Fool for Love (16 page)

“They’re hot for one another.”

“Not in an obvious way. I mean there wasn’t any flirting, not that we saw anyway, but there were lots of stolen looks and enough sexual tension to get a rise out of a eunuch.”

“Whoa.”

“Tell me about it.” Rocky had been torn between being thrilled for her brother and feeling sorry for herself. She hadn’t felt that kind of searing attraction for a man since … It had been a long time.

“Think they’ll act on it?”

“I don’t know. Chloe’s fresh from a bad breakup and Dev is—”

“Cautious.”

“Suspicious.”

“He
has
been burned a few times. First Janna—”

“We don’t talk about her. Ever.” Rocky’s heart iced over at the mention of her ex-sister-in-law. Not that she was a bad person, just a person who’d behaved badly … and broken Rocky’s big brother’s heart.

“Fine. Then there was Fiona and Cory and, at the risk of being punched, Tasha.”

Each one more enamored with Dev’s wealth and prestige than Dev himself. Rocky sighed. “I know. But at least he approached those relationships with an open mind. Not this time. Thanks to Jayce.”

“Jayce Bello? What’s he got to do with this?”

Shit.
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Rocky cursed her loose tongue and picked up her pace. They’d all grown up in the same small town. Adam knew Dev and Jayce were best friends. He knew Jayce lived and worked in New York.

Undaunted, Adam jogged a few paces ahead, then turned to face her, jogging backward without missing a step. “Did Dev have Chloe investigated?”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s cautious. Suspicious. Because he’d want to make sure that the woman living with his grandmother wasn’t a psycho or swindler.”

Rocky didn’t know whether to confess or lie. Feeling the need to tread lightly, she straddled the fence. “I’m not saying he did, but if he did, he wouldn’t want anyone to know. So let’s just drop it.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

He fell in beside her and they jogged in silence for the next few minutes. Rocky’s brain, on the other hand, kept turning.

“I just … I’d like to see them get together. She’s fun. Dev could use some fun in his life. All he does is work and talk about work. When he’s not doing that, he’s trying to micromanage everyone else’s life.”

“Still trying to get you to sell the Red Clover?”

“Says it’s a money pit.”

Adam didn’t respond and she knew he agreed. When he’d helped her spackle the ceiling the other day, the repairman had arrived to work on her stove. While installing parts, the man had commented on her groaning fridge. In addition to the appliances, her back porch was also in need of repair. Even though Adam hadn’t said anything, she knew he thought the shed where she stored the recreational equipment for the guests was unsuitable. He’d merely raised a brow at the buckets she’d distributed to catch rain that dripped through the leaky roof.

“You think I should sell it, too.” She knew she sounded surly. She couldn’t help it. She’d tossed and turned all night, and what should have been a stress-relieving run was now officially ruined.

“No, but I do think these are tough times. For a lot of people. I think you could use some help.”

“I’m not asking Daddy for money and I’m not
taking
money from Dev.” Every time he offered, she wanted to scream. It made her feel like a failure. Incapable. Even though she knew his intentions were good.

“What about taking on a partner?”

“Someone who’ll try to impose their ideas and will on me?” She snorted and ran faster. “No thanks.”

“Someone willing to invest time and money. Someone who shares your love of the land and appreciation for tourism.”

The sounds of their Nikes hitting the worn dirt trail pounded in tandem. Her heart raced, and not just from exertion. Something in Adam’s voice jangled her nerves. “Just where would I find this perfect partner?”

“You’re trying to outrun him.”

To her credit she didn’t stumble or trip over her feet when she came to a knee-jarring halt. She did, however, walk in small circles, hands on hips, trying to avoid cramping up. Trying to avoid his gaze while she assembled her blown-to-bits thoughts.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Adam said. “I’ve spent the last two years freelancing, offering my services to three different tourist facilities. Which was fine. I built a reputation, socked away a lot of money. But now I want to get involved on a deeper level. I thought about investing in my own lodge, but given the economic climate, I’d be taking a hell of a risk on a start-up business. The Red Clover is an established regional bed-and-breakfast.”

“Established, yes. Popular, no.”

“We can make it popular.”

The word “we” should have triggered a full-out run in the opposite direction. But she’d been maintaining the inn on her own for three years now, and despite her enthusiastic efforts to make a profit, she was miserably in the hole. With each passing day she could feel her dream slipping away. Heart pounding, she finally met his gaze. “Have some ideas, do you?”

He smiled. “Yes, I do.”

“I have to admit, I’m curious.”

“Curious enough to listen to a proposed plan over breakfast?”

A good judge of character, she sensed nothing but sincere enthusiasm at the prospect of uniting for a business venture. Adam was one of the most grounded, trustworthy men she knew. Competent, too. He was also sinfully good in bed. “You do realize that if we went into business together we’d have to stop sleeping together.”

“Why? Aren’t you capable of separating business and pleasure?”

“Are you?”

“Sure.”

She should have felt good about that, but instead her ego took a hit. Didn’t he have any tender feelings for her at all? Not that she wanted him to. “I just think it could complicate matters.”

He moved in then. Close enough that she could smell the combination of sweat and shampoo. Close enough that she could see every wrinkle in his Sling Blade snowboarding T-shirt. Close enough to admire his imperfect nose and the scar just above his upper lip. He grasped her shoulders and squeezed, the affectionate, supportive touch of a friend and lover.

“I’m not asking you to marry me, Rocky. I’m not even asking to move in. I’m hoping for what we have and … more. If it isn’t working, we’ll make adjustments. If it’s a disaster, we’ll call it quits.”

“As fuck buddies?”

“Or business partners.”

The perfect arrangement. Maybe. All she knew was that for the first time in months, she didn’t feel like a total stress ball. Giving him a half smile, she turned and sprinted toward the Red Clover. “You better have some damned spectacular ideas, Brody.”

He caught up with her in a heartbeat. “Brace yourself, Monroe.”

“Last one back to the house makes breakfast.”

“I can already taste your blueberry pancakes,” he said with an ornery grin, then commenced to kick her ass.

SIXTEEN

Devlin considered himself a calm, rational man capable of handling any crisis that came his way. Early on he’d developed a talent for taking everything in stride, never panicking, rarely losing his cool. Even when his marriage to Janna had fallen apart, he’d kept it together. But when his dad called, threatening to fly home in order to
save
the family business, Devlin blew a gasket. “What do you think
I’m
trying to do?”

“Between the cost of your proposed renovations and an enhanced employee benefit package, you’re setting us up for financial ruin.”

“The hell I am.” He’d researched, calculated and projected. “What I’m proposing entails minimal risk.”

“‘Risk’ being the key word.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

“You’re not playing the stock market, Son. You’re playing with people’s lives. Our family’s future income.”

“I know that and I know what I’m doing.” Ticked, he pushed away from his desk and paced the office occupied by every senior male Monroe since the 1800s. He’d never aspired to this role, not as his sole purpose in life, but he’d never considered turning his back on the job either. Now that he was in charge … except he wasn’t. “Did you even read my report?”

“Which one? Over the past two weeks you’ve bombarded me with more paperwork than the health insurance company. You’re both a pain in my ass.”

Devlin paused in his heated tracks. “Why are you getting hassled by VT Med?”

“It’s nothing. Some … hitch in the eye-care plan. Point is there’s no need to panic and instill massive changes just because we’re facing a little competition.”

“Nothing little about a Walmart Supercenter, Dad.”

“Nothing wrong with staying the course. Slow and steady wins the game.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“What if
you’re
wrong?” The older man sighed. “I know you have a master’s in business administration and finance. I know you’re a visionary. But if you’re so desperate to overhaul a business, turn your attention to one of your other investments. Or invest in something new. But leave J.T.’s alone.”

By refusing to discuss his plans or even debate the issues, his dad had reduced him to little more than a puppet. Devlin was no man’s yes-man. “If that’s how you feel, maybe you
should
come home. Take over as COO as well as CEO.”

“Don’t be an ass.”

“Like father, like son.” Devlin hung up before the conversation turned brutal. Yes, they’d argued in the past, but never like this. Jerome Monroe had always been conservative and stubborn, but he’d never been irrational. Lately his behavior, like
semi
-retiring at fifty-five and moving to Florida in the
summer,
had been as questionable as Gram’s. What the hell was going on with everyone?

After a sharp knock, the office door swung open and Devlin’s assistant manager stepped in. “Met with the liaison for VT Med like you asked,” Chris said. “Got the stats on enhanced employee benefit packages.” He placed a bulging folder on the desk. “Even if J.T.’s matches the supercenter’s benefit plan, we still lack the varied opportunities for advancement and/or relocation.”

“I know. I don’t expect everyone to stay, but I can reward those who do. High employee morale results in a highly effective team and premium customer service and that’s one area we can definitely excel at.” In spite of his dad’s decree, Devlin had made a progressive decision. “Schedule a mandatory employee meeting for next Monday just after closing. Book Gemma’s to cater the event. Pastries. Coffee.”

“Topic of discussion?”

“Upcoming changes and perks.”

“That’ll have them flocking,” Chris said on his way out.

And buzzing with presumptions and guesses for the next six days. Word would get back to his dad within that time unless Devlin got word to him first. Either way, he’d just betrayed both his parent and boss in one fell swoop. Frowning, he picked up his phone and hit autodial. “Hi, Mom.”

“Funny you should call, Devlin. I was just getting ready to phone you.”

“About?”

“Fighting with your dad.”

“It’s about to get worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t wage this war over e-mails, faxes, and the phone. I need to speak with dad face-to-face. If I can’t book a commercial flight for tomorrow, I’ll have Nash fly me down.”

“Don’t do that, honey. Please.”

Her brittle voice put him on edge. “Why?”

“I’m not supposed … I promised your father…”

Wary now, Devlin eased into a chair. “What’s going on?”

“He doesn’t want to see you. He doesn’t want to see anyone in the family. Not right now.”

“Why?”

“This goes no further.”

“For Christ sake, Mom, what is it?”

“Your dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer.”

His heart thudded slow and hard. Of all the things she could have said, he hadn’t expected a health crisis. Vacillating between disbelief and shock, he took a steady breath and tried not to think the worst. He’d already lost two family members to various forms of that son-of-a-bitch disease, one of them being his Granddad Jessup, Daisy’s husband, his dad’s dad.

“Devlin?”

He reined in his emotions and focused on facts. “What stage?”

“Stage Two, but he’s winning the battle.”

“You say that as if he’s been fighting for a while.”

“Three months.”

The dull buzz in Devlin’s ears intensified to a roar. “You’ve both known about this for three
months
?”

“Hear me out,” she said, hardening her tone. “It’s your father’s body. His choice who he tells and when—if ever. He didn’t want his family and close friends to worry and he didn’t want pity. You know what a proud man he is. He wanted to fight this on his own terms, which entailed radical treatments with a specialist here in Florida. We’ve seen tremendous improvement, but the treatments take their toll. He should be focusing his energy on recovering, fighting the disease, not you.”

Guilt and anger pummeled his senses. “If I’d known—”

“You would have dropped everything to help. He needs you …
we
need you in Sugar Creek, honey, watching over the family and the family’s interests. He’s never had faith in Rocky’s B and B and Luke runs the Sugar Shack with his heart, not his head. The one constant, the only proven security, in the immediate family’s lives is J.T.’s. I know you want to make big changes, but now’s not the time. Wait until your dad’s stronger, until he’s cancer free. When he comes home—clear mind, strong body—I’m sure he’ll be more open to your ideas.”

Devlin rubbed his throbbing temple. “Semi-retirement was a ruse.”

“Running the store is in his blood. He’s not ready to throw in the towel, but he did need a break.”

Several things came together in that moment, recent comments and actions that hadn’t made sense to Devlin before.

“Trust me when I tell you, he’s beating this thing.”

“If anyone can, Dad can.” Even though he wasn’t happy that his dad had kept the diagnosis secret, Devlin understood his motivation. Knowing the toll cancer took on a victim’s loved ones, he would’ve made the same decision. “What about you, Mom? How are you holding up?”