Hotel Ladd (19 page)

Lacy looked to Malcolm and he nodded.
Turning back to face Annie, Lacy announced, “We want you to do the
nails for Serenity Springs. You’re the best in the business and
Serenity Springs is going to be the best spa in all of Tennessee!
It makes sense to put you together, don’t you think?”

They were offering her a
job? She glanced sideways to Cal who smiled.
Of course
. He would love nothing
better than to see her work for Serenity Springs. He wanted the job
as General Manager. Seems natural he’d want her there, too. Hadn’t
he already posed the idea himself? An odd thought struck. Would
that make him her boss?

“
You’ll make good money,”
Lacy said, “probably three times what you’re making
now.”

Three times the money? Trendz was the
top-paying salon in town, but Serenity Springs would be big time,
attracting wealthy people from all over the world. Maybe Nick and
Malcolm would pay her more, but she’d been at Trendz for a long
time. What would they do without her? “But I already have a
job...”

“
You’ll quit!” Lacy
exclaimed. “They can find another girl to do nails.” Her sister’s
blue eyes rounded as they grew serious. “Besides, we need you,
Annie. The spa has to employ the best of the best and the whole
town knows you’re it when it comes to nails.”

Malcolm’s blue eyes equaled the
enthusiasm of his wife’s.

While Annie didn’t know about all that,
she had to admit three times the money sounded appealing. A swell
of excitement moved through her. Three times the money would go a
long way to buying a house. She wouldn’t need Casey to live with
her. She’d be able to do it on her own. With a brief glance to Cal,
she asked, “When are you opening?”

“
Not until May,” Lacy said,
dominating the conversation. Malcolm sat mute by her side,
seemingly content to let his wife handle the hiring details.
“You’ll quit in a couple of months and then come work for
us.”

Us. The word hit Annie like a dump
truck. Us. She’d be working for not only Delaney but Lacy, Malcolm
Cal—everyone! Without looking to her side, Annie thought, Cal would
be the General Manager alongside Malcolm, Delaney and Lacy would be
wives to the owners...

The initial excitement drained from
her. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“
Well, don’t take too long.
We’ll need you to design the layout of the nail stations. Set it up
anyway you please,” Lacy said gleefully. “You decide how it looks
and who we hire. You’ll be the boss.”

Annie pulled her warm cup of
coffee near.
After you and Delaney, Malcolm
and Cal
.

“
Think of the exotic people
you’ll get to meet,” Lacy prattled on. “They’ll come from all over
the world and they’re used to tipping a lot. Why, when we went to
Vegas, you should have seen the money those people were throwing
around!”

Malcolm placed a hand to Lacy’s
forearm. “I think Annie gets the picture. Why don’t you let her
mull it over for a while? She’s invested a lot of years in her
current job. She might not want to leave Trendz and the people
there.”

Lacy looked crestfallen. Glancing from
Malcolm to Annie, she asked, “You want to do it, don’t you,
Annie?”

“
Sounds like a great
opportunity,” she said, “but Malcolm’s right. I need to think about
it and how it will affect Trendz.”

Cal agreed, though she detected
disappointment in his tone. “Loyalty is a mighty fine trait in an
employee. I, for one, admire you for taking your time.”

Time. Time to decide about
his job offer,
her
job offer. Time to decide about Jillian Devane’s offer. Time.
Annie felt the pack of lies closing in on her. Her thoughts dark
and hidden, she was slowly working herself into a hole. “Yes,” she
muttered and sipped her coffee. She winced at the black and bitter
taste. She’d forgotten to add cream and sugar.

“
I still have the job as
mountain guide, right?” Lacy asked Malcolm.

“
If you want it, but what
are you going to do with Emma Jane?”

“
Oh, she’ll come with me!”
She tapped a row of fingers to his shoulders. “You know, they make
those backpacks now where you can carry your baby on your back as
you hike.”

“
You’re going to let her
carry the baby up the mountain?” Cal asked.

Malcolm laughed. “Have you ever climbed
with Lacy?” He wrapped an arm around her and said, “Emma will be
safer on her back on a mountain rock than in a stroller on a
sidewalk any day of the week.”

Lacy beamed like a puppy with two
tails. Lifting her coffee cup, pinky outstretched, she sipped, then
yanked the cup from her lips. “Oh, look—it’s Troy!” She waved him
over.

Troy swaggered over in a near-arrogant
stride. Decked out in his customary T-shirt and jeans with the
addition of a denim jacket, the boy oozed confidence and ego. Cal
spoke first. “Hello, Troy.”

“
Afternoon.”

“
Care to join
us?”

“
Naw, but thank you.” He
flicked a glance toward the lunch counter where Casey was working.
“I’m here to see Casey.”

Of course he was. Thoughts
of Cal faded as a pair of oversized sunglasses near the entrance
seized her attention. Jillian Devane scanned the restaurant. When
she saw Annie, she smiled. Annie’s heart stopped then thwacked hard
against her chest.
Please don’t come over
here, please don’t come over here. Not with these people around me.
Not Lacy and Malcolm and Cal
.

Annie swallowed against the batter of
pulse. Jillian was headed straight toward them.

Chapter Fifteen

“
All this talk of riding is
making me jealous,” Malcolm said, oblivious to the approaching
disaster. Pale blue eyes crinkled the corners of his tanned skin.
“Let’s say you and I go for a ride, Lacy.”

She blinked. “But you don’t have any
horses. How are we gonna ride?”

“
Delaney said we could use
her horses any time we wanted, remember?”

“
Which will only be
temporary,” Cal put in. “Soon enough you’ll have a whole stable
full of your own. Another one was born just the other day, in fact.
A real fine boy with a sturdy build. Named him Vegas.”

Malcolm brightened. “You
did?”

Cal nodded. “Delaney supplied a list of
names, so we’re running down through ‘em.”

Overcome by pleasure, Malcolm didn’t
notice Jillian until she was upon them. But serpents had a way of
moving fast on unsuspecting prey.

“
Well, isn’t this a quaint
gathering.”

Nerves formed a noose around Annie’s
heart. If Jillian mentioned the property sale she’d be toast.
Spying the disgruntled look on Lacy’s face, Annie added, make that
burnt toast.

“
Is there no other place to
eat other than this
restaurante
?”

“
We only frequent the best
places, Jillian,” Malcolm said a tad snidely. “You should know that
better than anyone.”

Jillian smiled at him, raking a
lascivious gaze over Troy. Annie tensed. Did Troy realize he’d
absently given the woman a return onceover with his girlfriend in
eyesight? Jillian gave a gentle shake to her hair and opened the
collar of her leather jacket as though inviting him to linger in
her splendor. Dressed more casually in painted-on jeans and
stilettos, Annie wondered if Jillian had anywhere to go. What did
she do all day?

“
So tell, me
cariño
, where is Nick
hiding himself these days?”

“
Traveling as usual,”
Malcolm replied.

“
Where to now?”

“
Exotic
locations.”

“
I hear he’s in South
Africa,” Jillian said.

“
South Africa?” Lacy
blurted. “What’s he doing there?”

“
Business,” Malcolm said
evenly.

“
So far away...” Jillian
said, then wrapped her gaze around Troy. Dropping her attention
down the length of him, she pursed her lips. “Perhaps I’ll find
other distractions while I’m in town.”

“
And why are you in town,
Jillian?” Malcolm asked.

Annie held her
breath.
Don’t answer
that
.

Artfully avoiding Annie,
Jillian responded, “You
would
like to know my intentions, wouldn’t
you?”

Bland and detached, Malcolm didn’t rise
to her bait. Even the pale blue of his eyes proved an opaque shield
to what his true feelings must be—if any of what Lacy said were
true. “Only in so far as they pertain to me.”

“
And you think my plans
pertain to you?”

“
Unfortunately, they usually
do.”

Jillian slid a hand up to rest on her
narrow hip. “In due time you will know. Until then I intend to
enjoy myself in your small country town.”

“
Be careful,” Malcolm
mocked. “You might not want to leave.”

Her eyes became slits. Drawing a
fingertip beneath Troy’s chin—a move so deliberate and so quick the
boy didn’t have time to respond—Jillian smiled. “As if that would
be a problem.”

Involuntarily Annie whirled to check on
her daughter’s whereabouts. Her heart fell. Sure enough, Casey
stood behind the counter, jealousy and hurt exploding in her sullen
gaze. Jillian noticed the same. Annie flicked a hot and angry
glance toward Jillian. If the woman didn’t want to be here, why was
she trying to buy the land? Why fight so hard to convince Annie to
sell? There were other mountain ranges, other creeks and streams.
Flashing a glance toward the front door, Annie glimpsed Jack Foster
entering and groaned inwardly. It was becoming a downright family
affair around here today!

Pulling the sporty sunglasses from his
eyes, he located the group of them in seconds. A positively
mischievous smile crept onto his lips as he headed over, pulling up
next to Jillian. Jack eyed her openly as a man would when presented
with a beautiful woman, to which she did likewise. Standing
together, Annie thought they made a handsome couple. Jack’s
youthful good looks had only matured in their appeal. His hair
remained full and brown, his skin scarcely lined, but his dark
brown eyes spoke of a man at home in the country, a mountain
adventurer through and through. He didn’t take life too seriously,
merely a man looking for a good time. Funny, but compared to Cal’s
more refined features, Jack seemed the cowboy and Cal the city
slicker. “Hello, brother.”

“
Jack.”

“
Jack Foster—I didn’t know
you were in town,” Lacy said, looking to Cal for an
explanation.

“
Jack’s home for the
holidays,” he revealed, as though it were a warning rather than
small talk.

Oblivious to the tension piling onto
the table between them, Lacy asked, “Wow, how long has it been,
twenty years?”

Jack sent another ogle Jillian’s way
before saying, “It’s been too long is what it’s been, though you
don’t look a day older than seventeen.”

Lacy rewarded him with a
coquettish grin and a small wave. “Oh, Jack, how you
do
go on. I’m old and
married now.” She turned in her seat and placed a possessive hand
on Malcolm’s arm. “This is my husband, Malcolm Ward. Malcolm, this
is Jack Foster, Cal’s brother.”

Malcolm’s black brow rose in surprise.
“Cal’s brother?” He extended a hand to Jack. “Nice to meet
you.”

“
Jack hasn’t been around for
a while,” Cal said, and Annie could sense a torrent of emotion
churning through him.

“
He was married to Delaney,”
Lacy informed Malcolm then looked up to Jack. Her gaze cooled as
though she suddenly remembered why he left. “Aunt Frannie told me
you moved up north years ago.”

“
Is she around?” Jack asked.
“I haven’t seen her, yet.”

As if annoyed the focus had been
withdrawn from her, Jillian cleared her throat. “Jillian Devane.”
She offered a hand to Jack who accepted it easily. “I’m a developer
friend of Malcolm’s.”

“
Pleasure to make your
acquaintance.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed
it.

The move appeared unimpressive to
Jillian, yet she smiled. “Are you here for lunch?”

“
I am.”

“
Would you care to join
me?”

Jack grinned. “I never say no to an
invitation from a beautiful woman.”

Lacy bristled but Annie could care
less. Good riddance was all she could think. Take Jillian as far
away from this table as possible, though she found it curious Cal
remained standoffish to Jack. Cal’s parents and brothers seemed
fine with his presence in town, surprise or otherwise. He didn’t
drink during his visit, he contributed genial conversation. Annie
didn’t get it. Why was Cal displeased by his brother’s
appearance?

Once again, Annie wondered about Jack’s
reference to the accident. When she had asked Cal about it, he’d
been evasive, vague. He told her he’d been involved in a car
accident, broke his arm but nothing he couldn’t get over. He also
mentioned it was none of Jack’s business. Which seemed odd,
considering the man was nice enough to ask.