At Odds With the Heiress (11 page)

“Why not?”

“Because you need to make up your own mind about what you’re going to do with your future.” Even as he said the words he wished them back. Hadn’t he already lost one woman because his pride had kept him from asking her to stay?

“Maybe I want a little input from you. I thought something was happening here. Am I wrong?”

When he didn’t immediately respond, she tossed her head and strode off, not once looking back to see if he would follow. Which, of course, he did. His long strides brought him even with her in seconds.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you what you need.” After seeing the hurt that lanced through her eyes, he opted to explain himself further. “If you decide to stay here because of something you think is happening between us, what are your expectations for down the road?”

“I don’t know.” She narrowed her eyes and regarded him warily. “What are you trying to say?”

“We’re very different. We argue all the time. Do you see this thing between us going anywhere?”

“Obviously you don’t.”

From the sharpness of her tone, he realized she wasn’t thinking in terms of a few weeks or even a few months. It shifted his perception. But no matter what either of them wanted, the fact remained that their personalities had a knack for rubbing each other raw. How long before passion faded and all that was left between them was a long list of grievances?

He liked her too much to end up with animosity between them.

“Tell me about the part those Hollywood guys came out to discuss with you.”

“I don’t know why they’re so determined to have me.” If any other woman had uttered those words, she might have been fishing for a compliment, but Scarlett wasn’t reticent about her talent or her beauty. “I can think of a dozen other actresses who would be just as good or better.”

“Maybe they all turned the part down.”

She bestowed a droll smile on him. “Amazingly enough, I’m the first person they’ve offered the part to.”

Logan hadn’t meant his remark the way she took it. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were a last choice. Based on what you’ve been saying about being committed to Fontaine Richesse, I thought you wanted me to believe you’d left your career behind in Hollywood.”

“I did leave it behind.” She sighed. “Mostly.”

It was her equivocating that renewed his frustration. “But it followed you here.”

“Bobby is a hard man to say no to.”

“I suppose it depends on how sincere you were.” Why couldn’t she just admit that the offer intrigued her?

“You can’t seriously believe that I would give up my life here?” She scrutinized his expression. “My family’s here. I have a career I love, and things...have gotten very exciting.”

He gripped her arm and stopped her. “What sort of things?” He hadn’t meant to sound so intense. But he needed to hear her admit how she felt about him.

Her lips parted, but no words emerged. Finally, she shrugged. “Tiberius’s unsolved murder. His files. My attack.”

All of which meant she was in danger. Maybe returning to Hollywood wasn’t such a bad idea. “All good reasons for you to leave Las Vegas and take the part.”

Scarlett shook her head, then regarded him. “Why is it so damn important to you that I take Bobby’s offer?”

Because he needed to prepare himself if she was going to leave.

“You have a knack for finding trouble. I just want to know when my life is going to get back to normal.”

* * *

Irritation with Logan burned in Scarlett’s chest during the hours after they parted until she returned to collect Madison and her friends and bring them back to Fontaine Richesse. She tried not to let his willingness to be rid of her dent her ego, but his “support” of her career had leveled a crushing blow to her heart. How had she so misread the situation between them? Granted, it wasn’t easy getting past his hard exterior to the caring, passionate man beneath. But in the past two weeks, she’d thought she was starting to make inroads.

He’d never be a tender romantic, but she’d eat that sort of guy up in two bites. Logan was difficult and fascinating. She could spend a lifetime with him and never get bored. The tail end of the impulsive thought snagged her full attention.

When had she starting thinking in terms of a lifetime with Logan? Her immediate reaction was to shy away from her heart’s answer. She reminded herself that her first description of the man was that he was difficult. Did she really want to spend the rest of her life with such an intractable male?

The answer was yes if the man was Logan Wolfe.

He was the only man she’d never been able to manipulate. This meant that she had to be her genuine self around him or he’d call her on it. That was both liberating and terrifying. Letting him glimpse her faults and vulnerabilities meant at any moment he could use her weaknesses against her. Would he?

A breathy laugh puffed out of her. And she’d accused
him
of having trust issues. She was not much better. She could count on one hand all the people she trusted in the world. The first was her mother. The next two, her sisters, Harper and Violet. The fourth, she was on her way to meet for a drink. Scarlett contemplated her thumb. Did she count Logan among her allies?

“Hello, Bobby,” she said, sitting down beside the producer. “Is Chase joining us?”

“No. He’s on a winning streak at the craps table and didn’t want to leave.”

Scarlett smiled. “What about you? Any luck at the tables?”

“A little.” He grinned at her. “Now, let’s get down to business. I know you, Scarlett. You want this part.”

“It’s a fabulous opportunity.”

“So come to L.A. and test for it.”

Agreeing would set her foot on a path that might not lead back to Las Vegas. She shook her head. “I really appreciate what you’re trying to do for me,” she told the producer. “But I’m not interested.”

“You’re an actress, not a hotel manager.”

He made it sound as if she was dealing drugs for a living. “I’m not turning you down because of my position with Fontaine Richesse,” she explained. “I have a life here. A life I really love.”

“What if we could shoot all your scenes in one day? You wouldn’t have to move back to Hollywood. Just commute. You still own your house, don’t you?”

She had a place on the beach in Malibu that she’d bought shortly after turning eighteen. She’d told herself she’d kept the house because market values had dropped, but the truth was she loved the California coast and kept it as a getaway when she needed to escape the glitter and rush that was Vegas.

Or as a backup plan?

Was Logan right? Deep in her heart, was she thinking of Las Vegas as something to fill the time during the lull in her acting career? With the way her heart was skipping at the thought of going back to work in front of the camera, she had to consider if she’d been kidding herself all this time.

“It’s been seven years since I’ve done more than a guest spot here and there. What if I’m terrible?”

“Not possible.”

She covered Bobby’s hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “No one was beating down my door five years ago,” she reminded him. “There had to be a good reason for that.”

“You were turning down the parts offered.”

“Because I wanted to do something that called for me to do more than look pretty and act sexy.”

“Here’s your chance.”

“No wonder you’re the most successful producer in Hollywood.”

“I know what I want.”

“And you don’t stop until you get it.”

“Then you’ll come do the test?”

If Logan had asked her to stay, would she be at all tempted by Bobby’s faith in her? Scarlett sighed. She’d never let a man sway her decision about anything. Why was she doing so now?

“Let me talk it over with my sisters. I’ll let you know before you leave tomorrow.”

Bobby’s smile broadened with triumph. “Perfect.”

Maybe Logan had been right about the message she was sending the producer. She’d gone from a definite no to agreeing to consider a screen test.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Scarlett said, getting to her feet, “I have some party arrangements to check on. Sandy secured you an eight-thirty reservation at Le Taillevent this evening. Dinner’s on me.”

“As always you’re the perfect host.” Bobby rose to his feet and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Chase and I are leaving at one tomorrow. Can you join us for lunch before we go?”

“Why don’t I come to your suite at eleven-thirty.”

“I’ll see you then.”

* * *

After getting Madison and her friends settled into the hotel suite with pizza and a warning to keep the music at a reasonable volume, Scarlett organized a quick dinner with her sisters in her suite at Fontaine Richesse. As the three sat down to salads topped with salmon and glasses of white wine, Scarlett quickly broached what was on her mind.

“I’ve had an offer to do a television series,” she said, sipping her wine.

As usual, Harper was the first to react. “I thought you were done with acting.”

“I was.” Scarlett heard the uncertainty in her tone and qualified her response. “I mean, I thought I was.”

“Is it an interesting part?” Violet quizzed.

“The best I’ve ever been offered.”

“A lead?” Harper was the sort who set her eyes on the top prize and wouldn’t consider anything less worth her time.

“No. It’s a small supporting role, but the character is complex and interesting.” Scarlett looked at each of her sisters. “Five years ago, even two years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to race back to L.A. and take the part.”

“But now?” Violet prompted. “Something’s changed?”

“I really feel as if I’ve hit my stride with the hotel. Then there are you guys. I love being your sister and don’t want to live so far away from you.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you to say.” Harper’s lips curved in a dry smile. “But are you forgetting that we’re your chief competition in our grandfather’s contest?”

Scarlett laughed at Harper’s question, despite her lingering uneasiness over her decision to conceal what she knew about her sister’s true parentage. “You don’t seriously think I have a shot at running Fontaine Hotels and Resorts, because I’m convinced I don’t.”

“You don’t know that,” Violet insisted, always the peacemaker. “Fontaine Richesse has done really well under your management. Grandfather could choose you.”

“I don’t have the experience or the education required to run the company.” Scarlett pointed her fork first at Harper, then at Violet. “You two are the only ones in the running. I’m just happy to have been given the chance to be considered.”

“Have you told Logan that you’re thinking about heading back to L.A.?” Violet asked.

“Logan?” Harper interjected before Scarlett could answer. “Why would she tell him?”

“Because they’ve been seeing each other,” Violet said, her tone exasperated. “Don’t you notice anything that happens outside your hotel?”

“Not in the past three weeks.” She turned to Scarlett. “How serious is it?”

Scarlett lifted her hand to bat away the question, but the concern laced with curiosity in her sisters’ eyes was a powerful thing. “It could be anything from casual to involved. I can’t really tell. He’s pretty cagey about his emotions.”

“Cagey?” Harper echoed, her tone doubtful. “He’s positively Alcatraz. I’ve gotta say, I didn’t see that coming. You two are like oil and water.”

“More like gasoline and matches,” Violet put in. “All that animosity between you had to be hiding a raging passion.”

Scarlett didn’t comment on her sister’s observation, but couldn’t prevent heat from rising in her cheeks. As an actress she could control her body language and facial expressions, but stopping a blush was something she’d never mastered.

“Raging passion?” Harper echoed, her eyes widening. “What exactly have I been missing?”

“A lot.” Violet looked smug. “How many nights has he stayed at your place in the past two weeks?”

“Not one.” He liked to be home when Madison got up in the morning.

“Then how many nights has he gone home in the wee hours of the morning?”

“Several.” Scarlett couldn’t believe how giddy she felt at the admission.

“Then it’s serious?” Harper asked.

“He’s encouraging me to head back to L.A. and take the part. That tells me it’s pretty casual.”

“But hot,” Violet piped up.

Both Harper and Scarlett ignored her.

“Maybe he knows how important acting is to you and wants you to be happy,” Harper suggested with a pragmatic nod.

“But I told him I was done with acting.”

“But you’re telling us that you’re not.”

“I really thought I was. It’s been a year since I’ve been offered a guest spot. And that’s been fine. I’ve been completely content here. I put L.A. and acting behind me.” Scarlett sorted through her conflicting emotions. “I’ve already turned down Bobby three times, but he won’t take no for an answer and after Logan told me to go, I’m wondering why I’m hesitating.”

“Why
are
you hesitating?” Harper asked.

“You’re going to think I’m an idiot.”

Violet said, “I promise we won’t.”

“Logan is so against my past acting career and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship. But today he was behaving like there’s nothing going on with us. I’m starting to think I made up our connection because I’m crazy about him.” Admitting her deep feelings wasn’t something that came easily to Scarlett, but time spent with her sisters had eroded the walls she kept up to guard against disappointment and hurt.

“You are?” Violet looked surprised. “How crazy?”

“The kind that’s going to end up with my heart broken.” Being able to share her concerns with Harper and Violet gave Scarlett a sense of relief. “Maybe I should go back to L.A. and take up my career again.”

“We’d miss you,” Violet told her.

“We would.”

Scarlett’s eyes burned. “Thanks.”

“I’ll bet Logan would miss you, too,” Violet said, her hazel eyes sparkling. “Maybe he’s pushing you away because he’s afraid it will hurt too much to lose you.”

That sounded sweet to Scarlett’s ears, but she wasn’t susceptible to romance the way Violet was. In fact, until Logan came along, she’d interacted with men with an eye toward what they could do for her.