Stephanie Julian - No Reservations

“I don’t. I’ve read Granddad’s will backward and forward. There’s nothing in the will that says once I take the chair, I can’t sell the chain.”

His dad nodded. “You’re absolutely right. There isn’t.”

“Granddad made sure that if the family wanted to keep the Philly GoldenStar, we could. Vasser will bitch a little but he already has a hotel in Philadelphia. He doesn’t need another.”

His father’s grin started to spread. “That’s also true.”

“Vasser only wants the European hotels, but he knew the board wouldn’t split the assets.”

“Yes, that’s what I believe too.”

“And you knew I’d only really want the Philly hotel.”

Smiling outright now, his father nodded again. “Yes, I did.”

“Jesus, Dad, then why all the dramatics? Why the hell didn’t you just tell me to sell the damn chain and keep the Philly hotel?”

Now his dad lost the smile. “Because it had to be your decision, Tyler. Not mine. What if I’d sold the chain and you decided you wanted it? No, this was the only way it could work.”

Tyler tried to find the flaw in his dad’s logic but couldn’t. Which just pissed him off more. Not at his dad but at himself.

“I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.”

“Would it have made a difference?” his mom asked as she sat next to his dad and took his hand. The outward display of affection was so unusual from his parents it took him back for a few seconds before he thought about his mom’s questions.

Would it? Would he have done anything differently?

Would he have pushed Kate away?

“Tyler?” His mom sounded worried. “Did something happen?”

Yeah. He’d fucked up. Royally.

He looked his mom straight in the eyes. “How did he get you to forgive him?”

His mom’s eyebrows arched in shock before she began to nod. “There was more than enough blame to go around, in our case. Still, your dad apologized and told me he couldn’t live without me. We had to forgive each other so we could move forward.”

He thought about that all the way from his parents’ house on the Main Line to Haven in center city.

He needed a plan. But first he had to get through the rest of the folders on his desk. Several hundred files that he needed to go through before he met with the GoldenStar board of directors on Monday. He needed to have all of his ducks in a row when he dealt with them.

But the one duck he truly wanted, he’d already shot out of the water.

Friday afternoon, Tyler would have gladly shot his brother after he walked into his private office on the fourth floor.

“You’re a coward,” Jed said. “I know I’ve said that before, but this time, you threw away something amazing because you think you’re going to lose Kate anyway. Fucked-up logic, if you ask me.”

Tyler didn’t bother to look up. His eyes burned, his head hurt, and he had an ache in the pit of his stomach that wouldn’t go away and that he refused to acknowledge.

Jed dropped into the chair on the opposite side of his desk, forcing himself into Tyler’s field of vision. He stopped reading long enough to glare at his brother before transferring his attention back to the file.

“So what’s the plan?” Jed continued. “Bury yourself in work for a few years before you decide it’s time to find another woman? Or are you just planning to skip to the spinster uncle stage? You do know you’re an idiot, too, right?”

Yes, he knew he was an idiot, but he wasn’t about to give Jed any more ammunition by admitting it. And he didn’t have the time to argue.

“What are you doing here besides bothering me? Where’s Annabelle? I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

Jed grinned. “I know she’d be happy to see me. But I have an early meeting tomorrow so I figured I’d stay here for the night. I’m heading back as soon as I can.”

“Everything okay at the Spa?”

“Yep.”

“Do you need me for anything?”

“Nope.”

“Then what the hell are you still doing here?”

“Apparently annoying you.”

“Jed, I’ve got a hell of a lot of files to—”

“And all of that can wait. You should take a break. Get a drink. Chill in the Salon.”

Right. That’s the absolute last place he wanted to be. Too many memories. Talk about a mindfuck.

“I’m presenting everything to the board Monday. I’ve got too much to do—”

“I’m sure you do. But I think you’re going to want to check out the Salon. Now.”

Jed held his gaze, and Tyler realized exactly what his brother was telling him.

Hope made his chest tight, made his heart pound. Lust made his blood burn.

And relief made him almost light-headed. And froze him to the chair.

“Tyler—”

Getting up, he practically ran for the door.

What if he didn’t show up?

Kate had been asking herself that question from the moment Jared left her in the Salon to go talk to Tyler.

He has to come.

If he didn’t . . . Well, then she’d screwed up her life but good.

She’d stepped way out of her box this time and was hoping like hell that it paid off.

And when he doesn’t show? Then what, smart girl?

Wow, she’d never realized how bitchy her inner critic could be. It sucked to be on the other side of it. And how had that happened?

She knew exactly when that had happened. When she’d called Jared and Annabelle to ask for their help.

Which is how she’d ended up practically naked in the Salon, waiting for the man who’d almost broken her heart.

If he didn’t show, her heart would break. But she’d go on. She wasn’t about to let a man ruin her life. Not even the one man she apparently wanted more than her dream job. Which, in reality, had turned out not to be her dream job after all.

That dream had been usurped by another that was just as demanding and creative as the one she’d said no to.

But if he didn’t show . . .

She was afraid her heart would be scarred forever.

With a sigh, she started to pace. If Tyler didn’t get here soon, or if Jared didn’t return, she was going to wear a path in the exquisite Turkish rug beneath her feet.

And she should really stop pacing, because if he walked in, she didn’t want him to see her so nervous.

Then again—

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the wall to her left split apart.

She sucked in a quick gasp before her heart started to pound.

Tyler.

She bit her lips, which wanted to quiver, and forced herself to stand her ground rather than run to him and throw her arms around him.

Just because he was here didn’t mean their problems were going to magically disappear.

“Tyler.”

Did he look happy to see her? Was that a hint of a smile she saw on his face?

God, I hope so.

“Kate.”

Silence descended as they stared at each other across the room.

She knew what she wanted to say, knew what she should say. What she wanted to hear in return.

But all that emerged was, “You coward.”

He nodded, a dull flush covering his cheeks, but he didn’t look away. “You’re not the first person to say that to me today. And you’re both right. I am. But do you know why?”

She swallowed, her heart pumping in overdrive. “I have my suspicions, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“Because I was afraid if I let myself love you any more than I already did, and you ever left me, I’d lose myself.”

Tears welled at the tone of his voice, at the conviction she heard in it.

“The first time . . . with Mia . . . I thought I’d never get over it. Never be the same person. Never let myself care that deeply for anyone again. I honestly thought I was saving both of us from heartbreak further down the line. I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”