His Winter Rose and Apple Blossom Bride (10 page)

“Of course. There are at least three conventions I’d like to approach. All of them would need meeting rooms. Once a hotel is in place, the possibilities for bringing in guests are endless.” She let that statement dangle for a moment.

“I notice you’ve also included a spa in the workup. Are you sure that would be viable in a place like Serenity Bay?”

“Do you play winter sports, Ted? Ever pulled a muscle skiing? Spent the day ice fishing? Or snowmobiling? Doesn’t a massage sound good?”

He burst into a guffaw of laughter. “I can see why Calgary didn’t want to let you go.” He chuckled. “You’re good at persuasion.”

“I just want you to consider all the angles.”

He grew serious. “I’d heard Wainwright Inc. was interested in building there.”

Piper caught her breath, turned it into a cough. Who was spreading that rumor?

“We’ve had no formal presentation, or any contact with Wainwright, as far as I’m aware,” she said quietly. “Confidentially, I have some reservations about their ability to meet our timelines given their current...difficulties.”

“Wainwright’s had a spot of trouble but that won’t stop them. Baron Wainwright always makes his deadlines,” he said. “I’ve known him a while and I can tell you he’s not a man who breaks his word.”

You haven’t known him as long as I have.

Piper did not want to go into her father’s supposed virtues, nor did she want to talk about Wainwright, especially now. So she remained silent and after a moment he changed the subject, questioning her thoroughly on every aspect she’d thought of and some that she hadn’t. An hour and a half later he finally rose.

“It’s an interesting proposition, Piper. Very interesting.” He watched her rise, motioning toward a board behind his desk. “As you can see, we’re heavily invested in the Caribbean at the moment. We’ve got three new complexes going up.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“It would be pushing to start another venture before at least one of the others is complete. But what you’re proposing is appealing. Very appealing.”

“Then you’ll think about it?” she asked, crossing her fingers behind her back.

“I will,” he agreed.

“If you want a taste of what we’re doing, come down for a day this weekend. We’ve planned a number of events as a first step to drumming up interest in the Bay. You can see our vision at work.”

“I might just do that.”

It was risky to invite him. Who knew what could happen with the weather and their constantly evolving plans. But they needed a hotel if they were to start fine-tuning their plans and Gordon Developments was top-notch.

He walked her to the door, sharing a story about her former employer. As they moved toward the elevator, Piper seized her opportunity.

“I have just one request,” she murmured, glad no one else was nearby.

“What’s that?”

“Everything I’ve told you is confidential. If you’re not interested in the project, I want the opportunity to go in fresh to others. I’d appreciate it if you could keep my ideas and plans to yourself.”

“Going to scoop them, are you?” He grinned. “Don’t blame you a bit. Jason did a smart thing in recruiting you. Not that I’m surprised. That guy has his head on straight. Couldn’t have survived and started building an empire for himself after that mess at Expectations if he hadn’t.”

“You know Jason Franklin?” Surprise rushed over her.

“I should. I worked with him for a number of years. He’s responsible for finding our properties in New Guinea and Bali, to name a couple.” Ted rocked back on his heels. “Top-notch locator until that friend of his stabbed him in the back.”

“Really?” Piper wondered if he’d explain.

“I don’t suppose he’s talked about it much. Can’t say I blame him.” Ted pressed the elevator button before continuing. “Trevor Johnson wasn’t nearly as good at his job but Jason used to help him out, do extra research, suggest stuff for Trevor’s clients. They were friends, had been since high school. Room-mates in college. I guess Jason got used to helping.”

“There’s nothing wrong with helping a friend, is there?”

“Not a thing. Not until Trevor approached me for a kickback. Claimed he’d done the finding, that Jason took the credit for work that wasn’t his.”

This was far worse than anything Piper had suspected. As her stomach sank to her toes she struggled to keep her expression neutral.

“But our Trevor made a mistake trying to shake down Jason’s clients. Developers have been around the block before. Most of us had been working with Jason long enough to know he was a valuable asset on our team. I’d been trying to coax him to come over for ages, but he was a loyal soul. Claimed Expectations had been good to him, that he liked working with his friend. He’s not the type to claim credit for something that’s not his.”

“No, he’s not.” Piper couldn’t imagine being in such a situation. “The whole thing sounds horrible.”

“Believe me, it was. One of Jason’s other clients contacted me, asked if I’d been scammed, told me the lies Trevor was spreading. He said the company was going to sack him and leave him with a ruined reputation if somebody didn’t do something. He wanted permission from all of us who had been approached. Before he phoned Jason, told him what was going on.” He shook his head. “Wainwright was furious and he let the powers that be at Expectations know it.”

“Baron Wainwright told Jason the truth?” She could hardly imagine her father doing such a thing.

“Yes. The guy’s reputation was on the line and Wainwright said he wasn’t going to let it go down without doing something.” Ted shook his head. “All that talent—it was sad. The treachery devastated Jason but he faced his best friend, got a retraction about the lies. Wainwright and the rest of us backed him up. Not that it did much good. Trevor’s father was on the board. It was clear Jason couldn’t work there anymore. Anyway, I think the fun had gone out of it for him.”

“So he went to Serenity Bay.” No wonder he’d spent so much time keeping track of her, following her every move. If you couldn’t trust your best friend, who
could
you trust?

“I’d hoped he’d come to work for me. I know Wainwright approached him, along with a couple of others. But when Jason found out the rest of the story, he decided to get out of the business and lie low.”

She was stunned that her father had done such a thing. But then he’d always been more generous with strangers than with his own family.

“Found out the rest of what?”

Ted shook his head. “I’ve said too much already. It’s Jason’s business. Ask him.”

As if to end the conversation, the silver elevator door slid open.

“Thank you so much for your time,” she murmured as she stepped inside. “I’ll be happy to answer anything else you need to ask. My card’s in the folder I’ve left. I hope you’ll come down this weekend.”

“We’ll see. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll do some thinking. Goodbye, Piper.”

Please let him sign on as the hotel developer
. The prayer became a chorus that circled round and round in her head as she drove back toward the Bay.

She understood now why Jason wanted Wainwright. He felt he owed Baron. But if Ted Gordon took over the hotel project, Wainwright would leave the Bay alone and she wouldn’t have to worry about her father anymore.

Her cell phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Pip. Just wanted to confirm that Ash and I will be there on Friday evening. Don’t worry about us. You’re busy and we know it. We just want to see what you’ve been up to. Help out if we can.”

“I’m so glad you’re coming, Rowena. Bring warm clothes because we’re supposed to get a snowfall.”

“How will that go over?”

“We’ll manage.” Something unspoken hung between them. Since Rowena never minced words, Piper knew it was bad. “What’s wrong?”

“Tina’s been trying to contact you for the past two hours. But your phone was off so she called me.”

“About?”

“Apparently Dylan told her Baron is going to be in Serenity Bay this weekend. He’s flying into Toronto tonight.”

“But why?” Piper asked, her fingers tightening against the steering wheel as panic washed through her in a tidal wave. “What is he coming for? What does he want?”

“Like I would know how the great Wainwright’s mind works?” Rowena barked a laugh. “I just wanted you to be prepared.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible. But thanks, Row.”

“You’re welcome. Take care, Piper.”

“You, too.” She closed the phone and set it on the passenger seat as her mind entertained a thousand possibilities.

“What are you up to now, Daddy Dearest?”

Baron Wainwright wasn’t coming to applaud any success she might have, that much was clear. There had to be some other reason to bring him to Serenity Bay, a place he had no love for, on the same weekend she’d spent weeks planning for. Had Jason invited him?

Immediately she pictured the paper she’d found, the drawing of Wainwright’s hotel concept. Obviously Baron had decided to go ahead, to offer the town a proposal for his glitzy, Vegas-style hotel. One that would send the council members’ eyebrows right into their hairlines, one that was as far from what she’d envisioned as parrots were from sparrows.

“Over my dead body,” she sputtered indignantly.

“Where are you, God? Why don’t you stop this? Don’t you care?”

The silence was deafening.

Chapter Seven

P
iper Langley was good—very, very good.

Jason stood in the shadow of the ice rink and watched as the last few stragglers arrived from the community worship service to join the lineup for burgers at the grill. When everyone had been served, he helped Ida refill coffee cups while Piper explained the treasure hunt to the kids eagerly gathered round her.

“When did that happen?” Ida wanted to know.

“About two-thirty this morning. Piper decided we needed a send-off for the kids that would have them clamoring to come back, so her friends and I stuck our heads together and came up with this.”

“Smart.” Ida asked someone to take over Jason’s duties to free him to help Piper, then disappeared with her coffeepot, circulating among the visitors.

Jason focused on Piper.

“Each of you must stay with your leader. They’re the ones to ask if you need hints or directions to a certain point. When you’ve located all the clues and found your treasure, you’ll come back here. First team back gets the grand prize. Everybody ready?” Piper sent the children off in a buzz of excitement.

“She’s not hard on the eyes, is she?”

“Ted?” Jason pumped the other man’s hand knowing his grin stretched from ear to ear. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Why not? The hype about this place is all over Toronto.”

“Thanks to Piper.” He motioned her over. “Piper, this is a friend of mine, Ted—”

“We’ve met,” Ted interrupted. He held out a hand. “How are you?”

“Relieved,” she told him, grinning. “That’s the last event. By the time they get back we’ll be ready to wave goodbye.”

“Looks like you maxed out on attendance in spite of the weather.”

“She’s the queen of improvisation,” Jason told him proudly. “We had three inches of snow the night before last, but we never canceled a thing. Modified, maybe, but no cancelations.”

“We’re getting requests for summer bookings, too,” Piper added.

“Looking around you’d never know it was anything other than a gorgeous spring day in cottage country, except for the snow sculptures, and even they’re melting fast,” Ted said. “That sun’s got some heat.”

“Wait till summer. I hope you’ll be here when we launch our Summer Splash,” Piper said.

Her obvious comfort with his old friend had Jason wondering where and when they’d met. He’d have to ask her about that...later.

“If my kids have anything to say about it we will.” He nodded at two teenagers, shaking his head when they loped across the street to join the last troop of treasure hunters. “I guess they’re never too old to hunt for treasure. Jason, why don’t you give me a tour, show me what you’ve got planned for this place.”

“Sure.” He turned to Piper. “If you need me, I’ve got my cell.”

“Everything’s under control,” she said. “Take your time.”

It became obvious after only a few minutes that Ted had been well informed about the Bay. His questions were pertinent and probing.

“This is where you’re hoping a hotel will be located?”

Jason smiled. “I wondered if that’s why you were here.”

“How could I not take a look, especially after the pitch I got the other day? Your economic development officer is dynamite.” Ted began to talk size, construction methods and access.

Jason had to concentrate on his answers. But at the back of his mind the questions formed—when had Piper contacted Ted and why hadn’t she told him?

“Is the town prepared to offer any concessions?”

Jason focused on conveying his plan. He wasn’t aware of the passage of time until his phone rang.

“You need to announce the winners and make your farewell speech,” Piper reminded him.

“I’m on my way.”

By the time Ted left, most of their visitors had, also. Volunteers were clearing the site, removing tables and putting the town square back to rights.

“Can I talk to you?” Jason asked Piper.

“Sure.” She glanced around. “Want to find a park bench? I think I need to sit down before I fall down. Last night is catching up with me.”

“Maybe we should do this somewhere private.”

“Do what?” she asked, sinking onto one of the new cedar benches the town had paid for. She raked a hand through her curls. Her navy slacks and striped shirt were perfect for a day at the lake. For once she’d exchanged the heels he’d grown accustomed to seeing her in for a pair of pristine white sneakers, though how she’d kept them so clean was a mystery.

She gave him a veiled glance when he didn’t say anything.

“Ted told you I went to see him,” she murmured.

“He did. Why didn’t
you
tell me?”

“There wasn’t anything to tell. I presented the package, asked if his company was interested. He said he’d get back to me.” She leaned closer, eyes sparkling. “So is he?”

“Interested?” Jason shook his head. “We won’t know that for a while. Ted plays things close to the vest. If I were guessing, I’d say he hasn’t made up his mind yet. I still think you should have told me.”

Her eyes darkened. “We discussed this, Jason. Trust, remember?”

“Yes, but—” He decided to let it go. She looked too tired to argue. “Next time tell me before you hold one of those power meetings, will you?”

She didn’t promise, just heaved a sigh and closed her eyes.

Jason reached out, lifted the strand of hair from her lips. “Your face is quite warm.”

“I have no doubt. I got too much sun today.”

“Piper?”

They both rose at the same time, bumped into each other. Jason reached out a hand to steady her and found himself the subject of scrutiny from two gorgeous women he now knew were Piper’s best friends.

“Hi, Ashley, Rowena.”

“Hey.” They smiled at him.

“Listen, Pip, we’ve got to leave. Ash’s flight goes out at seven so I think it’s time we got on the road.”

Something in the redhead’s voice—Rowena, that was her name—made it sound as if she was warning him. Her eyes tracked his hand to where it lay against Piper’s waist. He dropped it.

“Oh, I’m so sorry you have to go so soon,” Piper apologized. “I should have spent more time with both of you. It was so sweet of you to give up your weekends to come out here and all I did was put you to work on that treasure hunt.”

“Don’t be silly! We loved helping with everything, especially the snow sculptures. Watching the polar swim today was a blast.” Ashley smiled, including Jason in her warm, affectionate grin. “I think the old Bay is going to take off like we’d never have imagined all those years ago.” She reached out and enveloped Piper in a perfumed hug. “Good work, Pip.”

“From me, too,” Rowena added, then grimaced. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the end of the doughnut fryer yesterday but it has to be the best cure I’ve ever heard of. I’ll never look at them in the same way again.”

Another hug.

“It was nice to meet you, too, Jason. Pip’s told us a lot about you.”

Like what?

“Thank you both for your help.” Piper smiled at them. “I hope you’ll come back again soon—to relax.”

“Try and stop us.” Ashley consulted the gold bracelet on her wrist. “I’m sorry, Piper, but we have to leave now. I’ll call you when I get home. I love you.”

Moments later the two peeled out of the parking lot, gravel rattling under their tires.

“We need to talk about getting that parking lot paved,” Piper mumbled, her face a darker tint of rose now than it had been before. “And about making some walking trails through the forest.”

“We will talk about it. Tomorrow.” She looked weary. “Right now I think you need to come over to my place.”

“Your place?” Her eyebrows rose as she blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m feeding you tonight. In honor of your grand success with our Spring Fling.”

“That wasn’t just me. We all worked on it.” But she didn’t object when he wrapped her hand in his and began leading her toward the marina that housed his business and home. “But it did go well, didn’t it? No major incidents, no delays, nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“A testament to your foresight.” He opened the door, motioning for her to precede him up the stairs. “Welcome to Chez Franklin. Have a seat.”

She chose the big chair by the window that overlooked the forest.

“This is beautiful,” she murmured, gazing at the scenery surrounding them. “How clever to take up residence here.”

“I’m very clever,” Jason responded, thinking how little effort it had taken to get her here and how he’d wasted days trying to think up some excuse to have dinner with her again.

He searched the tiny cavern of his freezer, wishing something would magically appear. But even his stock of cinnamon buns was depleted. He closed the door, glanced around the galley kitchen and spotted the phone book.

He hadn’t actually said he’d cook for her, had he?

“Piper, I—” He turned to ask her if she liked Chinese food and discovered she’d fallen asleep. Thick, dark lashes rested on her cheeks, the porcelain skin now glistening a rich rose. Her tinted lips parted slightly to allow even breaths to escape.

Jason marveled that the strong, competent woman who’d just successfully put together three days of nonstop activity for a throng of tourists could look so fragile. Her hands lay in her lap, pale white against the navy of her clothes. Those hands had pitched in everywhere, from mixing juice drinks for kids, to balling snow for the sculptures. She’d done it all. She deserved her rest.

He had so many questions about her. She’d lived with her grandparents. There was a rift between her and her father, he remembered from the spa incident. Was there no one else in her life but her two friends?

At first he’d thought Piper expected someone else to show up this weekend. She’d kept checking the list of attendees, constantly scanned the crowds even after her two friends had arrived. But as Friday night turned into Saturday, then Sunday, she’d relaxed. He decided to ask her about that later.

For now it was enough to lift a soft white throw from the sofa and place it carefully over her, shielding her from the faint breeze drifting in from the windows. Piper never stirred. Her cell phone rested on the arm of the chair. He picked it up, decided to turn it off once he’d left the room. She needed a rest.

But Jason paused in the doorway, studying her beautiful face. Even asleep she was gorgeous. At last he turned away, went downstairs to turn off her phone and make his call. Forty minutes later the food arrived but Piper was still asleep.

Loathing to wake her but knowing she needed nourishment, he squatted beside her chair, touching her shoulder.

“Dinner is served, sleepyhead.”

She sighed, lifted her lids and stared at him as if bemused. “Jason?”

“That’s me.” He paused a moment while she took stock of her surroundings. “Dinner’s ready. Think you can eat something?”

“Everything,” she told him with a soft, sleepy smile that did something funny to his midsection. “I’m starved.”

“Come on, then.” He lifted the coverlet away and held out a hand to pull her up. “I hope you like Chinese food.”

“My favorite.” She blinked at the table setting. “You made all this?”

“I could lie. But Ida would tell on me and then you wouldn’t trust me again.” He held up one of the containers. “I ordered it. I’m very good with a telephone. Have a seat.”

Jason held her chair, waited till she was seated, then offered up a quick grace. Soon they were savoring shrimp chow mein.

“Good thing I’m not allergic to seafood,” Piper murmured, then giggled at his look of dismay. “Just kidding! I’m not. This is delicious. There was a Chinese restaurant here when I was a kid but we didn’t have it very often. My grandfather was suspicious of anything that wasn’t meat and potatoes.”

“Did you live with them the entire time you were growing up?” He saw her pause, noticed the way she stared at her plate before answering.

“Actually I went to live with them the first summer after my mother died.”

“Your father didn’t want you?” He thought she was going to tell him to back off but after pressing her lips together for a few moments, Piper answered.

“Oh, he tried to insist but he was too busy, and boarding school was easy. We didn’t get along well and I found it increasingly impossible to live with him watching my every move. Every Christmas, Easter and summer I spent at the Bay.” Anger tinged her tones. She stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken with too much force and sent a spatter of translucent orange sauce across the plate.

“But surely that was his job, as a parent?”

“His
job,
” she snapped, “was to love me, to help me grow into my own person, to nurture me.”

“He couldn’t do that?” He kept his voice quiet, watched a flurry of emotions rush across her face.

“Not unless I let him mold me into a carbon copy of him. And I didn’t.” She speared a piece of broccoli from her plate and munched on it. Then her head jerked up, her eyes meeting his. “How about you? Do you have family?”

He shook his head.

“I wish I did but there’s only me. I grew up in several foster families. Nice people, but it wasn’t like having your own kin.”

“But you went to college. You got your degree.”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “I was one of those pizza boys you talked about. I had a reputation for getting the deliveries to the destination faster than anyone else the company hired.”

“Why?” She leaned forward, her face rapt with curiosity.

“Because the tips are always bigger if you deliver on time.”

“Ah.” She grinned. “An entrepreneur even then. Was Expectations your first job?”

Jason swallowed, wondering how much she’d heard.

“The owner was the father of a friend of mine. We worked there together.” He lifted some rice to his mouth so he wouldn’t have to say any more. But Piper wasn’t finished.

“You must have traveled a lot in order to scout out locations,” she mused, playing with her fortune cookie. “Did you travel with your friend?”

“Sometimes. What is it you really want to know?” he asked, setting down his fork.

“Was I asking too many questions?” She smiled, reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, squeezing his fingers. “Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me. We’ve been working together all this time but I don’t feel like I know a lot about you. I was just trying to rectify that.”