Hotel Ladd (11 page)

Only she didn’t know it,
yet.

Chapter Eight

Cal arrived at Annie’s apartment at
eight o’clock, a mix of excitement and trepidation roiling in his
gut. The position of General Manager for Serenity Springs was a big
deal. The more he thought about it, the bigger and better it seemed
to him. Not only did it sound exciting and challenging, it would
give him a chance to start fresh in his hometown, near the woman
who was becoming to mean a lot to him.

Becoming
, hell. He was in love with Annie Owens and it was high time
she knew about it. A flurry of nerves skated through his pulse. Cal
had been in love with her for most of the summer, only Annie didn’t
know it, yet. Not officially. But he needed to be sure of his
direction before he took the next step. It was a big one—a step
that might sink his boots, preventing him from taking another.
Annie didn’t know about his daughter, Emily, about her issues with
him. Annie didn’t know about the accident that changed his life
forever. Cal felt the usual discharge of adrenaline whenever he
thought about it, the consequences it carried, the lives he ruined.
Annie couldn’t know, because he’d kept it to himself. It was a part
of his past no one needed to know. They only needed to know about
his future.

The way Cal saw it, his life
was about where he was going, not where he’d been. It was about
moving on and making things right. He needed to prove to Emily he
was the man she wanted him to be.
Needed
him to be. But if Annie were to
travel that road forward with him, she’d have to know everything
about the mess of road he’d left behind.

Cal rapped briskly on the door. With
the job as General Manager, he could rebuild his reputation in
Tennessee. It could be a door to opportunity and travel. Before
moving to Arizona, he’d dreamed of traveling the country, exploring
wide open spaces and big cities. When he met Caroline, the two
traveled around the state, made a brief trip to Colorado, Nevada,
but that was the extent of it. As a member of the Harris Hotels
management team, Cal could visit their other properties, stay in
the finest hotels around the world and call it a business trip. He
grinned to himself. Maybe he could help open a hotel abroad, rise
up in the chain of command at Harris Hotels and really make his
mark.

Staring at the white metal door, he
thought, with a solid woman by his side, he could rebuild his
trustworthiness, return to Arizona and reclaim his position as
father, a man worthy of his daughter’s respect. The door opened in
a rush, sweeping a new round of nerves through his system. “Hey,
Annie.”

“
Hi, Cal.” She smiled, her
blue eyes easy and welcoming as she stepped aside. “C’mon
in.”

Cal strode in shaking the clamp of cold
he hadn’t realized was gripping him. “I think it’s getting colder
by the second out there!”

She laughed lightly. “I know. It’s
almost like Mother Nature has it out for us this
season.”

“
She can be a feisty one.”
Cal pecked Annie’s cheek, wondering how best to open up the subject
of the rest of his life. Following Annie over to the sofa, he
watched as she settled in on one end while he lowered to the other.
Skimming over her royal blue turtleneck dress, black leggings and
black fashion boots, he thought it was her best color. “You look
mighty pretty today.”

Annie looked down as though she’d
forgotten what she’d put on this morning and replied, “Thank
you.”

Cal smiled. “Do you feel better today?”
Upset over Casey running off with Troy, she’d been avoiding his
calls. He understood her concern, but thought it might be a bit
overstretched. The kids were adults. They’d be fine, once they
worked out which path to take, which hills to conquer.

“
I’m okay,” she replied, her
tone non-committal.

“
How was work
today?”

“
Good. Busy,” she added, but
evaded his direct gaze. “I had three new clients and I don’t know
how I’m going to fit them in long-term.”

“
Oh, I know you’ll manage.”
Not only was Annie great with nails, but he found her to be
well-organized and on top of the business side of her profession.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Besides, you can’t be upset
over being in demand.”

“
Work can be a mixed
blessing, can’t it?”

“
It sure can,” he said, “and
speaking of work, there’s something I wanted to talk to you
about.”

Her brow furrowed. “What’s on your
mind?”

Adjusting his body to face her more
fully, Cal cleared his throat. “Well, I received a job offer this
week and I wanted to run it by you.”

She clasped her hands. “Oh, Cal—that’s
wonderful!” At her joy, relief rushed through him. “You’ve been
looking for a while, it must be a great one to have caught your
attention.”

“
I think it is.”

At his hesitation, Annie prodded,
“Well? What’s making you so excited? Tell me!”

“
Malcolm offered me the job
as General Manager of the new hotel.”

The elation slipped from her eyes.
“Malcolm?”

Cal nodded. “He’s working on staffing
the hotel and offered me the job. What do you think?” His heart
pitched at the displeasure swamping her gaze. To her credit, Annie
tried to cover it with a smile, but it wasn’t near bright enough to
conceal her true emotions.

“
Why, it sounds like
a
great
offer,” she
said, “but I thought Malcolm was going to manage the hotel himself.
That’s what Lacy told me.”

“
In the beginning, yes, but
after that his plans will take him away to scout new locations for
future hotels. He aims to set roots here, on account of Lacy and
the baby, but they won’t be here all the time.” Cal inhaled deeply
and explained, “That’s where I come in. I’ll be acting manager on
site, in partnership with Malcolm.”

“
I didn’t realize you had
hotel management experience.”

“
I don’t,” he said, tamping
back an influx of disappointment. “I have management experience
with a residential community, but Malcolm seems to think I can use
it to manage the hotel.” Blue eyes gaped at him in obvious doubt,
but she didn’t say the words. Cal shifted his weight, drawing his
knee away from Annie. “Malcolm called my old boss who reinforced
the notion.”

“
Wow,” she mumbled. “That’s
wonderful for you.”

Cal detected no “us” in her reply. His
pulse skipped as he asked, “Is it a problem, Annie?”

“
No, why would you
ask?”

“
You don’t seem real excited
about the idea of me working over there.”

“
Well...” She stumbled in
her reply, clearly caught off guard by his blunt statement. “You
know I’m not on great terms with Delaney. I love Malcolm and think
he’s great. You’d be working with him, mostly, right?”

“
Nick and Delaney will both
be a part of the equation. There’s no getting around it.” Cal
needed to be direct and firm. He needed to be upfront and honest.
It was time to lay his cards out. “I need this job. A position like
this can go a long way to making me whole again.”

“
What do you mean, whole
again? There’s nothing wrong with you, Cal.” He didn’t respond and
she continued, “And you don’t need Delaney’s hotel to prove it,
either. Why, you were a success in Arizona and you’ll be a success
anywhere you go. Are there no other hotels in the area where you
might like to work?”

He liked the staunch support he heard,
but Annie didn’t have all the facts. “Not like Serenity Springs.”
While Annie sounded supportive, she didn’t appear to be on board
with his working with Nick and Delaney. If she wasn’t on board, he
had to reassess his entire position. “They’re an international
chain. The guests will be a caliber above the other hotels in the
area. The amenities, the spa.” He paused. “Why, you might even be
able to get a job working in the spa doing nails. I’ll bet the pay
will be better than what you’re earning at Trendz,” Cal said,
mentally withdrawing his initial plan of divulging his past while
sharing the news of his job offer.

Folding hands in her lap, Annie dropped
her gaze.

“
Would you be upset if I
accepted it?” Cal asked, coaxing her to reengage with
him.

Annie looked up and the determination
he saw staring back at him startled him. “No.” She shook her black
shiny hair and Cal thought she was about to cry. “I’m upset over
Casey is all. I think it’s a fine opportunity for you.”

But not for her. Annie didn’t want
anything to do with Delaney, and that included dating a man who
worked her property. Cal didn’t think marriage would change her
mind on that count.

“
I feel unsettled,” Annie
went on, “like I’m at a crossroads in my life. Like I’ve been
struggling for so long yet I haven’t made any progress.”

“
Aw, Annie,” he said,
scooting closer to her. Reaching for her hands, he pulled one free.
It was warm and soft and delicate and made him yearn to hold her,
to shield her from life’s rocky road and reassure her she could
make it. All she needed was to hold on tight to the grit and
determination he knew she possessed. “You’ve made great progress.
Look at the clientele list you’ve built, your schedule so busy a
new gal can’t hardly get in.” She smiled and the gesture was like
sunshine to his soul. “You should be proud of your
accomplishments.”

“
I am,” she returned
faintly. “I just want better for Casey.” For herself, too, he
heard, but didn’t comment. Like him, Annie had to the right to
speak her mind on her own terms. “I don’t want her to think that a
job at the diner is all there is to her life. I want her to dream
big, let her imagination take her places. She’s smart, Cal. She can
accomplish so much if only she’d put her mind to it. Instead, she’s
chasing a boy who will only end up hurting her.” Tears pushed into
Annie’s eyes and ripped at his heart. “I’m thinking of moving, Cal.
Maybe Chattanooga, Knoxville. I think the change will do Casey
good.”

The rips turned to shreds. The sofa
lengthened between them. Annie was planning her life around
Casey—the girl who’d run away from her mother to chase a boy to
Murfreesboro. Did Annie not understand that her daughter was making
her own choices? Different choices? Glancing down at their enfolded
hands, Cal wondered what was really driving Annie’s desire to move.
He didn’t believe it was all about Casey. He believed Annie wanted
a change for herself, too. She wanted to broaden her horizons, same
as he’d done. Caressing her hand, admiring her finely done
burgundy-colored nails, Cal realized it was a move that might not
include him. Chattanooga was only an hour away, Knoxville a good
bit farther. Accepting Malcolm’s offer would mean a long-distance
relationship for the two of them. Cal lifted his head to face
her.

Marriage would be out of the
question.

As Annie stared at him expectantly, Cal
felt a torrent of emotion flow between them. They were on the verge
of something big, yet seemed to be adding miles to the bridge
instead of closing the distance. Cal wanted this job with Serenity
Springs but he could tell Annie wasn’t thrilled to have him take
it. She was talking change but in the form of a move. It was a
desire he understood. He’d felt it once himself. But his travels
had returned him home, bruised and battered and somewhat worse for
the wear. Except for his daughter. While Annie might not make the
disastrous mistakes he had, she was heading for unchartered
territory, blazing new trails through a wilderness unknown. Picking
up stakes was risky, and without money behind her a move would be
tough. With no contacts, no support network, living away from home
would prove even harder.

Cal didn’t want to reveal his
disappointment. He wanted to be seen as her ally, her support, even
if it meant helping her to move away from him. “Have you decided on
the logging, then? A move will cost money and the income you
receive would sure help pay for it.”

Annie hesitated, then dodged his direct
gaze. “I haven’t made any final decisions. Not on the logging or
the move.” Looking back to him, she withdrew her hand. “What are
your feelings, Cal? Are you set on this job with Nick and
Malcolm?”

His mood plummeted at her
sudden retreat. She was asking if had he committed to the position
or was there room for her, as in,
He can’t
have them both
. “I’d like to take it but I
haven’t signed on the dotted line.” Cal wanted to ask,
Had she
? Annie said she
hadn’t made a final decision, but did she mean it?

As though sensing his
question, Annie avoided him. For a long moment, she remained still.
Quiet. Cal ached to know what was going on behind those beautiful
blue eyes of hers. He longed to know if she’d ever considered a
life with him as man and wife the way he hungered for one with her.
But Cal couldn’t take the first step without revealing the truth
about Emily. Shame slithered him. About himself, not Emily. The
truth about him and what
he’d
done. One horrible decision that had set his life
on a crash course. A soft sigh escaped him. “I guess we have a lot
to think about.”