Chapter 17
LINDA
Linda sat at the wide desk in her uncle’s office at Hearts Hotel turning another page of the pool contractor's revised schedule. The work had started early that morning, and it was one less thing to worry about for now.
Linda had watched it from the back lawn with her coffee in her hand. Two crews had arrived. And the foreman, whose name was Ray Beauchamp, had politely brought her his revised project plans, marked every step complete with a proposed timeline.
For the first time in two years, Linda was not the one holding the whole hotel together with her bare hands. It was a strange feeling. She wasn't sure she trusted the feeling yet, but she liked it.
The knock on her office door drew her out of her thoughts.
"Come in," Linda called.
The door opened to show Maggie and Michael, who stepped through the frame and then stood side by side just in front of it.
Linda's eyes narrowed. She took them in suspiciously; something was going on here. She noticed the leather folder under his arm tucked beneath Michael’s arm, and how closely they were standing together.
Maggie's cheeks were a bit flushed. Michael had that look about him that said he was hiding something.
"Hi," Maggie greeted her.
"Hi," Michael said at the same time.
"Hello," Linda greeted them back, not missing the way the greeting had tumbled out a little nervously. Mmm, something is definitely going on here. "Is everything okay? You’re both acting weird, and I'm starting to get creepy vibes here."
They both laughed. A laugh that brought pictures of nervous teenagers caught in the act.
Michael held the leather folder up for Linda to see.
"Maggie's divorce is signed," Michael said. "Kevin signed the papers this afternoon."
Linda was on her feet before he finished the sentence.
"Maggie," Linda said. "Oh, Maggie, that’s huge.”
She came around the desk and pulled her best friend into a hug so tight that Maggie let out a soft squeak that reminded her of one of those squeaky toys.
"It's really done," Maggie told her. "It's over."
"Oh, Maggie," Linda breathed. "I am so happy for you."
"It feels like I've been holding my breath for two years," Maggie said quietly, "and somebody just told me I could let it out."
"You can," Linda told her, pulling back to look at her face. "Now you can live your life again free of that man hanging over you like a dark cloud.”
"The best news is that Kevin is getting nothing," Maggie’s grin widened. “Not even Toby”
"Nothing?" Linda repeated. “Oh, thank goodness. How did you get Kevin to sign?” Linda asked curiously. “Without you having to give him half of everything you owned.”
"It's a longer story than we have time for right now," Michael answered.
"But the short version is, Maggie set him up with a trap this morning.
Vanessa walked right into it. We've also retained Maggie's celebrity client as a separate client of mine, and we're closing Kitsch Couture by the end of the week. "
Linda gaped at him.
"You're closing Kitsch Couture," Linda repeated. She blinked, then glanced at Maggie, amused. “Oh, no, wherever will I buy my fake couture from now?”
"I suggest you stock up quickly,” Maggie responded with a snort. “I have it on good authority that everything is probably going to have a huge markdown because all things have to go.”
Linda sat down on the edge of her father's desk. She pressed her hand to her chest and let out a long, slow breath.
"Maggie," Linda said. "We have to celebrate this. Tonight. Properly. This is not news we can just not have a small gathering for.”
"That sounds wonderful," Maggie answered. “But that’s not all the news we have to tell you.”
Then she nudged Michael in the ribs. Linda watched it happen.
She watched Michael look down at Maggie.
She watched Maggie tilt her head at him and widen her eyes in a gesture clearly meant to tell her.
Then Michael responded by widening his eyes and tilting his own head toward Linda.
She watched Maggie shake her head furiously and glare at him.
It was like a game of head movements and face-gesturing charades.
Linda folded her arms.
"What?" Linda said. “I know something is going on, so out with it.”
"N… Nothing,” Maggie swallowed and then tried to subtly nudge Michael with her elbow once again.
"Uh-huh.” Linda’s eyes narrowed some more as she eyed them out, seeing them start to squirm under their intense gaze.
“Nothing, huh? Then what's this?" Linda asked, splaying her fingers and moving her hand in a small, slow circle around her brother and her best friend.
"Something is happening here. I have known both of you my entire life. I know when something is happening."
"That's the other thing we have to tell you," Maggie admitted.
"Okay," Linda said. She leaned back, folded her arms tighter, and perched against the side of her desk. "Spill. What's going on?"
"Well, uh," Michael started, and then he was nothing but nerves. He glanced at Maggie. Maggie looked up at him with a soft, undeniable expression that Linda had been waiting forty years to see on her best friend's face. Then what they were trying to tell her suddenly clicked.
"Wait," Linda spluttered. "Have the two of you finally gotten together?"
"What?" Michael and Maggie said in unison.
"You have, haven't you?" Linda gaped at them. "Oh my word."
She squealed and rushed forward scooping her brother and Maggie into her arms. “Finally.”
"Wait," Maggie said, pulling back. "Linda. You knew? You knew about us?"
"Oh, good grief," Linda said. "Who do you think set the two of you up to go to prom together?"
Maggie and Michael went very still.
"What does that mean?” Michael asked, his brow furrowing.
"Yes, Linda, what do you mean?" Maggie looked at her questioningly
"I mean," Linda answered, "that I paid Trevor Collins to drop you on the day of the prom, then bribed Janie Reilly to take Trevor back so they could go to the prom together.”
Maggie was staring at her, open-mouthed.
"You did that?" Maggie asked.
“And here I thought Maggie was the most creatively manipulative one here,” Michael drawled.
“I wanted the two of you to get together,” Linda finally admitted. “You were both clearly madly in love with each other, and I thought it would be awesome to have my big brother and best friend as a couple.”
Michael stared at his sister with such an intense look that she felt as if he were physically making her crumble into dust. “You set that whole prom thing up from the start?”
“I did,” Linda said proudly. “I learned how to scheme from the master,” she grinned pointedly at Maggie.
“Why do I suddenly feel like the hunter that’s become the hunted?” Maggie stated.
“You haven’t directly answered my question,” Linda pointed out. “Are the two of you finally a couple?”
“We’re in an exclusive relationship,” they said together.
“So dating!” Linda clarified.
“Yes,” Michael answered her honestly. “I hope you can give us your blessing.”
“Have you not been listening?” Linda asked her brother. “I’ve already given you my blessing. Heck, I nearly bankrupted myself trying to get the two of you together.” Her eyes went from Maggie to her big brother. "I am so happy for both of you. It seems like you’ve truly had a big day today.”
Before they could say more, there was a sharp knock that landed on the office door before any of them could say anything else.
Martin popped his head through the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but you need to urgently check the news,” Martin told her, and the desperation in his voice put her on instant alert. “This is important, and it can’t wait. It’s about the hotel.”
“What is it?” Linda asked, looking at the document in Martin’s hand.
"The Wayne Group is trying to buy up our outstanding loans," Martin told them. "They have an offer at the bank on one of the construction loans from a few years ago as well as the mortgage and another loan.”
Linda's mouth went dry. "What do think they’re going to do?" Linda asked.
"If they have all three loans in a few days, they walk into our meeting holding every piece of debt this hotel owes.
They can call for a strict performance review of the loan covenants.
They can issue payment demands within the schedule allowed by the original loans.
They can apply pressure your uncle never would have faced from places that hold the original loans like First Coast, because First Coast has been doing business with George since the seventies and would never have pushed," Martin explained.
"Son of a," Michael started, then he stopped himself. He set the leather folder down on Linda's desk and leaned on it.
"What does this mean?" Linda asked. "Michael. What does this actually mean for the hotel?"
"It means," Michael answered, "that they are not coming to the meeting to make us an offer.
They are coming to issue payment demands on debt they now own, to a hotel they know cannot pay, and to offer to forgive those debts in exchange for the sale they have been chasing for a year.
It is a coordinated squeeze, Linda. They have been probably setting this up for months.
The letters were the soft opening. This is the actual move. "
Maggie's hand had come up to her mouth. “No. What a bunch of vultures.”
"They are trying to corner us," Linda said.
"Yes, that is exactly what they are trying to do,” Michael confirmed.
"What do we do?" Linda asked.
Michael didn’t answer for a full ten seconds