A Perfect Fit (5 page)

He looked at Lana, who had gone pale. She gripped the pen in
her hand so tightly her knuckles went white.

“My apologies,” he continued, “but I understand other living
arrangements have been made for you and your sisters.”

“Yes.” Her jaw clenched as though it took a few seconds to
swallow down angry words. “I’m sure we will all benefit from your experience
and expertise as we get things set up here.” Her voice said otherwise.

“No doubt. But this is your baby, so I’ll let you get to it.”
He sat and pulled out a legal pad and pen, his face expectant.

The exchange confused and fascinated Cami. She understood
Lana felt her toes were being trampled on, but there was definitely something
more going on between Lana and Blake. She could have sworn the two of them had
been on good terms the past Thanksgiving when she’d seen them together at the
Boston resort where they’d worked together. Perhaps more than general
friendliness, in fact.

Cami filed the encounter away to consider later and turned
her full attention to the discussion.

Cami spent the rest of the day at the hotel.

Though she had gone over the supply list Blake provided for
her based on what they needed for the previous hotel opening, she sat in on all
of the discussions between Blake, Lana, and the other women about their areas
of expertise. It was necessary to understand everyone’s skills and strengths, their
needs and what they had available to them so she could make guidelines and
plans for her own department. Delphi left before lunch to prepare for her
client’s wedding, but the rest of the women kept going strong into the
afternoon and the next day.

For two days she watched the way Lana carefully avoided
looking at Blake, her preoccupation with work, and how quiet she had grown. Even
when she and Cami were alone, Lana remained withdrawn. Finally Cami decided to
give her sister a nudge.

“So, crazy of Alex to make
Blake
tell you he’s going
to be peeking over your shoulder all year,” she said as she sat beside Lana in
the great room. “You should have at least gotten a heads up.”

Lana was hunched over her laptop making notes. “He was always
going to be checking my work. We’ll have the advantage of his experience nearly
full time now.” Her lips compressed into a thin line as she stared at the
screen, but she stopped typing.

“What’s the deal with the two of you, anyway? You became an
ice princess the minute you saw him.” Cami studied her sister, noticed when
Lana straightened her back, loosened her shoulders and smiled.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind. The order for the uniforms
should have gone out a month ago and there’s all the supplies for the
restaurant and spa. Thankfully the decorator ordered linens for each room
already so that’s one less thing to worry about.” She flashed a smile as
Jonquil stepped down into the room. “How’s your list coming?”

“Great. I’ll have it for you before I take off in the
morning.” Jonquil dropped into an overstuffed chair, tucked one foot beneath
her, and flipped back her long blonde braids. “I don’t know how you’re dealing
with the pressure; there’s so much going on, so much to plan and prepare and it’s
not like you’ve done this before.”

“Close enough,” Cami said. “Dad wasn’t kidding when he said
she’s been getting ready for this since she was six. She’s worked in every
department, studied in school, and was bent on managing a hotel on her own before
she turned thirty. She met the deadline by more than a year.”

“Does it bother you that people are going to think you got
preferential treatment because you’re the daughter?” Jonquil asked. When Lana
turned hot eyes on her, Jonquil held up a hand to stave off the argument. “I’m
not saying you didn’t earn it. I’m just saying I’ve been working my tail off in
my own field trying to make a name for myself. Dad wanted me to move to San
Francisco and take over the department there a couple of years back. I didn’t
because I didn’t want people to wonder how I got hired. I was only twenty-six
and no one knew he was my dad—what would they think? All of us are working here
because of nepotism.”

She gestured to Lana. “Even though you’ve been working your
tail off, people are bound to question whether you’re ready for it, or only got
the position because you’re his daughter.”

Lana took in a deep breath—a sign she was attempting to rein
in her temper, then nodded. “I knew there would be speculation, but I figured
if I made it work, if I put everything I had into it, and proved I could do it,
the speculation would die down after a year or so. Or mostly. Having Blake
here, though, doesn’t exactly indicate Dad thought I was capable of doing it on
my own. People are going to think he’s here as my
safety net
.” Her lips
twisted in a frown.

“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.” Cami drank from her water
bottle, kicking herself for being so oblivious to why her sister was mad about
him being there. “I guess it makes sense. It’s wrong, of course, but people will
think it.”

“And everyone’s going to wonder how the
younger
sister
got to be manager when you’re not,” Lana said to Cami. “So expect questions and
speculation there, too.”

“I wondered,” Jonquil said. “Shouldn’t you have been first
in line for hotel manager?”

“I didn’t want it. I never have,” Cami said with a shrug. “I’ve
been happy doing what I do and I’m the best. I’m better with people than slogging
through paperwork. Now not only do I have to be the boss, I have to put
everything together from scratch. I won’t have concierges who are familiar with
the local area.” Cami screwed and unscrewed the lid to her water bottle. “I’ll
have to move here sooner than most of you so I can figure all of that out,
study the area and do my research, in addition to interviews and set ups. Now I’ve
gotten used to the idea, I find I’m actually kind of excited about it.” Not the
being boss part, or the being forced to live here with four strangers, but the
work would be an interesting challenge.

“I’m set to move in by August first myself,” Jonquil
admitted. “I’m not sure how much staff I’ll have to bring in, but this is a bit
outside the realm of my expertise—dealing with flowers in rooms, which ones,
how many, what to order, juggling employees to keep up with everything, and
adding in events, restaurant bouquets, lobby, etc. I’ve already set an
appointment to pick the brain of the florist at the Philly hotel.”

“Good. You’ll do fine. Dad wouldn’t have put you in charge
if he didn’t think you were more than capable of handling yourself,” Lana told
her. She straightened her shoulders. “We’re all capable of doing this. It’s
going to take some time to adjust and prepare, and once the hotel opens we’ll
all have to hit the ground running.” She chewed on the end of her pen. “And
pretend Dad didn’t build in a back-up in case we fail.”

Cami didn’t think for a second that their father had
assigned Blake to their location expecting failure. Lana wouldn’t believe it
unless she wanted to, so it was better to leave her to figure it out on her
own. The way Blake had let her run the meetings should have made it clear he
intended for her to take the lead.

Her mind shifted to the hunk who carried her bags in when
she arrived. Vince? She’d seen him, shovel in hand, working with the landscaping
crew when they’d come out of the hotel. He’d raised a hand in greeting, and she’d
managed not to drool as she returned the gesture. He was so different from the
other men she’d dated. His sheer physical presence, mixed with the sweetness of
the way he’d spoken to Mrs. Grady was an intriguing contrast. Maybe she was so
messed up right now any non-creepy guy who smiled at her would get a second
look.

She hoped it was him and not because she was messed up.
Standing, she excused herself to go to bed. Apparently she needed some serious
sleep.

Trent Doyle seemed like the ideal guy for Cami when they’d
first met. Handsome, educated, well bred and on the way to the top of his
profession in television news. Unfortunately, as Cami realized far too late, he
was also up to his eyebrows in credit card debt and seeking a way out of his
financial troubles. He’d experienced a few reversals in his business affairs as
well, which had made him bitter.

And he’d seen a ‘merger’ with Cami as the answer to his problems.

When she realized the truth, however, she’d ended things. It
had pricked her pride, but she knew it was a small thing in the long run. The
split came mid-January after he proposed.

Perhaps she should have been too dazzled by the huge rock he’d
bought for her, or the romantic evening to look further. Most women would be
swayed by the sweet nothings he whispered in her ear or the promises of forever.

Distracted by worry for her father, whose health had been
failing, though she hadn’t known about the cancer, she’d accepted. When Trent
pushed her for a quick wedding—an elopement to Atlantic City would suit him
fine—she backed away and started to see things more clearly. Since her father
died everything had gotten completely out of control and he hadn’t even crossed
her mind.

Despite their breakup, Trent continued to make overtures. She’d
hardly paid attention, so her mind was elsewhere when she opened her condo door
a few days after her return from Colorado and found him standing there.

“Trent. What a surprise.” How had he gotten into the
building? Had she forgotten to change her code at the door, or had the doorman
let him in? Doorman. She was sure she’d changed the code.

He stepped forward, pulling her into a hug in the doorway. “Camellia,
you must be so upset. I heard what your father did to you, and I can’t imagine
how you’re going to tolerate living in the middle of nowhere for the next year.”
He pulled back so he could study her face, worry clear in his features.

“I’ll manage. It’s not like I’ll be living in a tent in the
wilds of Africa.” Cami extricated herself from his embrace, but in doing so, stepped
back, leaving an opening, which he took advantage of by striding into the room.
“I believe there’s a Neiman Marcus in Denver.”

The sarcasm was lost on him. “You were always such a strong
woman.” His glance around the room took in everything. “The news about your
father’s infidelities is positively shocking.”

Cami sighed, trying to decide if she should offer him
refreshment like a polite hostess, or insist he leave. The last thing she
wanted was to discuss her personal life. She was leaning toward the second
option, but decided since he’d made the effort to show up, she might as well
see what gossip he was dying to share with her. Or was he digging up tidbits
for a story? Either was equally likely.

“Dad loved surprises.” And was far more adept at them than
she’d known. She was also amazed none of his other daughters—or their mothers—had
stepped up to blow the whistle on him. Hadn’t it bothered them at all that he
was married and sleeping around? When she wasn’t being angry at her father, she
was numb.

Trent sat on the sofa and patted the spot next to him. “He
managed a doozy this time. Four illegitimate daughters. It’s incredible, and arranging
for you all to live together, to work together, and for Lana to take charge of
the whole thing when she’s so young. Well, obviously it’s a mistake, but your
father always did push for his way—whether it was right or not.”

Defensive words rose automatically inside her, though some
of his sentiments were uncomfortably like her own. No one talked down Lana or
her father in front of Cami though. “Stubborn and willful, yes, but no fool.
Lana’s more than up to the task of managing the hotel and the other women have
years of experience in their own fields. I think we’ll make the Juniper Ridge
resort a unique and exciting experience for guests.” And they would, even if it
killed her to ensure it.

“Of course you will, and it should be an interesting
experience.” His tone was placating, as if she were some sweet young child who
needed calming from a temper tantrum.

It made Cami see red. She didn’t want to play his game, and
was tired from dealing with her own emotions without letting him pile more onto
her. “Why did you come here, Trent? I’ve had a long day and a full plate ahead
of me tomorrow. Cut to the chase.”

“It’s nothing. I thought you might need a friend to talk to,
to grab a bite of dinner with—I know how you manage to starve yourself when you
get busy.” His expression was far too innocent.

She wondered again how she’d missed the insincerity and
self-centeredness before. “Trent, that train has left the station and it’s not
coming back. If you’ve only stopped in to pick and pry and try to get at my
money, you’re welcome to leave.” She gestured to the door. “In fact, even if
you’re being totally sincere, I’d like you to go. I’ve had a long day and would
rather be alone.”

“I’m hurt you won’t talk to me.” He stood, crossing back
over to her and took her hand.

She shook it off. “We’re over, Trent. Give it up.”

“Come on, Camellia.” He’d never used the shortened version
of her name, as if it were somehow undignified. “You? Colorado? Seriously? I
mean, it’s nice for a visit now and then, and you might enjoy a week of skiing
this winter, but you have a great job here. It’s not like you need the step up
in the company or a job of any kind—not with your inheritance. Why are you
going to waste your time there just to please him?”

Interesting. So he didn’t have
all
the details about
the stipulations of the will—not that she would have needed the job anyway, not
with the trust fund left to her at her mother’s death, but she hadn’t been
raised to sit around and let everyone else do all the work. She’d have to thank
Alex for managing to suppress part of the will’s terms. It was bad enough being
strong-armed into moving without everyone knowing it. “You think I ought to
stay here and date you some more?”