Kindred Souls (The Sable Inn Series Book 1)

by D. Camille

  Lana took his hand. “I don’t feel chained to the Inn.”

  Lloyd held her hand in his. “Go to Grand Rapids and enjoy yourself.”

  “Thank you Daddy. It’ll be work and pleasure.”

  “I’m not worried about either.”

  She gave him a look. “You must really like Derek.”

  “I’ve made myself clear and so has he.”

  Lana stood. “If he gets Lloyd Sable’s stamp of approval, then I’m in good hands.”

  She hugged her father and he kissed her cheek before leaving her office. Lana made a few calls and finished up some work before heading out to the front desk where Lorna was covering.

  “Hey sis,” Lorna smiled.

  “Hey, how are things out here?”

  Lorna laughed. “A lot more calm than this morning, I’m sure. Willie filled me in.”

  Lana sighed. “I don’t even understand Robbie’s reasons for being here.”

  “Does he want to get back together?” Lorna questioned.

  “That’s what he says, and for me to take a job in LA.”

  Lorna jumped to her feet. “LA?”

  “I’m not going to LA, Lorna…nor do I have any desire to rekindle things with Robbie. I’m focused on someone else.” Lana smiled. “Speaking of, I need to talk to him.”

  She headed for the stairs until Lorna stopped her. “He’s not here.”

  Lana felt a chill up her spine. “Derek?”

  Lorna nodded. “He left.”

  “He checked out of the Inn?” Lana whispered, touching her chest.

  “No, he didn’t check out,” Lorna assured her, sensing her sister’s anxiety. “But he left a little while ago and he didn’t say where he was going.”

  Lana turned and headed for the door. “I’ll be back.”

  ******

  Derek sat on the grass looking out at the shimmering water. Taking in the peace, he looked around at the scenic view. Derek understood why Lana loved this place so much, it was like a small piece of heaven on earth.

  He’d retired to his room this morning, but had been too uneasy to rest. First, when he’d check his messages, he’d discovered that even more news was dropping in D.C. about the current administration and the Congress was in a frenzy. Political experts and campaign managers from around the country were being called in to strategize, since more was hinging on the future elections than ever before in history.

  Derek knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay away for much longer, but he was determined to stretch it out for as long as possible in order to stay with Lana. Although he understood her attachment to the land and to her family, he had to show her that there was more than the Sable Inn and Grayling, Michigan.

  Getting her out on a trip to Grand Rapids was a start and he’d been glad when she’d agreed so easily. Lloyd Sable had given Derek his blessing to move his daughter, with her agreement. Derek didn’t want to take her away completely, but he had to loosen some of the ties that held her here.

  His second reason for uneasiness was this damn Robbie. Why was he showing up out of the blue, claiming he was going to take Lana away? Were the two still involved in some way that she hadn’t spoken of, or was this dude just delusional?

  Either way, it didn’t matter. He was falling hard for Lana Sable and nothing was going to stand in his way of being with her…not her Inn, not her family, and surely not this dude from her past. Derek had made this his number one campaign.

  He turned when he heard a noise, and saw Lana approaching him slowly.

  “Hi,” she said softly.

  “Hey,”

  She joined him and sat beside him on the grass. “You found your way back to my favorite spot.”

  Derek smiled. “Yeah, I have a good memory.” He turned to her. “I see you found me.

  Lana placed a hand on his bare arm. “I told you, I’ll always find you.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll never be hard to find.”

  “I’m sorry about Robbie,” Lana said, turning to look at the water.

  “What do you have to be sorry about?”

  Lana brought her knees up and rested her chin on them. “Uh, I don’t know…it’s kind of awkward to have the man you just spent the night with meet your ex in your lobby. That’s not really a good look.”

  Derek watched the water and waited, utilizing one of his strongest tactics…when you remain silent, people will eventually tell you everything that you wanted to ask.

  “I thought you’d checked out of the Inn,” Lana told him.

  “Why would I do that?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe you were angry.”

  He turned to her. “Should I be angry?”

  “No, because there’s nothing between me and Robbie anymore. That ended a long time ago.”

  He nodded and turned back to the river.

  “I told him about you,” Lana said quietly.

  “What did you say?”

  She watched him closely. “I told him that you were the only one.”

  “I take it from his statement this morning, that’s a slot he wants to fill.” Derek commented.

  “It’s taken.”

  He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her cheek. “I thought I might need to remind you.”

  Lana turned to meet his gaze. “No, you don’t.”

  “So tell me about Robbie,” Derek encouraged.

  She nodded. “We met in college at Central Michigan University, where we both were Hospitality Majors. It took a while, but we eventually became a couple. After graduation, I came back here and Robbie went to find his way.”

  “He’s in LA now, where he’s in Management. We’ve kept in touch basically through social media and a text here and there, but nothing as far as a relationship,” Lana explained.

  “Why does he want to take you away?”

  Lana sighed. “He says there’s an opening for a Hospitality Director at his hotel in LA, and he wants me to interview.”

  She touched his light beard. “I told him there’s no way I’m leaving Grayling and I’m done with him.”

  “You’ll never leave Grayling?” Derek questioned.

  Lana shook her head. “Never, not for anything. This is where I want to raise my kids.”

  Derek nodded. “Do you still want to go to Grand Rapids?”

  She smiled. “Yes, I’ve made the reservations. We can leave in two days.”

  “Okay, I’m looking forward to spending more alone time with you,” Derek said, before tasting her lips.

  “Me too,”

  He moved her onto his lap and asked, “Don’t you have work to do?”

  Lana rested her head on his shoulder. “Tons…but right now, I just want to sit here.”

  “I’m good with that,” Derek said kissing the top of her head. “I miss all that hair.”

  “No twistout today,” Lana said against his shirt. “This man made sure of that.”

  Derek looked down at her. “I guess I’d better get used to this bun.”

  She laughed. “If last night was any indication, then I think so.”

  “You’re beautiful either way.”

  Lana smiled and rested against him. In his arms, on her land, felt like perfection. They sat in the natural silence for a short time before Lana spoke again, “Your flowers arrived and they were beautiful.”

  “Jamal is a good dude.”

  “The card was very sweet,” she whispered. “To my beautiful chocolate buffet…”

  He smiled. “I hoped that no one would get the true meaning of that.”

  Lana laughed. “It wasn’t for anyone else to see, although Robbie did get a peek at it.”

  Derek sat up straight. “How did Robbie get to read the card?”

  Sitting up, Lana looked at him. “He was in my office when the flowers arrived.”

  He waited for her to continue.

  “And he took the card, to see if you were real.”

  Derek lifted a brow. “Do
es he need some verification?”

  “I think he knows now,” Lana said touching his chest. “I don’t want your urban tendencies used on Robbie.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

  Moving her hand to his face, she kissed his full lips. “I like that. It’s very sexy…” she whispered.

  “I hope Robbie stays in his lane,” Derek kissed her back. “For his sake.”

  She smiled. “Now, you’re just trying to get me hot.”

  He held her tighter and whispered, “I’m always trying to get you hot, baby.”

  “And you do…”

  The couple engaged in some hot and heavy kissing and touching until Lana’s phone rang. Reluctantly, she pulled away and reached for the device. Glancing at the screen, she frowned.

  “I need to get back,”

  Derek nodded and helped her to her feet before Lana looked up at him. “I’ll see you later.”

  “I’m walking back with you,” Derek said taking her hand.

  “You don’t have to leave now,” Lana protested.

  He hugged her. “I get an afternoon stroll with my pretty country girl. I’d never pass that up.”

  Smiling up at him, she said, “I can’t wait to go to Grand Rapids.”

  “You’re looking forward to it?”

  “I told you I was.”

  Derek nodded. “Okay, I’m going to make sure you enjoy every minute.”

  “I’m with you, so that’s a given.” Lana stood on her toes and offered her mouth.

  Looking down, Derek held her gaze before accepting her offering. “Come on, before they send a search party for you.”

  Together, they walked the distance back to the hotel and Lana went quickly to work serving the needs of one of her guests while Derek headed up the stairs to his room. As he walked down the hall, another door opened and he came face to face with Lana’s ex.

  Robert looked up and spotted Derek then closed his door and the two men met in the hall.

  “So, I understand that you’re seeing Lana,” Robbie began the conversation.

  Derek stood straight and looked him in the eye. “So, what we’re not going to do, is discuss my relationship with Lana because that’s none of your business.”

  Robert gave him a surprised look. “I gather we aren’t going to be civil about this?”

  “About what?” Derek questioned.

  “We’re both here for the same woman,” Robert informed him.

  Derek shook his head. “No, we’re not.”

  “Alright, I see that I have my work cut out for me here.”

  “I believe, Lana has made herself clear,” Derek warned him. “Don’t make me have to intervene.”

  Robert stepped back. “If you want her, you’re going to have to fight for her.”

  Derek laughed. “Okay dude.” He turned and walked to his door. “That’s not a fight you want.”

  Robert watched Derek enter his room then continued on his way downstairs. Walking through the lobby, he wandered through the Inn, checking out the updates and furnishings. Heading into the empty dining room, he examined the layout and while he was perusing the space, felt a hand on his arm.

  “Lunch is over, you can order something to your room, if you like,”

  Robert turned and saw the older woman. “I’m not looking for lunch.”

  Mrs. Langston recognized him and lifted a brow. “Then what are you looking for?”

  “I’m just checking out this fine establishment.”

  “You aren’t taking our Lana, so you can check out whatever you like,” she told him. “But when you check out for good…you’ll be going alone.”

  “Ahhh, Mrs. Langston…you’re just as I remembered.”

  “So are you Robert.”

  “I missed her,” he told Mrs. Langston and she folded her arms.

  “Well, she ain’t missing you.”

  Robert nodded. “That’s what people are saying, but we’ll see.”

  “Don’t come here starting no mess,” she warned. “Lloyd will put you out on your head.”

  “I know Mr. Sable,” Robert agreed.

  Mrs. Langston gave him a look. “He’s not the only one you have to worry about.” She turned and went back into the kitchen.

  Robert rubbed his chin. “So I’ve heard.”

  Chapter 11

  Derek stood in the doorway of Lana’s bedroom as she finished packing her bag. She turned to him with a sweet smile.

  “I’m ready,”

  He lifted a brow. “Are you sure you don’t want to repack that bag for a fourth time?”

  She looked sheepish. “It’s been so long since I’ve been away, I don’t know what to bring. I keep thinking that I’m missing something.”

  Derek walked over to where she was standing by the bed. “It’s two days and Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan. I’m sure we can find whatever you need,” he teased her.

  Lana looked at her bag then at him. “I’m being silly. You’d think I’d never been anywhere at all.”

  He took her into his arms. “Listen, don’t sweat it. Let’s go and have a good time.”

  “Okay,” Lana said wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with you the last few days. I was trying to make sure everything was taken care of before I left.”

  “I’ve had my own things to take care of, so I understood.”

  Lana looked at him. “How are things in D.C.?”

  “I think the adequate term is, utter chaos, at this point.”

  “Wow, help me understand this,” Lana requested.

  Derek smiled. “Let’s talk in the car. I don’t want to tempt you to repack this bag again.” He grabbed Lana’s bag from the bed and she laughed while taking his hand, and following him out of the room.

  At the car, Derek opened the door and seated her inside then placed her bag in the trunk along with his. In the driver’s seat, Derek quickly got them on the road before Lana could have any second thoughts.

  Sensing his urgency, she turned to him. “Are you in a hurry?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Why?” she asked confused.

  “I don’t want you to change your mind,” he confessed, glancing over at her.

  Lana rubbed his arm. “I’m not. You don’t have to kidnap me.”

  “I would, so don’t tempt me.”

  She smiled. “That’s against the law.”

  “I told you, laws are broken, changed and amended…every single day.” He winked at her.

  Lana shook her head. “How do you deal with that? We’ve always been taught to follow the law so that you’d stay out of trouble.”

  Derek nodded. “That’s a good premise, but in practice that doesn’t always work, especially when laws are created specifically to target a certain demographic and at the end of the day it’s always about the bottom line and whose getting paid.”

  Lana sat back in her seat. “So how do you continue to work in that system knowing that?”

  “Because, I can’t change it from my living room. Somebody has to put in the actual work.” Derek focused on the road. “My sister Dina taught me the law, and everybody thought that I was going to be a constitutional lawyer, but I discovered that I couldn’t protect something that was never created to protect me, or my family, or my ancestors in this country.”

  Derek tapped the steering wheel as he drove and Lana listened closely. “I decided that if I couldn’t support the system as is, I needed to find a way to change it. Sure, I could’ve ran for an office and filled one seat, but now I help fill many seats.”

  “Most people would want the be the focus,” she commented.

  He glanced over at her. “I don’t want a politician’s life. One day I want a wife and a family, and I want them to live without their every move being scrutinized because of my job.”

  She smiled at him. “That’s very thoughtful of you. Your wife and family will be taken care of very
well.”

  “That’s what a god/king does…” he said giving her a look.

  “I forgot about that perfect memory.”

  Derek laughed softly. “Tell me about that.”

  Lana took a breath. “Our book club reads an author that writes about black men as god/kings. It’s an interesting concept and makes you look at our brothers in a different light. Sometimes you’re portrayed so negatively.”

  “Yeah, we are…way too often.”

  Lana agreed. “Anyway, the brothers know who they are and are ready to be the men their women need,” she glanced at him. “And of course, they’re fine…and smart…and sexy.”

  “Like you…” she whispered.

  Derek took her hand. “Compliments will get you everywhere.”

  “I’m a big proponent of the truth.”

  He smiled and kissed her hand. “I think honesty is the most important part of a relationship. If I have to lie to you, then I shouldn’t be with you.”

  “I agree, and before I’d cheat or lie to someone…I’d walk away,” Lana told him.

  “What’s up with Robbie?” Derek questioned.

  Lana rolled her eyes. “I haven’t talked to him, although I’ve seen him around the Inn. He’s booked for two weeks, so I don’t know what he’s doing.”

  “I’ve seen him too,” Derek commented while watching the passing scenery.

  “Has he said anything to you?” Lana asked concerned.

  “We’ve established that he has nothing to say to me.”

  Lana frowned and looked at him. “Some of those urban tendencies?”

  He turned to her. “You like that though.”

  “Yeah, I really do.” Lana admitted then turned to look out of her window. “Let me know if he becomes a problem.”

  “I solve problems, baby,”

  Looking back at him, she gave him a look. “This is your vacation and I don’t want you ‘solving problems’ that concern me. Save that for D.C., since it seems you’re going to need it.”

  Derek sighed. “You’re right…this shit is crazy. I never thought I’d see the little democracy that was in place, destroyed so quickly.”

  “How is this President getting away with all of this? Isn’t he breaking ethics laws or something?” Lana asked.

  “This is the danger when one party has control of both sides of Congress and the White House,” Derek explained. “And the President is showing all the signs of corruption.”