by Shannyn Leah
CHAPTER TWO
~
MARC CALIENDO SENSELESSLY flipped through the contract in front of him.
His uncle had already thoroughly read and re-read every last detail, satisfied with the outcome, but Marc had insisted on double checking. Even knowing it had been drawn up by their lawyer, he wanted to be sure everything was to their benefit. After all, it wasn’t just his own money being invested, but the entire family’s.
However, the mental distractions playing in his head lured him away from comprehending a single sentence of the content laid out before him.
Groaning, he pushed the papers away, dragging his elbows back across the large antique desk to scrub his hands over his face. He’d never felt so useless in his life.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned back against his office chair, and folded his arms across his chest. He refused to go down this road again. To ask the “what if” questions and ponder whether he’d tried hard enough. Or if he’d been foolish to try at all. Either way, he felt foolish now for letting these thoughts back into his head. At this point in his life he should be solely concentrating on the new venture in front of him and not the woman who’d shattered his past.
With that thought, Marc reluctantly pulled the papers back with the tips of his fingers, as though they were laced in poison. After inhaling another deep breath and exhaling slowly, he hoped to breathe out all the rattling thoughts swirling around his mind.
Reading was his hobby, always had been, so this should be a breeze.
He flipped to the first page again, bent close to the pages with full intention of total concentration.
Let’s get through this, he thought, and go play a game of racquetball instead. Physical exertion was exactly what he needed to quench the anxiety he felt creeping up every time his thoughts drifted to her.
He hadn’t even made it through one page, when his office door burst open, collapsing his concentration once again.
His youngest sister waltzed through the door in her carefree butterfly way, content on fluttering from one branch to the next without a worry behind those devious eyes of hers.
He was certain this unannounced visit would contain one very inconsequential detail that she considered “end of the world” necessary to share, before she would move onto her next whim.
He could only hope she’d make the interruption short and sweet.
“Did you know…” she started, weaving her way slowly across his office, purposely passing by the matching, comfortable leather chairs.
She travelled to his side of the desk and plopped her tiny self on top of all his paperwork, crossing her legs and sending him a questioning look. That was his cue to sit back, cross his arms and suffer through all that was about to follow.
“…that Katherine McAdams booked a room here? In this very resort? In a premium suite?” It was a question and statement all in one long, stretched-out breath.
How exhausting it must be to be her.
“And,” she dragged on dramatically, examining her fingernails. “It’s booked for two people. Two.” She held up two of her perfectly manicured fingers in his face for emphasis.
He wanted to grab the two fingers and drag her out of his office. Then proceed to call the locksmith. He was tired of his family disrupting him, always unannounced, as though he sat behind his office door restlessly waiting for them to pop in for conversations about…her. Perhaps that was a bit harsh, since, technically, this was the only conversation he’d had about her…today.
His sister leaned in closer. “It’s probably a man,” she whispered, as though the walls eavesdropped on the super undercover secret she was disclosing. “I think she has a boyfriend.”
Of course she has a boyfriend. He could even be a fiancée or husband. Although, had it been either of the latter, Abby would have informed his sister and they would have already had that conversation.
Marc cleared his throat, purposely not giving her a reaction to twist into a scandalous story with the rest of the family. “Don’t you have somewhere you could be?”
Her mouth dropped open. “That’s it? That’s all I get? Aren’t you embarrassed?” She touched her chest with one hand. “I would be embarrassed if I were you.”
She embarrassed herself plenty enough on her own without dragging extra unnecessary situations into her life.
“I mean, you don’t have anyone.” Izzy sat back and picked up a glass paperweight from his desk, tossing it from hand to hand. “I guess you have Melissa, but I can see that’s not going anywhere, especially in, like, the next hour.” She stared at the ceiling for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. “Well, on her part, it could happen in the next second. Literally, you could pick up the phone, call her in here, sweep her off her feet like she wants you to and then you would have someone when it’s time to face Kate.”
Marc remained stoic, but leveled a gaze on her that could not be misconstrued.
She rolled her eyes. “But since that’s not happening, you have no one, and that’s just mortifying. Don’t you agree?” She arched her eyebrows and waited for his response.
“I don’t agree with any of what you just said.”
“I would say you’re hiding in here.”
It stumped him that she considered spending time in his office as “hiding.” He did work in here. This resort didn’t run itself, and although there were managers in all areas, they came to him when situations arose. Another reason he couldn’t call a locksmith.
Izzy continued in her irritating way. “You should probably stay in here to avoid running into her, and her obviously, ‘well-off’ man—the premium suite, and all.”
His eyes followed the paperweight in her hands, back and forth…back and forth.
“And she looks just as gorgeous as ever.” That snapped his eyes back to his sister. “I have pictures. Do you want to see?”
Yes! “No.”
She shrugged. “Trust me, you don’t want to have to look at her and say that you’re single.” She waved her hand in front of him. “See where I’m going with this?”
He really wished he didn’t.
“Why are you single anyway?”
“Why are you?” he retorted.
“Because I’m young and in my prime. Why would I ever settle down with one person right now?”
At her age, Marc had already planned his career, who he would settle down with and where they would live. Although, none of his plans had gone so well for him…so possibly his younger sister had a good point. Possibly.
“You, on the other hand, are old.”
He was only seven years older than her. A seven year gap qualified him as old?
“And my guess is: you’re still in love with Kate. Otherwise, why would you still be single? Women throw themselves at you all the time. Melissa has all but proposed to you. In a classy sort of way.”
Women interested in his wealth or, like Melissa who came from a rich family, his status. He didn’t plan on marrying a trophy wife.
“Are you emotionally unavailable, Marcus?”
“Oh, honestly Isabelle Caliendo, get off your brother’s desk and stop mocking him.” The next unannounced sibling waltzed into his office as if a family meeting were taking place.
Sophisticated and poised, the opposite of Izzy, their sister Violet settled in a leather chair and crossed her legs. Her sleek blazer and skirt combo complimented the stylish knot she’d pulled her dark blonde hair into.
“What were you, five when she left?” Violet asked.
Izzy turned and shot her older sister a disgusted look. “I wasn’t five, Violet.”
“You’re acting like it now.”
The youngest sibling rolled her eyes back to her brother. “She was like this the whole time you were gone,” she whispered, but not so quiet that their sister didn’t hear. “Like an old mother hen.” She hopped off the desk landing on her heels with a loud thud.
“If you quit acting like a child, I can stop scolding you like one.”
<
br /> Izzy stopped by Violet and kissed the side of her head. “You do know we already have a mother hen wandering around here somewhere.”
Violet smiled a condescending smile at her sister. “Why don’t you go find Mother and ask her to refresh your manners or, at the very least, teach you about the filter for your mouth? You know, that part of your brain that tells you when to speak and when not to?” She made a shoo motion at her. “Ask Mom to indulge you on how useful it is to listen to that filter once in a while.”
The playful tease held a brutal honesty. Violet had always been sensible and, sometimes, a tad overbearing. Whereas Izzy lived a life of carelessness and rash decisions that usually ended up getting her into trouble.
“I love you, big sis.” Izzy turned to Marc as she moved to the door. “Oh yeah, by the way, Kate’s here alone. No boyfriend, no fiancé, no nothing. I asked. Alone and sizzling hot.” Izzy slammed the door shut behind her.
Marc had hoped she wouldn’t follow through with her reservation. He also wished Violet hadn’t barged into his office so he could have a moment to privately absorb that Kate would in fact be staying at the resort for a few days.
Hiding suddenly didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
“I don’t understand why she doesn’t have a job,” Marc grumbled, shaking his head and proceeding to flip contract pages. “A trip around the world after university and one would think she’d had enough play time.”
“I would say it’s her way of grieving the loss of Father, but we all know that’s just something we tell our acquaintances, right?” Violet smiled at him. “Besides, you just returned from your trip, what five, six years later?”
“I was employed and earning a living. She runs around like money falls out of trees and work is something to make fun of.”
Violet gave him a serious face. “I really believe she does think money falls out of trees.”
He couldn’t help but laugh and his sister smiled before her serious face reappeared. “I thought I would stop by on my way to an appointment and make sure you were okay. I know everyone’s been walking on egg shells about Kate’s return but I wasn’t sure how you’re handling it.”
“Honestly, Violet? Do you think I’m sitting in my office reflecting about a girl, and she was a girl then, who broke my heart years ago?”
She shrugged, looking somewhat uncomfortable. Violet didn’t embarrass easily.
“I’m not sure. You don’t talk about it.”
“No one talks about feelings in this family. But if you’d like to know what I’m thinking, here it is. Since I’ve returned home, the resort has consumed not only my time, but my mind. I haven’t had a free second to contemplate anything except Dad dying, his funeral and stepping into his very big shadow.” He smiled sincerely. “And if I had the time, the last thing I would be doing is pining over some lost lover. I’m assuming that’s what you’re assuming I’m doing? That I’ve been pining for her all these years and I absolutely cannot get her out of my mind and now that she’s coming here I’m scheming a way to win her back.”
A deep red tint crossed Violet’s porcelain skin, very unlike her usual superior self. “When you say it like that, you make it sound ridiculous.”
“That’s because it is ridiculous.”
She grinned. “I suppose so.”
He nodded, satisfied she believed that load of nonsense. He might not be pining, but Kate had popped into his thoughts more than he liked lately.
“Marc, do you remember when we were kids and you found the baby bird that had fallen from its nest and insisted on bringing it home?”
He remembered and gave her a slight nod.
“Spark, you named it. You took care of it for a couple days, thinking you were nourishing it back to life, but it died. For days you moped around lost in your own world and not understanding why the bird died. It wasn’t until Mom explained death to you and set you up in the library with educational books that you accepted Spark’s death.” Her tongue ran across her lower lip. “So Marc, I’m not concerned you’re pining about Kate. I’m just afraid you haven’t got the right answers to let her go.”
He knew himself well enough to know his sister was spot on. However, he also knew enough not to tell her that. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not a little vulnerable child anymore and I’m also not so sure I like this new sharing of emotions thing you’re trying.”
“New?” Violet chuckled. “You have been holed up in here for too many hours. Since Dad’s passing, Mom has been a bucket of emotional sharing. I’m not sure why she isn’t cornering you about Kate.”
“She knows better. Mother’s intuition.”
Violet stood and tapped the side of her iPad. “That sounds like my cue to leave. Plus, if I don’t head out I will be late for my meeting.”
“You don’t want you to be late. Firing a sibling doesn’t sound appealing to me.”
A knock on the door didn’t give Violet time for a come-back. “Marc?”
“Come in, Melissa.”
Violet’s joking manner dropped away as his secretary stepped inside his office. The coldness between the ladies chilled his office more than the outside fall air. Melissa hadn’t changed much since private school. She’d been the stuck-up, popular girl, groomed to take what she wanted. By now he’d thought she’d be married to the richest man she could dig her claws into, yet, she was single. And how, or why, she’d ended up working as his father’s assistant he was yet to discover. Of course, coming right out and asking her wasn’t an option. He wouldn’t partake in any personal conversation to avoid giving her any ideas. He didn’t want her claws anywhere near him.
“There’s a problem in the pool room and Kent’s not here today. Nobody’s sure who’s working for him, but the main desk is receiving numerous calls. Would you mind going down and seeing what the problem is?”
Kate’s dad was off for funeral arrangements due to the passing of his mother-in-law—the only thing that would drag Kate back home.
Marc nodded, glad for a reason to leave his office. Melissa smiled a little longer than necessary and stayed a little longer than required. When she finally shut the door, Violet looked at him and said, “Don’t marry that one.”
Marry Melissa? Never.
“I know Emma’s her friend and thinks she’s perfect for you, but between you and me, there’s something not quite right about her. I have mother hen intuition.” She winked at him.
“Thank you, Violet…for all your concern today regarding my love life, but I think I can manage on my own.”
He stood and guided her out of his office.
She grinned at him as she entered the hallway. “You’re really not doing such a hot job by yourself.”
He glared at her. “Should I start addressing you as Izzy?”
She playfully swatted his shoulder. “Please don’t.” She waved as she turned in the opposite direction.
Marc headed towards the pool room.
His love life was fine. There was no need to manage anything. His whole life was fine.
He would read that contract before the two weeks were up. And he’d be fully prepared for the trip he and his uncle Carl planned to take up north to the hotel they planned on purchasing.
As for the next few days, all he had to do was concentrate on avoiding any contact with Kate.
How hard could that be?
~End of Sneak Peek~
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