Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Lainey
One Year Ago
A s I sat at a small table outside the café in Rome, my laptop open with my latest work project on the screen, my hand gripping my second cappuccino, my cell vibrated from a call coming through.
I put down the coffee and lifted my phone, smiling as I brought it to my ear and said, “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. How’s Rome?”
The street in front of me was bustling with cars and bikes, the sidewalk full of pedestrians. Since Americans spent their late summers abroad, right before the kids returned to school, I was hitting Italy during a peak time. Had I waited a few weeks, the city would have been a bit quieter.
Quiet was what I had been after, and loud was what I had gotten.
“It’s … Rome.” I laughed. “You’ll be very jealous to hear I’m at a café, having a cappuccino with a whole plate of biscotti in front of me.” I lifted one of the cookies and took a bite, savoring the way it crumbled in my mouth. The heavy flavor of vanilla—which no other country, aside from Italy, could perfect—made me moan. “How are things at home? How’s Dad?”
“Oh, you know your father, he’s stressed with work, as usual. He thinks he’s still your age and won’t even discuss retirement.”
“He craves a busy brain, like me. You need to book him a vacation with a hotel that has a no-refund policy and make him get massages and drink mai tais. If that doesn’t relax him, nothing will.”
“Which is why I’m calling. Your father and I are off to Hawaii in a few days. Our neighbors just got back from Kauai and said it was the best vacation they’d ever taken, so that’s where we’re going. I surprised your father last night with the info. He grumbled at first, but I think he’ll come around once we get on the plane.”
I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair. “That’s fabulous news, Mom. I’m proud of you for taking charge. Dad will absolutely love it. Where are you staying?”
She was silent for a moment, and I glanced at the screen of my phone to make sure she hadn’t hung up.
“The Cole and Spade Hotel on the South Shore of the island.” Another second of silence ticked by. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Cole International merged with Spade Hotels. They’ve got quite a monopoly in the hotel industry.”
My eyes closed, the pounding of my heart causing my breathing to speed up.
Of course I’d heard.
Rhett’s family already had hotels across the globe, and when combined with the Spades’ empire, their name was everywhere, including most of the places I’d traveled to over the last fourteen years.
“Yes, I’m aware.” My voice was far too soft. “Is Dad okay with staying at a Cole hotel, or was that the reason for his grumbling?”
After I’d left for Europe, my father had never mentioned Rhett’s name to me again. That wasn’t the case with my mom. She approached those conversations delicately, allowing me to discuss him when I could handle it. And during the first year, I could barely talk about him.
“Your father’s initial response is always a grumble, especially when it involves money. But if he had an issue with the hotel, he didn’t say anything to me about it.”
A flutter moved through my chest.
I didn’t know where it had come from or what had caused it or why it wasn’t leaving.
But I placed my hand there, feeling the thumping of my heart, and said, “I’m sure it’s a beautiful resort. From what I’ve seen of their ones in Europe, they’re five-star accommodations. Rhett’s family—and I’m sure the Spades are the same—don’t do anything that isn’t luxurious.”
“Now, that’s a name I haven’t heard you say in a while.”
Just because I hadn’t said it didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about him.
I’d done plenty of that.
I’d also Googled his name and found an Instagram account that seemed to be his, even though he’d never posted a single photo. During my last trip home to visit my parents, I’d even driven by his house. There was a gate that blocked his entrance from the street, so I could only see parts of his mansion that stuck up beyond the line of hedges.
Why I Googled him every few months, I didn’t know. Why I’d looked up his address and driven by his home, I didn’t know that either. There was no explanation for my desire to want to see where he lived and what his life looked like now and to know details that I couldn’t find online.
There was just something inside me that wanted those answers. But even if I got them, I wouldn’t know what to do with them because my feelings for Rhett Cole were such a complete and utter mess.
I licked my lips, wishing the coffee was an Aperol Spritz. “Well, his name didn’t come out of nowhere. This conversation had prompted it.” I paused. “You haven’t seen him or his family out and about in LA, have you?”
“Honey, we don’t run in the same circles as the Coles.”
“Right.” I took a breath. “I was just curious.”
“I can understand why. You loved that boy for a long time.”
Mom … I still do.