A Perfect Fit (26 page)

There were gasps as the women checked out the gold stylized
letter D from the DiCarlo Hotels logo, but on the D the jewelers had inscribed
leaves and flowers with the sister’s birth stone inserted in the upper corner
of the letter. “It was a delicate balance, trying to find something feminine
enough for Sage without being too girly for Rosemary.”

Lana fingered hers. “Wow, you worked with Xavier to design
this, didn’t you?”

“You know your jewelers,” Cami said, chuckling.

“He’s the best there is.”

“It’s like a little bouquet, but it looks almost like
etchings, a nice touch,” Jonquil said, then listed each plant as her finger slid
along the letters’ curve.

There was more banter as everyone tried on the pins and
talked about getting together for a group picture on the grounds as soon as
Jeremy arrived to start snapping photos.

“I think that’s our cue to leave you ladies,” Alex said,
grabbing his briefcase. “But first, I have something else for you.” He pulled
out a stack of long business envelopes and tapped them in his hand, studying
each of their faces. “I know George would be proud of all of you tonight
regardless of how tomorrow goes. You’ve all come through.” He passed them
around before he, Joel, Blake and Harrison left.

Cami felt many different emotions zooming through her as she
held the envelope, unsure whether she wanted to read it. Vince put an arm
around her shoulders. “Walk me to my car?”

“Yeah.” She snuggled closer as they exited the house and
crossed the yard to where he’d parked his Mustang.

“I think the pins were a hit,” he said, nuzzling her temple
and pressing a kiss beside her ear.

“It seems that way. I know we’ve got a long way to go before
we become the team Dad wanted—if we ever do. And who knows where we’ll all be
in a little over a year. What’s the chance people like us will hang around here
once the will has been satisfied?” She hadn’t thought much about leaving since
she and Vince had started to grow close. But she’d never really considered
staying in Colorado. It wasn’t home to her; it was snowy for most of the year,
and cold and windy. She supposed compared to Chicago, those weren’t big
considerations. But it was…not Chicago. Not the place where she had grown up
and worked most of her adult life. It wasn’t where she planned to be.

And now she had to question what she wanted and where she
would end up, because Chicago held much less attraction for her than Juniper
Ridge did. Or maybe it was just the man who had his arm around her shoulders.
He was always there for her, her support, a listening ear, the one she could
lean on when things were rough, and he never asked for more than she could
give. When she compared him to Trent—to anyone she had dated before—they just
couldn’t compare.

Vince pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her mouth so
slow and drugging, she stopped thinking altogether.

When he released her, Cami looked up into his eyes and knew
this was love. The strong kind that lasted decades. She kissed him once more,
wanting to show him what he meant to her, even if the realization had made her
too breathless to speak.

Vince tipped his forehead against hers. “I’d be willing to
bet a few of the sisters will fall in love with the area before their time is
up here.”

Cami didn’t get a chance to tell him she thought he was
right before he kissed her again.

When Cami came back inside, Delphi was the only one in
sight. She sat at the table, the opened jeweler’s box and unopened letter
sitting before her. “I don’t know how I feel about all of this,” Delphi said
after glancing in Cami’s direction.

“That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to jump for joy and want
to be my best buddy ever. Dad threw us all for a loop.”

“What happened?” Delphi turned all the way so she could look
Cami in the eye. “When we first got here, I thought you were the least happy
about things. You held back more than anyone else. And now suddenly you want us
all to be super-close sisters?” There were dark hollows under her eyes.
Everyone was worn out from the long weeks of preparation, but there was
something more to this than weariness.

Cami slid into a nearby chair and pulled her letter out of
her back pocket, fingering it. “I don’t expect an overnight transformation. I
don’t think Dad’s vision of all of us being close and supporting each other for
the rest of our lives is possible—not the way he wanted it.”

Delphi nudged the Tiffany’s box. “Then what’s with the
matching pins?”

“Two parts. First, I decided to let go of whatever anger I felt
for you guys just for existing. I’m still mad at Dad. But, it’s not your fault,
and I’m not going to hold it against you anymore.”

After a long stare, Delphi nodded. “I’d appreciate that. It
hasn’t been all hugs and puppies for us, either, you know.”

“And second,” Cami drew in a breath. “I believe in us. I
want to send a message of solidarity; we’re strong, and we’re going to make
this happen. As long as we work as a team, no one is going to stop us.”

Delphi looked back at the letter on the table and took
another sip of her drink. “What do you think this round of letters says? I’m
not sure if I dare open it.”

Cami felt the smooth heavy-bond paper as she ran her fingers
over it. “I know. I can’t help but wonder if he thought these letters were
supposed to make us all feel better about his decisions. And since part of me
doesn’t
want
to forgive him, I’m torn over whether or not I should read
it.”

Delphi finished off her glass in one gulp, then stood from
the bar. “No one said we have to read them tonight.” She slid the letter and
pin from the counter. “We have a long few days ahead of us. Better get some
rest.”

“Yeah. Good night.” Before heading up the stairs to her
room, Cami watched Delphi walk away. Cami shut the door behind her and dropped
her letter and pin on the dresser before beginning her bedtime routine.

When she lay in bed, she picked up the letter again and stared
at it in the lamplight. On one hand, she wanted to know what her father had to
say. She missed having him there to turn to, and tomorrow was a huge day for
them all. On the other side of the spectrum was the worry that whatever he said
may not satisfy her.

Cami,

If you’re reading this, you took the job at the hotel,
and you’re opening it tomorrow. I’m sure the past couple of months have been
full of pitfalls and struggles. Opening a hotel is a big job, but one I found
immensely rewarding. The only thing I regretted about the fifteen I opened in
my career was that it took me away from my girls so often.

I know it’s too much to hope that you and your sisters
have become automatic friends, but I hope the past few months have put things
into motion for you all to create close friendships before the year is out.
Cami, you’re a leader—the one I see coming out as the head of the family, even
though Lana will be the boss at the hotel, and Rosemary has a personality
strong enough to turn any parent’s hair gray. Leadership is a funny thing, isn’t
it? The harder you push people to follow, the more they go their own way, but
the more acceptance and friendship you offer, the more they fall in line.

The next year is bound to be a difficult one, but you
have the ability to lead softly, to pull people to you, which will come in
handy both at work and at home.

But don’t forget that there’s so much more to life than
work. You tend to forget that a social life—one including people you enjoy
being around, not the staid relationships that make up the upper crust—is
important. Get out, meet people, make true connections. And know whatever
happens, I love all my girls more than life, and I want you to be happy. Focus
on that, and the rest will work out for itself.

All my love,

Dad

Cami bit her lip as she wiped away tears. She missed having
him there to share jokes and dreams. Though she hadn’t forgiven him yet, she
knew she was on her way. Whatever else he might have done, she knew he loved
his girls.

That meant something now.

~*~

Breakfast the next morning was crazy with everyone rushing
to prepare and popping in and out of the kitchen. When Cami came down, ready to
go and wondering if her stomach would hold any food, she found Sage sitting at
the table, the newspaper open in front of her. “What news from the astrology
section today?” she asked as she grabbed a banana from a bunch on the counter. 

Sage studied the paper. “Yours promises an encounter with an
old flame that will put everything into perspective.”

Cami smiled. “Ah, that could be interesting The question is
which perspective . . . ” She looked up and saw Lana descending the stairs. “What
about for her?”

“What astrological sign are you?” Sage asked Lana.

“I don’t believe those things,” Lana dismissed.

“Just play along,” Cami said. “You know the paper promised
me love the day we met Vince in the park. It might be entertaining to see what
it offers for you.”

“Funny.” Despite that, Lana called back over her shoulder to
Sage, “I’m a Scorpio.”

“Ah, that explains so much,” Sage said, then stopped with
her finger on a paragraph in the paper. “Today is your lucky day, the beginning
of something new and special. Allow love a chance and your life will be
changed.”

“Right. Love is so not happening. I could use a lucky day, though.
I think we all could.” Lana poured herself a glass of cranberry juice and
leaned back against the counter to sip it.

“Who needs luck,” Jonquil asked as she joined them in the
kitchen. “We’ve worked our tails off. This is going to go off without a hitch.”

“You said it,” Rosemary said as she and Delphi came into the
room.

“Everyone ready?” Delphi asked as she slung her bag over her
shoulder. “We’ve got some serious butt to kick.”

Cami grabbed the paper on her way out the door, scanning it
as she got into the car with Lana. When her eyes landed on the horoscope page,
though, she was surprised to see that other than the bit about the lucky day, Sage’s
predictions were different than what the paper said. Weird. When she remembered
the time Sage had predicted the Fourth of July would be full of surprises—and
not necessarily good ones, Cami paused. She dismissed the thought. No one could
know things like that.

~*~

The first arrivals weren’t expected until at least ten o’clock,
but the hotel hummed with activity by eight, excitement and nerves mounting as
the employees prepared for opening day.

Nearly all of the sisters lent a hand in the first hours,
ensuring everything was in place until Delphi said she couldn’t think of
another thing that needed to be done. Cami questioned her staff members, making
sure they had answers to all of the usual questions and a number of the less
common ones. She checked and double-checked all of the details under her
control and probably drove everyone near her crazy.

And then guests started to arrive and everything clicked
along as Cami oversaw her employees while they began the check-in procedures
that were so familiar to her.

It turned out Zelda Gifford was a statuesque
blonde—definitely aided by a salon—even taller than her daughter and as slender
as a flower stem. Cami thought Delphi was a classy mixture of her mother and
father, getting the best of both worlds in many ways.

Zelda checked to make sure her room was hyper allergenic and
there would be no fresh flowers in there—she was allergic, after all—and was
her appointment at the spa still on? She verified her spot at the gala dinner
that night—she had to be sure she was seated close so she could hear the
speakers if something went terribly awry with the audio system. Cami was
grateful the woman was Delphi’s problem and not her own.

Cami’s exasperation at the woman’s pickiness outshone her
twisted emotions as she spoke with Zelda. “I hope you have a nice weekend.
Delphi has been working very hard to get everything ready. You must be so proud
of her.”

“Well, yes, of course,” Zelda said in a tone that indicated
she didn’t see why she should be. “Delphi always did have her own way of doing
things. Her father always encouraged her to do whatever she wanted.” This last
held more than a little distaste.

“He was always good about supporting our interests,” Cami
agreed, forcing her smile to stay in place as her dislike for the woman grew. “If
you need some help with your bags, Jeffery’s free to assist you.”

“Oh, yes, thank you. I do need a nap before my massage.” She
waggled her fingers at Jeffery. “Come along, then.”

Cami prayed the other sisters had gotten much luckier in the
mom department, then she wondered what her father had ever seen in Zelda—surely
he’d gone for more than just a pretty face, hadn’t he?

Sage’s mother—“Just call me Darla, honey”—may have been
eccentric, but fortunately, she was completely sweet. Jonquil’s mother was a
tiny brunette with flashing blue eyes like her daughter’s and despite George’s
having taken good care of her financially, she took in the hotel with avid curiosity,
saying she’d never stayed anywhere so fancy. Cami liked her immensely.

Rosemary’s mother didn’t come at all, which brought up all
kinds of questions Cami didn’t have time to ask.

Things were going along smoothly and Cami was starting to
think the whole event would go off without a hitch when Trent and Trina
arrived. She’d noticed Trina’s name on the guest list but hoped the two of them
would arrive and check in while she was busy elsewhere. She would have managed
to avoid them for a while if Trent hadn’t requested to speak with her.

Cami put on her best social face and came out with a smile,
nerves filling her stomach. “Trent, Trina, I’m so glad you made it. This is
going to be a great weekend!”