Vacation (21 page)

"Viv. Just tell me what I need to do
to start working toward us getting back together. I know you miss me. I feel
like I can't breathe without you." He brushed his hand along my upper
back, and I stiffened.

"You don't know anything. Get your
hands off of me. Seriously." I moved up in line and tried to ignore the
burn of tears that welled up in my eyes again.

"I know you inside and out. I was
with you through every major part of your life and mine. Don't do this. I'm
ready to grovel or beg or anything." He moved in front of me and put his
hands on his hips, glaring down as if it were time for me to stop playing
around and be real.

"Where's the pretty blonde you
brought with you? The one with her
titties
hanging
out the top of her dress everywhere she goes?"

An elderly couple in front of us looked
back with shocked expressions.

"I'm sorry." I gave them an
apologetic look and turned back to Jackson. "Go away. I'm done with
you."

"Is it because of that big bastard
you were with back at the club? He's not your type, Viv. He's not a small town
guy like me. He's going to use you and then find another woman to use."

I tried to stop myself from overreacting,
but it was too late. Something deep inside of me snapped, and I turned, slapping
Jackson hard in the face and yelling, "Leave me alone. Just because I
wasn't good enough for you doesn't mean someone else won't love me. I'm lovable
goddammit. I'm worthy of a good man."

He jerked back as his cheek turned red.
"I'll call you next week. Have a safe flight."

I pressed my hands to my face and let out
a soft sob as my tears turned into a full-on crying session in the middle of
the lobby. Why did this shit keep happening to me? Was there no rest for the
weary?

The worst part was that my tears weren't
over Jackson or my ineffectiveness to keep a man beside me, but over the one I
was giving up due to my insecurities.

I wanted to run upstairs and promise
Easton the world if he would just love me.

The scary thing was that some part of me
knew that he already did.

Chapter
22

Easton

I paced the floor until the sun came up.
Calling her seemed like the right thing to do, but I'd watched how hard she
struggled to leave me. It was a good clean break that set us back to being
friends. The ball was in my court now to call her when I got back to New York,
or not to call. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. I'd mulled over it
a zillion times before my alarm went off that next morning. She was headed
home, but I had a full day of work ahead of me.

Two resorts left to visit and no desire
whatsoever to deal with the unruly bitch that ran both of them. She would be up
my ass the entire day. And between getting no sleep and having Vivian walk away
from the possibility of a future, I wasn't in the mood.

After ironing my suit, I dressed quickly
and checked my tie in the mirror before I left the penthouse. Some part of me
wanted to run into the beautiful woman who'd stolen my heart, but I knew it was
better if I didn't. Hopefully she was on her flight headed back to the comfort
of New York. I wished I was.

I grabbed a coffee from the pastry shop
downstairs, letting my eyes move across the lobby in search of her. I couldn't
help myself.

"Do you need a car this morning, Mr.
Parks?" An older valet smiled at me and extended his hand as I walked up.
"I'm Tom. Nice to meet you, Sir. Love your work."

"Well, thanks, Tom." I shook his
hand and nodded. "I need a ride over to Valencia and then Carrington
Hills. I'm going to try to work them both in today."

"Sounds fun." He lifted his
eyebrow. "You know they're under new management, right?"

"I do. I've had the pleasure of
working with Mrs.
Tarrens
before." I checked my
watch and moved back as the man mumbled something about the woman being a scary
witch or bitch. I didn't catch which one, but both would work just as well.

"Here we go, Sir." He walked
toward me and motioned for me to take the white Lexus at the front of the line
of cars. "Good luck today."

"Thanks. I don't really believe in
luck." I walked to the car, pausing only to answer his next remark.

"Fate then?"

I turned and smirked. "Not at all.
Fate's an unruly woman that's hell-bent on offering nothing more than a
mirage."

"Ouch." He rubbed his chest and
smiled. "Let's hope she didn't hear you."

After getting in the car and adjusting the
mirrors, I looked into the rear-view mirror at myself and grimaced. "Let's
hope she did hear me."

Anger burned through me as I drove over to
Valencia. Why would Vivian not even have the courtesy to call and say goodbye?
I wasn't worth a fucking goodbye? How selfish of her. She knew I was falling in
love with her. I could tell by the way she spoke to me, the way she looked at
me. She was falling in love with me too. Was protecting herself worth crushing
me?

"I guess so." I pulled up to the
beautiful hotel and got out, ignoring the valet and stopping by the front desk
as I presented the attendant with a list of people and times. "I'm Easton
Parks. I'll be interviewing the following people at the times listed. Show me
to the conference room you have set up for me. I take my coffee black."

"Yes, Sir." The young girl's
eyes widened and her lip quivered slightly. I'd intimidated her by being a
jackass.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so
pushy. Long morning." I ran my fingers through my hair as she glanced up.

"The conference room is this way.
I'll show you to it." She ignored my apology, not that I didn't completely
deserve it, but it stung nevertheless. The day was sure to be shit, but I only
had it to get through and then I could go home. I even considered looking for a
red-eye flight later that night. The sooner I got home and spent some time
around my family, the better I would feel. It was hard to be around them and
not leave filled up with love and acceptance. They were just good like that.

"Mr. Parks. What a treat." Eliza
Tarrens
stood in the open doorway of the conference
room, her ego taking up what little bit of space her portly figure left
available.

"Miss
Tarrens
.
The pleasure is all mine." I extended my hand to her and shook hers quickly
before releasing her.

"I see you have a full schedule
today." She pressed her fingers to her lips. "Is there any way I can
twist your arm to have dinner with me tonight? We have a new dish we're going
to be introducing to the restaurant soon."

"I appreciate that, but I have two
resorts to inspect today, and my flight leaves late tonight. I could ask Kevin
Jarrett to come by and sample the new dishes if you like?" I clasped my
hands behind my back and tried not to notice how her dark gaze moved off my face
and down my body over and over. The idea of being intimate with anyone but Viv
left me cold, unmoved.

Fuck.

"No thanks. Kevin Jarrett is a weasel
of the worst kind. I'll be putting in a comment on just how much of an ass he
is." She growled in disgust and moved back out into the hall. "Let us
know if you need anything. Make your interviews to the point and don't waste
our time,
good
?"

"Never. Time is money." I
glanced down and busied myself, not wanting to give her another moment of my
attention. If Kevin was a weasel, then she was a shark. I couldn't stand either
of them. Jon and I would have to have a long talk when I got back from Los
Angeles. Things needed to change, or we would soon find some of the goodwill
associated with Wilmington and Branch diminished.

*****

          
I worked through the day, trying hard to keep myself on an even kilter
and not act like the demanding ass that I felt like. The hotels were both in
pristine shape, but I would expect nothing less from Eliza. She knew what we
looked for, having worked for my boss for many years before I darkened the door
of the company.

The ride back to La Mage was long due to
the hordes of people who lined the city streets in search of love, excitement,
and pleasure. It was Saturday night and I had one more meeting to wrap up my
visit. Kevin hadn't been on my radar in the latter half of the week, but I
assumed it was because he was busy with his responsibilities, and besides, I
was wrapped up in Viv.

Vivian.

My heart throbbed in my chest as I pulled
back into the resort’s driveway. She wasn't going to soon be off my mind. I
needed to close things down completely with her or ask her to be mine. The latter
sounded like a much better plan, but she was hardheaded. The chance of her
denying me was relatively high, seeing that she'd done it multiple times
already.

I walked into the hotel and stopped by the
front desk. "Evening. Can I speak with Jeffry when he's free?"

"Of course, Mr. Parks. There's a
private room at the back of the bar. Would you like to wait there, and I'll
send a server in with a drink and dining menu?"

"Sounds brilliant. Thank you." I
turned and walked toward the bar as a bulky guy with brown hair turned and
pinned me with a hard stare.

"Hey. Aren't you the guy from the
club earlier this week? The one who thinks he has a shot with my girl?"
Jackson cracked his fingers and took a step toward me.

I sighed internally. Now wasn't the time.
I needed to wrap up this meeting and get the fuck back to New York. What Vivian
ever saw in the behemoth in front of me was beyond me. He looked like every
other football-playing, dip-chewing meathead I'd ever known.

"She's not your girl, Jackson. You
decided to fuck around on her, remember?" I drew my shoulders back, more
than happy to remind him of who he was dealing with. I was the guy that wasn't
scared to put his ass on the floor. I'd proven that.

"You don't know shit, dude. Being
with the same woman for ten years is a drag. Even someone as great as
Viv." He let out a deflated sigh and lifted his eyes to the ceiling.
"Or so I thought. I fucked up...bad."

"Yeah, you did. I have a meeting
right now, and I'm not really looking to console anyone for hurting Vivian. So
enjoy your stay, and keep away from her. I'm not beyond putting a hurting on
your ass again."

He chuckled. "I get that. I tried to
talk to her this morning, but she went ape-shit on me. Just do me a favor – don't
hurt her, or I'll find you and bring some friends with me. She's a jewel, a
really, really good woman. One of the last, I'm afraid. Cherish her, dude. I
didn't, and I'll regret that shit for the rest of my life."

"Right. Thanks for the advice."
I moved past him and walked toward the darkened door, wanting a stiff drink and
a dark room to force myself to sleep in. My body ached, and my mind was growing
fuzzy from lack of sleep, but the dull pain that vibrated through me over and
over had everything to do with diminishing hope.

Jeffry glanced up from the single table in
the center of the large wine room. "Easton. Glad you had a minute for me.
Please, come and sit down."

"Of course. I'd have made time for
you if necessary." I sat down and unbuttoned my coat before accepting the highball
glass he offered me.

"You're a man who appreciates
whiskey, I'm sure."

"I appreciate anything that warms my
blood and helps me forget my troubles." I gave him a cheeky grin and
enjoyed the resounding laughter that left him. A heaviness sat on his shoulders
that worried me a little. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"It's about your associate, Kevin Jarrett.
He's..." The older man poured me a glass of whiskey before dropping a few
ice cubes into the glass and sitting back. "He's entitled to his opinion
of course, but his reviews from this week are scathing. And in all honesty, I
know I shouldn't have, but I checked his room ticket and the cameras and noted
that he didn't even haunt the steak house. He reviewed several dishes from the
restaurant, but there is absolutely no way he ate anything from there. I'm just
at a loss as to what to do."

"Wow. That's complicated." I
picked up the glass and took a long drink.

"I know. I'll be forced to talk with
our owners about filing a slander suit against your company if those reviews
come out. We're all for honest reviews and feedback, but I think your friend
has gone off the deep end." Jeffry sat down and let out a long sigh.
"It happens when people gain some false sense of power."

"Those reviews won't be posted,
Jeffry. I'll talk to Jon on my flight back tonight. We'll get all of this
worked out for you, I promise. I tried several dishes, and one of the women I
met here this week is working toward being a food critic, too. I know she tried
several dishes of yours and absolutely fell in love. I would assume Jon will
have Kevin's job for what he's done. We'll work with the girl to review her
recommendations and critiques. We'll need to post something alongside my review
of the resort for sure."

"Which you found pleasant, I
hope?"

"It was wonderful, spectacular, like
no other place I've ever stayed." I tapped the table, wanting to reassure
him completely, but there was a level of objectivity that I was required to
maintain. "This is by far, my favorite beach resort in the states. You
guys are doing a great job here."

His eyes filled with tears as he nodded.
"Thank you."

"Of course." I lifted the drink
to my lips and downed the rest of it. "I'm going to catch an early flight.
Call if you need anything, but trust me, I'll fix this."

"I know you will. Thank you,
son." He reached out and shook my hand firmly. "Come back any time,
and introduce me to your new friend. I love meeting a good food critic. They're
always so in touch with the things in life that woo us to keep going."

"Like love?"

"Yes, and passion, colors, and
nature." He smiled and nodded to the door. "Catch that flight and be
safe."

"I will." I turned and jogged
toward the elevator, knowing that I couldn't let her go. I might have to play
it safe around her for a while, but once she opened up to me, even a little, I
was diving in as deep as she would let me.

Jeffry was right about her type. She was
brimming with emotion and passion, but she'd tucked it away due to her
heartache. I didn't just want to offer her a solid relationship and a future
with us together, but a career with a focus on the things she seemed to love so
much.

I packed up quickly and caught a cab to
the airport as my heart raced in my chest. My mother's advice to play it safe
was sliding off the table almost too fast. I'd resolved the anger inside of me
over Viv tucking tail and running. I would have too if I had been through some
of the shit she had over the years.

Pulling out my cell phone, I called Jon,
hoping to get my mind off of everything for a little while at least.

"This is Jon."

"Hey, boss. It's Easton. I'm headed
back to New York. Do you have time to meet up with me sometime tomorrow or
Monday before my flight to L.A.?"

"Sure do. How was La Mage? Did they
treat you right?"