Too Grand for Words (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (17 page)

“Oh, you are so lucky,” Callie crooned.

“I’m having a fling in Las Vegas.” She looked unhappily at Mandy and Patti, ignoring Callie’s exuberance. “That’s it, a fling. A midlife fling.”

“You’re not doing well with this fling thing, are you?” Mandy asked, sitting up.

“I might not be the fling thing kinda woman.”

Patti pulled the lounger back to the up position. “What you mean is, your little heart is going pitter-patter, right?”

“Patti, I can always count on you for a straight bearing on the truth of the matter.”

“So what?” Callie spouted off. “Maybe your heart will hurt for a little while, but it’s like breaking the ice. Next time it will be easier.”

“Phewww, next time. Callie, there won’t be any next time. You only meet one man like that in a lifetime, and most of the time they won’t look at you twice. Well, at me I mean. Look at these women. They’re perfect. They must spend hours at the gym toning and tanning and shaping—yeesh.” She folded her hair on top of her head, holding it with one hand while she plucked the hairclip from the table and clamped it on her thick locks. “I can’t come up with one good reason why Steven is hanging around me.”

“How about he’s a nice guy and he thinks you’re a nice woman?” Mandy replied.

“He’s a philanthropist and a businessman, who’s wealthier than God I think. He could wiggle his little finger and every single woman in this pool would fall at his feet dripping wet and ready.”

“Is he that rich?” Callie asked in awe.

“Yes, I think he’s pretty rich,” she offered, not going into more detail.

“Rich is good. Hey, it’s better than the pension you’re about to draw from the government,” Sasha exclaimed.

“I’m not worried about money, girls, and I’m not marrying the man.”

“She’s worried about letting her heart get crushed,” Patti said with her usual dry tone.

Moira looked over at her and nodded. “That’s about it, all right. In a couple of days he’s managed to worm himself into my heart—damn it.” She threw the towel onto the chair next to her. “How did this happen?”

“How would it not happen?” Mandy asked. “He’s gorgeous, he’s a gentleman, and he really likes you. What woman in her right mind would walk away from that? Never mind the money. We all know that doesn’t buy happiness.”

“Oh, yes it does,” Callie piped up.

“No, Callie, it doesn’t. It leads to tears if the love isn’t there. Don’t kid yourself,” Moira said.

Callie bowed her head. “I know,” she said solemnly.

She placed her hand on Callie’s shoulder. “You’ll find both, Callie—I’m sure,” she said, not wanting to be too harsh on the girl.

“Maybe,” Callie said, not sounding like a teenager anymore. “Maybe you have, too. Why don’t you just let it happen like Mandy says? Ride the wave.”

She nodded and glanced at her watch. “I think I’m going to go catch a nap and then get ready for dinner.”

“Where to tonight?” Mandy asked, watching her get up.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Yes we do,” they chorused.

“Well, his brother has come into town with his new girlfriend, so we’re going out with them.”

They all sounded like a giant tire leaking out together.

“Don’t get too excited ladies, it’s just dinner,” Moira said.

“Yeah, but dinner with his family.” Mandy winked at her. “That’s good.”

“No it’s not,” she hissed back. “Can I talk to you?”

Mandy followed her, and they found a table far enough away that the rest of the crew couldn’t hear.

“It’s just his brother, Moira, he—”

She lifted her hand to cut her off. “He’s not just a businessman, Mandy.”

“So what? You didn’t think he was.”

“Mandy,” she said gruffly. “He’s Steven Porter.”

“I don’t have Alzheimer’s yet. I know his name.”

“Jesus Christ girl, he’s
the
—Steven Porter.”

Mandy looked at her with a blank expression, and then the light bulb came on. “What?” She plunked herself down in the closest chair. “You’re shitting me?”

“Do I look like I’m yanking on your chain?”

“Oh—my—God.”

“That’s right. He’s not a little above my head he’s the stratosphere and the mesosphere above my head.”

“Steven fucking Porter?”

“I don’t think that’s his middle name, Mandy, and you’re not helping me here.”

“What the hell do you want me to say?”

“Smack me, so I’ll come to my senses and stop this.”

“Why would I do that? The guy likes you. He spent the night with you, stayed for breakfast, and wants you to meet his brother. I’d say that’s more than a one-night stand, don’t you?”

“That’s the problem. What the hell is he doing?”

“Can I tell the rest of the crew?” Mandy beamed at her.

“No,” she barked.

“You’re going to have to tell them sometime, especially when you become Mrs. Steven Porter.”

“Oh for the love of God, Mandy, smarten up. This is serious.” She picked up her bag and said, “I’m going back to the room and calling him to cancel. I can’t stand this churning in my stomach. I feel all prickly and on edge.”

“Ho.” Mandy rewrapped the towel around her waist. “Moira, are you falling in love with this guy?” she asked seriously.

“Don’t be an idiot. Of course not.”

“Really.”

“I told you because you can keep a logical head, and I can’t seem to think straight for some reason.”

“Oh shit, you are falling in love with him.”

“I’ve known him for three days, Mandy, that’s not possible.”

“It is when cupid strikes you in the ass with an arrow.”

She bent down to fix the strap on her sandal. Why the hell did she have to be so cheap, and buy everything from the discount stores. The damn thing was almost breaking already. “I can do without the idioms. Just tell me that I’m right to cancel tonight.”

“I can tell you that easy, but I don’t think Steven is going to like it. The guy is probably used to getting what he wants. He was smart enough to take over Hollywood. You aren’t going to pose much of a challenge.”

As soon as Mandy said that, she knew what to do.

“Moira, don’t,” Mandy warned, seeing the look in her eye. “Don’t blow him off just because of who he is. Obviously, he didn’t want to tell you for a reason. Think about it for a second.”

“That’s the problem, he’s taking up every square inch of my mind, Mandy.”

“If you were him, how would you know if someone liked you for who you are, not what you are. He’s like royalty. He probably can’t tell who his real friends are. It can’t be easy for him. Being with Steven would be like winning a jackpot, he’s worth billions, and I’m sure hundreds have tried for the posting.”

“I don’t want his money.”

Mandy reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. “I know that’s not who you are, but he doesn’t, at least not yet. Give him a chance. See where this goes. Maybe he does this all the time, but I don’t think so.” She played with an empty glass on the table. “You know I read those stupid Hollywood rags all the time. It’s amazing I didn’t recognize him actually. I should have, but anyways,” she said, flapping her hand through the air. “He’s this big-time bachelor, and he’s always with a different woman. Sometimes they call him the ‘big fish.’ It’s a stupid name, now that I know him. He actually seems like a really decent guy, and that’s hard to believe considering who he is.”

“Thanks, Mandy.” She gave her a quick hug. “I’ve got enough to juggle in my life, I don’t need to go fishing.”

She strolled back to her room deep in thought. By the time she slipped her card through the door reader she knew what she was going to do.

“Mr. Porter,” she said when he answered his cell.

“Sweetheart, what’s up? I’m just heading back to my car. I had to pick something up. I’ll be there at six.”

“Steven, I think I’m going to hang around here tonight.” The line went quiet for longer than it should have.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Moira, I’m just going to grab a shower first. Then we can talk.”

“No, we don’t need to talk.” She played with the fringe on the green satin pillow that sat next to her on the couch. “Steven, you’ve been very kind, but I just—”

“Moira, please, just give me thirty minutes. Have a shower and I’ll see you shortly.”

Her head cranked around when an alarm began.

“What’s that sound?”

“I think it’s the fire alarm.” She stood up and opened the door to the hallway, and got the full force of the alert. There was no doubt it was the fire alarm. She smelled for smoke—nothing. Suddenly, doors began to spring open down the hall. People popped their heads out like gophers from a hole.

“Moira, get downstairs.”

“It’s probably a false alarm.”

“I’m on my way, I’ll be there in two minutes. Get out of the hotel.”

“Don’t be silly, Steven. I’ll find out what’s going on, and I’ll call you back.” She cut him off, and threw the phone on the counter.

* * * *

“Moira—get out of the hotel—now!” The line went dead. “God damn it.” Steven quickly dialed Vince’s number, but it was busy. He thrust the phone into his pocket. Weaving through traffic, he reached the hotel in less than three minutes.

“Shit.” Dark, black smoke poured from the top floor of the west wing. Moira was on that floor but on the east side. The flames erupted from several windows, licking at the air for more strength. Hundreds of people already congregated out front. He ran from the car, pushing his way through the crowd, looking everywhere at once. He’d beat the fire trucks, but the siren’s bereft call wasn’t far off.

He spotted Vince, surrounded by a security team. “Vince!” He muscled his way into the circle. “Vince, what the hell is going on?”

“Don’t know yet, Steven, but as you can see, my resort is burning.”

“Moira’s on that floor.”

“I’ve got my security team throughout the hotel doing room checks. I’m sure she’s coming out with the rest of the guests.”

The first two fire trucks arrived on scene. They slowed to pass through the crowd. Already in their gear, the firefighters jumped from the vehicles, headed toward the entrance.

“Steven.” He heard his name called and swiveled. “Steven, over here.” Mandy was waving with both arms. He ran toward her. Sasha, Patti, Callie, and Marcus stood in a tight group.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“We thought she was with you,” Mandy said, looking around, her brow wrinkling. “She left us at the pool, and said she was going back to the room.”

“She was in her room. I was talking with her when the alarm went off.”

“Then she’s probably on her way down,” Callie said, her attention glued to the top floor.