2. Two Deeds, Two Owners
CHAPTER 2
Two Deeds, Two Owners
Henry
“Jesus, Russ.” I clenched my jaw as the incredibly hot blonde winked at me.
I’d met women like that before; women who thought they owned the world, who thought they could get men to bend to their will. If Russ had just a smidgen of self-control, he would’ve seen through her goddamn charade of damsel in distress.
“Sorry.” Russ kneaded the nape of his neck as if waking up from some sort of spell. “I didn’t think there’d be any harm in her going through. She’s just going to her hotel.”
“Russ. What fucking hotel? The only hotel on Main Street is condemned. We just blew up the entire block, remember? We spent all week evacuating people because it isn’t safe.” I rubbed the stubble on my cheek.
“The survey is as good as done. The foundation held up.”
We’d taken weeks to plan this operation. The thing about dealing with explosives was that we couldn’t know what part of the road wasn’t up to spec or recorded accurately .
“Until every inch is inspected, the survey is not done.” I threw my hat in the back of my truck and took off.
“Where you going?” Russ asked.
“Just going up the road for a few minutes. I’d like to know why the fuck there’s a woman in town thinking my hotel is hers.” I stomped away from the construction site with city hall in my line of sight.
“Oh. I thought that was odd she said that.”
I snorted and turned to face him. “You were thinking? It certainly didn’t look like it from where I was standing.”
“I’d never seen a woman like her, is all. It’s not just me, right? You saw her?” His ears turned bright red.
Yeah, I saw her, smelled her, felt her. But if a couple of her fingers tapping on my chest could make me want to forget about everything I came here to do, I was in deep trouble. No, I’d come this far. I couldn’t let some blonde bombshell with the face of an angel ruin my plans. I didn’t care how tight her jeans were. She was trouble, and she couldn’t stay.
“Get back to work, Russ. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Two blocks down, I climbed the steps to city hall and went straight to the mayor’s office. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with that sleazeball, but the hotel situation couldn’t wait.
“Good morning, Patty.” I smiled at his receptionist. “I need a word with the mayor.”
She smoothed out her skirt and pulled at her top before she scurried around her desk to stand between the door to the mayor’s office and me. “I’m sorry, Henry. He’s in a meeting.”
Through the glass panel, our honorable mayor sat at his desk, stuffing his face with donut holes. I raked a hand over my face and hair. I met Patty’s gaze, and her cheeks flushed. She offered an apologetic one-shoulder shrug and continued to hold her ground.
I stepped toward her, cocking my head so we were eye to eye. “I need to talk to him. And we both know he’s not in a meeting. That would actually make him productive.”
“Fudge. Okay, but—” She swallowed, making a sound like she was gasping for air.
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” I sidestepped her and marched into the office. Behind me, Patty said something about knocking first. Please. It wasn’t as if the asshole couldn’t see us out here.
Mayor Jonathan Cavalier looked up from his box of donuts and slumped back in his chair. “What do you want?” He blinked slowly as he smoothed the thinning hair on top of his head.
I gripped the back of the chair facing his desk. It was the chair or his neck. How did the townspeople not see him for the creep he was?
“There’s a woman in town. Apparently, she’s here for my hotel. Care to explain why the fuck that is?”
He flinched and looked behind me to Patty. I followed his line of sight back to the reception area, where Patty stood by her desk, staring at us with wide eyes and her fingers on the phone keypad. I flashed her a smile to ease her nerves. Hopefully, there would be no need to call the sheriff this time. I was full of patience today.
“What I do with my hotel is none of your business.” He wiped powdered sugar off his tie.
“Two queens and an ace high say the hotel is mine.” I ran out of small words for Jonathan Cavalier years ago.
He perked up at that. His beady eyes flicked toward the door before they landed on me. Everyone in town knew our esteemed mayor liked to lose money at poker. Thanks to his gambling addiction, I was finally the grand owner of one of the oldest buildings in town, an architect’s dream come true.
“Yes. Well, about that. I think it would be best if you discuss it with my lawyer.” He used his chubby index finger to page Patty. When he sat back, his white shirt showed sweat spots around his armpits. What a disgrace he was to the Cavalier family. My dad had always said so, and I agreed.
Patty rushed into the room, pen and notepad in hand. “Yes, sir.”
“Could you schedule an appointment for Henry and?—”
“Don’t bother. I don’t need an appointment.” I had no time for appointments. I hadn’t forgotten about “just Nikki,” who no doubt was in the process of settling in.
“Henry. Don’t do anything—” Patty’s words faded behind me as I rushed out the office and took the staircase to the main level, where the mayor’s lawyer and best friend kept his office.
The lawyer’s receptionist stood when she saw me coming down the hall. I put up my hand. “The mayor sent me.”
“Oh, Henry. Please,” she said, bracing a hand over her chest.
I knocked on the door. Then turned to her, pointing at the fake smile on my face. “I’ll play nice.”
She rolled her eyes at me but other than that didn’t try to stop me. The mayor’s lawyer friend had the same reaction to my presence as the mayor, except he reached for the antacids instead of the donut holes.
“How can I help you, Henry?”
“What’s going on with my hotel?” I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
“Right. So you heard?” He swallowed, shuffling through papers.
“Heard what?” I asked through gritted teeth. I couldn’t lose this hotel.
“Well, you see, back in 1869 when the hotel was built, or rather, renovated, um…” He dug through more papers. I stepped toward him, and he put up his hand. “Here it is. There ar e two deeds. You see, the hotel was originally two houses. After the big fire and the renovation, they were combined into what we know today as the Cavalier Hotel. See?” He pushed the copies of the two deeds and the hotel blueprints toward me. My great-grandfather’s signature at the bottom caught my eye. The architectural design was his.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Two deeds, two owners. Is that what you’re telling me?”
He wiped his forehead and reached for another tablet. “Yes, Henry. I realize this is unconventional, but back then paperwork had a way of falling through the cracks. Who knows? Maybe this is how the Cavaliers wanted it. It’s hard to say. Either way, Mr. Cavalier had every right to sell the property as two separate entities.”
“Except”—I squeezed the back of the chair—“the property is just one hotel.” Fuck.
“I’m sorry, son.” He offered me a weak smile while he smoothed out his cheap suit. “I spoke with Ms. Swift this morning. She’s a very nice lady. I’m sure if you ask, she’d have no problem selling you her half of the property.”
Yeah, a very nice lady, indeed. Except I didn’t have the money to buy her out. “He knew, didn’t he? When he gambled the deed. You know what? Forget it. I’ll handle this.” I headed out and slammed the office door behind me.
He was a dead end.
Back at the construction site, Russ caught up to me before I reached Main Street. “Hey there, boss. Got things sorted out?”
“Almost.”
“Survey’s done. Just so you know.” He winced.
“Out with it.” I halted and turned to face him.
“We’re good out here. There’s a small fracture out on Main Street, though. Right next to your hotel.”
“Okay. Let’s go fix it. That’s why we’re here.”
Fixing sewage lines beneath the street was a hassle, but we already had the entire block turned upside down. One more hole wasn’t going to break the bank.
“Yeah. ’Bout that.” He stepped back, rubbing the back of his head. “The woman?—”
“Right. Just get her out.” I turned to leave but then stopped. What if this was the thing Ms. Swift needed to realize she didn’t belong here? “On second thought, I’ll handle Ms. Swift. You get the crew together.”
Russ nodded. I got in my Chevy truck and drove the half mile up to the hotel. Just as I thought, Ms. Swift had parked her little Mercedes right at the front door, like she owned the whole place. I pulled over a block away and walked the rest of the way. Once Ms. Swift learned about the true condition of the hotel, she’d have no choice but to sell me her half. No doubt our “honorable” mayor had omitted a few details from the contract when they closed the deal. Why else would she be here, completely unaware of the construction going on?
I peeked through her car window. A designer bag sat on the passenger seat. Full-size suitcases that matched her purse crowded the back seat. I rolled my eyes. Who was she? Some rich girl trying to stick it to Daddy by buying a condemned hotel? That made no sense at all. I pushed away from her car and sauntered to the front door, which was wide open. I should’ve changed the lock when I moved in. But how was I supposed to know Jonathan would pull a stunt like this? No. I should’ve known. This was his style, all right.
I shouldered the door open and barged into the hotel lobby. If Ms. Swift had the face of an angel, she had the mouth of my construction crew after a few rounds of beers at the Speakeasy Bar. She also had a hell of a temper. As I’d thought before, she was all kinds of trouble. When I glanced up at her, glass shards scattered across the floor and toward me. What the hell?
“Fuck my life,” she said again as she picked up another counter stool and threw it against the mirror— the very old, antique mirror that’d been in the Cavalier family for three generations. She spun in place, with rosy cheeks and pouting lips. Her gaze darted around the room, searching for more things to throw at the mirror. When she saw me, she calmed down and shoved sweaty strands of hair off her face, forcing even breaths.
Christ . I’d never seen a woman this angry before, or this beautiful. Unless I counted Hipolita, my first so-called love.
“If you’re here to tell me I can’t be here, let me tell you. You’re the one who can’t be here. In fact, you’re trespassing. Leave. Now.” She stalked toward me in those tight jeans and super-high heels. Still furious. Holy shit.
I brought my hands up to my hips. Two could play this game. “I’m not here about the little stunt you pulled back there. But let’s talk about the trespassing part.”
She pressed her lips together, something between a pout and a frown as her hot blue gaze zeroed in on me. Why did it feel like she could read my thoughts?
With a deep sigh, she extended her arms. “As hard as this may seem, I am the lucky owner of this fine establishment. Ain’t that fucking grand? So you see? You’re the one trespassing.”
I barked out a laugh. The math wasn’t that hard, especially if I factored the mayor into the equation— threw in her fancy car, fancy clothes, and her pissed-off mood. Yeah, the “Honorable” Jonathan Cavalier had duped her too. That sleazeball .
“So what are you mad about? The condemned building or the fact that you’re not the sole owner?” I asked.
“What?” Her head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, it may not be apparent to you, but I live in this fine establishment. As it turns out, this entire hotel is actually two separate houses.” If she didn’t know about the two deeds, then she was just pissed off about the condition of the place. Maybe buying her out was an option. I didn’t care if I had to borrow from the devil himself. She couldn’t stay.
I flashed her a smile. She raised her eyebrow, and I toned down the friendly act. “Looks like you’re having buyer’s remorse. I’d be more than happy to take this dump off your hands. You know, if you’d like.”
She tossed her hair, treating me to a bright smile— all white, perfect teeth, except for her left cuspid, which stuck out a little. I ran two fingers across my lips and chased away the picture creeping up into my head. She couldn’t be her.
The floor shook under my boots the second the memory of Hipolita hit me square in the chest. Hipolita Morrow? I stepped back to put more distance between us. Did she not recognize me? Why was she back? Why the new name? A string of other questions ran through my head, making me dizzy.
“Darling, I think that’s a marvelous idea.” Her tone of voice was sweet, though the fire in her eyes was still there. “But I just got here, and I don’t have a place to stay.” She glanced up at the chandelier, biting her lip. “The place is all yours, provided you let me stay until the end of the month.”
She wanted to live under my roof. Why? A ruffle toward the back of the grand staircase made her cringe, and she got closer to the door. She didn’t want to be here anymore than I wanted her here.
“What happens at the end of the month?” I asked.
She smiled, and for the first time since she got here, she seemed sincere. “I get to go home.”
“Hmm.” I rubbed my jaw.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she strolled back to the bar. My gaze followed her silhouette for a second before I glanced away. Those jeans were already tattooed in my mind; I didn’t need to stare. Having her just a few doors down from my bedroom would definitely be a problem. I couldn’t have anyone sniffing around my business in this place. As far as the townspeople were concerned, I was here to give the downtown area a facelift to bring in more tourists. How long would it take for her to figure out I’d been digging around looking for the old underground passages that led to Cavalier Manor at the edge of town? Would she help me or use me again?
“Are you always this stoic?” she asked.
I stuffed my hands in my jean pockets and surveyed her face. “I have an old friend who can put you up. If you want. You can stay with her for as long as you need to.”
She gritted her teeth and flashed me a fake smile, so different from the one she’d offered before. “I had my heart set on this place.”
Sweet Hipolita had to be one of the worst liars I’d ever met, full of tells. She might fool others, but she wouldn’t last two hands at my poker table.
“Seriously? I’ve been clearing out rats for the last three days. You’re okay with that?”
“I really need to stay here. I made a promise.”
The last part sounded like the truth, though it didn’t help me right now. I needed her gone. Why did I feel like I was losing this battle?
“What if I told you I was here on a mission to avenge my father?”
Her face went blank. How interesting.
“I’d say you’re the biggest kidder I’d ever met.” She laughed and then frowned.
I’d felt it too. The room rumbled again under my feet. Oh shit. I closed the space between us to move her away from the windows, but she was quick, even in those heels. She rushed out the door to her car. Was she insane?
I ran after her, pulled her by the waist, and slammed her against the hotel wall, harder than I meant to. “I told you this street isn’t safe.” My heart pounded as she clung to me, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
“What the hell was that?” she asked.
“Structural damage to—” A loud crack, followed by another rumble boomed around us, and within seconds, the pavement in front of the hotel collapsed, taking her car with it.
“Omigod. What the hell?” Tears brimmed her eyes.
“Are you sure you want to keep that promise?” I asked.