A Suite Deal (Suite Love Series Book 1) Page 11

  His jaw clenched, he grabbed a pillow and heaved it across the room.

  "So don't look at that stuff if it makes you so mad," Emma said, pointing to the files.

  He stared at Emma uncomprehendingly for a moment, then, "It's what I do. Somebody has to look after the hotels, right?" They'd had some version of this conversation many times over.

  "I guess."

  "How about this? I'll work for a little while and then we'll go out for lunch together." He wasn't hungry but Emma loved eating out, and he needed something to take his mind off Lily.

  Emma leaped from the couch. "Ethan, I love you," she said, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck. I'll go change." She turned before heading down the hallway to her bedroom and stared pointedly at the coffee table and his stack of work. "Hurry up!"

  It took so little to make her happy. Just a few minutes of his time. If anyone should understand that time was more important than money, it was him, and yet he didn't share his nearly enough.

  Halfheartedly he fingered the paperwork he'd lugged home from London. Better not let Callie find out he hadn't even opened the files and packages she'd conscientiously air-couriered over.

  From the top of the listing tower, a thick envelope slid to the floor.

  This one's as good as any, he decided and mined the mess on the table for the silver letter opener and slid the blade expertly through the sealed end.

  He pulled out the contents just far enough to read the heading. Purchase Offer: Osprey Island, Loon Lake.

  Callie must have inadvertently sent it with the rest of the stuff, he thought. About to toss it to the to-be-recycled heap, a flowing blue signature at the bottom of page one drew his attention. What? He quickly thumbed through the sheaf. Lily's signature appeared on the bottom of every sheet.

  Swiping the table clear with his arm, he spread the Offer to Purchase across the glass surface and scanned the sheets as if a clue was hidden somewhere in the printed words.

  When did she sign it? His gaze dropped to the date at the bottom of the sheet.

  He checked his watch and frowned. She'd be out fishing on the lake with some lucky tourist.

  Less than an hour ago, he'd instructed Legal to send out his new offer. A withdrawal of the first one was to be drawn up as well and sent directly to Lily. Both packages would arrive at Loon Lake tomorrow.

  He strode to the window and stared unseeingly into the cityscape. She loved that island.

  The Hideaway's finances were obviously strained, but something devastating had to have happened. Something that required lots of money, and fast. His pulse quickened.

  Was she all right? Was it her eyes? Her blue eyes that saw beauty where most saw just ordinary. He swallowed hard, regret and fear burned his throat.

  His hands locked into fists as his decision formed. A decision his father couldn't make thirty years ago. I'm going to Lily. Now.

  "Emma!"

  She appeared at his side, stuffing one arm into a sweater and a purse clutched in the other. "You're done work already? Can we go to lunch now?"

  "Change of plans, Em," he said, his statement increasing his determination.

  "Where are we going?"

  "Where I should have gone days ago"

  Emma rolled her eyes at her brother's confusing answer. "Do we at least get to eat when we get there?"

  "Run and tell Miss Scott to make up some sandwiches," he said, nudging her toward the hallway. "We'll eat on the plane"

  His pilot's voice crackled through the cabin, "Flight plans in place, Mr. Weatherall. We'll arrive in Buttermilk Falls at six thirty-five P.M."

  Ethan grabbed the small two-way radio hanging from the ceiling, "Excellent, Bill. Let's do it."

  "Roger, boss"

  His cell phone burred in his pocket. "Hold on while I take this, Bill," he instructed, and he grabbed for his phone. The number on the screen wasn't Lily's and he debated even answering.

  "Ethan, sorry to butt in on your personal time, but I just got a call from Apex Developments in British Columbia. They've upped their estimate for construction of our second Nirvana by thirty percent"

  Ethan leaned forward and pressed the phone closer to his ear. "No way, Sullivan. They're out of line," he stormed to his right-hand man. "This is the second time they've tried to-"

  "Don't I know it."

  "-pull a fast one right before signing." Ethan glanced at his Rolex and factored in the three-hour time difference. "And the last time, Trey" Already he was planning his counterattack. Too bad the file was spread across his condo's living room floor.

  "Ethan," Emma interjected, disappointment evident in her tone, "I can tell that's Trey, and he's going to ruin our trip to visit Lily, isn't he?"

  Her arms crossed her chest tightly as if to protect herself from his words as she stared him down.

  Truth barged into the cabin like a bear through a dollhouse. The dial tone buzzed in his ear as he looked at Emma. Tears threatened to fall, but she valiantly continued to fight them off. After all, she was becoming an expert at coping with disappointment too.

  "Trey, pack your stuff and get out to B.C. You know Apex as well as I do. Straighten them out, and there's a bonus in it for you"

  Emma dropped her defiant stance instantly and hugged his arm.

  Static crackled through the cabin, "Well, boss, what's it gonna be-Buttermilk Falls or the West Coast?"

  "Buttermilk Falls, Bill," he said, hoping it wasn't already too late. "I've got a way bigger problem out there that needs fixing."

  ... to Lily Greensly, an Academy Award for her amazing performance at the Friends of Loon Lake dance" With a flourish, Delaney presented to her friend an economy-sized bottle of hairspray. "You had them fooled, sister."

  "I was good, wasn't I," Lily agreed, rising from the shop's barber's chair and accepting the bottle of Final Net with a gracious nod.

  Since there had been no real way of getting out of going to the dance, at least not without providing fodder for Buttermilk's thriving gossip mill, she'd arrived with her parents, spouting Ethan's excuses to all that inquired.

  Amazingly, not only did the Friends of Loon Lake fall for her carefree performance, some actually expressed sympathy for Ethan. "Poor man," Hilda had said. "We really must send him some pictures of the hall. It looks so beautiful with its aquatic theme" She scurried off on a hunt for a digital camera.

  Delaney's voice cut through Lily's melancholy. "Come hang out with me while I catalogue the pen-and-inks I picked up at the show last week."

  Delaney parted the panel of beaded curtains and settled at her desk located in the rear of the store. "It's mind-numbingly boring. Not the prints, mind you-the cataloguing."

  "It beats going home and looking across the bay at Osprey Island. I imagine any day now barges will start lugging over the materials and equipment for the helipad base"

  "You've got his check then, have you?"

  "Actually, no. But I'm sure it's on its way." Businessmen like Ethan Weatherall no doubt erase their guilt with their big payouts. "He's rich, Delaney," she said flatly. "Money is the easy part for people like him."

  "Have you told your father yet?"

  Lily slumped in her seat. "I'm telling him today. Can't put it off much longer. I meant to tell him last night, but I was afraid I'd cry or something."

  Delaney pushed a package of chocolate chip cookies across the table toward her friend.

  "You know, selling the island is the right thing to do," Lily said, the timbre of her voice strengthening as she explained her actions.

  "Really the only choice, for a dyed-in-the-wool Greensly like you," Delaney agreed, her reply based on her own family's long acquaintance with the Greenslys.

  "And it forced Ethan to slither out from under his rock before he made even a bigger fool out of me." Lily couldn't help but wonder how long he'd have performed his charade.

  I'm not the only one deserving of an Oscar, she thought, unable to stop the memory of their picnic on Osprey Island fr
om returning. Was it really only a few days ago she'd snuggled against him for warmth, secure she'd finally met the real Ethan Weatherall?

  "Speaking of snakes and such-how's your hunt for research dollars going?"

  Lily straightened. "You know, it's unbelievable. My meeting with Mr. LaPierre yesterday was actually kind of fun. I came home with a sizable donation."

  "It's not unbelievable. At least not to me. You kind of light up whenever you start yakking about phosphorus levels and acid rain. People trust your message"

  Lily smiled weakly in appreciation. Ethan had pretty much said the same thing. "What can I say, I love my work."

  Delaney stared at her friend for a second before blurting out, "So long as you don't use your work, and the lake, to hide out from the world. Again."

  Lily knew she was referring to the post-Doug weeks when she'd retreated to her island.

  "You know, I'm not going to run and hide this time," Lily said thoughtfully. "I don't have the time. I've decided to join a group of biologists who meet in Toronto each month-"

  Delaney's pen stopped moving across the ledger. "I'm impressed."

  "And participate in a kind of think tank for marine specialists. Mr. LaPierre told me about the group. And provided me with the name of a third potential investor."

  "Sounds like your networking is paying off, in more ways than one"

  Lily inched forward in her chair. "Ethan broke my heart, Delaney, but he gave me something too. He helped me see that I'm more than just a scientist."

  Her friend nodded agreement and sat back to listen.

  "And that's good because in today's reality a scientist is only as good as his funding allows"

  "True."

  "And if I really want to do my job right, I need to spend as much time chasing down grants and donations as I do on the lake"

  "Seems to me you wear both hats equally well"

  "I've Ethan to thank for that. He opened the door to a whole other world for me."

  Delaney shot her best friend a look a pure amazement. "So you've forgiven the jerk?"

  "Are you kidding? I hope I never see Ethan Weatherall again."

  Dusk crept across the water toward the island. Lily sat at the base of the aging tree and watched the cottage lights, one by one, twinkle on along the shoreline. Grandpa Greensly's canoe nudged gently against the rocks, punctuating the tranquility with its rhythmic thumping.

  Lily's gaze traveled across the bay and up into the forest. She wondered if over time she'd forget the beauty of this place. Forgive Ethan.

  In the fading light, she studied the island's rocky surface. It offered little in substance really, home to only a half-dead spruce and a bunch of prickly juniper. When Ethan paved over it, there'd be no real loss of habitat. Not even a squirrel would miss it.

  Her heart tightened in her chest. IT miss it.

  She shifted from the base of the tree and stretched out on the smooth rock surface. The day's heat, cached in the granite, radiated through the cotton of her T-shirt. A pair of loons called to each other from opposite shores, their haunting cries carrying the length of the lake. Mated for life, Lily acknowledged dreamily. We all should be so lucky.

  The minutes drifted by, and Lily's eyelids grew heavy. Sleep had been hard to come by since the night of the dance. She gave over to her sleepdeprived body's demand for rest and drifted off.

  "Lily."

  She stirred. A deep voice from up above dragged her out of her sleepy fog. She twisted against the unforgiving rock and turned her head. A large pair of spotless deck shoes grazed her nose.

  "Ethan?"

  Her mind dull with sleep, she remained motionless and allowed her gaze to travel the length of his denim-clad legs up to his wide shoulders. He seemed taller than she remembered, his face a pale, blurred mask-and then she remembered everything.

  Anger and hurt bubbled in her chest as she studied his looming silhouette. Yeah, he was a light house of a man, luring the lovelorn into unsafe harbors.

  "Lily, are you all right?"

  She scrambled upright and scanned her surroundings. Junipers, Grandpa's canoe, Ethan ... all shifted before her eyes.

  "I'm fine," she said, leaning back against the tree. "And by the way, this place is still officially mine. I can sleep here all night if I want" What's he doing here anyway? She'd nothing left for him to take.

  "It's yours forever, Lily. I didn't sign the deal. I didn't even see your signature on the papers until this morning."

  His voice was clear, but his words were completely confusing to her. "What?"

  "I mean, I officially withdrew my offer for the island this morning," he said more slowly. "But I decided days ago that I wouldn't put a helipad here"

  Her heart began to race. "You won't? Why didn't you phone me from England then? Why did you disappear?" Her questions darted across the space between them, targeting the truth. She'd settle for nothing less this time, no matter how much it hurt.

  He stepped closer and reached for her hands, holding them tightly, as if he thought she might bolt from his grasp.

  "I love you," he blurted out.

  He loves me. The three simple words she'd been aching to hear sank into the void between their bodies, a space crowded with betrayal and fear. She struggled to find a reason to trust his words.

  "That's why you left? I don't understand" He hadn't been acting like a man in love.

  "Someone temporarily convinced me that Weatherall men don't deserve women like you. I thought I'd just end up hurting you and that a clean break was kindest," he said, shaking his head from side to side. He tipped her chin up with his finger and leveled his gaze directly into her eyes. "I made a huge mistake."

  He was here. He loved her. A flicker of excitement lit her heart. She waited, knowing he had more to say.

  "I'm not my father," he continued, his gaze not leaving her face. "I want my legacy someday to be ... a happy family, not just a chain of hotels" He waved toward the Nirvana, its towering walls shimmering in the moonlight.

  "I fought long and hard to make my mark, and I'm not done yet, but it doesn't all need to happen today," he said, capturing a strand of her hair with his fingers and tucking it behind her ear.

  He loved her. He stood her up-because he loved her. Relief watered her knees and she folded into his chest. His arms tightened around her as "I love you too" fell from her lips.

  "Got time in your schedule to spend with a vacationing CEO?"

  Was he kidding? He'd never spent more than a day or two at Loon Lake before. Lily pulled back to check his face. "You mean you don't have to rush back to Toronto? Or London? Or ... anywhere?"

  "No. Not for a couple of weeks anyway. I told Trey to take over for a while. Gave him complete responsibility until I get back"

  "That's wonderful," she said, nestling into his arms. "I'll put you to work out here. What do you know about counting walleye fingerlings?"

  His laughter drifted over her shoulder and dropped to the placid water surrounding the island. Her heart swelled with secret pleasure, knowing the lake would carry his laugh to the far shore, bringing heads up and smiles to all who heard.

  "I'm thrilled there won't be a helipad here," she whispered into his neck, "but I need to sell this island-to somebody. It's either the island or the Hideaway. Dad's in real financial trouble"

  "Hang on. I stopped to see your parents before coming here and told them about my original offer for the island, and then I presented your Dad with a different offer. Oh, and by the way, I left Emma with them and borrowed a canoe"

  Ethan in a canoe? He really must love me, she thought, giddy with relief.

  And Emma with Jared and Marion. A perfect combination. Dad probably had the checkerboard out, while her mother bustled from the kitchen to the screened porch with bowls of her famous apple-crumble in hand.

  "I asked your father if he'd consider selling me the acreage east of the Nirvana."

  "Dad's back-forty of scrub land? You can't even drive to it. It
's useless."

  "I'd hoped he'd feel that way too, and I was right. He jumped at the chance to unload it."

  Surely Ethan wasn't making a grandiose gesture just to please her?

  "My acquisitions department assures me a right-of-way is possible-leading right to my back door. In fact, the property is big enough for a par-four golf course. It's worth a small fortune to Weatherall Enterprises."

  He cradled her against his chest as the tears flooded from her eyes. "Hey," he whispered into her hair, "that's good news, sweetie."

  Her head bobbed in agreement.

  "Now, I see there's another empty lot"-he pointed to a clearing on Turtle Point-"that looks interesting."

  "I know the one you mean. Fabulous view. Probably the best view on the lake. It's zoned as resi dential, though. Weatherall Enterprises couldn't build anything there."

  "I know. Perfect spot for a home though, don't you think?"

  "Absolutely," she replied, searching his face for the point of this strange yet intriguing conversation.

  "Trey's going to take on a bigger role in the company from now on. I don't need to be in the Toronto office more than a couple of days a week. Half of what I do could be done from a home office"

  She felt him draw in a breath and he continued talking. "I love it out here. I'm going to build a permanent home here on the lake. I told Emma on the flight out"

  "That fabulous, Ethan," she said enthusiastically, not a bit surprised he'd included his sister in his plans. "Emma will love it out here. But just so you know, Ethan, I'll be traveling a bit more now," she said, snuggling against his chest. "You really started something when you introduced me to Pete Southerland."

  His smile remained. "I know potential when I see it," he joked.

  "Just think of it"-she spun from his arms"all the studies I've wanted to complete-they're really going to happen. I can do something to save the lakes, not just dream about it." She looked to the heavens and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I wish Grandpa had lived to see this."

  Ethan caught her hand and brought her back to his arms and they watched a shooting star race across the inky sky. "We're not really alone out here, you know."