The Path

by Tawdra Kandle

  “Someone like you? Have you added personal therapist to your list of talents?” I was trying to tease him off-course, but the man would not be deterred.

  “Someone who doesn’t know you. Someone who can listen without prejudice.”

  I rubbed my forehead, just at the top where my hairline met skin. “If I tell you, you’re probably going to think I’m stupid, or at the very least, that I have terrible judgment.” I hesitated. “I haven’t told anyone in the Cove about this, so if you’re a blabber mouth, tell me now.”

  “My friends call me the vault. Once a secret comes in, it doesn’t get out. Ever.” He nudged my leg with his foot, the huge work boot almost knocking me over. “C’mon, Donavan. I thought we had a truce or something going. What better way to cement our friendship but with shared secrets?”

  “Ha!” I laughed, in spite of myself. “So you’re going to share a secret, too? I can’t wait to hear this.”

  “Hey, I’ve got secrets. I’m deep, Donavan. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  I shook my head. “Whatever you say.”

  “So ‘fess up. Tell me what’s got your panties in a twist this morning.”

  “My panties are not in a twist. And I hate that phrase. It’s demeaning.”

  “Why? Because it implies you wear panties?” Ryland wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Why, Ms. Abigail Donavan, are you telling me you aren’t? Are you going commando?”

  My face heated, and I was sure he could see the flush. “That, Mr. Kent, is none of your business.”

  He leaned back a little, resting his weight on his hands. “You’re probably right. But you’re trying to distract me. Talk to me, woman.”

  Most of the time, I hated being called ‘woman’, too. But for some reason, the way it rolled off Ryland Kent’s lips didn’t bother me so much. I took a deep breath. “I don’t know whether you know this, but my family owns some hotels. That’s how I got into the business.”

  He nodded. “Cooper told me you’re actually one of the Donavans.”

  “The Donavans.” I gave a short bark of laughter. “Yeah, that’s me. Well, my first managing position was at our property in Boston. I was so excited, and I wanted to show my father that I had what it took to be an important part of the business. I wanted to make him proud.” I paused, remembering those first heady days in New England. “And at first it was all wonderful. And then I met a man.”

  “Ah.” Ryland’s lip curled just a little. “A man.”

  “Yeah. His name was Zachary Todd, and he was the assistant manager of the restaurant within The Donavan Boston. The restaurants are a separate business, but they’re also owned by my family. Zachary . . . he was amazing.” I remembered the first time he’d spoken to me, standing close enough that I could breathe the scent he wore and feel how very male he was. When he’d taken me out to dinner, he kept his hand on my lower back with just enough pressure to make me hyper-aware of him.

  “Amazing, huh? What made him so special?”

  I glanced up at Ryland. I’d nearly forgotten he was still sitting with me. “Oh, I don’t know. He was intense. And he focused that intensity on me. I’d never had a serious relationship before, because I’d been so single-minded about school and then my career, and I guess I was an easy target for him. My dad said he was putting the moves on me.”

  “Your father didn’t like him?”

  I snorted. “You could say that. He’d never taken much interest in my personal life up to the time I started seeing Zachary. And then suddenly he was up in Boston all the time. It felt like he didn’t trust me.”

  Ryland shifted, but his eyes never left my face. “I assume your dad turned out to be right.”

  I clenched my jaw. “My father made sure he turned out to be right. You know that trite thing you see in movies where the overbearing father offers the daughter’s unsuitable boyfriend an insane amount of money if he’ll go away? And because the boyfriend is so madly in love with the girl, he turns it down?”

  The corner of his mouth twitched, but Ryland only nodded. “Sure.”

  “Well, in my case, it worked. Dad offered to make Zachary vice president of the restaurant division if he’d agree to break things off with me. And Zachary jumped so fast to say yes that it made my head spin.”

  “Sounds like a real prince. Your father did you a favor.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You sound just like him. Yes, my father was right about Zachary. But how he went about it was terribly humiliating to me. My dad made me feel like an idiot for not seeing through Zachary, and then what was worse, it turned out that Zachary had been stealing from the company. Well, not out-and-out stealing, I guess, but his actions were unethical, if not criminal.”

  “So did he go down for that?”

  This was the toughest part. “No. Zachary . . . had used me to cover up some of what he’d done. I didn’t know it at the time, but if my father had pressed charges, I might’ve been implicated. So no, he just left the company without a recommendation. And my father replaced me.”

  Ryland’s eyes narrowed. “He replaced you? What the hell?”

  “At the Boston hotel, not as a daughter.” I’d meant it as a joke, but judging from the dark look on his face, Ryland wasn’t laughing.

  “But why would he do that? It wasn’t your fault. It was the douchebag’s.”

  I pulled up my knees to hug them into my chest. “Yes, but I’d proven that I wasn’t ready to handle a hotel on my own. I wasn’t trustworthy, and I’d been taken in by Zachary. So Dad wanted to bring me back to Philadelphia, have me take a staff job until I was ready to try again. It was devastating.”

  “Yeah, that would be. What did you do?”

  “I didn’t have that many options. I’d only ever worked at Donavan Hotels, and even though I had my degree, anyone hiring me would’ve wanted to know why I was leaving my family business. My father’s a big presence in the hotel world. Word would’ve gotten out that he didn’t want me working anywhere else, and that would’ve been it.”

  Ryland leaned closer to me, almost as though he were going to touch my hand, but he pulled short at the last minute. “So how’d you end up in Florida?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. One day just before I left Boston, I got an email, asking if I might be interested in a position managing a new bed and breakfast. It was from Logan, actually. He said they were looking for someone with experience and flexibility. I’d be totally in charge.” I lifted one shoulder. “I didn’t take much time to think it over. I just . . . ran.”

  “Seems like you landed on your feet. You like this place, don’t you? The Cove?”

  I smiled. “I love the Cove. Jude and Logan are wonderful, and I’ve made friends. My job is exactly what I want it to be. Just when I was feeling like the B&B was getting a little too familiar, too easy, the Riverside came along.” I ducked my head, hiding my face from Ryland. “That’s why this place is so important to me. I know I can be a pain in the neck sometimes—”

  “Sometimes? And the pain isn’t in my neck, either.”

  “Okay, fine. I’m a raging bitch. But it’s because the Riverside is pretty much my salvation. Being the manager here means I can stay in the Cove indefinitely. I don’t have to go crawling back to my father or figure out how to get a job somewhere else.”

  This time, Ryland did touch my hand, closing his fingers over the mine. My breath hitched as the heat of his palm spread over my skin, and if I’d believed in such things, I’d have sworn my heart skipped a beat.

  It’s just because you haven’t had a man touch you in way too long. This doesn’t have anything to do with Ryland.

  “You’re not really a raging bitch. You’re just—you’re tough, Donavan. I’m honest enough to admit that if you were a guy, I wouldn’t think twice about it. There’s just something about a girl who acts the same way—”

  “Girl?” I tilted my head. “Mr. Kent, I’m not a girl. I’m a woman.”

  A slow smile spread over his face. “Very true.
Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  Before I could respond, we heard a bang coming from the front of the hotel. I jumped, and Ryland pulled away, springing to his feet.

  “What was that?” I whispered the words, even though I knew there wasn’t anyone around.

  “Not sure.” Ryland moved to stand closer to the doorway, and I realized he was putting himself between me and whatever was out there. “There’ve been some weird things—”

  “Hey, Kent! You around here?” Tony Landoff, the county plumbing inspector, appeared in the door way. “Sorry about the delay. My truck broke down and I had to switch it out.” He noticed me and whipped off the grimy old baseball cap on his head. “Hey there, Ms. Donavan. How you doing?”

  “I’m fine, Mr. Landoff, thanks. Looking forward to getting this part done so we can get moving on the spa next.”

  “Well, let’s get to work then.” He turned to head for the kitchen, and Ryland made to follow.

  I snagged his arm as he passed. “Hey.” I kept my voice low. “Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.”

  “I keep telling you, Donavan, I’m a good guy.” He paused, letting Tony get a little ahead of us. “You never did tell me why you were upset today. You only gave me the history.”

  I shrugged. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I was going through resumés for the restaurant manager position here at the Riverside, and Zachary’s was in the pile. It just shook me up. But I’ll deal with it.”

  We kept walking, and I realized my hand was tucked into the crook of Ryland’s elbow. It felt somehow right there.

  “You’re not going to interview him, are you? You threw it away, right?”

  I bit the side of my lip. “I didn’t throw it away, but no, I’m not that much of an idiot. Or a glutton for suffering. I’m just curious about why he’d want this job. He works for another hotel chain, and from what I’ve heard, he’s doing well there.”

  Ryland growled. There wasn’t any other way to describe the noise he made. “Leave it alone, Abby.”

  I stiffened a little. “I can take care of myself. If I decide that I want to talk to him, find out what he wants, I’ll do it with my eyes wide open, believe me.” I ventured a glance at Ryland’s face. His eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes were darker than usual as he jerked his arm away from me.

  “Fine. You handle it yourself, take care of yourself. You wouldn’t want to need anyone, would you, Donavan?”

  He strode forward, catching up with Tony. I stood alone in the hallway, listening to the men’s voices echo from the kitchen. A cool breeze slid over my skin, carrying with it the faintest trace of lilacs. It was somehow as comforting as a mother’s hug.

  “HEY, BOSS. WE FINISHED THAT section of drywall in the east wing hall, so we’re knocking off. Okay?”

  I pulled my attention away from the papers in my hand. “You what? Oh, yeah. What time is it?”

  The dust-covered foreman lifted off his baseball cap and ran a hand over sweat-dampened hair. “After six. We wanted to get to a good stopping place, but it’s Friday, and the guys are done.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I rolled up the papers and shoved them into the back pocket of my jeans. “You all go on ahead. See you tomorrow, Stan.”

  He turned to leave and then glanced back at me. “You outta here, too? Looks like it might storm soon. There’re some wicked black clouds in the east.”

  “In a minute. I need to check on a few things before I close up.” When he hesitated, I grinned and gave him a cuff on the shoulder. “I promise, I’m not going to be long.” My phone buzzed in my pocket, and lifting it up, I checked the incoming call screen. “I need to take this. You guys get out of here and enjoy your evenings.”

  I stepped into the nearest guest room, already dry-walled and taped up, and answered the call. “Hey, Linc. What’s up?”

  “What’s up is that I’m going to be there tomorrow, and the rest of the finishing crew is scheduled to arrive by Monday. You ready for us?”

  I turned in a slow circle, checking out the room. “Pretty much. The local guys are working a half-day tomorrow, and then they’ll move to supporting our people. We’re just about on schedule.”

  “Well, hell, imagine that. And no surprises? No cracked foundations or creeping black mold?”

  “Foundation’s solid. We found some spots of mold and some pretty wicked mildew, but we expected that. It’s Florida. It was all taken care of. But yeah, so far, so good.” I leaned against the sanded wood of the wide door way. “How were things in Texas?”

  There was a long silence on the other end, and I took the phone away from my ear to make sure we hadn’t been disconnected. When my friend finally spoke, his voice was rough. “Same as always. The kids are getting big. It took a while for them to warm up, but then once they did, we had a great time. They’re awesome, Ry. Getting so grown-up.”

  I hooked my thumb in the front pocket of my jeans. “I bet. You took pictures, right?”

  “Yeah, I’ll show you when I get there.” He was quiet again for a minute. “Leaving them almost fucking killed me, man. They cried, and they begged me not to go. It was the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

  I blew out a long breath. “Did you talk to them, Linc? To Hank and Doris? It’s time, brother. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have those kids with you.”

  “Hank says with my lifestyle, it doesn’t make sense for me to have custody. He asked me if I thought the best thing for my children would be yanking them out of the life they know and dragging them around the country with me.” I heard his heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. “He’s not wrong, Ry. They’re not . . . unreasonable. They just want what’s best for the kids.”

  “And you don’t?” I ducked my head and ran my free hand through my hair. “That’s bullshit, Linc. You’re their father. Sylvia would want them with you.”

  “Yeah, well, Sylvia wouldn’t have wanted me to become a drunk after she died. Doris and Hank saved my ass when they took Becca and Oliver, and they’ve given them structure and stability. I can’t blame them for not trusting me, for thinking they can give them a better future than I ever could. It just . . . it kills me when they cry.”

  I swallowed, remembering. Linc and Sylvia had been married when I’d met them, and Rebecca had been a baby. She’d been an adorably chubby angel, all blonde hair and huge blue eyes. I’d had zero experience with kids, but Sylvia had plopped her infant onto my lap without preamble the very first day I’d come over to their tiny apartment.

  “Watch her while I make lunch. Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite.” Then Sylvia grinned, twin dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Well, she does, but she doesn’t have teeth yet, so you’re safe.”

  I’d sat, petrified, my arms two iron bands around the child, until she squirmed and squeaked in protest. But it wasn’t until Becca had given me an enormous, open-mouthed smile and reached up to pat my cheek with her tiny hand that I’d fallen completely in love.

  And when Oliver made his appearance a few years later, I’d been in the hospital, sitting in the waiting room until Linc came bursting out, flushed and sweating, to tell me that he had a son.

  So while I understood that Sylvia’s parents had done the right thing, taking responsibility for their only daughter’s children after her death had left Lincoln distraught and all-too-frequently drunk, I couldn’t stand the idea of Becca and Oliver crying when their father had to leave. It made me unreasonably angry.

  “Listen, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Nothing I can do right now. Maybe next summer, after school’s out, I can take them with me for a little while. Anyway, I’ll be on-site by lunch time most likely. I’m in Tennessee right now, and I’ll probably make it to Georgia tonight, but I’m going to wimp out and grab a motel room to get some sleep.”

  “That’s not wimping out, dude, that’s common sense. I’d rather have you here a little later than lying in a ditch along the highway.” As soon as I spoken the words, I realized what I’d said an
d wished I’d bitten my tongue instead. Shit. Not cool to talk like that when it’d been a terrible car accident that had taken Sylvia away from us all.

  But if Linc noticed, he didn’t show it. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Plus, if I get a decent night’s sleep, I might be able to accomplish something tomorrow when I get there.” I heard some background noise, a mechanical female voice which I recognized as the navigation system. “Okay, I’m just crossing into Georgia now. So how’s it going with the lady boss?”

  I frowned at the abrupt change in subject. “Uh, fine. You know, same old. We’re coexisting, and I think we’re mostly on the same page.” The truth was, I hadn’t seen Abby for more than a few minutes since the day I’d snapped at her about her dick of an ex. And each time we had been together, other people were around us. She’d gone back to being stiff and formal with me, and I treated her the way I would any virtual stranger.

  “Uh huh. I’m not going to force you to tell me what’s really going on until I get there. I’m too tired to tell you to get your ass in gear tonight. So maybe you should make nice with the lady and save me the trouble.”

  I clenched my jaw and counted to ten before answering. “Whatever you say, Linc. Drive safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You know it.” The click told me he’d hung up, and I grimaced as I slid the phone back into my pocket. Linc wasn’t going to let me get away with giving Abby crap. He had strong feelings about our responsibility to the people who hired us, and he’d side with the owner every single time, unless it came down to the safety of our crew. I had the most annoying feeling that he and Abby would like each other once they met. Most likely they’d gang up against me. Peachy.

  A low roll of thunder rumbled in the distance. I turned into the hallway, thinking to beat the rain and get back to my truck, when I heard the rustle of papers coming from the dining room. I frowned; all those windows should’ve been closed and locked, but it sounded like wind was blowing through the room. I muttered a curse under my breath and went back to double check.