Shawn shrugged and, if it were possible, sunk deeper into the chair he was sitting in. “I don’t know. Sometimes it’s just hard to tell people.” He sighed heavily. “Sorry, man. I should’ve said something when I knew you were coming here.”
Sensing Robert’s distress over the shocking news, Diana’s fury had cooled to a simmer. It was still there, just below the surface but now it was time to let Robert come to grips with this shocking news. Despite everything she thought of this man, she knew at one point in time he’d truly cared for their mother.
As if hearing her thoughts, he leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands. “I loved Ms. Ella. She was one of the few people I ever met who was truly kindhearted. I wish I would’ve known— I would’ve come back for the funeral.”
Diana bit her lip to keep from blurting out her thought, but it did no good. Robert looked directly at her, and knew instantly what she was thinking so she decided there would be no harm in saying it.
“You didn’t even come back for your own father’s funeral.”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t know about that, either.”
Given the way she shrugged and walked toward the darkened window, he knew she did not believe him.
“Did she suffer?”
Diana shook her head. “No.”
“Yes, she did,” came Shawn’s soft response. He glanced at his sister. “Your room was at the other end of the hall, but I was right across the hall. I could hear her crying out at night.”
Contrary to what he thought, Diana did know about the night pain her mother had experienced almost constantly but Ella had not wanted her younger child to know, so Diana had kept the truth from Shawn, or at least she’d thought she had.
“Look, this isn’t about that. The point is that Shawn is very vulnerable right now—”
“No, I’m not.”
“And for whatever twisted reason you tricked him into signing those—”
“Nobody tricked me!”
Completely ignoring Shawn’s growing frustration, she crossed the room and picked up the contract from the desk. “This can’t be legally binding!”
This time the response came from Robert. “I assure you, it is.”
“Why?” She shook the papers in Robert’s direction. “Why would you even want to buy this place? I don’t understand. You hate this place!”
“I don’t hate it.”
“Could’ve fooled me!” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think your exact words were you hoped the whole damn thing would go up in flames.”
Shawn’s eyes widened in shock as he looked to Robert, but Robert’s complete attention was trained on Diana’s face.
“Well, you have a lousy memory, because what I actually said was the whole damn place could go up in flames and I wouldn’t give a damn, and that was only after your father told me to burn in hell, and I said—”
“You said ‘You first.’” Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, yes, I remember that part clearly.”
“You told my father to burn in hell?” Shawn whispered in horror.
“No, Shawn,” Diana answered. “He was talking to me.”
“When did this happen?” Shawn asked, but Robert and Diana had somehow come to be standing toe to toe and Shawn knew instantly that they had completely forgotten that he was even in the room.
“The night before he left.” Slowly, Diana pivoted away from Robert and faced her brother. “So, you have to forgive me if I don’t buy the whole home-sweet-home dribble he gave you.”
“He didn’t give me any line, Dee. We discussed it like men.”
“Like men, huh?” She gave a quick glance to Robert over her shoulder and his eyes narrowed wondering what that look meant. “So, exactly how did all this come about?”
“I’ve tried to explain.” Shawn fell back into his chair, sighing in exhaustion. They’d been in here for over an hour, and Dee seemed as angry now as at the moment Robert had arrived. Shawn was beginning to think his sister would never be okay with this, which meant what he had to say next was really going to set her off.
“Not to my satisfaction.” She folded her arms across her chest and waited for him to repeat the entire scenario.
Shawn shook his head. “Something tells me if I spent the rest of the night constantly repeating the exact course of events it would still not be to your satisfaction.”
Diana swung around on Robert once again. “How much?”
“What?” Robert’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Dee, there is something else I need to tell you.” Shawn tried to interrupt.
“How much did you pay him?” Shawn realized they were completely ignoring him again.
Robert’s head reared back as if she’d slapped him. “That’s Shawn’s business, you have to ask him. But, it was fair market value.”
“How the hell would he know that? He doesn’t know anything about real estate!”
“Dee, there is something else I have to tell you.” Shawn pulled on her arm, but she continued to ignore him.
“Look, Diana, like it or not we’re now business partners, so you had just better get use to the idea.”
“I joined the Air Force,” Shawn blurted out, and the whole room became as silent as the eye of a storm.
Slowly, mechanically, Diana turned to face her brother. “You did what?” The three words were spoken so low it was almost a whisper, but the menacing tone was undeniable.
Shawn lifted his head defiantly. “I joined the Air Force. I leave for basic training after the first of the new year.”
After a few tense moments, Robert released a high-pitched whistle. “Wow, did not know that.”
Shawn tilted his head to look around his sister at the man behind her. “No one did. I wanted to explain everything at once.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Diana’s simmering fury exploded as she threw up her hands in surrender. “Are you trying to kill me? Is this all some kind of joke or just a really bad dream? Which is it, Shawn? Please tell me, because if it is a bad dream I want to wake up right now!”
Robert backed toward the door. “Um, this is starting to sound like a brother-sister thing. Maybe I should go.”
Diana had already mentally designated a back burner for Robert. Right now, at this moment, she had a much more pressing problem to deal with other than the sale of her home.
“Are you crazy?” Diana heard the soft snicker of the office door closing on Robert’s escape. “What were you thinking? Who voluntarily joins the military in wartime?”
“Thousands of men and women who want to make a difference.”
“Oh, please! Save it for the brochure!”
“Then, what do you want me to say, Dee? I sold my portion of the inn to Robert and joined the military. And I don’t regret either decision. I just regret having to inform you of it.”
“But, why? How did all this come about?” Diana knew she was whining at that point, but after the evening she’d had she just didn’t care.
Shawn did not answer, but something about the mulish set of his mouth triggered a memory.
“Oh, my God! Is this about that stupid flying course?”
His eyes flashed to hers, but he continued to hold his silence.
“Shawn! I thought you got over that years ago.”
“How does a person get over their dream?” His soft voice was laced with a kind of determination Diana had never heard in it before.
Diana just stood staring into his eyes for a moment before she finally pulled a chair over and sat down next to him. “I didn’t know it meant that much to you. Mom didn’t, either.”
“I know. And I know Mom was afraid I would get killed or something. I understand why she stopped me, but Dee, she’s gone now and there is nothing standing between me and the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, fly jets.”
She took his hand in hers. “How long have you been planning this?”
“The Air Force thing? For a while. But
selling the inn just kinda happened, just as Robert explained. I ran into him in town a while ago and we got to talking about old times. And he mentioned the idea of buying into the business, and I thought with my leaving, it was a great idea. I didn’t know about that going-to-hell stuff.”
Diana shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
He squeezed her hand. “Dee, nobody is forcing me to do anything. This is what I want. This is the life I’ve always wanted.”
She took a deep breath. “Believe me, Shawn, I’m trying real hard to understand this, but you’ve got to help me here. Try to see it from my point of view. One minute everything is going along smoothly and it seems we’re doing well. And then boom! You hit me with all this on Thanksgiving Day!”
“I’m sorry, but believe it or not, I thought it was best to hit you with everything at one time, rather than shock after shock after shock.”
She sighed again. “You were probably right.” She looked into his eyes for several long minutes, and Shawn waited patiently until she reached over and gently placed her hand against his face. “So, what now?”
“Well, I get ready to leave in January and you reconcile yourself to the idea that Robert now owns half the inn.” Shawn placed his hand over his sister’s. “I know you think I’m making a royal mess of my life, but, Dee, for the first time in my life, I feel like I know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.”
“But, Shawn, of all the people in the world, why did you have to sell to Robert?”
Shawn’s face took on a rare hardness. “I’m not stupid, Dee. I didn’t just sign the papers without reading them, and I didn’t just take his word on everything because he’s an old friend. I checked him out, he’s legit and he knows a lot about hotels. You don’t want to admit it but you know we could use someone like that around here.”
“Are you saying you sold to him because he knows the hotel business and you think he can help us?”
“Partly, and partly because I believe him. I think he really does miss it here. You know just like I do that his dad moved around so much when he was a kid, this is the closest thing to a home he ever had.”
“Yeah, but I also remember the look in his eyes that last day. He wanted blood, Shawn. My blood.”
“Maybe he did then. But that was a long time ago, and he seems to have gotten over it.”
“Did he?”
“What other reason could there be?”
“Maybe he wants revenge.”
“Revenge for what? What exactly happened that last night that you’re not telling me?”
“Nothing you need to worry about now. Just him and Daddy got into a thing.”
“About you?”
“Sorta.” She dropped his hand and stood from her chair. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Shawn stood, as well. “Well, if it’s revenge he’s after, he’s going about it in a strange way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dee, when we spoke the first time, he knew all about the inn. He knows we are struggling to pay the suppliers for the winery, he knows we are about to go into foreclosure if we can’t get the mortgage on the house caught up. So what does he do? He buys me out for a pretty hefty price, not to mention the infusion of cash he’s bringing to the business. So, you see? If he wanted revenge, all he had to do was stand back and watch us sink. Instead, he threw us a lifeline.”
Diana’s thoughts turned inward as she remembered the angry young man who’d vowed never to return ten years ago, and yet here he was, riding to their rescue like a savior.
“Yeah, well, I just hope that whatever we find at the other end of that lifeline is not worse than foreclosure.”
Shortly, after Shawn left the office, Diana got on the phone and spent the next forty-five minutes tracking down her lawyer, Sam Stein, who was having dinner with his wife’s family in Kalamazoo.
When she explained the situation to him, he let her fax the documents to him at his in-laws’ home for review: thirty minutes later he called her back.
“It’s ironclad, kiddo.”
“What?”
“The contract is completely binding, it was witnessed and signed.”
“I don’t understand. Our parents left the inn and winery to both of us, how can he sell it without my permission?”
“Unfortunately, that is where you’re wrong. You’re parents left you each fifty percent of the business. Fifty percent to deal with how you please. If Shawn wanted to turn his fifty percent into a toxic waste dump, there is not much you could do about it.”
“You have got to be kidding me!”
“Wish I were.”
A sneaking suspicion crept into her mind. “Did Shawn know this?”
“Probably not. I’ve only spoken to your brother once or twice and I did not get the impression he was particularly concerned with the legalities of the business. But I tell you what, whoever drew up that contract…they absolutely knew about the provision and accounted for any counterclaims you may have tried to pursue.”
“Okay, thanks Sam. I really appreciate you doing this for me. And tell your wife I’m sorry to disturb your holiday.”
“No problem, Diana. Your father was one of my oldest and dearest friends. And I know that if the tables had been turned he’d do whatever he could to help my children. So, please feel free to contact me again if you need anything else.”
Diana said good-night to Sam and just sat there letting her mind race back to that last night Robert had lived in La Bohemia. She thought of all the ugly words that had been exchanged, all the lies that had been exposed. All the painful emotions she’d experienced that night: feeling betrayed, manipulated and flat-out stupid.
She’d been so young back then, so blinded by Robert’s charms that she’d doubted the words of her own father, a man who’d loved her without condition. He’d tried to tell her what Robert was really like, that all his words of love and devotion were just part of a practiced effort to get into her pants. But she hadn’t listened until her father had brought her proof. But by then it was too late, she’d given Robert both her body and her heart. And even then, with the evidence right before him, Robert had tried to deny it. Had even had the gall to call her father a liar and then, when she’d ordered him out of the house… The look in his eyes… She’d never seen that look before. Whatever Robert had felt for her, lust or infatuation, she’d watched it disappear from his eyes in that moment. And what had been left was terrifying. He’d looked as if he had hated her, and in that moment she’d believed he did.
As she hung up the phone and sat back in her seat, Diana was more certain than ever that Shawn was wrong about Robert. Whatever his reasons for buying Shawn’s portion of La Bohemia, it had nothing to do with nostalgia.
Chapter 3
Diana had been avoiding Robert all morning. She still had no idea what to do about him. Well, she did know what to do about him—she had to get rid of him! It was the how that was puzzling her.
Some part of her knew that at the heart of how to get rid of him were his reasons for arriving in the first place. She had to know what he was up to, and he was most definitely up to something.
What was he doing back in Traverse City, anyway? And how quickly he was able to get the documents drawn up, almost as if he already had them ready. And the most bizarre part of the whole scenario…why?
Why after all these years would he even want to return to the small midwestern city he’d called home for a few years and buy into a struggling winery? And she wasn’t buying that whole piece-of-my-hometown, good memories B.S. for one moment! No, He was most definitely up to something and she only hoped she could discover what it was and be able to stop him before it was too late.
Even though her lawyer insisted the contract was completely binding and would hold up in any court of law, Diana was still hoping she could find some kind of legal recourse, something nice and clean that would, in the end, leave no doubt as to his ownership. She could somehow prove Sha
wn had been coerced or tricked, and that would give her the grounds to fight it. But with both he and Robert insisting it was a fair and honest transaction, she knew it would be difficult to prove.
And Shawn…despite his reasons, she still couldn’t help thinking this was probably the stupidest, most reckless thing he’d ever done. What kind of idiot sells his family business and voluntarily enlists in the military during a war? What was he thinking? He wasn’t—that was the problem.
She sat up a little straighter in her chair as a thought occurred to her. That was it. Maybe if she could somehow prove he was incompetent, she could get him out of his enlistment and reverse the sale all in one swoop. She picked up a pen and began tapping it on the desk as she considered her plan.
No, she finally decided, that would never work. There was nothing to indicate Shawn was mentally unable to make decisions for himself. Not to mention, even if she could dummy up a case and win he would probably never speak to her again.
She needed more information. She needed to know what Robert’s plans were. She needed to get to the bottom of why he was doing this.
A heavy knock on her office door startled her, and she dropped the pen. “Come in.”
The door swung partially open and Robert walked in carrying a large brown box. Even though she was starting to get used to seeing him around again, still that first glimpse of him was always stunning. Robert had always been handsome, but age had somehow improved upon him. Boyish good looks had turned into a kind of elegant charm. His long, lanky form had filled in, adding definition in some very interesting places. His nice smile had become stunning— No, she thought. His smile had always been that way, the difference was that somewhere along the way he’d learned to use that incredible smile to his advantage.
Dressed in brown slacks, beige mock turtleneck and dark brown pinch-penny loafers, he looked casual and yet completely professional at the same time. Diana was suddenly self-conscious about her very unprofessional-looking blue jeans and navy blue baby-doll top. Her hair was twisted into a knot on top of her head and beneath the desk her feet were covered by fuzzy slippers.
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