love, it was slow, deliberate, a final farewell. Ty took care with her and allowed her the time she needed to come to grips with the end of their weekend together. His kisses were long and lazy and he caressed her body with the tenderness one would lavish on a precious treasure.
Laney was certain she’d never find a better lover. Ty thrilled her, excited her and made her laugh. But he wouldn’t make her cry, she told herself. She’d known going into this brief affair, there could be no future for them. She hadn’t room in her heart to even try again.
Thanks to Justin Overton, she couldn’t put faith in any relationship any time soon. Maybe forever.
So when Ty sat up, glancing at the clock, realizing the time and offering her a ride to the airport, Laney declined.
They’d say their farewells here and now.
Ty kissed her soundly on the lips and gazing at her with regret in his eyes, he said something quite mysterious, like the mystery man that he was. “You were quite a surprise to me, babe.”
He left her sitting on the bed, holding a satin sheet to her chest, her hair tousled and wild about her face, wondering exactly what he meant by that.
Three
One month later, Laney bent down on her knees to set a dozen white carnations on her father’s grave. He’d always liked the simple traditional flower, sturdy and hearty, a bloom that would thrive a long time. Nolan Royal believed in longevity and in keeping his time-honored namesake hotels first-rate despite the newer, up-and-coming chains. He’d built a prestigious empire on that premise.
Now, the man was gone, but the empire was still alive.
Tears dripped from Laney’s eyes as she touched the fresh grass that had been planted over his resting place, as if the caress could possibly bring her closer to him, somehow. “Oh, Daddy,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
She’d never get over the guilt she felt these past few weeks at not having been stronger for him, not having been the person he needed, not having helped him more when he seemed to need it most.
When she’d come home from the island after her extended stay, he’d been relieved to see her. He’d been dealing with the tension and pressure of the business failings without her, relying on his right-hand man, the only other person he trusted with inside information, Preston Malloy.
She’d promised her father right before his fatal heart attack that she would work her hardest to help get things back on track. The hotels had been plagued with a run of back luck or worse yet, they’d been deliberately sabotaged.
Her father had been perplexed, angry and frustrated at how so many things could go wrong in such a short span of time. Within months, many of The Royals across the continent had failed in one way or another.
Don’t worry, Daddy. I won’t disappoint you again. Laney made the vow in her heart and her mind. She was sole beneficiary to The Royal holdings and now everything fell in her lap. She’d assured her father she would keep the hotels thriving and she would do it.
“I’ll take care of things now,” she promised, staring at her father’s bronzed plaque. It rested beside her mother’s in a private section of the cemetery.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Preston Malloy came up behind her.
She rose from her knees to face him. “What is it?” she asked. “Is there another problem at Royal?”
Preston wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. “Not today, Elena.”
As close as they’d been through the years, she’d never allowed Preston or anyone besides her mother, father and best friend, to call her Laney. Yet, she’d given her nickname to one other person, on a sandy beach, on an island, at a time in her life when she really needed a friend. Now, those special moments seemed as if they occurred eons ago.
“I just came by to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve been here every day since the funeral, five days ago.”
“I know. I need to feel connected. I want Dad to know I’m here.”
“He knows. He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for not being with him when he died. We’ve already had that talk.”
Preston smiled. He was ten years older than her, but he’d become her rock lately, holding up the business end while coordinating all the funeral arrangements. Small wonder that her father valued Preston’s abilities and friendship. She was grateful that her father had Preston as his executive assistant. Now, Preston took on another heavy load, dealing with a grieving daughter.
Laney had always suspected her father would have liked to see something happen romantically between the two of them. But though she’d been on several dinner dates with him, nothing had developed in that regard.
“I wish I’d been there to hold his hand during his last moments.” Laney shook her head, grief eating at her thinking about her father dying alone.
He’d had an awful day she’d been told, his calendar full of meetings that afternoon. Many believed something or someone had upset him enough to cause his heart to fail. He’d never even made it to the hospital.
Sorrow and wrenching pain filled her with despair. She hadn’t gone to work that day, or the days before. Since coming home from Maui, she’d worked diligently beside her father and for the very first time, she’d really gotten a deep sense of the difficulties facing the corporation. Her father hadn’t taken the problems well, suspecting there was more than met the eye to these sudden, unexpected setbacks. Seeing the undue stress on her father’s face made her dig her heels in, promising him that they’d get to the bottom of the costly hotel mishaps that also had hurt the outstanding Royal reputation.
Laney worked day and night for three solid weeks and had begun to really get into a good stride—until she fainted at work from fatigue. She’d refused medical attention, thinking the long hours and her lack of appetite had contributed to her fainting spell. She’d gone home to rest that day. She thought she would feel better with some rest, but the weakness and fatigue continued. Her father insisted she not come into work until she felt stronger. Three days later, Nolan Royal had gone into cardiac arrest while sitting at his desk and died instantly.
Preston squeezed her shoulders gently. “He always knew you loved him, Elena. Never fear that. He was very proud of you.”
“Was he?” Laney wasn’t always so sure. She glanced at his grave and dried her tears with a tissue. “I hope so.”
“You know what he’d want right now?”
She shook her head, sadness usurping her thoughts too much to make sense of anything.
“He’d want you to fight for the company. He’d want you to bring The Royals back.”
Laney sighed with deep regret. She owed her father that much. She’d put aside her own needs to honor the vow she’d made to him. “I want that now, too, Preston. But I don’t know if I can manage it all by myself.”
He smiled and kissed her cheek. “You won’t have to. You have me.”
Laney
