“Tell Trish I’m sorry I woke her up,” Ryan said.
“You should be sorry, and you should also be sorry that you haven’t talked any sense into Dad. I’m going to send Jack out there.”
“No, you don’t need to. Listen, Dad is nearly finished with this Clairmont Hotel job, and once that’s over, he’ll be mostly done here anyway. I think he and Lilly have some trips planned or something. He was sketchy on the details.”
“Of course he was, but there’s still the Mahoney job. That’s going to take months. Are you planning to stay for that? Or go back and forth, or what?”
This was the part Ryan didn’t want to get into, but realistically, the sooner Bryce knew, the better. “I think there is a distinct possibility that the Mahoney deal is a no-go. We’ve run into some complications.”
“What? Why? You said it was a slam-dunk.” Ryan could hear Bryce get up out of bed, and then he heard the sliding glass door open and close. His brother must have walked out onto their balcony.
“The spot they want to put that bed-and-breakfast is a prime location, but a three-story building will ruin the view for the cottages behind it.”
“So, that’s up to the people in those cottages to deal with. Not our problem as long as the zoning is in place, and you said that was already handled. You said the hundred-and-ten-year-old lady had already signed to make the sale.”
“She’s a hundred and two, and yes she signed, but I just don’t feel right about it.”
“What is it you’re not telling me?”
Bryce knew him too well.
“Look, Emily has been renovating this cottage for her grandmother. She’s put a lot of work into it, and if we build a bed-and-breakfast in that location, the value of Emily’s place is going to plummet. It’ll go from having an unobstructed view of the lake and the bridge to being a view of the back side of someone else’s property.”
“Are you telling me that you want to let this lucrative deal fall through just because you got a case of the feels for some woman?”
“That’s ironic coming from a guy who’s been married three times. Are you telling me you didn’t do that, three times, because you had a case of the feels?”
Bryce coughed. “Sure, I got married, but I never gave up any business deals. I’m not an idiot. You need to look at this strategically. You said that place behind the B and B is a rental anyway. It’s not like you’re ruining the view for someone’s house, and you said she was a flipper, so she probably doesn’t have any attachment to the place anyhow. If she’s as smart and savvy of a businesswoman as you’ve said, she’ll understand that this is just business. You’re overreacting.”
Ryan was starting to feel defensive. He didn’t want Bryce to talk him out of this. He owed it to Emily. “I’m not. I’m telling you this contract with the Mahoneys needs to go away. Emily wants the property for herself, and she needs it more than we do.”
“What? How do you figure that?”
“She and her grandmother want to buy it. Emily’s going to renovate it, and they’ll turn it into another rental cottage.”
“But we’ve already bought it for our own client. Ryan, if you back out of this deal, those Mahoney women could sue us. Besides, I’ve looked over the specs, and this is a great project. You’ll be in and out in a few months, and then we’re free and clear. Just tell your bed buddy to buy a different cottage. I’m sure that place isn’t the only one. She’ll understand. Now, it’s four fifteen and I’ve got about forty-five minutes to sleep before the baby wakes up, and then I’ll have to wake Trish up to take care of him, and that always makes Trish grouchy, so I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you later, and do not under any circumstances cancel that Mahoney deal.”
Ryan started to argue but realized he was talking to air. Bryce was gone. That conversation went pretty much the way he’d expected. The business side of his brain agreed with his brother. The deal was too good and too easy for Taggert Property Management to give up for such a flimsy reason. The other side of his brain, the side that was all clouded with images of Emily in the bed beside him, had him all turned around. He needed to tell her about the contract, and soon, because she was flying back to San Antonio any day now to close on that other house. He’d talk to her about it tonight. Bryce was right. She was smart and practical. She’d understand. It wasn’t a personal thing. It was just business.
Chapter 29
All the memories of sneaking around as a teenager came back to Emily as she ducked her head and walked through the lobby of the Rosebush Hotel. It was nearing dinnertime, and they’d decided to have, as Ryan had termed it, room service and romance, so she now found herself standing outside his hotel room door. She lifted her hand to knock, but the door opened and he pulled her in, slammed it shut, and pressed her against it.
She gasped at the pressure. “Why, hello, Mr. Taggert.”
“Hello, Miss Chambers,” he said, smiling. “I’ve heard it said that courting here on Trillium Bay tends to go at a slower pace, but you’re in my room now. I don’t think those rules apply.”
“That’s awfully bossy of you.” She put her hands on his hips and pulled him close.
A low, satisfied groan came from his throat. “Maybe, but something tells me we’re on the same page here.”
“I believe we are.”
“Good, because I have been thinking about you all damn day.”
“Me too. Same page.”
The door thumped in its frame as he leaned forward to kiss her, sending shock waves of pleasure pulsing through her body and scattering her thoughts.
He was so very good at this.
She pushed at him, and he looked startled, until he realized she was pushing him toward the bed. His gaze turned hungry as he pulled his shirt up and over his head.
Damn, she’d never get tired of seeing that, seeing the planes and valleys of his torso. He dropped his shirt on the floor and pulled her toward him.
“I like that dress,” he said.
“Do you?” She reached up and pushed one tiny strap off her shoulder.
“Yes. Very much.”
“That’s nice.” She flicked the other strap off her shoulder and let it slide down. It caught on her hips, and Ryan watched, mesmerized as she hooked her thumbs and eased it the rest of the way down.
“Damn,” he breathed, and Emily felt both powerful and powerless under his gaze. So many obstacles could ultimately pull them apart, but all of them were meaningless because of all that pulled them together. Ryan wrapped his arms around her, and as they tumbled to the mattress, Emily Chambers realized she wasn’t just falling into bed. Damned if she wasn’t falling in love.
“I think we need that room service now. Are you hungry?” Ryan asked sometime later as they lay entwined, bedsheets twisted around them.