No Reservations (27 page)

At Jared and Annabelle’s wedding, she assumed he meant.

“Have you told Jared you’re not going to sign the boutique contract?”

Oh, this man made her furious. “No. I’ll speak to Jared tonight. He’s with Annabelle.
I saw his car parked at the shop when I drove by.”

Little did he know exactly what she planned to tell Jared. She had a plan forming.
One she’d thought to discuss with Tyler—before he’d dumped her, that was.

“Kate . . .”

“Yes?” She let her sarcasm run free in that one word. When he paused again, she knew
he’d heard it.

“I’m sorry this didn’t work out. You’re a special woman and I’ve come to care about
you. You’re going to make a wonderful costume designer.”

Damn him. If he didn’t stop talking now, she was going to cry.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to say, “Thank you. Good-bye, Tyler.”

And she hung up before he could say anything more.

She wanted to throw her phone across the room, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything
other than a trip to the mall to buy a new phone.

Tears wanted to flow but she blinked them back. She refused to shed tears over this.

She was mad. Furious.

He hadn’t wanted to fight. He’d just assumed the worst, cut his losses, and run.

Overbearing, manipulative—

No. Now who was being unfair?

Had she told him she loved him? No, she hadn’t.

Had she fought for him? No.

Would it have made a difference? She had to believe, yes, it would.

She picked up the phone and dialed.

“Hey, Annabelle. Can I talk to Jared?”

Eighteen

“Hello, sweetheart, I’m so glad to see you. It’s been a while.”

Tyler hid a grimace as he walked into his parents’ home. “Hey, Mom. I know it’s been
a while. Sorry. There’s been a lot going on.”

“Oh, I know that. I wasn’t trying to lay a guilt trip.” Shutting the door behind her,
she wrapped him in a tight hug then waved him through to the sitting room where he
saw his father sitting on the couch.

“Dad, I need to talk to you.”

His mom stopped in the doorway. “Would you like me to—”

“No, Mom, stay. Please.”

His father put down the newspaper. “What’s up, Tyler? Have you decided what you’re
going to do?”

“Yes, I have. I’ve decided I don’t want the chair.”

His parents exchanged a look he couldn’t decipher before his dad turned back to him.
“I understand. I’m—”

“But I want the Philadelphia GoldenStar.”

His dad’s mouth quirked into a grin as he exchanged another one of those looks with
his mom. “And how do you plan to sell that deal to the board?”

“I don’t. I’ve read Granddad’s will backward and forward. There’s nothing in the will
that says once I take the chair, I can’t sell the chain.”

His dad nodded. “You’re absolutely right. There isn’t.”

“Granddad made sure that if the family wanted to keep the Philly GoldenStar, we could.
Vasser will bitch a little but he already has a hotel in Philadelphia. He doesn’t
need another.”

His father’s grin started to spread. “That’s also true.”

“Vasser only wants the European hotels, but he knew the board wouldn’t split the assets.”

“Yes, that’s what I believe too.”

“And you knew I’d only really want the Philly hotel.”

Smiling outright now, his father nodded again. “Yes, I did.”

“Jesus, Dad, then why all the dramatics? Why the hell didn’t you just tell me to sell
the damn chain and keep the Philly hotel?”

Now his dad lost the smile. “Because it had to be
your
decision, Tyler. Not mine. What if I’d sold the chain and you decided you wanted
it? No, this was the only way it could work.”

Tyler tried to find the flaw in his dad’s logic but couldn’t. Which just pissed him
off more. Not at his dad but at himself.

“I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.”

“Would it have made a difference?” his mom asked as she sat next to his dad and took
his hand. The outward display of affection was so unusual from his parents it took
him back for a few seconds before he thought about his mom’s questions.

Would it? Would he have done anything differently?

Would he have pushed Kate away?

“Tyler?” His mom sounded worried. “Did something happen?”

Yeah. He’d fucked up. Royally.

He looked his mom straight in the eyes. “How did he get you to forgive him?”

His mom’s eyebrows arched in shock before she began to nod. “There was more than enough
blame to go around, in our case. Still, your dad apologized and told me he couldn’t
live without me. We had to forgive each other so we could move forward.”

He thought about that all the way from his parents’ house on the Main Line to Haven
in center city.

He needed a plan. But first he had to get through the rest of the folders on his desk.
Several hundred files that he needed to go through before he met with the GoldenStar
board of directors on Monday. He needed to have all of his ducks in a row when he
dealt with them.

But the one duck he truly wanted, he’d already shot out of the water.

**

Friday afternoon, Tyler would have gladly shot his brother after he walked into his
private office on the fourth floor.

“You’re a coward,” Jed said. “I know I’ve said that before, but this time, you threw
away something amazing because you think you’re going to lose Kate anyway. Fucked-up
logic, if you ask me.”

Tyler didn’t bother to look up. His eyes burned, his head hurt, and he had an ache
in the pit of his stomach that wouldn’t go away and that he refused to acknowledge.

Jed dropped into the chair on the opposite side of his desk, forcing himself into
Tyler’s field of vision. He stopped reading long enough to glare at his brother before
transferring his attention back to the file.

“So what’s the plan?” Jed continued. “Bury yourself in work for a few years before
you decide it’s time to find another woman? Or are you just planning to skip to the
spinster uncle stage? You do know you’re an idiot, too, right?”

Yes, he knew he was an idiot, but he wasn’t about to give Jed any more ammunition
by admitting it. And he didn’t have the time to argue.

“What are you doing here besides bothering me? Where’s Annabelle? I’m sure
she’d
be happy to see you.”

Jed grinned. “I know she’d be happy to see me. But I have an early meeting tomorrow
so I figured I’d stay here for the night. I’m heading back as soon as I can.”

“Everything okay at the Spa?”

“Yep.”

“Do you need me for anything?”

“Nope.”

“Then what the hell are you still doing here?”

“Apparently annoying you.”

“Jed, I’ve got a hell of a lot of files to—”

“And all of that can wait. You should take a break. Get a drink. Chill in the Salon.”

Right. That’s the absolute last place he wanted to be. Too many memories. Talk about
a mindfuck.

“I’m presenting everything to the board Monday. I’ve got too much to do—”

“I’m sure you do. But I think you’re going to want to check out the Salon. Now.”

Jed held his gaze, and Tyler realized exactly what his brother was telling him.

Hope made his chest tight, made his heart pound. Lust made his blood burn.

And relief made him almost light-headed. And froze him to the chair.

“Tyler—”

Getting up, he practically ran for the door.

**

What if he didn’t show up?

Kate had been asking herself that question from the moment Jared left her in the Salon
to go talk to Tyler.

He has to come.

If he didn’t . . . Well, then she’d screwed up her life but good.

She’d stepped way out of her box this time and was hoping like hell that it paid off.

And when he doesn’t show? Then what, smart girl?

Wow, she’d never realized how bitchy her inner critic could be. It sucked to be on
the other side of it. And how had that happened?

She knew exactly when that had happened. When she’d called Jared and Annabelle to
ask for their help.

Which is how she’d ended up practically naked in the Salon, waiting for the man who’d
almost broken her heart.

If he didn’t show, her heart
would
break. But she’d go on. She wasn’t about to let a man ruin her life. Not even the
one man she apparently wanted more than her dream job. Which, in reality, had turned
out not to be her dream job after all.

That dream had been usurped by another that was just as demanding and creative as
the one she’d said no to.

But if he didn’t show . . .

She was afraid her heart would be scarred forever.

With a sigh, she started to pace. If Tyler didn’t get here soon, or if Jared didn’t
return, she was going to wear a path in the exquisite Turkish rug beneath her feet.

And she should really stop pacing, because if he walked in, she didn’t want him to
see her so nervous.

Then again—

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the wall to her left split apart.

She sucked in a quick gasp before her heart started to pound.

Tyler.

She bit her lips, which wanted to quiver, and forced herself to stand her ground rather
than run to him and throw her arms around him.

Just because he was here didn’t mean their problems were going to magically disappear.

“Tyler.”

Did he look happy to see her? Was that a hint of a smile she saw on his face?

God, I hope so.

“Kate.”

Silence descended as they stared at each other across the room.

She knew what she wanted to say, knew what she should say. What she wanted to hear
in return.

But all that emerged was, “You coward.”

He nodded, a dull flush covering his cheeks, but he didn’t look away. “You’re not
the first person to say that to me today. And you’re both right. I am. But do you
know why?”

She swallowed, her heart pumping in overdrive. “I have my suspicions, but I’d like
to hear it from you.”

“Because I was afraid if I let myself love you any more than I already did, and you
ever left me, I’d lose myself.”

Tears welled at the tone of his voice, at the conviction she heard in it.

“The first time . . . with Mia . . . I thought I’d never get over it. Never be the
same person. Never let myself care that deeply for anyone again. I honestly thought
I was saving both of us from heartbreak further down the line. I’m sorry. I never
meant to hurt you.”

“And now?”

He shrugged, his mouth twisting with a grimace. “Now I realize that no matter what
happens, if we never see each other again or if we spend the next fifty years together,
it will hurt just as much. But I know I don’t want to spend the rest of my life without
you.”

The weight on her chest eased just enough that joy began to filter in.

Still, she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. The man had dumped her. And on the phone!
That deserved punishment.

And she knew exactly what kind.

“That’s a nice sentiment.” She put her hand on one hip. “But I’m going to need a lot
more convincing.”

His eyes narrowed and he finally let his gaze drop.

She’d picked her outfit carefully for this meeting, and when his gaze returned to
hers, smoldering with heat, she knew she’d chosen correctly.

The hem of her black skirt hit her at midthigh, conservative at first glance. As was
the prim, white, short-sleeved shirt. But the skirt fit like a glove and a slit up
the left leg gave tantalizing hints of the electric blue thong she wore beneath. And
the wraparound shirt revealed the cleavage formed by her blue lace bra. The bra matched
the thong that was getting wetter by the second.

“I figured since we were going to be working together at the spa, business casual
would be appropriate for this meeting.”

He nearly choked on a laugh. “If that’s business casual, I’ve been doing it wrong
for years.”

His voice held a distinct roughness that made her want to rub up against him. Naked.

“Then why don’t you come over here and I’ll give you some tips.”

She expected him to try to take over now, assert his dominance. Instead he obeyed
immediately. He didn’t run, but he didn’t take his time either.

When he stopped in front of her, she had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes.
Such beautiful eyes. She reached for him with one hand, traced his jaw and his lips
with one fingertip.

“What about New York?” he asked. “The job?”

“I decided that wasn’t the risk I wanted to take. I enjoy working for myself. I want
to make the boutique work. I want to grow my wedding dress design business. I want
to make burlesque costumes and role-playing gear, and I want
you
. I’m still angry with you, but I can’t imagine my life without you.”

He bared his teeth in a grin that made her shiver.

“Good.” Now she heard that note of command in her voice and she shivered. “Because
I don’t want to live without you.”

Lifting his hand, he began to undo the bow at her waist holding her shirt together.
“I love you, Kate.”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach at the matter-of-fact way he said those few
words. So very Tyler.

As was the way his fingertips caressed the bared skin of her breasts. Perfectly. And
when he bent his head to press his mouth to the curve of one aching mound, she sucked
in a sharp breath.

“And I love you.”

She nearly groaned when he took a step back before he reached into his pocket and
pulled out his grandmother’s ring. The one she’d found at the flea market. Taking
her hand as tears formed in her eyes, he slid it onto the ring finger of her left
hand. “And I can’t imagine another woman wearing this. It was meant for you to find.
And you were meant for me.”

She lifted her hands to cup his jaw. “And you were meant for me. Now take off my clothes
and make love to me until I can’t see straight.”

His smile had sharp edges. And she loved it. “It will be my pleasure, sweetheart.”