Kate had heard the sound of Dorothea’s voice. She opened her eyes and discovered that someone—Matthew, she guessed—had thrown a cover over her. It was late. The sky was velvet black, sequined with tiny snaps of light.
“I can’t understand why Max went wild like that. He loves Kate, I know he does.” Dorothea’s voice rose and fell, and Kate heard snatches of the conversation that rolled across her mind without invoking any emotional reaction.
“… think so too. Perhaps that’s why. After all, he was very disturbed when J.M. told him that he’d known all along just how much money the Association could come up with. Maybe all this was just too important to him, Dorothea.”
“Maybe,” Dorothea agreed.
“Everything he’s touched has turned into gold. He’s been the wonder boy, solving problems, making money, never encountering any real opposition.”
“Then he falls in love with Kate. Oh, Matt, I feel so responsible. I shouldn’t have played Cupid. I knew how vulnerable Max was. All this is my fault.”
“Well, spouting that ridiculous story about Kate being a writer for Maverick magazine didn’t help. When Houston turned up as the buyer, Max naturally thought Kate was the spy. It’s too much of a coincidence. What made you pick that magazine?”
“I don’t know why you say it was a natural reaction, Matt. If somebody told me Max was a spy, I wouldn’t believe it, not in your lifetime. Besides, I just made up that Maverick magazine stuff on the spur of the moment. I think I heard Lucy talking about it and it just stayed in my subconscious. You know how star-struck Lucy is.”
“Well, it worked out very conveniently. You made Kate a writer for one of the most famous beefcake magazines in the world, and the owner and publisher just happened to be buying the Showboat.”
“But Kate is a handyman. She really is.”
“Lucy!” Kate whispered. She came stiffly to her feet. That had to be the answer.
The lemon, the talisman she’d carried for luck, dropped to the floor and rolled across the terrace into the water. So much for luck, Kate thought. She’d make her own from now on.
“Kate?” Dorothea cried as Kate slipped back inside. “Are you all right?”
“I am now. I think,” Kate answered simply. “I’ve been listening to you talking, and I believe it had to be Lucy who gave the information to Houston.”
“Lucy? Of course!” Matthew agreed. “It all fits. The offer was made after Lucy took off on her mysterious family business trip, wasn’t it. By the time Max went to New York, Lucy had already ferreted out the figures. She took them to Houston, and he approached Red Garden, demanding an answer before Max had time to work out the problem.”
“There’s just one thing wrong, Matthew,” Dorothea said. “I’m not sure Lucy is smart enough to pull off something like this. And I think that Max knows it.”
“I don’t think she came up with the idea herself. She met Houston somewhere. He was probably here scouting out the area. When Houston found out where she worked, he set it up. I doubt that Max ever took any security precautions. We’ve never needed any.”
“But isn’t that sort of thing against the law?” Kate asked, realizing that knowing the culprit wasn’t going to be enough.
“Sure, but how do you prove it? I’ll bet that Houston covered his tracks. You might get Lucy to confess. But it would be her word against Houston’s, and without proof, we won’t be able to do a thing.”
“Well,” Kate observed in a tired voice, “you saved the Showboat, so Max can quit worrying. Do you have the hotel courtesy car, Dorothea?”
“Yes. Why? At least, I think I told the poor fellow to wait.”
“I want to go back to the hotel. I have to get my things. I can’t stay there any longer.”
“Where will you go, Kate?” Dorothea asked anxiously.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to leave my car there for the time being, until I work it out.”
“I have it, Kate.” Matthew slapped the table triumphantly. “You’ll go to work for me.”
“Doing what?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about the hotel. I’m going to exercise my option as first mortgage holder and take it over. If I’m going to operate it, I’ll need an assistant.”
“Thank you, Matthew, but I’ll tell you the same thing I told Max. I don’t know anything about business. The only business class I ever took was in computers, and I … well, that was a disaster.”
“Hell, woman, neither do I. But you know about people. You’ve worked with every conceivable kind of problem, and besides, the hotel already has a typist—two or three of them—and a manager. What I want is a trouble-shooter. And that’s you.”
Kate looked from Dorothea to Matthew and back again. “Are you serious?”
“He’s serious,” Dorothea assured her. “You’ll be furnished with living quarters, meals, and draw a salary.”
“You’re sure you’re not just feeling sorry for me?”
“Hell no, the one I feel sorry for is Max. He’s just lost the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Max. She refused to think about him or what had happened earlier. She couldn’t. Of course, she really shouldn’t accept Matthew’s offer, but maybe she could help him out for a couple of weeks until she could decide what she was going to do. At least she knew how to handle the upkeep of a building.
“Would you consider hiring me on a temporary basis, Matthew, just until you get organized and I decide what I want to do?”
“Good idea, Kate. In the meantime, you can stay here. I’ll send Dorothea back to the hotel and arrange to have your things picked up. Deal?”
“Deal,” Kate agreed, “as long as you don’t give me an official title. Just let me help out.”
Three days later, she was helping out by going over the food selections with Matthew and Dorothea in the main dining room. Matthew had already sampled every item on the lunch menu and was definite about his decision to feature local foods only.
After a moment, Kate sensed that someone had come up behind her.
“Good afternoon.”
Kate turned and gasped. The intruder was J.M. Houston.
“Mrs. Jarrett, Ms. Weston, Captain Blue.”
“What are you doing here, Houston?” Matthew demanded gruffly.
“I heard that you’d decided to play innkeeper, Matthew. I was in the area and decided I’d drop in and see if you might reconsider and accept a new offer for the hotel?”
“Houston, I don’t have a bouncer in this restaurant, but if I did, I’d have you thrown out.”
“Look, Blue, you can’t blame me for taking advantage of any information that came my way. It was just smart business.”
“Business is one thing, Mr. Houston,” Dorothea cut in sharply, “but your little deal hurt too many people.”
“I quite agree,” J.M. said smoothly. “Causing Kate grief is something I regret deeply.” He leaned over, bringing his face closer to Kate as he spoke. “If there is anything I can do to help, Kate, believe me, I’ll be glad to do it.”
Kate thought at first that it was J.M. Houston’s presence that made her skin begin to tingle. Then she identified the feeling. Max. He was there. She glanced in the mirrors behind the table and saw him standing in the doorway, clasping the lovely Lucy Pierce by the arm.
Max’s eyes were narrow slashes of obsidian as he returned Kate’s glare in the mirror. Kate clenched her jaw in misery as she saw the scene from Max’s point of view: J.M. Houston, his hand resting possessively on her back, leaning forward intimately in conversation. Well, she wouldn’t defend herself again. She’d tried that once.
She turned to Matthew. “About that job title, Matthew. I’ll take one. As of right now, I’m your administrative assistant.”
Kate stood, walked over to Max, and smiled. “Good afternoon, Mr. Sorrenson, Lucy.”
“Kate,” Max said through clenched teeth. “I’ve just had a little talk with Lucy. It was Lucy who slipped into my office and turned
on the modem so that J.M. could access my computer through the telephone lines. She was promised a career as a Maverick centerfold for her efforts.”
Lucy flinched as Max’s fingertips dug into her upper arm.
“Tell her, Lucy.”
“Her confession isn’t necessary,” Kate said quietly. “We’d already figured out the truth, Max. But thank you for coming.” She’d known that she would have to face Max again sometime. But she hadn’t known it would be so soon.
“Kate?” Max’s voice was little more than a ragged whisper.
Go away, she wanted to scream. Don’t call my name. Don’t make me want to listen to your apology. Loving hurts too much. She had to make him understand that it was over.
Lifting her chin, Kate said, “I’m sorry, sir. As the assistant to the new owner, I should do my job properly and welcome you to the Showboat. We’d like both of you to be our guests for dinner,” she added as smoothly as her unstable breathing allowed. “Oh, and Mr. Sorrenson, do have a nice day.” Kate brushed past Max. It took every ounce of control, but she never looked back.
When Max Sorrenson reached the dock, Carlos Herrera was waiting. For a few weeks after his encounter with Kate at the Showboat, Max had thrown himself into solving the problems the fishermen were facing of too much competition and the diminishing supply of fish. Now he was ready to bring all the parties together. There’d been a time when he’d been certain of his actions. Now, since he’d lost Kate, he couldn’t be sure of anything.
“Sorry to make you lose a good day’s catch, Carlos, but what we’re going to do this afternoon will make us all more money in the long run. At least I hope so.”
Carlos started the engine and steered the boat out into the Gulf and down the coast. Half an hour later, there were three more boats trailing them as they crossed the bridge into St. Andrews Bay and docked.
The warehouse had been converted into a makeshift meeting hall where fishermen sat warily on packing boxes and scaling tables.
Matthew Blue ambled lazily toward the center of the group, shook hands with Max, and nodded toward a loading platform that was to serve as a stage. When Carlos hung back, Max shook his head and forced him to come along.
“Afternoon, gents,” Matthew said, “I think you all know Max. He’s been working on our mutual problems, and I think we should hear what he has to say.”
Max stepped forward. “A year ago Matthew Blue and some others came to me as a fellow fleet owner and as someone with power outside our area. They were concerned about the declining king mackerel catch and the influx of outsiders making profits even smaller.”
“Still are,” someone called out. “The solution is simple,” another shouted. “Yeah, keep the outsiders out.”
Max waited for the din to die down. Kate had come up with the solution that day on Carlos’s boat. And now it was up to him to make it work. Kate …
He drew his attention back to the meeting. “As you know, I’ve never been a fishing boat captain. But I’ve operated my Aunt Dorothea’s ships, so I’ve had reason to feel the pinch. I think that I’ve come up with a solution.”
The men quieted down and waited, expectant but suspicious.
“It all started when Matthew said that it was too bad that the fishermen didn’t have the same kind of protective association as the hotel owners. And he’s right. The larger fleets, such as mine and Captain Blue’s, have an advantage over those of you who only have one boat. My ten tons of mackerel is a more powerful voice than your one ton.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the chorus agreed noisily.
“What if we could combine our catch and offer it as one? Then we could bargain as one voice.”
“Yeah? But whose voice?”
Max went on to explain the concept of the cooperative venture, where the group would elect a three-man committee to act for everyone. All the catches would be pooled and sold in bulk for the best prices, with the committee taking shares proportionate to their time and investment, and the rest of the profits being divided up according to each individual’s catch.
By the time they left, Carlos, Max, and a man who owned only a single boat had been selected as the first committee of the Gulfshore Fishermen’s Cooperative. Max should have been elated. He should have been, but without someone to share it with, the feeling wasn’t as good as he’d expected it to be. “The plan was Kate’s,” he explained to Matthew, “and I’d appreciate it if you would express our thanks to her.”
“Why don’t you tell her yourself, boy?”
• • •
Kate liked working at the Showboat with Matthew, but she decided she was too close to Max. As she dressed, she looked out her window. She could see the roof of La Casa del Sol. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get Max Sorrenson out of her mind.
The time had come for her to move on. But she couldn’t leave without facing Max once more. He’d been wrong about her. But she’d been wrong too. She’d come to understand that any time he lost control of a situation that involved her, he responded with anger to cover his uncertainty.
She’d known, too, that he had built protective walls around himself and she’d battered them down. A grand adventure. She’d set a trap and had made herself the bait. Once he’d taken it, she hadn’t known what to do.
Move on. Don’t stay in one place. Keep from getting close to anybody. If she never got close, she couldn’t love anybody, and she couldn’t be hurt. But she’d fallen in love. Working with Matt had proved that Max had been right about one thing: She could live in the penthouse suite. She could be part of the white-collar team. But it was time to burn her bridges and get on the road. She’d find the right spot and stay there, put down roots. But first she’d talk with Max. Her mother had waited all her life for her father to return, and he hadn’t been strong enough to face her. Kate wouldn’t make that mistake. She brushed her hair, fastened a shell necklace around her neck, and left her room.
“Kate!” Matthew was coming in the front door as she stepped out of the elevator. “You did it. It was your idea and Max’s persuasive ability that worked. The Gulfshore Fishermen’s Cooperative is in business. Kate?” Matthew started toward her. “Max said to give you his thanks and to say … that he loves you.”
Matthew closed his eyes and said a small prayer of forgiveness. He’d just been around Dorothea too long, he decided. But there came a time when the truth needed to be dressed up a little.
“He said what?”
“Give Kate my thanks.”
“And …”
“That he loves you.”
Kate might have wondered about the message if she’d stopped to think, but she didn’t. She was through thinking. If the hotel driver got a ticket for speeding, she’d pay it. Right now she was going to see a man about a movie. Only this movie hadn’t been made yet. And she was going to write the script.
Nine
“Kate! I’m so glad to see you.” Helen Stevens was at the desk. “Are you coming back to work? I don’t think the hotel can stand any more of Max as a handyman.”
“Max as a handyman?”
“Yep. He’s got some idea that he’s been living in an ivory tower. He’s given up finance and real estate for a wrench and a hammer. I’m not sure that either Joe or the hotel is going to survive.”
“Joe?”
“Max ordered a uniform and apprenticed himself to Joe as a handyman. Kate, if La Casa del Sol had been dependent on Max for manual labor, we’d be underwater.”
Kate smiled. So Max had decided to become a blue-collar worker. She laughed lightly, then out loud. “Oh, Helen, I think I understand. The dear, sweet man. He’s working his way to me.”
“He is? Well I hope that makes sense to you, because it sure doesn’t make any more sense to me than the Pekingese dog that he bought yesterday. He says it’s better than a bird.”
“He bought a dog? Where is it?”
“He sent Mrs. Jarrett and her new companion, Polly, to the vet with it.”
“
And where is Max?” Kate was beginning to get an idea.
“Hold on to your hat. He’s installing a new shower head in his bathroom.”
“Is Joe helping him?”
“I wish. No, this is to be a surprise for Joe. I think it will be a big surprise.”
“Fine. Would you help me choose a gown in the hotel dress shop and authorize me to charge it?”
“If you’ll get Max out of maintenance, I’ll have the hotel provide you with a whole new wardrobe.”
“Just a gown and a little beauty work will do.”
A short time later, Kate was examining herself in the mirror with approval.
“Oh, my goodness. When you said a gown, I thought you meant a dinner gown. You look just like Mae West.”
“Great. That’s what I have in mind. If Max is turning into a handyman, I’m changing into the most sophisticated woman on the Strip.”
“I’d love to be a little mouse under a chair when he sees you.” Helen was wide-eyed with admiration.
“By the way, Helen, would you get me a couple of lemons from the kitchen and one of those fishing rods from the guests’ lost and found room?”
“Anything else?”
“Oh yes, a master key and a DO NOT DISTURB sign.”
“This is getting better and better.” Helen quickly brought Kate the items and walked with her to the elevator.
The two guests leaving the elevator stopped short and looked at Kate. “Are we having a party?” the woman asked eagerly.
“A private party,” Kate said in her best vampy voice, “a very private party. And, Helen, when Mrs. Jarrett and Polly show up, tell them they’re not invited. As a matter of fact, send them over to the Showboat and tell them to stay there until I sound the all clear.”
The elevator doors slid shut, and the machine rose slowly. Kate closed her eyes and prayed. She hoped she was doing the right thing. She was taking a big chance, opening herself to humiliation and rejection. She was scared silly. By the time the door opened and she stepped out into the penthouse foyer, she was ready to turn around and ride right back down. And then she heard it, a metallic pounding, a yowl, and a splash.
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