Calling Kupid (Kupid's Cove Book 1) (18 page)

If you admit that you love him then he has the power to break your heart. You’ve had your heart broken a lot by circumstances beyond your control, but this time, you can control it.

I have had my heart broken, and you still haven’t given me a reason why!
I was yelling inside my head, spinning my bra around my chest and jamming my arms through the straps.
Am I just supposed to believe when someone dies, that it’s because that was your will?

Calm down, Katie, you just got your heart to slow.

I threw my hands up and moaned.

The heart that you gave me, all messed up and bothersome. I mean couldn’t you have at least cut me some slack by not taking my entire family, too?

You know the old saying I don’t give you more than you can handle? The truth is I give the hardest things to handle to the strongest ones. Your faith, regardless of what you show people on the outside, is so strong. You’ve always been a warrior for me, so why are you fighting it so much now?

I liked my perfect life. It was boring, but it was safe.

Sit down, Katie.

I slid down the wall and rested on the floor, my head on my knees. I closed my eyes and waited.

Do you remember Psalm 23?

“The Lord is my shepherd,” I whispered.

You will find everything you need in that verse to find strength when you feel weak. Whenever you recite those words, it is me guiding you to the still waters. Remember that goodness and mercy are following you now just as they always will because you will always dwell in my house. I knew you before you were born and I know the plans I have for you. Plans to give you a future and hope.

“Jeremiah,” I whispered, feeling calm for the first time in too many days.

I stood and pulled on my pants, reciting Psalm 23 in my head. With each word, the heaviness in my chest began to lessen and, by the time I finished, my breathing was normal again. I stood before the mirror and saw a different woman than the one who had been standing there just a few minutes ago. This woman had determination and understanding filling her eyes, instead of fear and anger.

I brushed my hair until it was shining and silky then brushed my teeth and swiped on some makeup. I didn’t know what today held in store, but feeling good about myself was half the battle.

I stuffed everything back in the backpack and heard a knock on the door.

“Katie? Are you dressed?”

I pulled the door open and Gideon stood before me looking beaten down by life. I put my arms around him and rested my head on his chest.

“I love you.”

His hands came around my back and crushed me to him. “Say it again,” he begged.

“I love you, Gideon.”

He lifted me up off my feet and buried his face in my neck. “I love hearing you say that. I can’t describe how I feel right now.”

I leaned back and ran my hand down his face. “I quit fighting my heart and tried listening to it for once. I’ve fought my heart for my entire life, but you waltz in and suddenly I can’t control it anymore. I think that’s the lesson He’s trying to teach me.”

He smiled at me as he held my face. “You’re so beautiful. I’m so lucky to have found you again. I want you to know everything that is about to happen is to keep you safe.”

“What did Sebastian say?” I asked, hiking the backpack over my shoulder.

He led me to the other room by my hand and grabbed his own backpack. “I hope you like sunshine and sand between your toes, because we’re going to Hawaii.”

“Hawaii? What happened to Chicago?” I asked, digging my feet in so he couldn’t pull me along behind him.

He turned on his heel. “Chicago burned down. Apparently someone broke into my office and started a fire. The firemen reported it as arson, so now the local cops are in on this. There is nothing I can do about that, but I can keep you safe, you just have to trust me.”

“Everybody knows you own Orchid Reef Resort, Gideon. I don’t really think that’s a safe place to go.”

“Who said we are going to Orchid Reef Resort?”

He smiled, kissed me like a man in love, and led me out the door.

Kate

I pulled the curtain back to gaze out at the blue green waters of the Pacific Ocean. I was exhausted after spending almost sixteen hours in the air. By the time we got to the small resort in Maui, it was after midnight. Sleeping on the small plane from Seattle to Honolulu was doable, but the helicopter ride from Honolulu to Maui was not. Gideon is an excellent pilot, but I was way too nervous about being back in a helicopter to do anything except hold on tight, and pray.

So now I stood in a hotel bathrobe, looking out at the ocean from a beautiful room in a gorgeous resort in an even more glorious locale. We checked in under the cloak of darkness as Penny and Strong Campbell, honeymooners from New York.

I dropped the curtain and dug through my bag for something to wear. Gideon was in the shower and when he was done I was hoping to find some food somewhere, even if it was one a.m. Thankfully, when we arrived in Seattle, two bags of summer gear were waiting for us at the private airport. I didn’t ask questions when everything fit like a glove, I was just thankful I wouldn’t have to swelter in wool sweaters on the beach.

I pulled out a bikini and giggled, shaking my head. Whoever bought all this stuff clearly didn’t have my measurements. This certainly was going to fit like a glove. A very tight glove.

“I had to guess.”

I looked up and he was grinning at me from the door. He was dressed in a spiffy polo shirt and pair of khaki shorts. His hair was still damp from the shower and curled over his forehead.

“You were way off. I don’t think I can get one boob in that thing.” I laughed, but he didn’t.

He pushed off the wall and came over, pulling it from the bag. “Oh, I think you can get both of them in here. It will just be a full house, but that’s okay. I like full houses.”

I swatted at him and grabbed it, stuffing it to the bottom of the bag. “Where are we going? Is there anything open at this time of night?”

He fastened his watch around his wrist and slid his glasses on his face. “It’s Maui; everything is open. I want to see what kind of late night offerings they have in the club downstairs. It should be quiet now. We can grab a bite to eat and wind down from the long flight. You can sleep in tomorrow, I promise.”

I unbelted the robe and let it fall open, the pink lace bra and panties I had found in the bag peeking out at him. Before I could look up, he was in front of me with his hands inside the robe.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, angling his head until his lips met mine. He lifted me by my waist and set me on the bed, so he could brace himself on each side of me, his tongue working mine into a fevered pitch. “Your lips are delicious,” he hummed while taking a breath.

I held my hand to his chest. “Let’s not get sidetracked or we will never leave the room.”

He sighed and gave me his hand to pull me up, then handed me the silk blouse. “You’re right, but I plan to get sidetracked later.”

“What day is it today?” I asked. The hours had run together and without my phone, I was lost.

“It’s early Monday morning,” he answered, putting the room key in his pocket.

I stopped moving, my pants halfway to my knees. “I have to call Freddie and Rosie!”

I let go of my pants and went to grab the phone, but fell when the material wrapped around my ankles.

“Katie!” I heard him shout, but it was too late, my head had already hit the floor.

I brought my hand up to rub at the spot, humiliation filling me. He was kneeling next to me, unhooking my feet from the pants while trying to soothe me, but I didn’t want to be soothed. I wanted to cry. It was Monday in Snowberry and my friends were going to wonder where I was. Then they would start looking for me, if they hadn’t already. My professional life was about to go right down the tubes and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do about it.

I drew my knees to my chest, resting my forehead on them as I cried loud racking sobs that made me feel weak. I wanted my mommy, but I didn’t even have one of those. My life was a disaster, and my heart hurt from the likelihood that even when life wasn’t a disaster, I was going to end up alone, again.

I felt his arms go around my back and he held me for a minute before scooping me up, settling me on the bed. He tucked my head against his chest and rocked me slowly until I had cried myself out. I cried so hard I could barely breathe, and my head ached with pain. My stomach hurt from the fear I had been holding in for so many days, but letting it out didn’t seem to help either.

“I’m so…” I hiccupped unable to finish the word.

He kissed my temple and tucked my hair way from my face.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. I’m the one who should say I’m sorry. I got you involved in all of this and it’s not fair; don’t think I don’t know that. I want to make it all go away for you, and I’m trying, I really am. I want to be holding you in Hawaii on this bed because we want to be here together, not because we have to be.”

“I don’t like to cry. I haven’t cried like that since,” I stopped, thinking better of what I was about to say. Instead, I ran my hand up and down his chest.

“Since?” he asked, tipping his head down to look into my eyes.

“Since my mom died,” I whispered, the pain of her loss filling me again from my toes all the way to the top of my head. “I was away at college and I felt so alone.”

His arms held me tighter and he kissed the top of my head. “Was it unexpected?”

I sat up and wiped my face, the mascara I put on earlier coming off on my fingers. He got off the bed and went into the bathroom, bringing back a warm washcloth and a dry towel. He lovingly cleaned all the makeup off my cheeks and dried them with the towel. I took the towel from him twisting it in my hand.

“It’s time you find out about my family before we get any more involved. You may decide loving a Kupid isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

He rubbed my back and I felt his fingers slide down along the side of my neck. I knew what he was doing and I smiled half a smile. When he was satisfied my heart was beating normally, his hand went to my back again and rubbed a circle in the middle.

“Your last name isn’t going to stop me from loving you.”

“It might, when you find out exactly what kind of people we are.”

He kissed my cheek and then my lips. It was nothing more than a tender peck, but it reminded me that I wasn’t alone.

“I want to hear this story, but first I want you to know that Freddie and Rosie have been brought up to speed. We know this guy is back in Chicago since he burned my place down last night, but we have a guy on Freddie and Rosie anyway, just until he’s caught.”

“You think he would go after my friends? I don’t even have anything to do with this!”

“Shhhhh, I know. The answer is we don’t know for sure, so better safe than sorry. Sebastian explained everything to them and they’ve been told to tell people you had a conference for work.”

I wrung the towel back and forth in my hands. “I’m worried about Freddie. She’s pregnant and now she’s going to worry. I need to call her.”

“Honey, you just can’t. Any phone can be traced if a person has enough resources. We think no one knows we are here, but we can’t be certain of that. We can’t take the chance.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“I’m afraid not, but at least they know you’re safe. Sebastian expects that the cops will get this guy in a matter of forty-eight hours. The only thing you have to worry about is whether we eat on the terrace or the beach.”

I looked down at the towel in my hand. “This isn’t a joke, Gideon. We aren’t on vacation here.”

He squeezed my knee tenderly. “Trust me, I know that. I’m in danger of losing everything I’ve worked the last decade for, and the woman I love. I’m very well aware of the implications of what’s going on.”

I looked up at him in confusion. “You’ve worked for? You mean your dad, right? It was his business. You just took over when he died.”

He smiled and chuckled a little. “The only business my father owned was the pharmacy. He was a pharmacist, not a businessman. When he left the hospital in Chicago, he was only semi-retired. He wanted to run a small town pharmacy where new pharmacists would have the chance to get some experience from someone who had done it all. Unfortunately, he didn’t live enough years for that to happen, but he did give Hank a heck of a business to keep going.”

I tucked one leg under me. “So you mean all the other businesses you own, you’ve bought?”

“I’m a businessman, that’s what I do. The law degree comes in handy for buying and acquiring properties, but after I finished law school I realized it wasn’t what I loved. What I loved was the thrill of the game. Finding and acquiring properties that were diamonds in the rough. I’ve made some enemies from the nature of the business, but for the most part I like to think I’m a good person.”

“What does that mean?” I asked. “The nature of the business and the enemies part.”

“When you’re buying properties that are in trouble, be it for whatever reason, you will have people that aren’t happy about it. Often, you aren’t the only buyer either, which further complicates the matter and opens another avenue for angry people to walk down. Think of it as tug of war. The two people at the front of the rope are fighting against each other, face-to-face, to keep their feet from going over the line, but behind them are dozens of other people pulling with all their might on that rope to help the front person. When one team pulls the other over the line you aren’t upsetting just that first guy, but everyone who was putting in effort to pull the rope.”

“So you’re saying that even if the owner of the competing company isn’t mad at you, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t dozens of people under him who might be.”

He touched my nose and smiled. “Bingo. That’s what makes it hard about tracking this person down. I’ve acquired over thirty properties in the last two years. I haven’t kept them all, many I turned around and sold after I fixed the issues that were keeping them from being profitable, but that’s a lot of people who may have a grudge against me.”

“You’ve been in business a long time. In all those years, you’ve never been threatened before?” I asked.

“There have been a few threats that had no real muscle behind them. That’s why I employ Sebastian and his team of investigators. They usually get to the bottom of the threats right away and keep them from growing, but this one is different. Whoever is after me this time is serious about hurting me; that much is obvious.”

“How many properties do you own?” I asked, my heart pounding as I waited for his answer.

“On the books I own hundreds of resorts and hotels, but they are managed by another company. I back them financially and eventually sell them off to the highest bidder. I have about two dozen resorts that I will keep in my portfolio of businesses I have a hand in running. Like the Orchid Reef Resort, for instance. That’s a property that I keep because it’s enjoyable to go there and get away from everything when I need to.”

“So you’re literally worth millions.”

“Maybe on paper, but I don’t live that way.”

I stood and picked up my pants, pulling them on then slipping my feet into the flip-flops that magically appeared in the bag.

“I need to take a walk,” I said, taking a key card off the table. “I’ll be back later.”

“Katie, you can’t walk around by yourself,” he called as I walked out the door.

“Yes, I can. I’ll be fine. No one knows we are here, remember?”

I let the door shut and ran down the hallway to the stairs, grabbing the stupid shoes off my feet. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could to get away from the room. Maybe I love him and he loves me, but we live life in such different ways, I’m not sure we can ever find a way to meet in the middle.

I pushed the door open to the lobby and slipped my shoes back on. I walked calmly, but purposefully, through the lush beauty of the elaborate room. All it took was a glance around to know I couldn’t afford one tile in the floor, but he planned to buy the whole place. He wouldn’t accept how different we really were.

The doorman ushered me out into the early morning darkness and I saw the ocean just a few steps away. There was no doubt in my mind, this time I had to keep walking until I disappeared.