3
Saturday afternoon . . .
The alarms of slot machines dispensing clanging coins into metal containers matched the echoing in Riley’s head as she walked through the fifty-thousand-square-foot casino that linked the two Royal Towers. Even though the skylights and windows tried to make visitors feel like the outside had been brought inside, Riley felt like the walls were closing in around her. She could tell that her week with Miss Merry Sunshine was going to be a thrill a minute. But she should thank her. Laine had given her an excuse to cancel her date. The word date hovered over her like flies at a Sunday dinner on the church grounds.
She walked through the Crystal Gate at the entrance of the casino. The thirty-thousand-pound structure made of two thousand pieces of handblown glass by designer Dale Chihuly didn’t even turn her head. Usually she was mesmerized by the tower, as well as the million-dollar structures of the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun that sat on the floor of the casino. But now, not so much.
She walked into the ladies’ room and slipped behind a slatted teak door and into a stall. She pressed her back against the door and tried to slow her breathing before she went in to see Max. He had called about an upcoming event that he needed to talk with her about. But between having a date, having to cancel a date, and being ordered to cancel a date as if she were a schoolgirl, she had been swarmed by unexpected and intense emotions.
Laine had afforded her a perfect excuse to get out of having dinner with Christian. She wasn’t ready to start dating. It just wasn’t time. Gabby needed her. She had a new job too, a lot of responsibility, and she needed to maintain her focus. She couldn’t afford to be distracted. So she should appreciate a guest who demanded her undivided attention.
She stepped out of the stall, walked over to the mirror, and leaned against the sink to see if she could see any appreciation.
Not a lick.
She washed her hands, trying to wash away the angst. She knew the feeling well. She knew the fears that lurked in the shadows of her soul because she fought them daily. They were many and they could be relentless. But for the last couple years, she had taken them one by one, stepped into the face of each one, and dealt with them. Yet today they felt like they had come in multiples. She cut off the faucet and reached for a hand towel. Granted, Christian’s presence could make her spine tingle. And sure, he stirred up things inside her that she hadn’t felt in years. But the last horror movie she had seen had done pretty much the same thing. And having to cancel their dinner for the sake of her job was proof that it just wasn’t meant to be.
She raised her head, squared herself in front of the mirror, and gave her reflection a nod. It was settled. It wasn’t time. Her heart wasn’t ready. And it was a good thing. Because he probably couldn’t handle her past anyway. Jeremy had been the exception to most rules. There were days she believed he was the only man with so gracious a heart.
* * *
Max stood outside his office, readers propped on the tip of his nose, as he thumbed through papers. The ends of his glasses were hidden beneath his wavy black hair, a symbol of his Italian heritage. “Riley,” he said as she came into his view.
She hugged him. “Hey, Max.”
“Good day?” he asked as he walked back into his office and laid the papers on the desk.
“Good day,” she said with a sigh.
“Is Ms. Fulton here?”
“Just took her up to her room.”
“Everything okay?”
“Down to the black M&M’S.”
“Californians, New Yorkers, and us Italians, we love black.” He laughed and sat on the sofa that ran the length of his wall. He patted a cushion. “How are you?”
She smiled at him and sat down. He loved her almost as much as he loved his own daughters. Her father had been his roommate at The Citadel; they had weathered pledge week, knob year, and four years of military service together. An odd pairing. A New York Italian and a Scottish Southerner. The waters ran deep and true and their debates ran long and passionate. Max and her father both had the gift of hospitality. Max chose to enjoy his in the hotel business, while her father took his to politics, where he was one of the longest-serving senators in South Carolina. Riley had the same gift. But since she had no interest in politics, Max had paved the way for her first job in the hotel business. When he moved to the Atlantis property and left South Carolina, both she and her father had grieved. But when her life fell apart, Max had been a steady voice. Loving. Compassionate. But true. He got Gabby into the international school. And he was another reason living had been worth it. “I’m good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m really good.”
He clapped his hands together, scooted to the edge of the sofa, and reached over to his desk to retrieve the papers he had laid down. “We’ve got a new contract from The Friesen Group. They want to hold their next convention here, and it’s going to be a large undertaking. I’m finalizing most of the contract and will send it over to you later today. I want you to make sure all of the items pertaining to The Cove are on point. This is a big one, so I wanted you to know it was coming. We need to be on
