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Juliet put a death grip on Nealy’s arm. After their most recent phone conversation, Nealy understood why. Her family had a tendency to be a bit too eagerly involved.
“Please promise me you won’t leave my side.”
Nealy didn’t want to make any promises. Her mother’s frown didn’t reflect a warm welcome and knowing Dane lurked somewhere in the building made her want to bolt. Then she focused on her sister’s worried face, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and that her usually tidy hair was a mess. Nealy lifted her chin. This wasn’t about her. Her sister needed her here and for that reason alone she would see this week through. “I promise.”
Juliet let out a breath, tears glistening in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Are you okay?” Nealy was genuinely concerned.
“Tired. Work has been demanding. If this party is any indication of what the wedding will be like...”
Nealy should have come home sooner. “Maybe we should—”
“There she is,” cried a familiar voice. Nealy turned to see her maternal grandmother, Dorinda, hurrying toward her. “Come give me a kiss.”
Nealy sent one last questioning glance at her sister and received a reassuring nod in return. Once she and her sister were alone, Nealy would get to the bottom of what was bothering Juliet.
“Grandmother!” Nealy wrapped Dorinda in her arms, holding on for dear life. The scent of lilacs Nealy always associated with her grandmother enveloped her. Welcomed her home. This was the person who had cleaned her cuts, wiped her tears and filled her life with joy. “How have you been?”
“Other than missing you, just fine. Talking on the phone and only seeing you for our annual visits is not enough.”
Nealy grinned. “I agree.”
Dorinda ran a hand over Nealy’s wavy hair. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered and tilted her head toward the women in the room. “Not a moment too soon.”
“Are things so bad?”
“Not bad. More like difficult. The usual Grainger women drama.”
“As usual, Dad is wise to stay far, far away.”
The urge to run away welled up in her, but she squashed it for Juliet’s sake. Maybe a few minutes to gather her muddled thoughts would shore up her resolve. “Okay, ladies, before we get busy, I have to make a couple of quick business calls. Be back in a few.”
She turned on her heel, hurried out of the room and back down the hallway, hoping she wouldn’t run into Dane. Before entering the foyer, she stopped and peeked around the corner. No ex-husband. Expelling a breath, she rushed past the main desk, heading to the veranda for some fresh air and to place the phone calls she promised her boss she’d make. She’d just reached for the door handle when she heard a slow masculine drawl behind her. “Leaving so soon?”
* * *
DANE KNEW NEALY would never miss her sister’s party. That meant he’d be seeing her again. His regret over how he’d ended things with her had entailed a lot of emotional upheaval, but still he maintained he’d made the right decision to end their marriage before it really started.
What else could he have done but file for an annulment after their impetuous act? Once they’d said their “I do’s,” the enormity of the situation had sunk in. There was no doubt in his mind he’d been head over heels in love with Nealy, but marriage? At eighteen, he’d had nothing to offer her. No way to support them financially or emotionally. How could he not have considered the consequences? Because he’d let the roller-coaster ride of young love blind him to reality instead of considering what Nealy needed—security and a man with a solid future.
He’d done the right thing by walking away. It had been the hardest decision he’d ever made, more so because he knew he’d hurt her in the process. Yeah, he hadn’t missed the surprise and hurt in Nealy’s eyes when she’d bumped into him a few minutes ago. She’d never been very good at hiding her emotions. From him, anyway. But she was here now, so how was he going to handle the situation? If her body language and angry tone were any indication, she didn’t plan to make any encounters between them easy.
She let go of the door handle and faced him, her lips pressed together, a sure sign she was annoyed. “Do you make a habit of stalking your guests?”
“Only the ones I haven’t seen in over a decade.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“I’m well aware.”
Coming back to Cypress Pointe to purchase the hotel had been a calculated risk, like returning to the scene of a crime. But when the hotel had gone up for sale, Dane couldn’t resist. After a mere few hours of debating the wisdom of buying a property holding so many memories of love gone wrong, he broke down and placed an offer. It had taken a lot of hard work to get the place looking even better than its former glory, but once he’d started, he never looked back.
Nealy stood with her arms crossed over her chest, one foot tapping. Yeah, she still had all the pent-up energy that got them into one scrape after another when they were kids. “Don’t you have some hotel stuff to keep you busy?”
He grinned at her, encouraged by the flicker of interest she tried to hide. “At the moment, you’re my top priority.”
She narrowed her eyes but the gesture didn’t scare him off. She still had the power to make his heart pound with just one glance.
Mahogany-colored hair, cut in wavy layers, swung around her shoulders and down her back. Dane remembered the texture, and his fingers itched to touch the thick tresses. Her slender build admirably filled the suit she wore and he smiled at her choice of footwear. She always did have a flair for the unexpected.
The subtle scent of peaches accosted him, just like that long-ago summer. He also remembered the luscious bubblegum gloss she’d constantly applied to her lips. The bubblegum fad of her youth had faded, but in its place had grown an incredible woman. He could sense she was the whole package. He liked this version of Nealy. A lot.
“How long are you in town?” he asked.
Her chocolate-brown eyes filled with suspicion. “I don’t think it’s any of your concern.”
“Just being courteous.”
“And while that’s very gentlemanly of you, I’m sure we’ll be too busy to see each other during my stay.”
“Look, I know this isn’t easy for you. I’m sure you feel—”
“I’m trying very hard not to feel anything.”
He didn’t like hearing those words. She couldn’t have lost all feeling for him, could she? The angry glint in her eyes told him otherwise.
“I don’t blame you for hating me. I was mad at myself for a long time.”
“I don’t hate you. I hate what you did to us.”
He nodded. “I wanted to talk to you again. Try to make things right.”
She raised a dubious eyebrow. “As evidenced by all the phone calls.”
“I couldn’t. At first, it was too soon. Before long, too much time had passed by.”
“Yeah. Twelve years to be exact.”
“Are you saying if I’d reached out, you would have talked to me?”
His lips thinned into a mulish line.
“Just what I thought.”
From the moment he and Nealy eloped, the situation had gone downhill. He’d been reeling over the loss of a baseball scholarship to the University of South Florida because of a rotator cuff injury. His parents, always at each other’s throats, were talking divorce. They spent more time arguing and not enough time focused on their kids. Consequently, he’d missed deadlines to apply to other colleges and scholarships. Spending a wild summer with free-spirited Nealy had been just what he needed to deal with his shattered reality. They’d both been of age, and could legally marry, but running off didn’t mean they’d made the brightest move of all time. Look at his parents. They’d married young and couldn’t stand each other now. All Dane knew at the time? He was crazy in love with Nealy and the minute she turned eighteen, they’d stolen her dad’s car and taken off.
At least her parents hadn’t pressed charges once they returned home.
“Well, lucky for both of us,” she said, “I’ll be very busy while I’m here. Besides, we don’t have anything to talk about.”
“I need to clear up some things. I think you do, too.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She pointedly glared at him as she swung open the lobby door. “But not today.”
He watched her shapely figure disappear behind the door. He turned just as Josh Hamilton, his head landscaper and handyman, strode across the lobby toward him.
“Hey, Dane. Got a minute?”
A minute was about all he had until Nealy returned to her family. “What’s up?”
“I fixed the problem in the pool pump house. Anything else?”
Anything else consisted of Nealy Grainger here at the Grand Cypress Hotel. “No. We’re good,” he said as he kept an eye on the front door.
“Then I’ll get back to tending to the ornamental garden by the restaurant.”
“Fine, fine,” he replied.
“Then I’m going to knock on every guest’s door, yell fire and run away screaming.”
“Fine.”
“Or I could bug the sharp-looking woman who has all those parties planned.”
“Get to it, then.”
Josh laughed. “Dude. Are you even listening?”
Dane turned to his employee, who also happened to be his friend. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
“Nothing. A little preoccupied?”
“I have a lot going on.”
Josh cocked his head. “Anything to do with the pretty brunette walking this way?”
Dane glanced over his shoulder. “You could say that.”
“Just did.” He slapped Dane on the back. “Good luck.”
“I’ll need it,” Dane said as Nealy headed for the hallway leading to the banquet rooms.
* * *
“YOU AGAIN?” REMARKED NEALY.
“Yeah. I own the place, remember?”
“So go do some hotel things.”
He fell into step beside her. “I am. Acting as the temporary event coordinator.” Before he could continue the conversation, they reached the Grainger room and Juliet rushed over. “Please, make her stop.”
Nealy followed Juliet’s gaze to their mother. “What now?”
“She’s badgering the caterer for no reason.”
“Let me handle it.” Dane took off, but not before brushing Nealy’s forearm with his hand.
Despite every intention of not letting Dane get to her, his touch sent a tingle of awareness across Nealy’s skin. How, after all these years, could his touch affect her?
When the gentle pressure of his hand lifted, Nealy was relieved. Okay, so some things hadn’t changed, like a mere touch from Dane raising her temperature. Or the pure command in his every step. Even her mother would have to listen to him. She’d hate that.
Nealy smiled for the first time since arriving at the Grand Cypress Hotel.
“Thank goodness Dane is here,” Juliet said.
“Speaking of Dane, you knew he owned the hotel and didn’t tell me?”
“I’m sorry.” Juliet at least had the grace to look chagrined. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come if you knew. You have so many memories tied up in this place and knowing Dane owned the hotel might have changed your mind.”
True. Memories bombarded her every step.
“He suggested I tell you but I couldn’t take the chance.”
So he definitely knew she was coming. Hmm. Still, she wouldn’t ruin Juliet’s weekend just because the past had caught up with her. Swallowing her pride, Nealy would stick to their plans. By the look on Juliet’s face, she was in worse shape than Nealy anyway. “I’d never miss your engagement parties.”
“I know he’s the last person on earth you want to see, but he’s been wonderful. Happy to accommodate two parties. He’s so professional.”
“Dane? The same Dane who talked me into stealing Daddy’s car and eloping?”
“He’s not that guy any longer, Nealy. He’s made this hotel a success and he’s very responsible now.”
“But he’s still my ex-husband, Juliet. Do you think I should be all smiles and rainbows while he’s underfoot?”
“No.” Juliet’s voice grew quiet. “Maybe it’s time to let go of the past.”
“Maybe you expect too much.” She took a step to escape the room but Juliet grabbed hold of her arm.
“You promised.”
“And you purposely kept me in the dark.”
“For just this reason. Yes, he owns the hotel, and I am sorry for keeping the truth from you.”
The anguish in Juliet’s eyes assured Nealy her sister regretted her actions. For that alone, she could forgive her.
“Fine.” She softened her tone and privately vowed she wouldn’t let Dane’s presence rattle her anymore. “What Dane and I had ended long ago. And I have moved on with my life. So has he, by the look of things.”
