by Krista Lakes
She sighed and spoke slowly. “He wants your company. For the past six months, you haven't given it to him. He's tried everything to get it. And it hasn't worked, so he's trying a new tactic.”
“No...” I shook my head, but she wouldn’t let me go.
“He gets you to like him. Trust him. Believe that he's looking out for your best interests.” Maddy paused and pressed her lips together for a moment. “How long do you think you'll be able to keep telling him you're not selling when you’re sleeping in bed with him?”
“It's not like that, Maddy,” I said, trying to figure out what it actually was like myself. With her words in my ear, I wasn't quite so sure anymore. Doubt was creeping into regret's spot in my stomach.
“Then what is it like? From where I'm standing, a shrewd, conniving businessman is reaching you where you are most vulnerable. As soon as you give him what he wants, he's going to leave you high and dry…again.” She frowned, her eyes concerned. What scared me more than anything was that she wasn't even angry.
“He wouldn't...” I repeated breathlessly.
“How can you say that after what he did to you? If it hadn't been for him, you would have had backers like Travel-Pedia and HotelVacations two years ago.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “He led you on for the benefit of Travel, Inc. And now he's doing it again, but you're too charmed by his six-pack abs and empty promises to see it. But this time, it's going to be even worse. I won't be able to save you this time.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. What if she was right? What if this was just another one of Logan’s amazing business negotiation tactics? I didn't want to be used again. But he had been so honest and sincere yesterday. It had felt real, more real than anything I had ever had with another person.
“He's promised to help me fix this,” I said meekly, still unwilling to doubt him in full. “He's sincere about it. I know it.”
“And he hasn't given you any reason not to trust that? I mean, even if we negate past experiences with him, he hasn't done anything that makes you think he might be hiding something from you?” Maddy asked. I instantly remembered when he slammed his laptop shut this morning.
“No. He hasn't done anything to make me doubt him.” It wasn't really a lie. Maddy didn't need to know what had happened this morning after I startled him. Besides, he had every right to be startled. I would have reacted the same way.
Maddy looked at me, evaluating my words before speaking. “You remember meeting my ex-husband, Tom, right? You shook his hand and he smiled and was incredibly charming?”
I nodded. I had met him only once, but he had seemed very nice.
“And I bet you wondered for a moment, 'Is Maddy crazy? This is a great guy!'” Maddy paused just long enough for me to start denying it before she cut me off. “But you saw what he did to me. How he was so sweet and kind and caring about the whole affair. He apologized so many times and I believed him.”
“I remember,” I said softly.
She sniffled and wiped her eye with her hand. “And then he took everything. And because I had trusted him--because I thought his lies were sincere promises--he got it all. He left Tyler and me with nothing because I trusted him when he said he had 'only good intentions' toward me.”
I remembered that part, too. I met Maddy just as the divorce proceedings had started. Things had seemed to be amicable on the surface, but the lying, cheating bastard had abused Maddy's innocence and love. He took almost everything in the divorce simply because he could.
“Tell me you don't see the parallel here. Tell me that Logan, and all his tactics and charm, doesn't remind you of Tom.” Maddy held onto me, forcing me to look her in the eye instead of down at the floor. The parallels were strong, but surely Logan was a better person than Tom. As much as I loved Maddy, I knew I was better at reading people. But when I met Maddy's pleading gaze, I wasn't so sure about anything anymore.
Maddy was one of the sharpest people I knew. Nothing seemed to get by her, and yet Tom had taken advantage of her, time and again. Could I be missing what Logan was doing in the same way? Was Maddy right? Was love blinding me? I wasn't sure.
“I'm not trying to destroy your happiness. I'm really not. I'm trying to do you a favor here. Don't be me.” She let go of my shoulders and sighed. “Just don't believe his sweet words and leave your business unguarded.”
I looked down at my hands. I was so confused. Logan and Maddy each pulled on my heartstrings and unsettled my mind. How on earth was I supposed to chose?
“Even if he is exactly what he says he is, even if the evil Travel, Inc. company did all of this without his knowledge, is Logan Hayes of Travel, Inc. someone that Olivia Statler of Dream Vacations should be associating with?” Maddy asked, switching to a more logical tactic.
When I didn't respond, she continued, “If he can't buy your company, he's going to become your biggest competition. His company, with or without his consent, stole our top consultants. If Travel, Inc. can't get ownership of Dream Vacations, they are going to make their own. With that in mind, where do you see this relationship going?”
I didn't have an immediate answer for that. I had been so caught up in the moment, in our passionate hurricane kisses, that I hadn't thought of the future. I turned and walked to the window, trying to think. The wind rattled the boards, but we were still safe from the storm outside. I realized I was now accustomed to the roar of the rain and barely even heard it anymore. It was funny how quickly that had happened.
I tried to imagine a future where I still had complete control over Dream Vacations and also still had Logan. My imagination was not kind. In every scenario I could think of, hostilities were bound to brew up between us like storms. I thought of us trying to talk over dinner about work; thought of meeting his brother; thought of meeting his father.
That last one made me shudder. If his father was willing to go to the work of stealing my consultants away in order to bring down my business, what would he be willing to do if he found out we were together? Not only would both of our lives revolve around our work; we'd be working toward completely opposite goals. Despite my feelings for Logan, I couldn't see a way of us working beyond these hotel walls.
“What do I do, Maddy?” I felt a tear run down my cheek. I turned from the window to face her. “I like him, and I know he likes me. A lot. How do I go downstairs and say, ‘Hey, thanks for the fantastic sex and deep conversations, but for business reasons, we’re going to have to stop seeing each other.’”
“You say just that. Maybe a little more nicely,” she offered with a smile.
“I don't want to hurt him,” I whispered. Even though he had once hurt me, I didn't want to turn around and do the same. Once, not that long ago, I would have relished this opportunity. But now … now, I hated it. I slid to the floor and leaned against the wall. I could feel the strength of the storm outside as it pummeled the siding.
“You have a choice to make, then,” Maddy stated logically. “Logan Hayes, billionaire playboy representing your biggest competition, or the business you built with your own blood, sweat, and tears. The business that feeds not only my son and me, but six other women's families? The company of your dreams. It's either Logan, or Dream Vacations, Liv.”
I glanced up at her, my eyes welling with fresh tears. I knew she was right. I was responsible for the financial well-being of my employees. That didn't mean I had to like it, though. “Why can't I have both?”
Maddy crossed the room and dropped to her knees to hug me. I felt safe in her arms--not as safe as I did in Logan's, but I knew she loved me and would always do so. “Because life sucks. I'm pretty sure the whole goal of existence is to make things as complicated and difficult as possible.”
I let out a shuddering sigh. I wished I had never gotten out of bed. This isn't what I wanted. Not even close, but I knew what I needed to do. Maddy rose and helped me stand.
“You ready?” she asked, once I was up. I stared at the door, desperately racking my brain for an alternative solution. I cou
ldn't find one.
“I hate being an adult,” I whined, sounding more like a kid instead. “I don't want to do this.”
“Do you want me to do it for you?” Maddy offered. “I'll go down there and do it myself if it will make it easier for you.”
“Thank you, but no.” I shook my head and took a deep breath. “It needs to come from me. Otherwise, it's too close to what he did to me. I had the hardest time accepting that and letting it go. If I do it, it will be real. If you do it, then there's a chance. I don't want to tempt him with false hope. If he had been the one to call and tell me that Travel, Inc. didn't want me--that our drinks had been fun, but there was nothing for us--I would have believed it and it wouldn't have weighed so heavy on my heart.”
Maddy hugged me again. I tried to absorb some of her resolve, but I didn't feel any tougher. She squeezed me tighter. “You can do it. Do you want me to come down with you?”
“Yes,” I said timidly. “But stay out of sight. I need to be the one doing this. I can’t have you standing there coaching me.”
“I'll stay hidden, don't worry,” she assured me. “This will all work out in the end.”
I nodded absently, opening the door to the hallway. “By the way, where's Tyler?” I asked. I knew it was a distraction, but I needed something better to put in my mind than the fact that I was off to break someone's heart.
“Sleeping in. He spent most of the night with Spock. The room that they have him in echoes really loudly with the wind. Plus, if Tyler isn't with him, the dog gets anxious,” she explained.
“I guess they both need each other,” I reasoned.
“Yeah, they do.” Maddy waited patiently for me to step into the hallway, but I just stood there listening to her tell me about Tyler. “Anyway, I went down and found them both fast asleep in a corner, so I brought Tyler back to sleep in a bed. Poor kid needed some actual rest. Spock should be fine until Tyler wakes up.”
I nodded but made no move to leave the doorway. Maddy gave me a gentle nudge. “Now, stop stalling. Rip off the Band-Aid, or it's just going to hurt worse,” she advised me.
I finally moved forward, and Maddy closed the door firmly behind me.
Chapter 23
Logan sat at a table waiting for me. His long legs were crossed off to the side as he flipped through an old newspaper and sipped on a coffee. He looked content and alluring with the candlelight flickering across his handsome face. The lighting in the restaurant was romantic, which felt strange for breakfast, but but since all the windows were boarded over, having candles on each table made sense in case of power outage. I swallowed hard and looked back at Maddy, who was waiting by the elevators. She nodded. I took a deep breath, trying to stop time. It didn't work. I still had to do this.
I paused, taking in the strength of his jaw and the curve of his cheek. That lone curl had fallen across his forehead again. I tried to imagine this scene with the two of us in Chicago. Could we make it work? Was Maddy wrong?
Every last minute scenario I could come up with was terrible. Our businesses always came between us. I wished that his father hadn't turned me down two years ago. If I had joined Travel, Inc. then, I wouldn't be going through this now. Granted, I would have never found out how strong I could be and how much I loved running my own business, but the loss still made my heart ache.
I had to do this. I had to end it my relationship with Logan here, before it had a chance to move off the island and destroy us both. I could almost convince myself that if I stopped us now, it wouldn't hurt. That the connection we had was purely physical. That I wasn't starting to feel things toward him. That I hadn't actually been feeling those things towards him for a long time. Love and hate were such opposite sides of the spectrum, but yet I knew emotions were more like a circle than a line. The distinction between the two was blurry, and I was terribly afraid I had crossed it a long time ago.
Still, this relationship endangered my livelihood. I put everything I had, emotionally and financially, into building and running Dream Vacations. Sleeping with the competition put all that I had worked for in jeopardy. I loved the freedom of owning my own business and making my own decisions. I couldn't give that up. Not for something I wasn't sure was going to last a week outside of the tropical air.
Business was what had kept us apart the last time, too. This romance was doomed from the start. Maddy was right. It was Logan or my company. And right now, my company had the better track record. Logan had the better body, but Dream Vacations was my future.
I squared my shoulders and pulled up the memory of the secretary telling me that Mr. Hayes was no longer interested. I let that hurt wash over me and give me the strength to do this. I could be gentle, but my resolve had to be firm. I walked into the room and sat down across from the man whose heart I was about to break.
His face blossomed into a smile as I sat. He glanced down at the table, indicating the cup of coffee he'd gotten for me. I could smell the delicious aroma of a vanilla latte. My favorite. My nerve wavered, and I nearly called my plan off. Be strong, I told myself. You can do this. You have to do this.
“I read in an interview that vanilla lattes were your favorite,” Logan admitted. He grinned like a child eager to hear that his surprise was well liked.
“Yes, they are,” I said softly, staring down at the light brown liquid. His eyes held that color sometimes. I felt tears forming deep within me. I hated this part. This moment of innocence and calm before the storm was terrible.
“Are you okay?” Logan asked. His enthusiasm had switched to concern. He reached out a hand and placed it on mine.
I pulled my hand away. “No. I'm not.” My voice shook as I looked up from the coffee and in to his troubled face. “I'm very sorry, but we can't do this.”
“They have a couple of other flavors of lattes,” Logan replied, deliberately misunderstanding me. “You can have anything you want.”
“It's not the latte,” I said quietly. My heart was made of glass and it was shattering. “It's us.”
And then I proceeded to break both our hearts.
Chapter 24
“The hurricane currently pounding on the shores of Antigua and the surrounding islands has been upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds approaching a hundred and ten miles per hour. The storm is dissipating as it moves further South, but conditions are still considered to be dangerous. Residents are advised to stay indoors in a safe location. Power outages and flooding are expected in many areas...”
I stared at the TV screen, not really hearing the reporter's words or even seeing the map. The room was dark except for the glowing screen, and I was simply focused on the light. I wasn't sure how long I had been sitting here, staring at nothing and hating myself, but enough time had passed that the gray light was gone from the windows.
I kept seeing Logan's crumple, seeing the ache and betrayal in his eyes, seeing his broad shoulders slumping as he broke. All I could hear were the tightness in his voice and the loss and pain that echoed through in the pauses between his words. I had hurt him. I had given him hope that we could be happy, and then stripped it all away from him. Having hurt him was what killed me most.
I reached for another Kleenex, but the box was empty. I didn't have the energy to move to find another one or to even get a roll of toilet paper from the bathroom. I just wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and let the storm swallow me whole. It was what I deserved.
Worst. Vacation. Ever.
A frantic banging on my door finally roused me from my stupor. I staggered to my feet and opened it to see a very pale Maddy.
“Have you seen Tyler?” she asked, peeking around me to see if he was in my room. Her hair was a mess and her voice wrought with anxiety. A jolt of fear woke me up from my own problems.
“No, I haven't,” I told her, opening the door wider to let her in. “Is everything okay? What's going on?”
She paced the living room nervously, the clunk of her walking boot only adding to my anxiety. Her hands
twisted a bracelet around her wrist in a quick motion. She only did that when she was extremely distressed. “I took a nap this afternoon, and when I woke up, Tyler wasn't in the room. I went down to check on him and Spock, but neither one of them was there.”
“I'm sure they're around here somewhere, Maddy,” I consoled her. “They must have just gone for a walk or something.”
“None of the staff has seen them.” She stopped mid-pace and looked up at me with eyes as wide as saucers. “Keiko said she saw the door to Spock's area open earlier.”
“They can't have gone far. Tyler knows not to go out in the storm,” I told her, but I was already putting on my shoes to go look for him.
“But Spock doesn't,” Maddy countered, worry dripping off of every syllable. “That dog hated being in that room and with the door open... I'm scared Tyler went after him. What if they found a way out into the storm?”
I stood from putting my shoes on and put my hands on her shoulders. She was shaking. “It's going to be okay. We'll find him. I promise. They're probably just in one of the kitchens stealing cookies or something.”
She followed me out into the hallway and down to the main lobby. Dr. James was talking to the concierge, Keiko. Both their expressions were troubled.
“Ms. Sawyer,” Keiko addressed her as she saw us approach. “Have you found him yet?”
Maddy shook her head. She was struggling to hold it together. Dr. James and Keiko glanced at one another. Dr. James pressed his lips into a thin line that communicated all too well what he was thinking.
Keiko picked up the phone. “Security?” she clarified in her calming voice. “Yes. We have a missing boy. Eleven years old. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Thin build. Last seen wearing...?” she asked, looking at Maddy.
“A blue t-shirt and gray cargo shorts,” Maddy supplied quickly. Keiko nodded and repeated Maddy's words into the phone.
“Can either of you think of where he might have gone?” Dr. James asked, drawing our attention to him. “Has he made any friends his own age here? Could he be in someone else's room?”