Chapter 12
Harley took a quick shower, put on sweats and running shoes, and went down to the lobby to one of the boutique stores with her wallet, key card, and the St. Michael’s medal in hand. Once inside, she headed straight to the jewelry counter.
A clerk approached and slipped behind the counter. “Hi, I’m Keith. Is there something I can show you?”
Harley palmed the medal. “I need a gold chain for this.”
Keith eyed the loop on the medal and then took a tray of chains from the display case.
“There are several styles and lengths…braided, flat links, and the finer chains like these.”
“A finer chain, but one that’s durable, and I think twenty-two inches. I don’t want it so delicate that it’s easily broken,” Harley said.
“How about this one?” Keith asked, and unhooked it.
Harley threaded it through the loop on the medal, then fastened it around her neck. It fell just above her cleavage.
“This will work. I’ll take it,” she said, and took it off so Keith could ring it up, and then put it back on after she’d paid. “Thank you so much,” she said. She could feel it against her skin.
Protection for when I’m not with you.
As soon as she got back to the room, she kicked off her shoes, replaced them with fuzzy socks, then grabbed her laptop and phone and began checking messages and emails to see if there was any news or updates from Ray Caldwell or Rusty Pope, but there were none.
She had one missed text from Liz Devon, telling her that the hotel may seem unusually crowded tomorrow, but not to worry, and that the hotel was hosting an event for country star Josie Fallin and about two hundred of her fans in the main ballroom. It would be an active event beginning midafternoon and ending after dinner that night. That meant Brendan would be involved in whatever food was being served and that he’d be on duty until the event was over.
A short while later, there was a knock at the door, and after a quick look through the peephole, she let him in, then locked the door behind him.
He dropped his duffel bag and took her in his arms. “I missed you. What are we having to eat?”
She laughed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were never full, were you? Never fear, I ordered steak and potatoes au gratin, Caesar salads, and peach cobbler. I wasn’t sure about how you like your steak, so I guessed and ordered medium.”
He gave her a thumbs-up, then picked up his bag and took it to the bedroom. He was hanging up his work clothes when he heard her cell phone ring, and then her voice. There were a few moments of silence, and then she was yelling.
He turned and ran.
She rolled her eyes when she saw him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
No , she mouthed, and then lit into her caller again. “I hope you know your request is insulting. No, Dad, I will not fly to Houston. I’m working, and how dare you even suggest using me as bait to some senator in return for his vote on one of your projects! You disregard my career, and at the same time suggest I ‘spend time’ with a married man. And don’t interrupt. I know who he is, and I’ve seen pictures of his wife and children. What’s the matter with you?”
Brendan sighed. Her father.
She was listening again, her face getting redder by the moment.
“No, I’m not insolent. You’re disgusting. Yes, you’re my father, but you are no longer the boss of me.”
Then she burst into tears, and Brendan lost it. He held out his hand, and she handed him the phone and left the room. Now he was hearing the derision in Jason Banks’s voice when he called her a thankless bitch, and it smacked too much of Clyde Wallace for him to ignore.
“Excuse me,” he said.
There was a moment of shocked silence and then the man was yelling at him instead.
“Who the hell are you, and where’s my daughter?”
“I’m Brendan Pope, and I’m pretty sure she’s pouring herself a shot of whiskey about now.”
“What are you to her?” Jason asked.
“At the moment, assisting her in this job. Consider yourself fortunate that you are not standing in front of me right now. I’ll give her your regards, and if I ever find out you called her a bitch again, or find out you made her cry, we will discuss this further. Do you understand?”
Jason was speechless, then sputtering when Brendan hung up. When he turned around, Harley was standing behind him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She blinked. “You stood up for me.”
He frowned. “I don’t want to make an enemy out of your father, but I also don’t give a shit whether he likes me or not, as long as you and I are good.”
She walked into his arms and hugged him. “We are so good,” she whispered.
“Well then,” he said, and wrapped his arms around her.
By the time room service arrived, Brendan had her laughing.
When they made love again, he saw the medal hanging above her breasts, and then saw the look in her eyes. She was reaching for him when he moved between her legs and gave her everything she wanted. Over and over, time and again, until the only need they had was for sleep.
***
Brendan was on his back with his arm around Harley’s shoulders. Her head was resting on his chest. This day began on an impulse that was ending at the highest point of his life. He was so deep in love with this woman that it hurt.
“Brendan?”
“Hmm?”
“This day feels like a dream,” Harley said.
He touched her cheek. “Look at me.” Her head came up. “This isn’t a dream. I don’t play house. I play for keeps. Fair warning, Sunshine. I’m falling in love with you.”
“Then wipe the frown off your face, because you turned that page for me when you stood up to my father on my behalf. You’re my hero forever.”
***
It was ten minutes to 5:00 a.m. and Brendan was ready to walk out the door when he went to the bedroom where Harley was still sleeping. He paused at the bedside, thinking of what it would be like to see this every morning for the rest of his life, and then leaned over and kissed the spot behind her ear that made her moan.
“Hey, Sunshine, hate to wake you, but I’m leaving for work, and I need you to come lock up after me.”
She opened her eyes, rolled over on her back, saw him leaning over the bed, and smiled.
“I thought I was dreaming.”
“Nope. I’m the real deal.”
She threw back the covers and got up. Brendan helped her on with her bathrobe, and then gave her a swat on the backside as she sidled past him.
She put one finger in the air and kept walking. “That’ll cost you,” she said.
“Just put it on my tab. I’m good for it.”
She unlocked the dead bolt, then the safety chain, and stood on her tiptoes for a goodbye kiss that made her ache.
“You’re definitely good,” she said. “I know you’re going to be busy with the Fallin event. Don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Pay attention to whoever delivers room service. If you don’t know them, tell them to leave it in the hall.”
She nodded.
He was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned around. “Love you.”
Her heart skipped. “Love you, too.”
And then he was gone. She quickly locked everything back up and thought about going back to bed. Instead, she started a cup of coffee brewing and headed for the shower.
***
Jason Banks was still reeling from being chastised by a total stranger and angry at his daughter for ruining his plans. It was eight o’clock in the morning for him, but it was 3:00 p.m. where Judith was and he needed to talk to her. He glanced in the mirror before making the call, as if it mattered whether his graying hair was in place and that he had yet to shave, and then called his wife.
***
It was a cold, rainy day and Judith was curled up with a book on the sofa in front of a blazing fire, with a cup of tea cooling on the side table when her phone rang. When she saw the number pop up, she put the book aside and answered.
“Jason, darling, how are you? Everything okay?”
“We need to talk,” he said. “I think Harley has a man in her life.”
Judith sat up straighter. “Really? How do you know?”
“I called her last night and of course we argued. She never listens to anything I say. Unbeknownst to me, she handed her phone off to this man, and when he heard me call her an ungrateful bitch, he had the audacity to read me the riot act, then add a vague threat to it before he hung up on me.”
“You shouldn’t have argued. Why do you always do that?” she said. “And it was despicable of you to call your own daughter a bitch. If that man is interested in Harley, at least he seems to have her best interests at heart.”
“Bullshit!” Jason roared. “He threatened me.”
“And you threatened someone he loves,” Judith said.
“You’re no help,” he said.
“You’re the one who called wanting absolution for being a jackass. I cannot give you something you do not deserve. I love you. Have a good day.”
Jason was mumbling and muttering beneath his breath, but managed to respond in a socially polite manner. “I love you, too, of course.”
Judith rolled her eyes. “Of course, you do,” she said, and hung up.
But now she was excited. She wanted to know everything. Ignoring the time difference, she made a quick call to her daughter. The call rang and rang, and then went to voicemail, which irked her no end. But she left a message anyway and hung up.
Harley was on the hotel phone ordering room service when her cell phone rang. She hadn’t eaten breakfast and now she was too hungry to wait for lunch, so she was having a late brunch and calling it even. She heard it ringing and checked after her order was made, but after she saw it was her mother, she guessed her dad had called her to whine. She didn’t want to talk to either of them, ignored it and went back to work.
***
Even though the food for Josie Fallin’s fan club event was coming together without issue, both the baking and cooking sides of the kitchen were running hot, trying to keep up with orders from the guests in the dining room, the room service orders, and the foods that would be in Fallin’s buffet.
From Brendan’s end of the line, he was pulling hot rolls and cherry cobblers out of the ovens right and left. Cherry cobbler à la mode was the requested dessert for the Fallin event, and they were feeding two hundred people at the event. Every sous-chef and junior chef on-site was double-stepping today. It was an all-hands-on-deck event.
Liz Devon was in her element. The decor was western chic, exactly what Josie had asked for, and the playlist of music was her songs. The gift bags for the attendees were at the door, ready to be handed in as the guests arrived, and Josie was texting Liz nonstop, checking and rechecking to make sure everything was perfect for her attending fans. Her event began midafternoon, and she was double-checking security for her arrival.
“Yes, our security has been notified, as well as the local PD who’ll manage outside traffic as well as the vans shuttling fans from the parking lot at the music venue to the hotel and back,” Liz told her.
Josie sighed. “I know I must be a pain in the neck. I don’t mean to doubt your expertise, but my fans are really important to me, and I want everything to be perfect for them. I can bounce with the delays and mistakes, but they come a long way and spend their hard-earned money just to see me and take pictures with me, and, well, you know the drill. A simple dinner today is going to mean the world to them.”
“You aren’t a pain at all, and I admire your loyalty to the people who support you. There’s not nearly enough of that in the world. I do want to ask about your brother, though. Alex, isn’t it? How is he doing since the wreck?”
Josie smiled, pleased that the woman remembered. “He’s doing great, but opted to stay in my bus. It has all the comforts of home and then some, and some of the guys in my band are going to look in on him. Home away from home, you know?”
“Wonderful news,” Liz said.
“Oh, one last thing. Will Brendan Pope be at work today?”
“Yes, he’s here.”
“Sometime during our event, I would like permission to have him come to the party so I can introduce him to my guests. They all know about Alex’s injuries and that a local man saved him, but I would like to honor him for his heroism.”
“I’ll make that happen,” Liz said. “I’ll be on-site for the event, so when you’re ready to do that, just let me know. I’ll bring him in.”
“It won’t upset him, will it?” Josie asked.
“Not at all. Brendan is a sweetheart,” Liz said.
“Perfect. Then I’ll see you later,” Josie said, and hung up.
Liz sighed. Now she needed to let Brendan know that Josie Fallin wanted to introduce him during the dinner. She knew he was too busy to interrupt in the kitchen, so she sent him a text instead.
He saw it, made a mental note, and slid another three pans of rolls into the ovens to bake.
***
Shirley Pope was on her way into Jubilee to run errands.
Amalie was working from home today, and the moment Shirley drove out of the yard, Sean and Amalie gathered in his office for a Zoom meeting with her dad, Wolfgang Outen.
Tomorrow was the family dinner when they’d make their baby announcement, but they didn’t want Wolf to be left out of the loop. They were sitting side by side when Wolf’s face popped up on the screen.
“My two favorite people! Good morning!” Wolf said. “This is a great way to start the day. What’s new with you two, and tell me what’s going on in Jubilee,” he said.
Amalie glanced at Sean.
“He’s your dad. You tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Wolf asked.
“That I’m pregnant with twins. You’re going to be a grandfather!” Amalie said.
The surprise on Wolf’s face was followed by an expression of pure delight. “Twins! Amalie! Sean! This is the best news ever! Congratulations twice. Oh wow. Grandpa. Grandfather. Naw…too formal. Papa! That’s it! I want them to call me Papa.”
Sean was grinning from ear to ear. “We can make that happen,” he said.
“I can’t wait. When’s the due date?” Wolf asked.
“I’m coming up on three months pregnant, so we have a way to go. They said the middle of September, but having twins can make the due date vary,” Amalie said.
“What’s Shirley think about this?” he asked.
“Oh, you’re the first to know,” Amalie said. “Shirley is making dinner for the family tomorrow. We’re making the announcement to them then.”
“Then I’ll keep quiet until later. This is wonderful. Just wonderful. I wish I was close. I missed all of your childhood. I would love to be near to watch them grown up.”
“I guess you could, if you wanted to live in Jubilee,” Sean said.
“What do you mean?” Wolf asked.
“I heard Ray Caldwell is putting the Serenity Inn up for sale because of health issues,” Sean said.
All of a sudden, Wolf’s expression shifted. “Really? I might give him a call to see what’s up with that.”
“Jubilee is a far cry from your corporate life and world travels,” Sean warned.
“But it’s far grander than how I was raised,” Wolf said. “And none of what I have means anything without people to share it with. You two have made me so happy. I love you both. Take care of each other, and I might see you soon.”
“Anytime, Dad, and remember, you have an open invitation to the extra bedroom here at Shirley’s house.”
“Thank you, honey, but that bedroom won’t be extra for long. You’re going to have to have a nursery for two before the year is out. Call me whenever, and if I head your way, I’ll let you know in advance.”
“Okay, bye, Dad,” Amalie said.
The connection ended.
Sean and Amalie were excited to have finally shared their news, but Wolf was already calling Ray Caldwell to get a status update about the hotel. He was already an investor at Hotel Devon, but he’d gladly sell his shares back to the corporation for the opportunity to own the Serenity Inn outright. Then he could live in the penthouse, set up an office from there and a section for his security guards, and grow old with his family around him.
***
Once Ray Caldwell had set the federal fraud investigators onto Larry Beaumont and his two associates, he was even more anxious to get the hotel paperwork in order. He knew there were whispers in the hotel industry about his recent health scares, and he’d been approached by more than one corporation regarding other holdings he owned. His wife, Patricia, was campaigning for him to retire completely, but it would take ages to liquidate everything he owned.
The stress of it all was getting to him, and when he got a call at midday from Wolfgang Outen, he would have bet money it wasn’t just to get an update on his health.
Patricia frowned when the phone rang. He blew her a kiss and winked as he answered. “Hello, this is Ray.”
“Ray, Wolf Outen here. I was just speaking to Amalie and Sean, who passed on a bit of info I wanted to follow up on.”
“Before you ask, yes, I’m working toward selling my hotel in Jubilee,” Ray said.
Wolf chuckled. “Well, I have personal reasons for asking. I won’t pressure you about anything, but before you go public with the news, would you give me a chance at first refusal? I would certainly make it worth your while.”
“Of course,” Ray said. “I wish I was there to give you the tour myself. It would rest easy on my mind to know someone with your integrity was taking over. I have a great staff.”
“Was it your health that prompted this?” Wolf asked.
“That and the interim manager I hired. He’s not working out,” Ray said. “I have an auditor already on-site getting a final audit and an updated P&L statement. Profit and loss, the bane of any business owner’s world.”
“Your auditor… Is he nearing the finish line?”
“It’s a woman. Her name is Harley Banks. She’s—”
“I know who she is,” Wolf said. “She’s a shark, which means she’s working on more than the P&L for you. Is it the manager?”
“At this moment, I can’t comment on anything more, other than to assure you that by the time the hotel is ready for sale, the tangle will have been removed.”
“Understood,” Wolf said. “In the meantime, if I just happened to be coming to the area to visit my kids, I assume it wouldn’t be misunderstood if I chose to book a room at your hotel?”
Ray smiled. “We’d be glad to have you. And if you do, maybe you and Harley could meet. For now, she knows more about what’s going on there than I do. If you decide to show up, just let me know and I’ll give her the okay to share information with you regarding the business. The other stuff is being dealt with as we speak.”
“Thank you, Ray. I’ll do that, and I look forward to meeting her. I would pay a king’s ransom to have her working in my organization, riding herd on the financial aspects of my holdings.”
“From all I know, she’s a loner,” Ray said.
“True, but one can dream,” Wolf said. “Take care and I’ll be in touch.”
“I look forward to hearing from you,” Ray said, and disconnected.
Patricia looked up. “Who was that?”
“Wolfgang Outen.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.”
“No. He heard the hotel might be for sale. It was a fishing expedition for sure, but he did ask for first refusal before I put it on the market.”
She grinned. “What a boon that would be for all concerned.”
“Agreed,” Ray said. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
***
Ollie Prine arrived in Jubilee, Kentucky, after midnight, rented a little cabin at Bullard’s Campgrounds, and slept until midmorning. But before he pulled a trigger anywhere, he had some recon to do. He had a location, but no room number. He didn’t know her routine. He had to see her face to know for sure she was still on the premises, and when he did, there would be no hesitation. The silencer on his gun would muffle the act, and the bullet would do the rest.
***
After Rusty sent Harley’s file to Special Agent Howard, she began digging into Tipton Crossley’s background on her own. The one thing Rusty could do from her end was look into the forged papers. Harley had included photocopies of a couple of samples of paperwork with Wilhem Crossley’s legal signature and some copies of the forged signatures. What she now needed was an example of Tipton Crossley’s signature, and the quickest and easiest place to look for it was at the DMV.
She was in the act of pulling up the Pennsylvania DMV website when she heard a crash, then a shriek, and then the sounds of running feet and the click of Ghost’s nails on the hardwood floors.
“I got it! Nobody’s bleeding. We’re good!” Cameron yelled.
“Thank you!” she shouted back, but it didn’t stop the tattling. Mikey reached her first, but Ella was right behind him, her little toddler legs running almost as fast as her brother’s.
“I had a accident,” Mikey said. “Scared Sissy, but I didn’t hurt her, okay, Mama?”
Rusty swiveled around in her chair and picked both of them up in her lap. “Accidents happen, buddy, and I know you would never hurt your baby sister. But what broke?”
“It might have been that old bowl on the kitchen table. The one with the apples in it.”
She hid a smile. “Might have been, or for sure was?”
“For sure,” Mikey said, and laid his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
Rusty hugged him. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. Accidents happen.” Then she addressed the tears still on Ella’s cheeks and started wiping them away. “Look at me, Ella. We need to wipe those tears off your cheeks because we don’t need them anymore, do we?”
“Don’t need ’em,” Ella said.
Rusty hugged her, too. “Right. Mikey is sorry you were scared. Wanna give him a hug so he isn’t sad anymore?”
Ella leaned across Rusty’s lap and hugged her brother, who instantly reciprocated with a hug and a kiss.
“Sorry, Sissy,” Mikey said.
“Sorry I cry,” Ella said.
Rusty hugged and kissed them both. “Okay now, Daddy probably has it all cleaned up by now. You both go tell Ghost you’re sorry, too. He worries when you two are upset.”
They slid off her lap and ran out as fast as they’d come in.
She sighed, then refocused on the website, found a photocopy of Tipton Crossley’s driver’s license, then copied and pasted it to a file, added a scan of one of the forged papers, and sent them to her contact, along with instructions as to what she needed to know.
She hadn’t heard back from Jay Howard. For the time being, there was nothing more she could do.
***
Josie Fallin’s fan club event was in full swing. She started off by giving the attendees time to come in, get their gift bags, find the seating chart with their names on it, and visit with each other before she made her appearance. But the moment she entered and stepped up to the microphone, the room erupted into rounds of applause.
Josie smiled and waved. “Hi, y’all. I’m so happy to get this chance to meet you. We’re gonna have so much fun today. Karaoke for the brave, all kinds of goodies in your gift bags, and just so you know, this whole event is being videoed, and each of you will all be receiving a link of the entire event to save to your devices at a later date. Now, before we get started, I’m going to address the question I’ve been getting on social media. Yes, my brother, Alex, is healing better than expected, considering how close he came to dying in that wreck. I had planned for him to be here today, but he’s not up to a party yet, so I’ll give him your love, okay?”
They cheered and clapped, and then silenced as Josie held up her hand.
“While Alex can’t be here, I want you to meet the man who saved his life. Brendan Pope, the head pastry chef of the Serenity Inn, and one hot biker dude. The man who turns out food fit for angels and rides his Harley like the Devil’s on his tail. Get yourself on out here and say hello!” Josie said.
“This is your cue,” Liz said, and gave Brendan a push. He entered the room through the same door as Josie, minus his chef coat and cap, wearing the white shirt and blue jeans he’d worn to work. He was a sight to behold as he walked out onto the stage, immediately dwarfing her diminutive size.
The oohs and aahs and the occasional whoop of delight were enough to send Brendan packing, but he’d promised Liz he’d endure this, so he made himself wave and smile.
“Thank you for doing this,” Josie said. “And thank you, sir, for saving my brother’s life. As a memento of my undying appreciation, my record label and I want to give you this award for heroism in the face of danger. I don’t know all the details of that day, but I know what Alex told me. The bus was smoking. The engine was already on fire, and you didn’t run away. You ran toward danger. You popped the back exit to give people access to escape and then saw him standing on the overturned bus, about to pass out from blood loss, and pulled him down and carried him to safety. Thank you from all of us,” Josie said, and handed him an ornately carved plaque.
The applause continued long and loud until Josie held up her hand to silence them, then Brendan moved to the mic.
“You know that old saying about being in the wrong place at the wrong time? I’m no hero. I did what any man would have done. The only difference between me and them was that I was in the right place at the right time. There were dozens of heroes there that day. Police, firefighters, and EMTs. Jubilee is good like that. We take care of our own, and the visitors who knock on our doors. Have a great day, and hope you enjoy the food.”
Josie’s photographer snapped multiple shots of her and Brendan onstage, and of him receiving the award. He flashed one last smile and exited the stage.
Josie turned to the audience and grinned. “He looks as good walkin’ offstage as he did walking on, doesn’t he, ladies?”
After that, the party continued. Brendan was back in the kitchen with his award propped up on a shelf, getting chastised by the crew for staying mum about what he’d done, but he just smiled and kept on working.