Chapter 8
Haven
Sedona Valley, Arizona
“Thanks, Thea, and please let Jeremiah know I called,” Haven McGuire said as she stepped out of her hotel room and quickly headed for the elevator. Her alarm hadn’t gone off, and she was rushing to the welcome breakfast sponsored by one of the local hospitals.
“I’ll be sure to tell him you made it safely to Arizona. We’re going to miss having you over for Sunday dinners for a while.”
“And I’m going to miss being there. I’m about to step on the elevator and might lose you. Bye, Thea.”
“Bye and stay safe.”
“Will do,” she managed to say just as the elevator door shut.
She pushed the button for the fifth floor.
Last night before going to bed, she had taken the time to glance through this week’s program and had ticked off those workshops she was interested in attending.
There were two sessions before lunch and another three afterwards.
If she timed it right, she would be back in her room around four, take a quick thirty-minute power nap, and then get ready to attend tonight’s welcome banquet at six-thirty.
She stepped off the elevator, took a few steps, and was about to turn to her right when she collided with what felt like a solid wall. It didn’t take her long to realize it was a man’s chest. His arms grabbed hers to keep her from stumbling backward.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said when she got her bearings. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Neither was I, so I’m sorry as well. Are you okay?” a deep husky voice asked.
Haven blinked when she looked into the man’s face.
His features were so striking, they almost took her breath away.
And his eyes were so dark they appeared navy blue.
He was of mixed heritage--that was quite obvious with his almond-colored skin tone and straight black hair, which flowed around his shoulders like a silk curtain.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” she said, finally finding her voice.
He released his hold on her. “No problem. Have a nice day.”
“You, too.”
He nodded and then headed in the opposite direction.
She stood there and watched him leave, admiring his smooth movements.
She was grateful he hadn’t had a coffee cup in his hand, or she likely would have spilled it all over what looked like a custom-made suit he was wearing…
and wearing so well. Even from the back, it fit his body to perfection, showcasing wide shoulders and a physique that suggested he spent a lot of time at the gym.
Then suddenly, as if he’d known she was still watching him, he turned, captured her gaze, and smiled.
Even from across the lobby, his dimples mesmerized her. Why did she suddenly feel some strong, magnetic pull between them? She’d never experienced this feeling before with a man. Whatever it was, it enticed her to smile back.
Forcing her gaze from him, she checked her watch.
She had only five minutes to get to her destination.
There was no telling how much time she had lost ogling the guy.
But she had to admit, he had been worth every minute.
She began walking in the direction of the meeting room, and on impulse, she glanced to where he’d been earlier, but he was gone.
Oh, well, it had been good while it had lasted.
She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt the need to be naughty.
She would not have dared when Gramma Dora was alive.
But then, she would have done anything for Dora Gables.
She’d raised a ten-month-old baby alone after losing her only daughter, barely two years to the day of losing her beloved husband.
But her grandmother had been the best, even though she’d had to put off her retirement until after Haven was out of high school and into college.
Upon her grandmother’s insistence, Haven had not only gotten a bachelor’s degree but also her master’s, both from Yale.
Though Haven had loved the years she had spent in Connecticut, she’d always looked forward to going home during the summers to the small town of Tifton, Georgia.
Tifton was known as the “Friendly City” and, over the years, had attracted young professionals, retirees, and young families, all while retaining its small-town feel.
She knew, from their family history, that Tifton was where the Montgomery family originated.
Then, back in the early 1960s, some had migrated north to Chicago and settled in nearby towns such as Gary, Indiana, to work in the steel mills.
Haven’s great-grandmother had watched her three older brothers leave, but she had remained in Tifton to marry Alto Fields.
They’d had one daughter, her grandmother, Dora, who had married Percival Gables when she was eighteen.
Their only daughter, Barbara Jean, had been Haven’s mother.
She was told her mother had named her Haven because it meant a safe and peaceful place.
Although most people had found her name odd, she had always liked it.
No one had known just how sick Gramma Dora was, not even Jeremiah, and the two had been close cousins all their lives.
Dora had kept her illness hidden until she couldn’t anymore.
Both Haven and Jeremiah had gotten notification on the same day that her grandmother had been put in hospice.
Haven had been shocked, since she talked to her grandmother at least twice a week.
She’d noticed her grandmother’s weight loss at Jeremiah and Thea’s wedding, but Gramma Dora said it was due to medication her doctor had prescribed to stabilize her diabetes.
The hospice doctor explained that Dora had a rapidly spreading form of bladder cancer.
Haven returned to Tifton just in time to receive her grandmother’s two deathbed requests.
Dora had told her only grandchild to appreciate every moment, because tomorrow wasn’t promised to anyone.
She also told Haven that there would be times when strangers would appear in her life.
They’d show up for a reason, and she wanted Haven to appreciate it when they did.
Gramma Dora’s only deathbed request for Jeremiah was that he always be there for Haven. She appreciated Jeremiah’s support throughout the funeral arrangements, as well as that of his wife, their children, and their spouses. They were all the family she had left now.
Remembering her grandmother’s last request to Jeremiah was the main reason she’d accepted the job as a medical researcher in Chicago for one of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Jeremiah and his wife, Thea, lived in Gary, Indiana, which was less than an hour away from Chicago.
This would be her first Thanksgiving without Gramma Dora, and spending that day with the Montgomerys would make it easier to get through.
As she made it to the huge meeting room, grabbed a cup of coffee and a cranberry muffin from the complimentary breakfast table, she then took a seat.
She felt lucky to be here, having been chosen by her boss, Addie Lowery.
She had only worked for Marimar Pharmaceuticals for a few months, but Addie felt that, given her minor in Engineering Technology, she was the ideal candidate to attend the four-week training session.
The summit was designed to introduce medical researchers to advanced technology that would benefit them in their work.
She took a sip of coffee as she waited for the meeting to begin.
While waiting, she couldn’t stop thinking about the sexy guy she had bumped into earlier.
He’d smelled so good… Whatever cologne he’d been wearing was definitely memorable.
This was a huge hotel, and chances were, their paths wouldn’t cross again…
unfortunately. Still, she was here for business and not pleasure—regardless of how much pleasure she’d like to have with him.
Just then, the first speaker walked over to the podium, putting an end to her naughty daydreams.
Dante Mario Avera served as both the general manager and the head of security for the Ursula Hotels and Resorts. He looked up at the man, who was known to be a stickler for promptness, as he slid into the seat across from his desk. “You’re late, Sky.”
“Then dock my pay.”
Dante rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t sure you would come.”
“Did I have a choice? I was in the fitness center this morning when I got your text from that special number. What’s up?”
“Someone, we don’t know who just yet, was trying to get into databases for information on Silas.”
Skylar Kingston sat up straight in his chair. “Why?”
“We have no idea. However, we’re on it.”
“I’m sure you are,” Skylar said, grinning.
Dante’s father, Mario Avera, had been Skylar’s father’s best friend.
He’d also been Silas’ trusted confidant, security manager, and if needed, his henchman.
Upon Mario’s death ten years ago, Dante had inherited the roles.
Mario had trained his son well. In Italian, the name Dante meant enduring or steadfast. Dante was both.
“In the meantime, Sky…”
“I know the drill, Dante. Have you ever thought that maybe you’re getting a little paranoid as you get older?” Dante was thirteen years older than Skylar, but at times, he acted a lot older than that, especially when it came to his protection.
“This isn’t funny, Sky. Your Italian ancestors, the Romanos, were known to engage in some shady shit back in the day.
Although it seemed to end with your great-grandfather Sergio’s death, we need to make sure.
Sergio made a lot of enemies. Luckily, your grandfather, Savino, who didn’t want to have anything to do with the family business, walked away from it.
He changed his last name from Romano to Kingston, and married Ursula, the American woman he’d fallen in love with.
Savino and Ursula were determined to protect their only son, Silas, and build their own empire ─ a legitimate one. And then Silas─”