“Of course, Mr. Farrell.”
Nathan hated when people called him that, but it was too early in the relationship to allow anyone at the inn to refer to him by a less formal name. He’d need to make sure he had their respect before he became anyone’s friend.
“Let me know if there’s any—” The phone rang, cutting him off, and Sean got a slightly panicked look in his eyes. Nathan could tell he was torn between being as accommodating as possible to the new owner and doing his actual job. Nathan gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Answer that. We’re done here.”
Sean nodded as he grabbed the phone. “Seal Cove Inn, how can I help you?”
Nathan left Sean to handle the call on his own, but before he left, he heard, “Sir!”
He stopped and turned to look at Sean. “Is it Katy?”
“No. It’s someone named Robert Farrell.”
Nathan seriously debated walking away and letting Sean make up some excuse but decided that he’d already been yelled at plenty today. What were a few more insults?
He crossed the room and took the phone from Sean. “Hello. I was actually just about to—”
“You bought a fucking hotel without talking to me?”
Katy looked out over the water and wrapped her arms around herself to protect from the chill. It was barely past seven in the morning, and the light spring chill was bordering on just plain cold.
But she didn’t mind the discomfort. Right now, she could use any distraction from the stress of the past day. Because once she walked inside that inn, she’d have to put on her responsible face. When her employees asked whether everything was going to be okay, she was going to smile and say “of course.” And when Nathan came into her office and tried to act as though nothing had happened, she was going to have to keep her cool and act like the professional she was.
“Hey there, Katy!”
She turned around to see Levi at the top of the drop-off. She forced a smile and waved back at him. He was dressed in his running gear and must’ve been taking his jog early today. “Morning!” she called back. “Busy day?”
Instead of giving her a quick answer and continuing his run, he walked down the steep clearing between the rocks so he could stand on the beach next to her.
Katy wanted to be annoyed, but she didn’t mind his company at the moment. Levi could be brash and annoying, but at least she knew what she was getting with him.
“Very busy.” He tried to catch his balance as the rocks shifted. “I have a client coming into town today and they want to go over the Vanguard accounts and then discuss the possibility of opening an IRA instead of the account I set them up in.”
Sometimes she wondered whether Levi didn’t know that people didn’t want that much detail or whether he thought people would think he was smarter. “That all sounds fascinating,” she said dryly. “I have a rough day ahead of me too. We’re lucky to be so close to the water. It gives me strength on days like this.”
“You have a busy day too then?”
She figured the cat was going to be out of the bag soon enough. “The inn was sold this weekend. The new owner is here and I have no idea what to expect.”
“What?” Levi seemed shocked and Katy didn’t blame him. He lived right next door to the inn, so what happened at Seal Cove Inn affected him.
“You heard me. It all happened so suddenly. Burkhart told me on Saturday and the deal was finalized on Sunday. You’re not supposed to do business on Sundays. It’s the rule.”
“You’d be surprised what can get done on a Sunday,” said Levi. “I should stop by to meet this new owner.”
Thinking back to how much Nathan seemed turned off by Levi, Katy knew that wasn’t a good idea. “I’m sure he’s going to be very busy today. Later in the week would be best.”
“What about you? Would you like to have lunch today?”
Katy chuckled. “I thought you were busy today. Meeting with a client.”
“Yes, but I can always make time for you.”
“You have an important client to meet with. Don’t let me stop that.” Really, she didn’t want to stop anything. She was more than aware that Levi wanted to be more than friends, but she’d made it clear on several occasions that she wasn’t interested. But that didn’t stop him from bending over backward to try to accommodate her. She’d always tried to keep on friendly terms with him because of his support of the inn, but then he’d remind her how he really felt and she’d have to remind herself to not be too friendly.
Katy let out a sigh. “Well, I guess we better get to the day. Why don’t you go up first so that if I embarrass myself, you won’t be seeing me?”
Levi laughed a bit more than the mediocre joke warranted before he started up the cliff. “I’m sure you’re nothing but graceful,” he said as he struggled to find footing.
It was a bit easier for Katy because she’d made the climb many times in the past few years. Even in her skirt and flats, she was up to the top in no time.
“You did that like a pro.” Levi dropped the hand he’d held out to her that she’d ignored.
“One of my many skills,” she said with a half-smile. “Good luck with the client today.”
“And you call me the minute anything gets uncomfortable here. You know I’ve been in more than a few negotiations and I can handle myself pretty well around these big shots.”
Even though her hiding might say otherwise, Katy was very confident with her own ability to handle big shots. But she gave Levi a simple thanks before they went their separate ways.
The path leading up to the inn was deserted for the moment. Monday mornings weren’t usually a busy time. People were tired from the weekend or preparing to go home soon and soaking up the rest of the relaxation.
But Katy’s relaxing walk was interrupted by a guest. Apparently there were still a few morning people around. She didn’t recognize the man, but that wasn’t wholly unusual. She didn’t know everyone who was staying at any given time, and the wedding they just held had brought an influx of new guests. She was going to do her customary nod and hello, but once the man saw her, she seemed to get all of his focus.
He didn’t seem like the normal guest, but between Nathan and the paranormal investigator, she was just going to have to get used to the guests not fitting her expectations. This man appeared to be in his thirties and had a confident walk. Whoever he was, he was used to people doing what he said. He had light-brown hair and as he approached, she saw he had warm, brown eyes. The warmth was promptly cancelled out by the furrowed brow. “Katy Carey?” he asked as he approached.
Katy steeled herself. Usually when guests asked for her by name, it wasn’t a good thing. “Yes. Good morning.”
“Yeah, uh, good morning. I need to ask you a few questions.”
Katy was taken aback by the abrupt greeting. If this wasn’t a guest, who was he? “What about?”
“About the two instances of vandalism on the property in the past week. Did the contractors who looked at the damage to the roof give you an estimated timeframe for when the damage was made?”
Katy blinked and took another look at the man, who still hadn’t introduced himself. If it weren’t for the circles under his eyes and the premature crow’s feet, he could’ve been very handsome. And the definite frown lines told her that he probably didn’t smile much. “Forgive me if I missed something, but I still have no idea who you are.”
He frowned, as if the inconvenience of being asked who he was somehow majorly ruined his day. He took out his wallet and flipped it open, showing a shiny badge. “Officer Scott Hart. Like I said—”
Katy reached forward and grabbed the badge to get a closer look. “I know all the police in town. So you work with...” she looked closer, “the NYPD. You’re a long way from home, Officer.”
“I’m here as a favor to a friend.”
“Which friend?” She really hoped he was about to say Sheriff Dan, but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to get lucky.
“Nathan Farrell wanted me to make sure I got to the bottom of what was happening. Why are you so reluctant to talk to me? I’d expect you’d want to figure this out too.”
For the love of— “I’m reluctant to talk to you because I have no idea who you are. Also this,” she waved his badge around before he snatched it out of her hand, “is meaningless here.”
“My authority doesn’t magically go away when I leave the city.” He put the wallet away. “And since the owner of this establishment asked me to investigate, I’m pretty sure you’re required to answer my questions.”
“Then when I get confirmation from Nathan that you are who you say you are, I’ll make sure we have a nice long chat. Until then, please enjoy the breakfast at the Lighthouse Grill. It’s a meal you’ll never forget.” She kept her smile in place as she walked away from the officer. Just one more thing to add to her list of things to watch out for.
Hopefully the rest of the day would go smoothly. She walked inside and behind the front desk, where Sheila quickly lifted a book in front of her face. Quick enough that Katy figured the teen had been on her phone against inn regulations, but Katy couldn’t worry about that at the moment. “Good morning,” she said with fake cheerfulness as she logged into the front computer.
“Hey, Katy. Have a nice weekend?”
She decided not to dignify that with an honest answer. “It was busy. Have you checked your email yet?”
“The email saying that Burkhart betrayed us? Yeah, I got it. What do we know about the new guys? Are we going corporate?”
“You actually know the new owner.” Katy glanced over so she could see Sheila’s reaction. “It’s Nathan Smith. Well, Nathan Farrell, our guest in the Blue Room.”
The book fell out of Sheila’s hands and to the floor as she jumped out of her chair. “What? Our owner is the hot guy in the Blue Room? That is so wrong. Or so right. I don’t know, I’m so conflicted. He’s so hot! Is it wrong to be that attracted to your boss?”
Oh, Sheila. If only you knew how much I am struggling with that same question. “As long as you don’t act on anything, you can think whatever you want. Once I get situated, I’ll set up a staff meeting to go over everything I don’t know. Which is everything. But I don’t think he has any plans to shut the place down, so I can at least give everyone assurance that we’re not going to close up any time soon.”
“Well, that’s good because we have a full house tonight.”
That caught Katy’s attention. “Full house? On a Monday?”
“We had a bunch of reservations booked in the past twenty-four hours. All coming in today.”
Katy quickly pulled up the reservation log and her heart fell into her throat. There were indeed five rooms booked that night. Four were for people whose last name was Farrell and one under Victoria Green.
There was about to be a family reunion from hell, and she was going to be right in the middle of it.
Nathan had only just finished shaving when he heard the pounding on his door. Apparently his decision to wake up early today had paid off. He wiped off the excess water on his face as the pounding continued. “Hold on,” he muttered as he set the towel down and pulled open the door.
Except for the absolute fury in her eyes, Katy looked amazing. She was back to her normal work clothes, in a fitted cream and black dress that stopped right above the knee. He was almost certain the dress would show off every curve, but the loose black cardigan she wore over it kept some of the best parts hidden.
As much as he’d like to stare at Katy all day, he supposed he should focus on why she was furious at him. “Mornin’.” He held the door open farther for her to come in. He was half surprised when she took him up on the offer, but he didn’t really expect to get any luckier in the immediate future.
“We have a problem.” She walked past him and proceeded to put as much space between them as the room would allow.
“I know and I’m telling you, this isn’t going to be as awkward as you think. After a week or so, everyone will be back to business as usual and we can work on making us, well, work.”
Katy crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. “You think this is about us? No. We’re over. We’re officially never happening. Things have gotten so much worse.”
“Why? Is there more damage to the property? Did something happen last night?”
She scoffed. “Oh, something happened all right.” She uncrossed her arms to grab a folded piece of paper out of the pocket of her sweater. “Here.”
He took it from her and looked it over. It took him a second to realize what he was reading, but the familiar names caught his attention. “What is this?”
“This is the registry of who is staying here tonight. See some familiar names?”
“Fuck. My entire family is on here.”
“Yeah. Did you notice that Victoria Green is on there too?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and suddenly wished he’d decided to sleep in instead of being productive. “You told your sister-in-law what happened?”
“I didn’t have to, apparently. She keeps tabs on me, so I guess she heard from someone. Unless it’s just some strange coincidence she’s showing up today without giving me any notice.”
No. Nathan didn’t believe in coincidence, especially with all the shit that had happened in the past few days.
“And what about your family? The inn is going to be full of billionaires and you didn’t think I deserved any notice?”
“They didn’t tell me. I think they’re upset I bought the inn without telling them.”
“What do you mean you didn’t tell them? Don’t they need to sign off on new purchases like this?”
“If Farrell Enterprises bought the inn, which it didn’t. This was a private purchase.”
Katy was quiet for a moment. It probably didn’t make him seem any less obsessive. But if the business had purchased the inn, he’d need more lawyers, approvals, and authorizations and never would’ve been able to organize the sale in a day.
It was just his money and a cash purchase, so things had gone smoother.
“I don’t know what your intentions were when you purchased this place, but we can’t turn where I work into a big family drama. I will make sure Victoria leaves you alone, but I expect you to do the same with your family.”
Nathan let out a laugh. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m the troublemaker of the family.”
“Trust me, I’ve noticed. But this...this worries me, Nathan. This is exactly what I didn’t want.”
Nathan took a step forward and Katy promptly stepped back, running into the nightstand next to the bed. He cursed that she was so jumpy around him. He remembered how just a few days ago, he’d been the one she’d confided in. The one she’d worked out her stress on.
And damn if he didn’t want to volunteer right now to take some of that stress away. Even if he was the one causing it.
“I’ll take care of my brothers.”
“And are you going to take care of the cop too?”
Great. There was more. “You talked to Hart?”
“He tried to interrogate me this morning.”
“Did you answer his questions?”
“No. I had no idea who he was and wasn’t about to take him at his word that you hired him. But it looks like he was telling the truth.”
“He did a big favor for Alex awhile back. I trust him.”
She frowned. “You don’t trust the sheriff?”
“I don’t know the sheriff. I know Hart. I know what he’s motivated by.”
“What he’s motivated by? It’s like you have to control everyone around you.”
“It’s not about control; it’s about being able to predict what they’re going to do.”
“I think there’s less difference between those things than you realize.” Katy took a deep breath. “You should go around to meet the staff today.”
“I figured.”
“They’r
e going to want some reassurance that things aren’t going to change.”
“And I’m guessing you want that too?”
She scoffed. “I know you too well, Nathan. Everything’s changed.”
Nathan took another step forward, but this time there was nowhere else for Katy to retreat to. “For them, nothing has changed.”
“You’re not even going to pretend that I can go on like normal?”
“That would be a lie. I didn’t come back here so you could go on living your old life. I came back here for you.”
“You’re not welcome here.”
He was almost impressed how she said it with a steady voice. “You seemed all too welcoming on Saturday.”
Her face flushed and her eyes filled with fury. “You’re a son of a bitch for bringing that up.”
“I want to get something clear. I promise that I’m going to make this transition go as smoothly as possible. But I’m not going to make this easy on you. I’m not going to let you forget that I did this for you. I’m not going to let you forget that you want me too. By the time I’m done with you, you’re never going to want another man to touch you. I’m going to be the one you crave at night and I’m going to be the one you’re reaching out for. I’m going to be your friend, confidant, and you’re going to be mine—just like this inn is mine. Understand?”
He waited for her to scream at him or deny the words, but for a few long moments she remained completely still as she stared up at him.
Finally she said, “Keep your family under control.” Then she pushed past him and practically ran for the door.
Did she decide not to fight with him because she knew he was right? He was a hundred percent serious, though. He came here for her and he wasn’t leaving without her. But for now, he’d have to focus on making sure his family didn’t kill him first.
Nathan took another drink of his water and wished like hell that it was something stronger. But he was determined to be aware and ready when his family started to show up. He’d been sitting at the picnic table at the front of the inn for an hour and a half so far. He had about forty-five minutes before the laptop battery died and he needed to think of another plan.
Relentless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 5) Page 10
