“As tempting as offer as that is, Kevin. We need to talk and I need you to listen. Please sit back down.”
With a cursory glance towards Mark, her friend and as of late, drunken manager, who seemed to be perking up a bit from the coffee and conversation he was eavesdropping on, Kevin slid onto the bench seat once more. She should’ve taken him to another part of the resort, away from Mark. This was none of his business, but maybe Mark would finally get off of her back now that he was getting a front seat to watch all of her personal business being aired. If Scarlet were being honest with herself, she’d admit that she’d been far too reclusive for too long. It needed to stop. If that meant Mark or anyone else would see the vulnerable side of her, so be it.
“Would you like anything else to drink before we begin? It might be a bit too much to handle on coffee alone. Please try to keep all of your questions until I’m finished. I don’t want to lose my nerve.” He shook his head and she continued. “My real name is Jenna Carrol. Well, it was. I changed it after that weekend. Or should I say that weekend changed me and everything about my life as well as yours.”
Scarlet went on to explain her powers, how she’d found him and the price she’d paid. Remaining unemotional wasn’t possible. She’d held all of it for so long, her words came out in a tidal wave of information and tears. Kevin sat across from her, his eyes never leaving her face, not even when he reached across the table to wipe away her tears.
“I never, ever meant to leave you there. But the accident…my parents…everything changed and it was all my fault. It was my punishment and I couldn’t come back to you. I know this is all probably very hard to understand, but it was for your own good that I never returned to you. There was no way I could’ve handled it if you’d been taken away as some part of the punishment for my actions. You were better off without me.
I came here, to Indiana, built the resort and have spent the past two decades bringing other people together, watching them find their true love. I named the resort River Jewel because of the way the sun and moon shine, reflecting their glow upon the water. The building reminded me of a sparkling gem amidst the busy waterway. I am the resort. The resort is me, infused with my magic. It took a while, but it basically runs itself. Aside from the occasional problem with a guest who becomes freaked out even after reading the brochures which tell them they’ll receive their heart’s desires, there are still issues. Basically, that’s it.”
Wiping her nose once again, Scarlet hoped her eyes conveyed how truly sorry she was. He said nothing. Kevin just sat there, staring at her and as the moments ticked by, she became more and more uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Surely, he thought her to be even crazier than he had before she’d tried to explain. Leaning back, he folded his tan, muscular arms across his chest, which was broader than she remembered. Using the lapse in conversation to her advantage, her eyes searched his face for any sign of what he was thinking.
When the silence became too much, “Kevin?”
He uncrossed his arms momentarily, holding up his index finger. Sure, he needed a minute. She got that. Completely understandable. “Take all the time you need. How about I leave you here and after you’ve thought about what I’ve said, we can talk. I won’t pressure you. I know it’s a lot to take in. If you decide to leave without talking to me again, I’m fine with that. I accepted our fate long ago.”
Who was she kidding? It would kill her. She wanted that happy ending just as much as he had. Turning to glance at Mark, his jaw was hanging open in disbelief, she eased out of the booth as Kevin remained silent and eerily still.
“Either way,” she paused before walking to the door. “It was wonderful seeing you again and for the record, the memory of our kiss was no match for our kiss last night. I’m sorry for hurting you. I hope someday you can forgive me.”
She escaped into the hallway, leaning against the door, she swallowed the sobs that threatened to rack her body. After so many years, she was able to get it all off of her chest. Or most of it. Scarlet could never tell him the rest. He’d never understand and that was one secret she’d take to her grave.
“Scarlet!” She fell backwards into Kevin’s arms as the door she was holding yanked her backwards.
Looking up into his eyes, “Yes?”
Setting her on her feet, “We’re not finished. You can’t just drop a bomb like that and walk away. Not after two decades. You don’t get to walk away again. Do you hear me?”
Anger. Anger wasn’t what she’d expected. Laughing at her for sounding like a loon, pity and compassion for all that she’d lost, forgiveness maybe. But not this. “What? I was giving you time to absorb.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve had plenty of time in my life to absorb a lot of things. You walking away from me will never be one of them. You tell me your life history, cry a little and apologize. Suddenly everything is supposed to be okay? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? Do you even care? You didn’t even ask. You drop a bucket of tears and walk away. How can you be such a selfish, cold bitch? I’ve spent years loving you, missing you, needing you and you just dismiss me as if I’m a task on your itinerary.”
What the hell? Was he serious? “Kevin.”
“No. Just stop it. It’s my turn. I’m sorry about your parents. Believe me. I know that you might think it made you some kind of martyr to walk away and leave me at that cabin, but it didn’t. Who are you to decide what’s best for me? What’s best for us? You are what’s best for me. There’s no one else. There never has been. And you might console yourself by sitting here and bringing other couples together, arranging relationships and controlling other people’s fates, but you’re not doing that to me again. I won’t end up like your manager over there who’s lovesick, miserable and drunk all of the time. I’m done. If you walk away from me now, I’m done. I’ll leave and you’ll be the one who’s alone.”
Besides Mark, no one had ever spoken to her the way Kevin had and she wasn’t going to take it from some guy she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“I pour my soul out to you and tell you everything and you think you’re going to tell me what to do? Are you serious? No one told you to wait all of these years. Nobody controlled you. You decided to search for me. Can’t you take a hint? Obviously we weren’t meant to be. It isn’t my fault you’ve wasted money, foregone any other relationships and neglected to move on. Don’t stand there and blame me for this. You chose the path you’re on. No one else chose it for you.”
“Are you for real? In the past hour, you’ve told me how you found me on that beach. You’ve said we were meant to be and up until the car accident that killed your parents, you believed you’d come back to me. You act as if you no longer care, like you’re better than I am somehow. But I’m not the one living in a resort, spending lonely evenings on a virtual fucking beach. I might not be living the greatest life imaginable, but I’m a nice guy and at least I’m living a life. And maybe I’ve spent a ton of money, but it’s my fucking money and that’s none of your business. Between you, your drunken manager, the pipsqueak of a valet and that,” he threw his arm wide, pointing towards the front desk “Maria, who has to be the most anal, eager to please front desk clerk I have ever seen in my entire life, I’m surprised you haven’t driven each other insane.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.” She crossed her arms, staring him down, uncaring how callous and immature she was being. Who did he think he was? He could say what he wanted about her, but her staff, who was more like family, was another matter. How could she have ever felt that she owed this man a damn thing?
“Yeah, I did. Believe me, I regret it. I wish I’d never come here.”
This back and forth war of words was killing her. She knew Kevin had every right to be upset, but blaming her for everything was ridiculous. She wasn’t going to beg him to stay. He’d made his feelings about her perfectly clear. If he stayed, she’d blurt the rest of the things she hadn’t told him and Scarlet wasn’t ready for anymore verbal a
buse. Kevin thought her a cold-hearted, selfish bitch, she’d give him one.
Moving a few steps away from Kevin, she remembered her nosy manager was still sitting there and had witnessed the entire scene. “Mark, shut your mouth. You look like an idiot.” Turning back to Kevin and before she could stop herself Scarlet spewed the most venomous collection of words she’d regret for the rest of her life. “Well, thank you for the riveting conversation. You’ve confirmed what I’ve known all along. No matter how we felt before, it’s obvious the love isn’t there and maybe it never was. My reading could’ve been completely wrong. We’re better off apart. If you’re so miserable here, the door is right through there,” she tipped her head towards the exit, “and you know where your bike is.”
****
Using black rubber bungee straps, Kevin secured his duffle bag to the back of his bike. After checking to make sure his saddle bag buckles were tight, he gave the cycle a once over to be sure his cycle was road ready. Having it parked in a strange place, even if it were at a place as nice as the River Jewel, unnerved him. Once he’d inspected the custom paint job and chrome to be sure it was free of scratches or dents, he swung his leg over the seat, eager to get as far away from Scarlet as fast as the machine would take him.
On any given day, the rattle of pipes and the possibility of hitting the open road would be enough to set his soul at ease. However, that morning, he couldn’t imagine there was much of anything that could dissipate the clusterfuck of emotions clouding his mind and plaguing his heart. The fact was, hitting the ignition wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be.
With his feet planted on either side of the bike, his mind battled with his heart. He’d considered marching right back in there and shake her until she understood how he felt. Then again, Kevin knew it wouldn’t help. Scarlet had made it very clear. They were done. Before they’d even given it a chance. Done.
“How could she have been such a bitch?” Never in all of his years had he ever met such a flippant woman. She was beautiful, calm, fiery, complex and full of sass; everything he’d always wanted and yet, too much for him to handle. He wasn’t afraid to admit it. Though she’d been cruel, he knew it’d been a knee-jerk reaction to how he’d blown up at her.
He should’ve grabbed her and kissed her again. If he’d been as much of a man as he claimed to be, he’d have seen how much pain Scarlet had been in for years. Sure, she’d been just as immature a few times during their conversation, but why had he flipped out on her? She’d bared her soul to him, telling him everything, all she’d lost, all she’d felt and what had he done? Kevin had dialed up the shithead factor and stormed out like a jackass acting as if the past twenty years had been all about him. They’d both been bitches.
He could’ve ran back in to fix it. No. He needed to go. Just go. Scarlet was right. “It’s been too long and nothing good can come of us being together. It was a stupid, romantic fantasy.” They didn’t even know each other. Had they ever?
“What a fucking waste.” Sliding his helmet on, he fired up his cycle and with a few revs to the engine, he eased out of the luxury parking garage. One last glance at the fancy hotel was enough to churn the regret and anger eating at him. It was time for him to start living and feeling good about his own life. Gunning the motor again, he tore out of there, a long strip of hot, melted rubber on the pristine driveway, was his final parting gift to the woman who’d broken his heart not once, but twice.
“Thanks for nothin’.” Touching two fingers to his forehead he sent a mock salute towards his past before he peeled onto the highway.
Chapter Eight
Stop him! What the hell is wrong with you? Why had she resorted to such childish behavior? Where was the compassion and strength she’d always been able to hold onto? What was it about Kevin Sunman that had turned her into an immature wench? Her true love had charged back into her life on an iron horse and she’d ruined it. The self-proclaimed Queen of Romance fucking blew it! Just go after him! She stood in the restaurant surrounded by the aroma of his cologne. Add in the unmistakable layer of guilt mixed with regret and Scarlet had her own personalize bouquet of misery. It didn’t help that Mark Willburn hadn’t moved from his booth and still stared at her in disbelief.
“Scarlet?”
“Just don’t, Mark. I can’t take anymore today. I’m sorry Sydney left, but now isn’t the time to get into that again. Leave me be.”
Mark slid out of the booth and rushed to her side. “I’m so sorry, Scarlet.” He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a whiskey scented hug. “I never knew.”
Kindness from him wasn’t something she’d expected. “Mark, you don’t have to do this. In fact, you should probably get as far away from me as you can. I’m a walking catastrophe.”
“Stop it. You’re the backbone of this place, of this staff. I won’t allow you to fall apart and feel sorry for yourself because of some guy. So what if he didn’t understand. I know I treated you horribly these past few months and I was so wrong. Now I see you’ve only done what you thought was right.”
“Oh, Mark, you have no idea. I appreciate your kind words, but…” She looked up into his kind eyes and gave a small shake to her head.
“But what? I’ve said absolutely horrible things to you for so very long. Taking out my anger and pain on you was reprehensible. Why didn’t you tell me? How could you hold all of this in for so long? And for the love of the universe, why didn’t you tell me to shut the fuck up or fire me?”
“You were hurting. I couldn’t do that. I know what heartache can do to a person.” Wiping a tear away, she backed out of his arms. “Look, this isn’t your problem, Mark. This is my curse to bear and I’ll get over Kevin at some point.”
“This isn’t just about Kevin. You’ve sacrificed your entire life for this place and for others. You need to stop punishing yourself. Kevin was right. You’ve taken all of this on by yourself and shouldered the blame for events that were out of your control.”
Scarlet knew he was right, though she couldn’t help how she felt. “How could I treat him like that?”
“You’re human. A broken and sad human.” He gave Scarlet that lopsided grin she’d missed seeing.
“Right.” That was truly the most difficult thing to remember. Underneath the powers, the business, the façade, she was human. It was easier to shove aside her own problems. Talking about these things only made them more real. Having the fantasies and being surrounded by romance at the River Jewel helped her to hide her past. All of it.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Mark moved behind the bar, pouring them both new cups of coffee.
“He’s better off. Kevin needs to move on. So do I. All of this is more than I have the right to expect anyone else to bear.”
“Bullshit. All of that is trivial. What happened to the advice you’re always giving everyone else? Where is the real Scarlet who doesn’t take no for an answer?”
“Mark, listen,” she pushed her cup away. “There are too many obstacles and I’m getting too old to overcome them. Honestly, until this weekend, it was quite easy to move on.”
“Seriously? What kind of obstacles? You love each other. You’ve always loved each other. And how do you think he just happened to arrive here? Now? Obviously the universe was giving you both a second chance. You know how this works. I can’t believe you’re just giving up. Love is never easy and it isn’t always pretty. But it is worth swallowing your pride or whatever other emotion you’re holding onto and grabbing onto with both hands. How many times have you said that? And why didn’t you tell him everything?”
“Well, you saw how well he took the rest of it. I didn’t think adding more to it was appropriate.”
“Stop assuming what’s best for him. He was here. He loves you. He will forgive you. For everything.” Mark grabbed her upper arms, looking her in the eyes with brotherly love as tears rolled down her cheeks, he whispered “Go. Get. Him. Now. No more secrets. No more regrets.”
Mark
was right. Their destiny had brought Kevin back to her. This was their moment and she’d waved him away like he hadn’t mattered! No more regrets. No more secrets. She’d tell him everything. “You’re right. I just pray I’m not too late!” Standing up on her stiletto-covered tiptoes, she kissed Mark’s cheek and flew out the door, mentally begging the universal Powers that Be for one last chance to make everything right again.
Scarlet burst through the large, glass lobby doors just in time to witness Kevin heading out onto the highway. “No.” She fell to her knees in defeat, knowing he couldn’t hear her, she begged as her heart fell to pieces. “No, I can’t be too late. I’m so sorry. Please come back.”
The thunderous roar of his pipes, though growing more distant, muffled her cries. Suddenly, the steady staccato changed to the sound of gut wrenching squealing of brakes, a sonic boom of crunching metal and then, deafening silence broken only by her own screams. Her blood ran cold as she jumped to her feet and ran towards the horrific sounds before kicking off her inconvenient high heels and willing herself to be wherever Kevin was. In a flash, she stood amidst broken glass, chunks of metal and chrome mixed with plastic bits that littered the highway. If she hadn’t known better, she’d say it looked like a bomb had gone off.
A silver car, with steam rolling from the hood was smashed against the trunk of a large oak tree. Precariously close to the edge of the Ohio River, if the driver had cranked the wheel a moment sooner, they’d have launched into the murky depths of the unforgiving water. There was a pungent aroma of antifreeze mingled with the bitter, coppery smell of blood hanging in the air. A heavy stench of burned rubber and fuel fumes brought painful memories of the crash that took her parents’ lives to the forefront of her consciousness in tumultuous waves.
She knew she needed to act fast and blocked the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. After Scarlet frantically searched the vehicle and surrounding embankment for signs of life, she realized the driver was missing; the only sign there’d been a driver in the car was a small puddle of blood on the dash and drops were smeared across the steering wheel.
River Jewel Resort Box Set Books 1-4 BOOK BUNDLE Page 19