19
Thursday evening . . .
Nobu sat at the edge of the casino in the Royal Towers, right beneath the nightclub. It was Japanese cuisine at its finest. Riley had arrived thirty minutes early to make sure the tables and menu were set for the VIP guests. She knew Max would arrive early too. He was always early. She smiled to herself, thinking she should have taken that into consideration this morning. She still had no idea how he had corralled twelve people an hour early.
The chef was preparing his omakase for them. It was a multicourse dinner of his choicest cuisine. A guest could never go wrong with it. And she knew Max and his guests would love it. At twenty after, Max walked through the doors. She handed him a watermelon martini. He loved them.
“You know me too well,” he said, taking the glass from her hand and leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Sorry again about today.”
“No apologies. I know with the hurricane coming in fast things are crazy around here. The good news—” he took a sip of his drink—“you have an incredible team who executed everything to perfection.”
“Well, tonight should be no different.” She raised her water to him. “Thank you for this opportunity, Max. I am enjoying my job immensely.”
He let the edge of his glass clink against hers. “Gabby seems to be doing great too.”
“She’s adjusting very well. The school has been very good for her.”
“I love seeing her.”
“I know. I sent her home with Jeremy this week. After Hugo, I don’t want anyone to have to go through one. I can’t believe any of the guests are staying.”
“People take their vacations seriously. But this thing has picked up speed. The wind is really whipping out there now. People who are leaving really do need to get out of here tonight. You should tell your other guests that. They’ve increased flights and will be running them through the night, until they can no longer fly.”
“They should leave tonight?”
“Yes, the storm is coming more quickly than they originally thought. So we need to be diligent about getting the rest of the guests notified. Reception was leaving messages for all of the remaining guests. But the ones who were staying for this concert might not realize that if they don’t get out tonight, they will probably be riding this one out. The surge is already getting much higher.”
Riley spotted Laine walking through the door and their discussion of the storm stopped. She glanced at her watch. Laine was a few minutes early. My, how things had changed. “Come here. I want you to meet someone.” She took Max’s arm and they walked toward Laine, who looked stunning in a black sheath dress with a complementing V-neck and a pair of yellow sling-backs. Riley was certain they were Jimmy Choos and she was shocked they weren’t black.
“Laine, I would like you to meet my boss and friend, Max Magiano. Max, this is our author in residence, Laine Fulton,” she said with a smile.
Laine gave her a smile in return and took Max’s extended hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Max.”
“And it’s a pleasure to have you at our hotel. I hope you have enjoyed your stay.”
“It’s been perfect. The property is extraordinary. The food exquisite. And the customer service—” she stopped and glanced at Riley—“matchless.”
Max patted Riley softly on the back. “This is a special lady.”
“She has been a wonderful hostess, I assure you.”
“Well, I’m glad you have had everything you need. Please accept my apology for not saying hello before now. Between some upcoming contracts, this event tonight, and this storm, I have been too busy.” Riley watched as Max caught sight of his guests beginning to come through the doors of the restaurant. “We’d love for you to join us for dinner tonight if you’d like, Ms. Fulton.”
“Please, call me Laine. And I think I will stay with Riley and our other friends this evening since we’re all headed out tomorrow. But thank you for the invitation.”
“Riley, take good care of them. Get them whatever they want, on me.”
Riley smiled and patted Max. “Thank you. We’ll see you at the concert. Your tables are all ready for you in the front, and don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you. Well, if you’ll excuse me, ladies.”
Laine nodded as Max headed toward the door.
“Thank you,” Riley said, pointing Laine toward their table.
“For what?” She put her hand mockingly to her chest. “Were you afraid I was going to say something to embarrass you?”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “You? No. I figured you’d just snatch me away again and make me miss something else important.”
Laine’s eyes widened. “What happened? Something else?”
“The VIPs all showed up an hour early today.”
She could see it was registering. “And I had you at Aquaventure.”
Riley nodded. She let her marinate in it for a moment.
“I’m so sorry. Was he mad?” Her anxiousness was evident.
Riley laughed, not wanting Laine to drown in the torture. “No. Thankfully I had everything ready, and Mia executed everything just like I would have.”
Laine nodded slowly. “Of course she did.”
“Stop it, Laine. You’re being nice tonight,” she said, sitting at the table. “And I’m ordering dinner tonight. Not you.”
“My, my, you’ve gotten bossy.”
“Just trust me.”
Laine looked down at the table. “Why are there all these plates?”
“We have extra guests.”
“So you took care of the roster, too?”
“Yes, this is my evening. You had your morning. The evening is mine.”
Laine crinkled her nose.
“Sit. You don’t always have to be in control, Laine. It’s an illusion anyway. There is no such thing. Now sit.” She smiled.
Laine obeyed. Twice in one day she had sat when told. Maybe miracles did still happen.
“And where’s your notebook?”
Laine raised her head in mock indignation.
Riley smiled. It was no longer about work for Laine. My, how far they had come.
Christian walked through the door with a young man who matched his six-foot frame. When they reached Laine and Riley, he introduced his friend. Lance Tyson had been working at The Reef for the last two months. He was still getting used to the job and to the area. He had moved here from Boston and his heritage came out with every syllable. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, and his biceps bulged slightly beneath the pressed sheen of his white cotton button-down.
Christian slipped into the seat beside Riley. His chocolate brown shirt only made the deep brown of his eyes more immersing. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.
Riley fingered her curls. She ran her hands nervously down the front of her khaki and white linen sheath dress. “Thank you.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of Winnie and Tamyra; Mia followed only a few moments later. When all the seats were taken and all the introductions made, the feast began to arrive. They would start with sushi.
Tamyra passed a plate in front of Winnie. “Taste it.”
Winnie eyed the raw tuna. “I do not eat food that has yet to be killed. I was raised on a farm, Tamyra. We wrung the chicken’s neck before we ate it.”
Tamyra didn’t move the plate. “I got in water today, Winnie. Eat the tuna.” Then offered her a cheesy smile.
Winnie pursed her lips and twisted them to one side. Tamyra took her own fork and placed a piece on Winnie’s plate, then politely passed the dish. The entire table tried to pretend they weren’t waiting to watch Winnie eat the tuna. But they were. Finally Laine broke the silence.
“For pete’s sake, Winnie, eat the blasted tuna. You’ve done things you never thought you’d do this week. No need to stop now.”
Winnie cocked her head at Laine, stabbed the tuna with her fork, and popped it in her mouth, chewing
intentionally, all while staring Laine straight in the eye. Laine offered a satisfied smirk.
“I can see you ladies have had an interesting week.” Christian laughed.
Laine shook her head. “Christian, interesting doesn’t even begin to define the week we’ve had.”
All four paused for a moment. Then laughter erupted around the table. As the food came like a revolving door across their table, their conversation transpired virtually the same way. Tamyra and Lance were engaged in conversation, Laine prodded Christian mercilessly, Winnie braved the conch seviche, and they all devoured Chilean sea bass, black cod with miso, and shrimp and lobster with spicy lemon sauce. Riley couldn’t have asked for a better evening.
“So, Mia . . . ,” Laine began. Riley involuntarily began to hold her breath. “Riley tells me you saved the day today.”
Mia laughed casually. “I wouldn’t say that. I’d say we have a great team.” Riley didn’t miss the glance she threw across the table toward Christian. Obviously Laine didn’t either.
“That’s what Riley keeps telling me. In fact, after her date with Christian last night, she was telling me just how grateful she was that she worked with such talented people.”
Riley kicked her under the table. Hard. Laine never flinched. Obviously she had been kicked under the table before. Riley had told Laine nothing. She had barely had time to breathe in the last twenty-four hours, never mind tell Laine about her date with Christian. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Mia,” Riley said, hoping to put a stop to wherever Laine was headed.
“Yes, you should—” Laine hesitated when Riley cut her off with a raised eyebrow, then continued. “Yes, you should be proud of the job you did today. It sounds like it saved Riley’s a—, uh, job.”
Christian interjected. “Riley had everything handled and ready to go. All we did was get them there a little early. She had worked ridiculously hard to make sure every detail was taken care of and nothing was missed. That made us more like concierges than anything.”
Riley turned to look at this man who seemed too good to be true. He was incredibly gorgeous, way too generous, and inexplicably kind. And right now he was looking right at her. “Well, again—” she turned back to Mia—“I couldn’t have done it without both of you.”
Winnie entered the conversation. “Okay, I’m glad everything went okay with y’all today, but I just need to know, do we have to walk through the casino to get to the concert? Because I had to do that this morning to save Tamyra from herself and you know, I’m Baptist—”
Riley, Tamyra, and Laine cut her off immediately. “And Baptists don’t gamble.”
Their unison response tickled the snot out of all of them. Even Winnie had to laugh.
They walked from the restaurant and into the casino. Winnie eyed the blackjack tables and craps tables as if the devil himself were going to jump off of them.
“We’re giving money away tonight like candy,” one of the dealers said as Winnie stopped to stare. She scooted to the center of the aisle as if he were going to grab her and tie her to a chair, forcing her to roll a die.
Riley walked in the front with Christian. “Thanks for joining us.”
“I see you and Laine have broken through your communication barrier.”
Riley rubbed slightly at her head. A gnawing pressure had been building throughout dinner. “That sounded like we had broken through something? I think we’re just broken. That woman is crazy. She’d drive a sober person to . . .” She stopped herself. She hadn’t made a remark like that in a long time. “Well, she’d drive a sane man crazy, let’s just say.” She rubbed her head again.
“You have a headache?” Christian reached over and cupped the back of her neck with his hand. Every part of her body tingled at his touch. He rubbed gently. She wanted to lean in like a dog would when you scratch behind his ears, but she didn’t think that would be too attractive in the middle of the casino.
“Just a nagger. It started coming on before dinner. Probably was hungry. I’m not sure that I’ve eaten much all day. I hardly touched lunch. So maybe once the food all settles, it will ease off.”
His fingers began to press at the base of her neck like a trained masseur. “I’ll go get you something.”
She reached for his hand. “No, honestly, I think I’m all right. It will ease off. I’ll just go into the concert and see how I feel. If it doesn’t subside, I’ll get something after it’s over.”
They came to the door of the concert hall. She stepped back to make sure everyone was there. Each one passed by her to enter the theater. Each one but Winnie. When Tamyra got to the door, she stopped her. “Where’s Winnie?”
Tamyra turned. Laine looked too. “I don’t know. She was right here with us.”
“Oh, great, you’ve lost a Baptist in the casino,” Riley said as she walked past them and headed back toward the casino.
Laine followed at her heels. “Don’t tell Winnie, but I’m certain I spotted a couple other Baptists in there and they were enjoying themselves.”
Riley just shook her head and kept walking. About twenty feet into the casino, she spotted Winnie’s bejeweled denim ensemble and her pink cowboy hat. She was as hard to miss as a charismatic at Catholic Mass. She was standing at a craps table, hands on the side, head tilted down, and eyes transfixed. Riley scooted up beside her, followed by Tamyra on her other side and Laine breathing down her neck. “God sees you everywhere you go, Winnie.”
Winnie swatted at Laine behind her. “I’m just watching.”
“Interesting, huh?” Tamyra asked.
“Incredibly confusing. He told me the rules, but I don’t have one idea what in tarnation that man said.”
Laine stepped back. “She did not just say tarnation. Please tell me you Southern people don’t still say tarnation. Do you still preach hell and damnation?”
Winnie turned and looked at Laine. “Do not cuss. It’s bad enough we’re standing in the middle of a casino and y’all are watching a game called ‘craps,’” she said, her hands flying out at them. “We sure don’t need you aiding and abetting by cussing.” She pushed past her and headed toward the theater.
Tamyra laughed. “You’ll learn, Laine. You’ll learn.”
“Good luck with that,” Riley quipped.
Laine mimicked them all from behind, but Riley knew exactly what she was doing. She had learned Laine well.
* * *
About halfway through Harry Connick Jr.’s second set, Riley thought her head would split open. The tables for the VIPs and her guests sat in front of the stage. She rubbed her temples fiercely, unable to remember the last time her head had hurt this way. Mia slipped a hand around from behind her and handed her a bottled water, the lid already off. It wasn’t Goody’s headache powder, but hopefully just the distraction of something to drink could get her mind off of the pain shooting through her head. Fortunately she was listening to Harry Connick Jr. and not Aerosmith.
Laine leaned over. “You okay?”
“Just have this killer headache I can’t get rid of. But I’ll be fine. I’ll grab something when we leave.”
Riley took a long drink and rubbed the back of her head. When she lifted it, she caught Winnie’s smile. It shone as bright as the rhinestones on her outfit did when they caught the lights from the stage. She looked at Tamyra. The young woman who didn’t even want to look you in the eye five days ago now didn’t take her eyes off of the stage. Their deep blackness was lit with a brightness of one who was living. She turned toward Laine. She hadn’t mentioned if she had talked to Mitchell, but then again, Riley hadn’t stopped long enough to ask. But whether she had or not, the woman sitting next to her was not the beast who had arrived less than a week ago.
She smiled to herself and took another long drink from the bottle. Her friendship with these women made no sense. They had all wanted to kill each other at some point. Wanted to hug each other at times. Laughed during all the moments they weren’t crying or yelling. And somewhere in the middl
e of all of it, her heart had connected to these women with an intensity few of her friendships had ever produced. She had known she would enjoy her job, but she had never known she could enjoy it this much.
One of those “divine setups,” as Josalyn would say. Yes, she had been set up perfectly. She glanced at Christian. He caught her eye and winked at her. The kindness from that man overwhelmed her. She couldn’t perceive anything in him to contradict this deep, genuine kindness. He had admitted his faults in his marriage, was candid about his imperfections, and she was sure they were there. But there was also this sweetness that couldn’t be masked. Riley glanced over her shoulder; Mia gave her a quick wave and one of her bouncing smiles. This girl had saved her behind all week. She would be a friend long after the others were gone, and this was just another reason to be grateful for where life had her now. For more than a moment Riley had forgotten the pounding in her head. Maybe she was just thirsty.
The concert ended with two encores and three hundred satisfied guests. Max sidled up next to her. “They want to go to the nightclub for a little while before they head out.”
“Yeah?”
He touched her arm softly. “I’d like you to join us, just because it would be good for business, but if it would be too difficult, I don’t want you to put yourself—”
She patted his hand, stopping him in midsentence. “It’s okay. I can handle a nightclub. I still like to dance,” she said, giving him a reassuring wink.
Obviously his guests wanted more fun before they flew back to Miami. And it wasn’t the alcohol that would bother her. It would be the music that could possibly ramp up the pounding in her temples. Riley turned back to her ladies. “Would any of you like to go to the nightclub for a few minutes of dancing?”
Riley glanced at Winnie, whose hand had quickly flown to her chest. Tamyra pulled her hand away and looked at Max. “We’d love to. Winnie loves to dance.”
Hurricanes in Paradise Page 24