Love at the Lighthouse

by Kay Correll

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m wondering if Russell is behind all this.” It certainly wouldn’t surprise Jamie to find out his stepfather had a hand in the surprise inspection.

  “Would he do that?” Cindy frowned.

  “In a heartbeat. Russell does anything to get what he wants. Plus, the inspector was just here a bit ago. This is really close for another visit.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Fix every darn thing on the list and call him back to re-inspect. Though, if Russell is behind it, I’m not sure the guy won’t just find more problems.” Jamie sighed. “Mom is really stressed now.”

  “She works really hard.”

  “She does.” A stab of guilt hit Jamie. “She works hard, long hours, day in and day out. I sometimes wonder if she does it just for me. So I can have the inn.”

  “Oh, Jamie, I think she loves the inn, too.”

  “You’re right, I think she does. But it’s a hard, busy life.” Jamie turned and took Cindy’s hand. “I wonder if we should take the offer. She’d have money. She could do what she wanted. Buy a small house on the island. Work part time or an easier job without endless hours.

  Jamie let go of Cindy’s hand and took a sip of his wine, his mind whirling with conflicting emotions and thoughts. “I sometimes worry that maybe she’s keeping it because of me.”

  “I don’t know. I really think she loves running the inn with you.” Cindy squeezed his hand. “You’re always doing what you think is best for your mother. One of the many things I love about you.” She leaned over and kissed him. “I know you’ll do what you think is right… but I’m afraid it will destroy you to sell this place to your stepfather.”

  Ex-stepfather, as if that made any difference now. Jamie leaned back in his chair. Cindy was right. It would kill him to sell the inn to Russell… once again proving Russell’s stance that Jamie was a failure and couldn’t make a success out of anything.

  * * *

  Adam met Russell in the lobby of the hotel the next morning. He’d thought that Russell would head right back to Atlanta, but so far no such luck. The man was probably watching to see what Adam could do with the deal.

  “So did you contact Susan again? Now that she’s had time to calm down—always thought she overreacted—did she realize what a good thing it was to take my offer? Maybe the offer was too high. Bet I could have gotten it for even less money now.” Mr. Burns laughed. “I did pad our odds just a bit.”

  “What are you talking about?” Adam looked directly at his boss.

  “Let’s just say that a few well-placed dollars will get an inspector to do a really, really thorough job on inspecting the inn. I hear they got quite a list of things that didn’t pass, money that will need to be spent… oh, and wouldn’t you know? Their restaurant got downgraded, too.” Mr. Burns shook his head with a Cheshire cat grin plastered on his face.

  “You…” Adam didn’t even know how to say it. “You paid someone to inspect the inn and fail it? To write up bogus violations?”

  “No, of course not. I just made a little investment and requested a thorough inspection of the inn. I did not say to fail things.” The grin sat on Mr. Burns face like a badge of success.

  Adam knew his boss was a tough businessman, he just hadn’t realized how far he’d go. He frowned but then quickly hid his displeasure.

  Mr. Burns pointed a finger at Adam. “So, I want you to go over and tell them they have one day to decide if they want to take my offer, and it’s only good for another twenty-four hours. If we have to make another offer, it will be lower. Got that? I’m thinking I just made your job easier for you.”

  There was not a thing about this job that was easy.

  “I’m headed back to Atlanta today. I want you to close the deal. Your bonus depends on it.” Mr. Burns looked Adam straight in the eye. “Close the deal by the end of the week, or it’s over. You’re out. Don’t let me down.”

  Mr. Burns spun around and walked away while Adam allowed himself a minute of panic.

  And then another one.

  Chapter 15

  Adam knew he had to go to the inn and tell Susan about Mr. Burns’ new twenty-four hour deadline. He wasn’t sure how his boss could justify a lower offer after that window, because this one was pretty bottom of the market already.

  But then if the inspector was causing problems and running up expenses for Susan to fix the problems, well Susan and Jamie were going to be between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to turn.

  And he, Adam, was the instigator of all their problems. Well, that’s not right, he rationalized. Mr. Burns had already decided he wanted to buy the inn before Adam had been hired. Though, part of the reason he’d been hired was his tough negotiations on other hotel buyout deals.

  Right now he wished that he had any other skill in the world. Why hadn’t he become a dentist or an accountant or something? At least he wouldn’t be hurting Susan now.

  He slowly walked out to his car, barely noticing the bright sunshine and warm weather. A dark, rainy day would have suited him better. He didn’t even know how he’d get Susan to listen to him long enough to give her the new edict of twenty-four hours.

  He drove meticulously under the speed limit, in no hurry to actually get to the island. He felt like a kid heading to the principal’s office, knowing what was in store for him when he got there.

  He pulled his car into the parking lot of the inn. He slipped out of the car and stood looking at the old building. It had a lot of character in a well-loved way. It had a few quirky add-on wings and one corner had a rounded turret that ran three stories high, giving those rooms a nice three sided view. The inside had most of the original woodwork. He hoped Mr. Burns planned on keeping the majority of these things intact. They were part of what gave the inn its charm, but he was sure his boss planned on updating everything.

  He took a deep breath and headed into the inn. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness inside. He headed over to the door to Susan’s office.

  Susan came rushing out and ran smack into him. He reached out his arms to steady her. She leaned against him for the briefest moment and he felt a surge of protectiveness race through him.

  As soon as she was steady, she glanced up at him and jerked away, rubbing her arms where his hands had just been. “Why are you here? Haven’t you done enough? Hasn’t Russell done enough? I know he was behind the inspector visit, so don’t even try to deny it.”

  “He was.” The heat of embarrassment crossed Adam’s face. “I didn’t know he was going to do that.”

  “Well, that does me no good now, does it? You didn’t know he was my ex. You didn’t know he was sending the inspector. You don’t know much, do you?” Her words held an icy edge.

  “I… ah, no.” He stumbled for words. “I am sorry for your troubles.”

  “Right.”

  He didn’t miss the big dose of sarcasm.

  A sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach swelled through him. “Well, you’re going to be even angrier with me, but Mr. Burns has said to tell you the offer we made stands for twenty-four more hours. After that, the next offer will be lower.”

  Susan looked at him in disbelief, then a look of sadness swept over her face.

  He wanted the floor to swallow him whole. He wanted to take back his words. He wanted to be working at any other job in the universe right now.

  * * *

  Susan looked at Adam, so disappointed in the man she’d thought she might like. Even just a little. Right now her feelings bordered on extreme dislike leaning towards hate, but she didn’t truly hate anyone.

  Except maybe Russell.

  “You delivered your message. Our answer is still the same. We won’t be selling to Russell.”

  Susan watched while the blush of embarrassment covered Adam’s features. Good. He should be embarrassed. The original offer had been a joke. Going lower wouldn’t even cover what they owed on the property. One too many loans for improvement
s to the inn. Now, just when things were looking up, Russell had started causing trouble.

  “So, you’re leaving?” Susan stood her ground.

  “I will.” Adam reached out and placed his hand on her arm. She jerked her arm away.

  “I’m sorry.” Adam’s eyes glistened with sincerity.

  She didn’t really doubt he was sorry. But it was probably sorry the deal wouldn’t go through, not the mess that Russell was bringing to her life. She turned away.

  Once again she felt his hand on her arm. She paused.

  “Please, listen to me,” Adam implored. “I am sorry you’re going through this. The job is important for me because… well, I have my reasons. Good reasons.”

  She turned to look at him, his hand still searing a brand on her bare skin.

  His eyes pleaded with her to understand. “I… well, it will make a difference in the life of someone I care about.”

  Susan waited for more of an explanation.

  “It’s important, I swear, or I’d walk away from all of this.”

  She eyed him skeptically.

  “I truly, truly am sorry.” Adam let go of her arm, spun around and walked out of the lobby.

  There was no doubt in her mind that Adam really was torn on this business deal and something very important to him was riding on the success of closing the deal. She’d seen the raw emotions on his face, the pain in his eyes. He couldn’t fake that. Instinct told her his emotions were very real.

  The thing was… it wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t going to sell to Russell. She stood lost and adrift on a sea of conflicting emotions.

  Chapter 16

  Cindy walked into her office at the Hamilton to find Camille riffling through the papers and samples on her desk.

  “Excuse me?” Cindy approached the desk and Camille looked up in surprise. “Why are you going through my things?”

  “I…” Camille stood up tall and did an obvious regroup. “They aren’t exactly your things, now are they? You work for Delbert. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me looking at what you were planning on suggesting to him.”

  Cindy bit her tongue, holding back the stream of words she wanted to let loose. She looked at the mess of samples on her desk. The samples that had been neatly piled into her first, second, and third choices.

  Camille tossed her hair back over one shoulder. “You have no right to question me. I’m sure Delbert will listen to my opinion, and all of these samples are just so wrong for this hotel. It needs to be… well, classy. Grand. These are just… well, all wrong.”

  “I think they are just what Mr. Hamilton wants for the hotel.” Cindy grew a backbone and held her ground, which kind of surprised her. Up until recently she would have been the first one to give in and make peace. But this—this—was her project.

  Camille’s eyes widened. “You’re not questioning my opinion are you? I know what Delbert wants.”

  “What do I want?” Mr. Hamilton came walking into the office.

  Camille spun around. “Delbert, honey, I was just giving Cindy here some advice. Some of her choices seem so… simple. Not what one would expect in a Hamilton Hotel.”

  Mr. Hamilton crossed over to the desk and looked at the now messy pile of samples.

  “Mr. Hamilton, the samples are all…” Cindy shot a glance at Camille. “They are a bit jumbled together now. I’ll get them sorted out with what goes with what.” If he looked at that mess on her desk he’d think she didn’t know what in the world she was doing.

  Her boss looked at Camille, then back to Cindy. She could see him take a deep breath then turned to Camille. “Camille, dear, I think you should let Cindy do the job I hired her for. So far I have been impressed with all her work.”

  “But Delbert—”

  “No, I’m serious, Camille. I would appreciate if you would…” Mr. Hamilton took an obvious deep breath. “I’d appreciate it if you could just let Cindy do her job without interfering.”

  “Well, I never.” Camille’s face blushed a bright red. “You think she has better taste than I do?”

  “I didn’t say that. I simply think she understands the look I want for this hotel.” Mr. Hamilton smiled at Camille, trying to placate her.

  “Fine. Ruin the reputation of your father’s hotels. Do that. Just don’t expect me to stand by and watch it.”

  “Camille, you’re being a bit dramatic. You know I care about you and care what you think. I just want Cindy to have free rein to come up with ideas without being influenced by what has always been done. I want this to be a new flagship hotel, a new look.” Mr. Hamilton’s eyes shone when he talked about the possibilities for this hotel.

  “If what Cindy thinks is more important than what I think, well, then I’m just going to leave. I’m going to head back to Comfort Crossing and visit Mama. This is just… not what I expected from you, Delbert.”

  “Camille, darlin’, don’t be like that.”

  “Our trip to Belle Island is over. I’m leaving today.”

  Mr. Hamilton sighed. “As you wish, but I need to stay here and finish up some business. I’ll see you back in Comfort Crossing in a few days.”

  “Maybe. Maybe you need to do some serious thinking about your priorities. I won’t be treated as less than…” Camille turned to Cindy. “As less than a mere employee.”

  Camille spun around and flounced out of the office. Cindy stood silently trying to process her thoughts on the whirlwind that she now thought of as hurricane Camille.

  Mr. Hamilton turned to Cindy with a wry smile. “Camille leans a bit towards the dramatic. I’m sorry.”

  “Ah, no, that’s okay.” Camille picked up a sample and set it carefully on the edge of her desk, wondering how long it would take her to sort everything back how she’d had things.

  “I am fond of her. She’s her own worst enemy.” Mr. Hamilton shrugged. “Fortunately, or unfortunately, I find myself truly caring about her, so I just deal with her… episodes. She has a kind heart, she just doesn’t show it very often.”

  If he said so.

  Cindy didn’t believe it for a moment. She thought the man was just a bit besotted with Camille. Everything she had heard about and seen with Camille leaned toward her being a self-centered diva.

  “Anyway, don’t let Camille’s comments throw you off. I’ll be back in a few days and we’ll make the final decisions. So far I’ve been impressed.”

  “Thank you.” A wave of relief swept through Cindy. She was a bit annoyed that she’d let Camille’s comments about how she wasn’t making good decisions get under her skin. She thought once she’d learned to stand up to her mother and sister, standing up to other people who tried to make her decisions or belittle her would be easier. But the tiny bit of the old always-compliant-don’t-make-waves Cindy sometimes would break through her new resolve.

  She watched Mr. Hamilton walk out the door and looked down at the mess that Camille had made of her desk. She reached down and picked up a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor. It had Camille’s name written on one side. She turned it over and froze in place.

  It was a past due notice from the largest ritzy department store in the South. The amount that was past due boggled Cindy’s senses. Her first car had cost less than Camille’s bill.

  She slowly folded the paper, wondering what she should do with it. She didn’t feel like she could give it to Mr. Hamilton to give to Camille, but Camille had said she was leaving town. She could find out Camille’s address in Comfort Crossing, but then Camille would know she’d seen the past due bill.

  She set the paper on her desk, still unsure of what she was supposed to do with it.

  * * *

  The computer screen was taunting and mocking Susan again. What had she ever done to it? She looked at it in disbelief. Five new reviews on the Florida Travel website. Each one a bad review. There was no way this was a coincidence, any more than the inspector’s visit had been. Russell was trying to sabotage the business.

  She trie
d to remember why in the heck she’d ever married the man. Oh, he’d been charming at first. He’d treated her well, showered her with presents. Though, now that she looked back on it, it was always presents that he could show off to his friends and business associates, not necessarily something she would actually want. A fancy diamond bracelet, a brand new car, a trip to some exotic location with other business friends of Russell’s.

  Then, it was like he’d lost interest in her. She was expected to play hostess at dinner parties, but the fancy jewelry gifts stopped and he started going on the business trips without her.

  She should have seen it coming, but she’d stuck with him year after year, until he’d had his lawyer deliver a merciless divorce agreement.

  So, it wasn’t like she didn’t know the man was ruthless, she just wasn’t expecting him to turn that heartlessness on her once again and try to take her inn away from her.

  She looked up at the sound of someone coming into the office.

  “Mom, you okay?” Jamie’s forehead was creased with worry.

  “We have five new reviews on the travel website. All bad.”

  “What? We rarely get a bad review and five in a row?” Jamie walked over and peered over her shoulder.

  “That’s got be Russell’s doing.”

  “I’m sure it is. But the thing is, we can’t prove it, so the reviews will stay out there.”

  Jamie let out a huff of air. “He’s really intent on ruining us in hopes we’ll sell to him.”

  “Well, there’s more.”

  “I’m afraid to ask…”

  “Adam was by here yesterday afternoon and said the offer was only good for twenty-four hours. The next offer will be lower.”

  “That Adam is a peach of a guy.” Jamie rolled his eyes.

  Susan didn’t know why she felt a sudden urge to defend Adam. “I honestly think he’s sorry about all the trouble this is causing us. He said he had reasons why he needed this deal to go through.”