Rochelle Alers - Dealmaker, Heartbreaker

“I know, but it has to be done, and I’m not too proud to roll up my sleeves and work. Once Lee comes back, it will get easier because he’ll take over the kitchen.”

“When is he expected back?”

“Not until he and Angela graduate college.”

Noah blinked slowly. “And that is?”

“Almost four years from now.”

Noah went completely still. He’d thought Viviana was going to say one or two but not four years. “When you had the boardinghouse, did you run it by yourself?”

“Not initially. My aunt cooked while my uncle took care of the repairs and the grounds. I helped out with laundry and cleaning the rooms. But after Aunt Babs and my uncle relocated to Arizona, I was responsible for running the boardinghouse because Lee was in the army. He only came back when I told him that the county had placed a lien on the property for back taxes.”

“He was back, and now he’s gone.”

Viviana narrowed her eyes, again reminding him of a cat ready to strike. “Please don’t talk about my brother, Noah. Precisely because I have a knack of attracting the wrong men, my brother had to give up a military career to come back and save our home.”

“Why are you blaming yourself for a decision he made? He could’ve taken a leave and then reenlisted before the year was up. I happen to know that much about the military.”

“That’s what he’d originally planned, but Angela wouldn’t have married him because she was a military widow and she did not want to go through that again. She hadn’t delivered her twins when her first husband was killed.”

Noah slumped in the chair and ran a hand over his face. “Oh, I’m so sorry I said what I said to you about your brother.”

“Don’t beat up on yourself. You didn’t know. I think we should reserve judgment of each other because there is so much I don’t know about you and you don’t know about me, Noah.”

“You’re right,” he said in agreement.

“Anytime you want to know something about me and my family, all you have to do is ask,” he said, smiling.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll spill my guts to a tabloid reporter?”

“No. A tabloid tried that before and my grandfather shut them down.”

Her mouth formed a perfect O. “My bad.”

Throwing back his head, Noah laughed. “And you don’t have to worry about me repeating your family gossip,” he said once he stopped laughing.

“It doesn’t matter because everyone in The Falls knows about the Wolfes and their offspring. There was a time when the Wolfes were like the Bernie Madoffs of Johnson County. They screwed over everyone who came into contact with them.” She touched her napkin to the corners of her mouth. “That’s something I’ll tell you about at another time.”

Noah glanced at his watch. “I’m going to leave now to go over to the town hall to file my application.” He rose to stand. “I know you only serve breakfast, but will I see you for dinner?”

“Are you cooking?” Viviana teased.

“I can bring back takeout.”

She stood up. “Forget takeout. I’ll cook.”

Noah stacked the dishes and flatware, carried them to the kitchen and set them in a deep stainless-steel sink filled with soapy water. He’d wanted to tell Viviana that she needed to hire a night manager but knew she probably would resent his interference or believe he thought that because she was a woman she wasn’t capable of running her own business. He returned to the guesthouse to get the paperwork he needed to present to the Wickham Falls Zoning Board, which he hoped would go over and approve his prospectus.

As his conversation with a Wickham Falls city clerk ended, Noah felt as if he was in an alternate universe. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The clerk had examined his documents and then told him he couldn’t build residential homes on the property because it had been zoned for commercial use when the Remingtons were approved to convert their personal residence into a boardinghouse. The only way he could erect homes was if Viviana filed to convert her property from commercial to residential, and then he would have to refile for a resident permit. Noah knew he had to disclose the details of his conversation with the clerk to Viviana.

* * *

Viviana sat at the desk in her office scrolling through a list of vendors she had to pay when she glanced up to find Noah standing in the doorway. She waved to him. “Come in.”

“Only if you’re not busy.”

“I can do this later.” She came around the desk and sat on a tapestry-covered love seat. She patted the cushion beside her. “Come and sit down.”

Noah closed the door, sat down and took her hand in his and told her about his visit to the town hall. “You’ve got to be kidding.” A cold shiver had swept over her as if she had been dumped in an ice bath. She did not want to believe that Noah had purchased land on which he couldn’t build because it wasn’t zoned for residential structures.

He gave her a direct stare. “I wish I was. I was under the assumption that your property is zoned for residential, and if you wanted to operate a business then you would only have to file for a permit and not rezone it for commercial use.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “That statute has been on the books for years and is based on the size of the owner’s property. Anyone holding more than five acres is required to rezone if they wish to operate a business.” She exhaled an audible breath. “I can’t pay you back because I’ve used most of the money to make repairs, and I can’t ask Lee for more money because now he has a family to support.”

Leaning closer, Noah pressed his thumb to her cheek where a single tear had slipped down her face. “I don’t want the money. Perhaps you can file for a waiver.”

Her eyelids fluttered. “The zoning board doesn’t issue waivers.”

Viviana shook her head. “What alternative do we have, Noah?”

“Business is slow right now, so why don’t you close for the season and apply for a residential conversion, and once it’s approved I can submit my application to build? After I get my approval, you can resubmit for commercial zoning.”

She replayed his explanation over in her head several times. Her smile was as bright as the rays of a rising sun. “That’s an incredible idea.” She leaned over and kissed him, but as she attempted to pull away, Noah released her hand and cupped her face in his palms and deepened the kiss until she swallowed his breath. Her face and her body were on fire. She lowered her eyes demurely. Viviana had not meant to kiss Noah, but the instant his mouth covered hers she did not want to stop. It had been much too long since she had enjoyed the intimacy of the tender gesture. “I’m sorry about that.”

Anchoring a hand under her chin, Noah raised her face. “I’m not. I have to confess that I’d wanted to kiss you the day you took me on a tour of the property.”

Moisture spiked her lashes as she managed a trembling smile. “Well, you got your wish.” Her joy was short-lived as her smile faded when she thought about her employees. “Closing down will cause a cash-flow problem. How am I going to pay my employees? Even though they are seasonal, I’m committed to pay them per diem when necessary.”

“Can you apply for a short-term business loan to tie you over?” Noah questioned.

“No. I had to file for bankruptcy, so it’s going to be years before I’ll be able to reestablish credit.”

Noah ran a hand over her hair. “What if I loan you the money to pay your employees, and you can pay me back once the B and B is up and running again. No strings attached.”

“I can’t, Noah.”

His expression changed, becoming a mask of stone. “You can and you will. I’ve invested too much time and money in this project to piss it away because of a technicality. I’m going to New York next week for my father’s sixty-fifth birthday party, but I’ll be back to stay until it’s time for me to resubmit my application, and hopefully that shouldn’t take more than a month.”