Chapter 15 #2
Skylar had said that his mother had left not long after he was born.
She wondered how any woman could abandon her husband and child.
But then, she recalled hearing that her cousin Jeremiah’s first wife had done exactly the same thing.
She had walked away, leaving him with three small sons to raise on his own.
She had taken Carrie, who had been a baby barely six weeks old at the time.
But although Haven didn’t know the whole story, the little part her grandmother had shared with her made it clear Carrie would have been better off with her father and brothers.
She walked over to a picture of the day Skylar had been christened. A man who favored Dante and Ricco stood beside Skylar’s father, who held the baby. “I take it your father is the one holding you? And I recognize a younger Ricco. Is the guy who favors Dante, his father?” she asked.
“Yes. That’s Mario Avera. He and Ricco were my father’s best friends. Mario passed away ten years ago in a skiing accident,” Skylar said. “My father and Ricco took his death hard.”
After looking at the picture again, she now understood the nature of the three men’s friendship. Ricco was Skylar’s godfather, and Dante, Mario’s son, was Skylar’s godbrother. Haven figured that now that Skylar’s father was gone, the man’s trusted friends were looking out for Skylar.
She thought about what Skylar had told her about his father as they’d walked through the house. She could hear all the love he’d had for Silas Kingston in his voice.
She motioned to another photo. It was one showing an older couple, standing beside Silas Kingston, who held his son. Skylar appeared to be around a year old. “Are those your grandparents?”
“Yes. Savino and Ursula Kingston. They were the best. Savino died of a heart attack when I was sixteen, and my grandmother, Ursula, two years later. It was less than a month after I graduated from high school.”
He paused, then added, “It was as if, with me leaving for college, she felt her work was done and was ready to go join Grampa Savino, whom she loved deeply.”
“You named your hotels after her?” Haven asked.
“Dad did, and I agreed it was the best way to honor such a sophisticated and classy woman. She is the reason the Kingston Corporation supports so many charities. Her family had been dirt poor, and without the help of others, she said her family wouldn’t have made it.
Some of the local charities fed them, clothed them and even helped to find her parents’ jobs.
They also provided daycare services if Ursula got home from school before her parents got in from work.
And when her parents were sick and couldn’t afford medicine, those charities came through for them again.
She never forgot them and taught my father the importance of giving back to charities who helped others in a time of need. ”
Now Haven understood why the Kingstons were so philanthropic. Some wealthy people only gave what they felt was expected of them, but the Kingstons went well beyond that. “How did she die?” she asked.
“A brain aneurism.” He stared at all the framed photos on the wall, then said, “As a kid, I’d get annoyed by how many photos my grandparents and father would take. Now I appreciate that they captured these special moments on film. I have a beautiful wall of memories.”
Haven had pictures of her parents, some taken together, others taken separately.
They seemed so happy, and she often wondered what could have snapped in her father’s mind to make him think it was better to take his and his wife’s life than continue on.
According to Gramma Dora, her mother had suspected him of drug use.
When he began selling items in their home to support his habit, Barbara Jean had decided she’d had enough.
Unfortunately, Lenny McGuire hadn’t wanted to let her go.
When Skylar had escorted Haven into the dining room, her breath had caught.
On the table was a candlelight dinner for two.
It looked so romantic. The food the chef had prepared had been delicious, and she had thanked him and the waiter who had seen to their every need.
For dessert, they’d enjoyed peach pie. Skylar had obviously remembered that it was her favorite.
Over dinner, he’d shared his good news about the Napa Valley deal he had just closed, and then told her that he would be gone again for a few days next week. They set up a time for another date when he returned to Arizona.
During the meal, Haven had told him about her future plans.
She intended to work at Marimar for only a couple of years before going to medical school and pursuing a combined MD-PhD program.
Since she had already taken a number of the prerequisites while getting her degree in medical research, she’d be able to complete her studies in half the time.
That way, she could practice medicine while conducting research.
Her lifetime goal was to help develop a cure for cancer.
Once dinner was over, he whisked her away for a night of dancing in one of the clubs he co-owned with one of his close friends from college, Armando Lockhart.
She liked Armando and his wife, Navia, immediately.
The leader of the live band, Curio, was also a college friend of his.
For a guy who called himself a loner, Skylar sure had a lot of friends.
“Ready to start dancing?” Skylar asked, extending his hand to her.
She smiled at him, not believing he had flown them from Arizona for a night of dancing in California. This was what dreams were made of. “Oh, yeah!”
Taking her hand, Skylar led her to the dance floor.
One of the things Skylar loved about Haven was that she was outgoing and warm to everyone she met.
She never acted as if she was above anyone.
Dante had told him that she’d called him this week--not to complain about the hotel staff, but to compliment them on everything they were doing to make her stay at the Ursula Hotel enjoyable.
She wanted him to know that several other medical researchers had mentioned the exemplary service they were receiving.
Skylar took an admiring look at Haven. That dress looked fantastic on her, but then, he’d thought she looked beautiful in everything he’d seen her wear.
Because they would return to the hotel rather late, he’d give her time to sleep in on Sunday and would arrange for her to have brunch with him after one o’clock.
And because she’d mentioned that she hadn’t had a chance to see other parts of Sedona, he had arranged a tour for them.
“You and Armando own a really cool club, Skylar,” she said after they had danced a few times.
He smiled. “What’s cool about it?” he asked, taking a sip of his martini.
“I haven’t gone to a lot of nightclubs, mind you, but the ones my girlfriends and I would visit when we were in college were dark, loud, and packed wall to wall with people. The atmosphere in this bar is totally different. Very upscale.”
“That was my and Armando’s intention. We wanted something that would attract a more sophisticated crowd. By the way, where did you learn to dance?” He had noticed how easy it was for her to adjust to different rhythms and beats.
“I took dancing lessons. That was one of the things my grandmother found the money for me to do. I loved it and would often choreograph some of my own dance routines. The University of Georgia offered me a dance scholarship, but I chose Yale for medical research instead.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got rhythm. And maybe, one day, you will dance just for me,” Skylar said, giving her a wink.
She grinned. “I might just do that…if you play your cards right.”
It was close to four in the morning when they returned to the Ursula Hotel. Haven had slept through most of the flight back, held contentedly in Skylar’s arms. She had been too deep in sleep to hear him whisper more words of love in Italian against her ear.
Instead of walking through the lobby, Skylar had used his private entrance and elevator to carry her up to her room in his arms. Luckily, they hadn’t run into anyone.
He wasn’t worried about his own reputation, but didn’t want to risk hers.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to consider their relationship tawdry, or that he was in any way taking advantage of her.
Because he wasn’t. He had fallen hopelessly in love with Haven McGuire.
Upon entering her hotel room, he had placed her in the middle of the bed and stood back, staring down at her beauty.
Though he was tempted to remove her dress so she could sleep more comfortably, he gently shook her awake.
He knew that a half-naked Haven was something he wasn’t ready to deal with.
Her eyes slowly came open, and she smiled at him, then asked in a groggy voice, “You want to dance some more?”
Skylar grinned and shook his head. “No, we danced enough tonight.” And they had. Even after the club had officially closed for the night, they’d still danced to slow numbers. He had loved having her in his arms.
“We are back at the hotel, and you need to get ready for bed,” he said softly. “Do you need my help?”
She shook her head. “No thanks. I can manage. Thanks for such a wonderful evening, Skylar. You made me feel special.”
“You are special, Haven. Always believe that. I want you to sleep late tomorrow and then hopefully, you can join me for brunch around one.”
“I would love that.”
“And after brunch, I’ve arranged for us to take a tour of the valley. How does that sound?”
“It sounds wonderful,” she said, easing up and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I don’t want these four weeks to end, Skylar.”
“Neither do I, Haven.” There was no need to tell her right now that he was doing everything he could to make sure they didn’t. He would wine and dine her, giving them a chance to continue to get to know each other. He refused to rush things between them.
Leaning in, he kissed her and wondered if she could feel his love for her in their kiss. Probably not now, but he was confident that one day, she would.