with the divers bringing in more of the damaged coral, and the only real trouble the pair had was deciding if Cat should take one of the employee rooms for herself or throw caution to the wind and move straight into his condo.
“I told you already, I don’t think I should live with you until after your divorce,” she insisted once more as the grand opening loomed closer. “You need to get all of your ducks in a row, and besides, right now I’m better off to stay on site until we make sure about just how cohesive the staff really is, you know?”
“Well, we’ve still got two days before we open the doors,” Aiden said, sighing. “How about if you spend them with me there, and we’ll do something normal. The best way to know if we’d be good together is to just spend a normal, average weekend together and see how that goes.”
Cat giggled. “You mean like, laying around with the TV on and snacking on Friday’s leftover pizza? That kind of normal?|”
“Yeah, and we could even wear sweats and raid the refrigerator at midnight.”
“I’m down,” said Cat, smiling. “Just let me go get my purse out of the office, and then I’m all yours.”
“I love the sound of that,” Aiden said, grinning broadly. “I’ll go bring the Porsche.”
Cat skipped up the stairs and into the main hotel, then hurried toward the back office. Ellen, who had been hired as one of the new front desk staff, had been asked to man the chair each of the last three days in case anybody came in to ask about reservations or called with questions. Kellen had trained her and provided her with everything she would need to know, and she looked calm and content at the moment.
“Say Ell, how’s it going in here?”
“Everything is great. The phone has been quiet, and the website is pretty much tending to itself,” she replied. “Looks like I’ll be sitting quiet until it’s time to go home.”
“I’ll see if Kellen will let you knock off an hour early if you’d like,” Cat offered. “I’m headed that way.”
“Oh no, I’m good. Thanks though.”
Smiling, Cat stepped into the back half of the building and through the door marked ‘office’. “Oh, hello Kellen. I’ve forgotten my purse,” she said as she headed for her desk. “Who is your friend?”
“Mrs. Whitney,” replied the blonde as she got to her feet, revealing a superior height and a toned body Cat could only dream of obtaining herself.
Cat looked her over curiously. “Really. And what is your business at the resort, Mrs. Whitney? I was under the impression you and your husband were—well, not having any discourse. Did you not just tell the world he was frighteningly cruel to you?”
“Tabloids,” she scoffed. “They never do get a story correct, do they? You must be the woman Aiden hired to run domestics I suppose?”
“Yes, Cat Addison, ma’am,” she nodded. “Did you let Aiden know you would be here?”
“Not at all,” she smirked. “I’ve come to apologize, actually, for the frightful way I’ve been acting over the last month or so. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, by any chance? Kellen has told me it’s likely that you would.”
“Oh yes, I certainly do,” Cat replied stoically, not letting on to her rising ire. She still wasn’t quite sure where to direct it as yet, and so she held it all in. “He’s just gone to the garage, I believe. But I’m quite certain he’ll be soon driving over here.”
“Wonderful,” she said, and her smile was insincere as she took Cat’s hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Addison. I hope you will enjoy working here.”
“I’m quite sure that I will,” Cat replied, picking up her purse and casting Kellen a glare as the woman headed for the exit. She decided to discreetly follow her.
Aiden was just reaching the bottom step as his wife stepped through the door, and his smile fell away just like magic as he glanced past her and spotted Cat. He frowned at her apologetically before he met the other woman’s eyes.
“Brynn? What are you doing here?”
“Aiden, darling, I’m so glad I’ve found you at last,” she said breezily. “Your staff here seems quite pleasant and helpful. Could we talk, please? I believe I’ve made a terrible mistake, and I would like to set things right between us if you will let me.”
“I’m sorry, but I believe that you included a restraining order in your divorce paperwork,” he said in an offhand manner. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’ve asked my lawyers to cancel the proceedings,” she said then. “I don’t think a divorce is what this marriage needs. If you’ll have me, I’d like to start again.”
“Just like that?” he scoffed. “I don’t believe a word of it. What are you up to, Brynn?”
“Nothing, my darling husband,” she said, laughing. “I’ve booked one of the executive suites for myself and five of my friends. They should be arriving sometime on opening day. Unfortunately, until then I’ve nowhere to stay. Did you not tell me you’d gotten yourself a place?”
“I’ve gotten myself a place, yes, but it has nothing to do with you,” Aiden said with a scowl. “Go in and tell Kellen of your booking. You can stay in your cabin a couple of days early. And as for the divorce, I have every intention of honoring your request for it, if not for your unreasonable claims on my pocketbook. You and I have nothing to say to each other. Cat? Were you coming?”
“Cat?” Brynn gasped, looking behind her and spotting Cat herself. “Oh, Miss Addison, I did not realize you were there.”
“Excuse me, please,” said Cat, holding her chin level and retaining her dignity as much as possible. “Aiden and I were just going into town.”
“Yes, so I see,” she said, scowling. “I hope you enjoy yourselves.”
“That is our intention,” Aiden replied. “You have a pleasant evening.”
Cat stepped past the irate looking woman and followed Aiden back to his SUV. She was frowning the whole way, while her back was to Brynn, but as soon as her face was visible to him she tried to paste on a smile, fake though it may be.
“Don’t pretend for her, Cat,” Aiden sneered. “She’s not worth your effort. I’m curious to find out what’s set her off this way. It wouldn’t surprise me if her lawyer informed her she would be unable to force half of my income from me, and now she’s trying to find some way to get back into my good graces. That’s just the sort of heartless, gold digging tactics she’s used over the past seven years in her bid to dominate.”
“She strikes me as a most unpleasant person when she doesn’t get her own way,” Cat had to agree. “The type of person I don’t prefer to turn my back on, if you know what I mean? Are you sure you want to leave her with the full run of the property?”
“Don’t be silly, Cat, she’s not going to do anything stupid here,” Aiden scoffed. “Especially not if she’s trying to salvage anything.”
“But you did just tell her you weren’t going to,” Cat pointed out. “She strikes me as somebody who could be quite spiteful. I’d feel a whole lot better if you told the staff to keep an eye out, just in case.”
Aiden smiled. “You sound like you care or something.”
Cat chuckled. “I care about you,” she said, playfully punching his arm. “And also, I’d kind of like to keep my job. If she does anything to ruin the resort that also goes right down the drain.”
“Cat, you know I’d just hire you somewhere else if you wanted me to.”
“Well sure, I know, but any of those places wouldn’t be so close to my dad, and probably wouldn’t even be in the Keys,” she said, sighing. “It’s just so damned beautiful here, I’d have to have to move.”
“Listen to all this morbid talk,” said Aiden with a shake of his head. “I’ve known Brynn for seven years, I think I can safely say she’s not the sort of person who would destroy the property on purpose. She can be cruel, but she’s far from stupid.”
“For your sake, Aiden, I hope so.”