Keith had three hours to pull off a miracle—and convince Regent’s executives to continue their faith in his ability to turn around this disaster in the making. Adrenaline pumped through his body, fueling his blood and making it sing. This was his hour of glory and he’d worked fiendishly for months to earn it.
Ronald Schmidt, the CEO of Regent, emerged first, hand outstretched for Keith to shake.
“Welcome,” Keith said to the team at large and spent the next hour as a personal tour guide to Regent’s entire C-suite. Simultaneously, he fielded messages from Alice and Elena and responded with a barrage of instructions as they flawlessly walked on water in Keith’s stead.
At the end of the tour, Ronald shook his head with a small smile. “I don’t know how you did it, Mitchell. This place is indeed the jewel you insisted it could be, even with the added complication of an unanticipated storm. Your reputation is well-founded.”
“Thank you, sir.” Keith inclined his head and slipped a hand in his pocket to still his yet-again vibrating phone. Interruptions could wait for a couple of minutes, especially if Ronald had more to say.
“I was going to wait until after the expo to discuss the terms of your contract, but it’s clear I don’t need to. As you know, the continuation clause was contingent on how you performed with this property.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” Tingling at the base of Keith’s spine swept upward and he clamped down on it. This was no time to let euphoria interfere with what might quickly turn into a negotiation over Keith’s future.
“You’ll have a contract extension in your inbox within two days for the remaining fifteen Caribbean resorts. And let’s bump up your rate. A million a property. We can discuss specifics whenever you’re ready.”
Ronald shook Keith’s hand and waved to include the rest of the team. “We’re all looking forward to the expo. I’m sure it will be a grand show.”
“Unparalleled. I hope you enjoy your stay with Regent Resorts at Grace Bay.” Keith motioned to the bellboys standing at attention behind him. “Let us show you to your rooms.”
Yet another mark of distinction—treating the men who signed the paycheck of every employee here like guests. The service philosophies Keith and Elena had infused into the staff culture would catapult Regent to the top of the luxury vacation heap.
And Keith had just been granted the opportunity to do it again—fifteen more times.
It was everything he’d dreamed of when he went into consulting. It was the perfect culmination of his effort to make it on his own over the past decade. The perfect job. He could do his thing and move on; no roots, no relationships with employees...or anyone else.
Temporary ruled his life for a reason. It was what he did best. He didn’t know how to do anything but temporary. He yearned for the next challenge, the next job that would take him someplace new, and balked at the kind of “more” Cara deserved. What could a man like that really offer her?
Nothing. He couldn’t ask her to take an extended vacation. Or even a short one. He couldn’t be there for her as she needed, emotionally or physically. And he hadn’t even been very good at it in the first place, despite the pass she’d given him. If he’d had more practice at developing relationships, or even the skill set to try, that would be one thing. But he preferred being alone because it was easier than figuring out how to tap into an emotional center he probably couldn’t ever reach.
It was a good thing he’d planned for their liaison to be finite from the beginning.
A good thing, he repeated, and wished it actually felt that way.
Eleven
Cara watched frisky sandpipers chase each other on the beach and smiled when the lead bird let herself be caught. It was worth it sometimes to slow down long enough to notice something unexpected and wonderful in the one chasing you.
Keith had revealed some pretty spectacular depths over the past few days, climaxing in the midnight soul-baring conversation. She’d had no idea he was capable of such understanding and strength—and maybe he hadn’t been the first time. But he certainly was now.
Maybe the events of two years ago, and everything since, needed to happen in order to get them both to a better place. Which wasn’t necessarily together. This was supposed to be a burn-off-the-excess-heat fling in the background of their real lives. The expo should be the most significant thing on both their minds.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t, at least not in her case.
Turning her gaze back to the statuesque models in white parading down the makeshift runaway, Cara nodded in response to Meredith’s question, though she hadn’t actually heard it. The original canvas tent pavilion had been dismantled in advance of Tropical Storm Mark, but unfortunately it had been stored in a nonwaterproof shed. It had suffered severe water damage, forcing the fashion show to take place on the beach.
As long as tomorrow’s weather mirrored the calm, balmy conditions of today, the show would still be the centerpiece of the expo.
Meredith noted something on her legal pad and shot Cara a smirk. “Do me a favor and smack me if I ever walk around with such a dreamy smile on my face.”
“That’ll never happen,” Cara promised without missing a beat. “Because only Keith could produce such a smile and you can’t have him.”
Her sister lifted a brow. “Oh my. I thought you were all dopey-faced over the meeting with the Ever After guy and planned to rib you about it mercilessly. But this is a much more fun development.”
The meeting with Nick Anderson was slated for tomorrow, after the fashion show, and if all went according to plan, her design business would leap ahead of everything she’d ever hoped for. It should have been the reason for a dopey smile. Not that she was agreeing there was anything dopey about her expression.
Cara’s cheeks heated. “Shut up. You’re the one who encouraged me to get Keith naked. What did you think was going to happen?”
“I thought you were going to achieve some much-needed stress relief.” Meredith yelled at one of the models to watch her train and tilted her head toward Cara as if about to impart a secret. “Maybe some closure. I did not think you were going to fall head over heels again for he-who-must-not-be-named.”
“Head over heels is a bit of an overstatement.” Wasn’t it? Just because she’d slept in his bed didn’t mean she’d gone off the deep end and started imagining a future where none existed. “He’s different this time, that’s all.”
She wished it was easier to articulate how she felt about Keith. If she could say it to anyone, it would be Meredith, regardless of her sister’s inclination to give her grief. But the only certainty in this situation was that Keith still confused her...and she still couldn’t imagine trusting him enough to put his engagement ring on her finger again. He’d done very little to regain that trust.
“I think it’s you who’s different,” her sister commented wryly. “I still remember what you said to me after your first date with him. Do you?”
Of course she did. It had come back to haunt her often enough. “I said I was going to marry him.”
A premature statement to be sure since she’d only just met him. But he’d been exactly what she wanted in a husband. Successful, handsome, attentive.
Correction. What she’d thought she wanted in a husband. The past two years taught her the folly in her wish list. She needed a mate with the ability to stick with her through the bumps, as well as the actual desire to be a husband. Oh, and most critical—she wanted a husband who loved her and one she loved back unquestionably.
“Yep. You were really focused on getting married. Every guy you met got the Husband Test. Your man Mitchell was the first one to pass.”
That was uncomfortably true. Had she forced their relationship because of her goals instead of letting their feelings evolve naturally? Her throat tightened.
Of course she had—that’s how they’d gotten engaged and almost married without really knowing each other. Or being in love. They’d both let the pregnancy cloud their judgment. “Yeah. What’s your point?”
“You haven’t said a word about getting married in two years,” Meredith said quietly. “That’s what’s different. You seem a lot less fixated on the outcome and more into the experience of the moment. It looks really good on you and in the long run will probably be a lot better for your state of mind. That’s all I meant.”
Cara mulled that over the rest of the day, studiously avoiding Keith as she’d done yesterday, but for a different reason this time. Yesterday, she’d still been lying to herself about whether she thought of Keith as her lover in every sense of the word. Today she knew it was too late to stop that train—and too impossible to be near him without blurting out everything on her mind.
Her sister’s revelations weighed on her heavily. Meredith thought Cara was doing the right thing by falling head over heels into Keith without worrying about whether he’d marry her or not. It was exactly what this affair was supposed to be about.
And on the surface, it was. At least as far as everyone else knew. The problem lay underneath, where Cara had discovered marriage wasn’t her ultimate goal after all. She wanted that and more, far more. She wanted that man Keith had been last night when he held her hand as she talked through the difficult aftermath of the miscarriage. She wanted the man who encouraged her to take her pleasure and thought it was sexy that she ran her own business.