Jilted: Promise Harbor, Book 1 (12 page)

It took the edge off a little.

When they were both dressed, Devon wearing that striped skirt and tank top again, they headed down to the restaurant on the main floor. They walked in and waited at the hostess station to be seated. With dusk approaching, the lights in the restaurant had been dimmed, and candles flickered on each white-clothed table. Soft jazz music floated above them.

A man approached them, and Josh recognized him as the man who’d looked after them when they’d checked in yesterday. “Ah,” he said with a big smile. “The newlyweds. Welcome. We have a nice table for two. Just one moment.”

Josh and Devon exchanged an uncomfortable look. Newlyweds. Right. He never had told them differently. As evidenced by the candles and rose petals and champagne. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug.

“So you two are newlyweds,” a voice behind them said.

They turned to see a man with white hair and a pleasantly wrinkled face. Josh had seen him that morning smooching his wife on the veranda. The man smiled. “On your honeymoon?” he asked.

“Um…”

“Well, good luck,” he said. “The first ten years of marriage are the hardest.”

“Oh.” Devon blinked at him. “How long have you been married?”

Josh expected to hear an answer like
fifty years
.

“Ten years.”

Josh rolled his lips in to stop from laughing, and he and Devon shared a glance of amusement.

“But this is my second marriage,” the man said. “So I know what I’m talking about when it comes to marriage.”

“Oh.”

“Remember. Marriage isn’t just a word. It’s a sentence.”

Devon covered her mouth with her hand and Josh bit back another grin.

“But you’re just starting out,” the man said. “On your honeymoon. Enjoy! A honeymoon should be like a table.”

“A table?”

“Four bare legs and no drawers.”

Now Devon couldn’t hold back her choked laughter.

At that moment, a woman joined the man, slipping her arm into his. “Oh no, dear. What are you telling these people?”

“They’re newlyweds,” he said, looking down at her with undisguised affection. “I’m giving them advice.”

“Oh lord. You and your advice. I was such a fool when I married you,” she said.

He patted her hand. “I know, but I was in love and didn’t notice it.”

The woman just shook her head, as if she’d heard that before, and they smiled at each other. Josh and Devon exchanged another grin.

“I can seat you now.” The man from the hotel returned. “Right this way.”

They smiled at the couple, and as Josh turned away, the man caught his arm and said to him in a low voice, “Remember these words for when you two are fighting.”

Josh smiled and waited.

“’Honey, you’re right’.”

Josh grinned and clapped the man on the shoulder before turning away.

“That’s definitely your best advice,” he heard the man’s wife say as he walked away.

“Honey, you’re right.”

Josh grinned all the way to their table. Once sitting there, they both burst out laughing. “Oh my god,” Devon said, reaching for her goblet of water. “He should be a comedian.”

“No kidding. Didn’t have the heart to tell him we’re not married.”

Their eyes met. Then they both quickly looked away.

Damn.

How the hell was he going to keep his hands off Devon for the next few days?

Chapter Nine

As they ate, Devon studied the diners in the restaurant, again looking for William Mudge, but with the low lighting and intimate ambience, once more this wasn’t a place a family with kids would be having dinner. She should have suggested they go to the more casual restaurant where they’d had breakfast. Shiz.

She swallowed another sigh of frustration. She could not stay here with Josh all week, sharing that suite, feeling the way she did. She was so attracted to him, still. Well, probably more than that, if she looked deep inside herself. But for now, she could admit that she was still hot for him, a physical attraction that made her body ache and pulse.

She had to find Mr. Mudge and make that connection. She’d pinned a lot of hope on this, after pretty much exhausting her list of contacts and still coming up empty-handed. She knew the business was tough to get into, and she’d been so lucky to be recruited by her dream company right out of college.

William Mudge seemed like her last chance. But…once she’d found him, she would have no reason to stay. A rock materialized in her stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked up at Josh. “Hmm?”

“You seemed awfully far away, and you looked kind of sad. Is anything wrong?”

“No. Of course not.” She forced a smile and reached for her goblet of ice water. “We should look at the menu, I guess.”

All through dinner, she struggled to act normally, but she was distracted by so many things—distracted by Josh and her feelings for him, by the sense of urgency that gripped her to find William Mudge and do something, by the mixed-up feelings she had about both leaving and staying. Going back to the suite with Josh made her insides twist with excitement and fear. Things had sizzled between them on the beach earlier, and it hadn’t been because of the hot sun. Confusion mingled with lust.

She didn’t want to linger in the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant after dinner, so she turned down the offer of dessert from the server. Josh insisted again on paying the bill, and she fought down her instinctive refusal to let him because, well, she didn’t have a lot of money left, which only made her insides twist up into tighter knots. So she took a deep breath and said, “Thank you for dinner,” as Josh signed the credit card slip.

Acutely aware of his fingers on her low back as they walked out of the restaurant, she focused on breathing.

“So, what do you want to do now?” he asked. “Another movie in the room? A drink in the bar? Watching the sunset?”

Jeebus. Her mind was so scrambled she couldn’t make a decision. “Yes,” she managed to choke out. Josh laughed.

And then she saw him. William Mudge. Sitting on a chair the lobby. And oh hey, he was alone.

She came to an abrupt halt and Josh took a couple more steps before he realized she’d stopped. He turned. “What?”

“Um.” Her mind raced. She blinked rapidly. She licked her lips. “Um. You go on up to the room. I’ll be up in a minute. I need to…ah…” She cast her eyes around and spotted the small gift shop. “I need to pick up something.”

His forehead creased. “Okay.” He gave a small shrug and headed toward the stairs.

Devon lifted her chin and drew air into her lungs. She straightened her shoulders and marched toward William Mudge. He was looking at his phone, apparently scrolling through emails or text messages. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she paused beside his chair.

“Mr. Mudge?”

He looked up at her. “Yes?”

She gave him what she hoped was a professional smile. “Hi! I’m Devon Grant.” She held out a hand and he slowly took it. She gripped his firmly and shook it, still smiling. “This is such a coincidence,” she said. “I had lunch with Martin Hirsh the other day.”

He gave a puzzled smile. “Oh yes.”

“He mentioned that Heffington International is looking for an investment banking associate,” she said. “I was so excited to hear that. I’ve been interested in working for your company for some time.”

He looked taken aback. “Um. Really.”

“Yes.” She increased the wattage of her smile. “I have five years of experience with Englun and Seabrook.” She reeled off a synopsis of her education and experience. “Working for a boutique agency appeals to me so much. And as I said, I’ve been interested in working for Heffington International for some time. I was particularly impressed with the work you did for Kenway. I also worked on a similar account and achieved great results. Net sales increased from 8.6 billion dollars to 11.2 billion, a 9 percent compound annual growth rate. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased from 2.1 billion to 3.3 billion dollars over the same period, a 13 percent CAGR.
Operating margins increased from 21 percent to 27 percent, reflecting profitable top-line growth and better cost management. I’d love an opportunity to talk with you more about what I could do to help your company achieve those kinds of results.”

His frown deepened. A little girl appeared at his side, about ten years old, wearing a coral sundress. “Daddy! We’re back from our walk.”

“Hey, sweetie.” Mr. Mudge smiled at the girl, apparently his daughter. He turned his gaze back to Devon. “I’m sorry, Ms…uh…”

“Grant. Devon Grant.” She beamed as her heart rate climbed higher.

“I’m on vacation,” he said, rising from the chair. The little girl slid her hand into his and gazed up at Devon. “But I can tell you that we’ve just hired two associates, and I don’t anticipate we’ll be hiring again in the near future.”

“Oh.” Disappointment flooded her. “But Martin said—”

“Obviously he wasn’t aware of the most recent developments,” Mr. Mudge said coolly. “If you’re interested in a career with Heffington International, I suggest you send in your résumé. We’ll keep it on file.”

“I have a résumé with me.” She should have thought of that. That’s what she should have said first, dammit. “It’s just up in my room. I can go get it and leave it with you—”

“I’m on vacation,” he said again, emphasizing the last word. “With my family. They get annoyed enough when I try to combine business with family time. I’m not about to conduct an interview while I’m here. You can send your résumé in to our HR department and if openings come up, you’ll be considered along with other candidates.”

“But I…I didn’t want to interview right now,” she said, keeping the smile in place and striving for a light tone. “That’s not what I meant. I meant, when you’re back in Boston I’d love the opportunity to meet and discuss how I might fit in with your company.”

“I’m sorry,” he said as the girl tugged on his hand. “We don’t have any openings at the present time, as I said.”

She swallowed, her throat tight and achy, and watched him walk away, smiling down at his daughter as she towed him toward a woman and a boy talking to the concierge.

“But…” The word barely escaped her lips. Heat washed down over her body and up into her cheeks. Her eyes stung and her legs went shaky. She sank down into the chair Mr. Mudge had just vacated and stared blindly at the big fireplace.

Shit.

There went her last chance. She’d blown it. Totally blown it. She should have approached him differently.

Fueled by a sense of urgency and, yes, desperation, she’d barreled in when it was clearly not a good time for him. She should have picked up on the fact that he wasn’t open to a business discussion. But she’d needed to get to him so badly, and she’d been so elated when she’d seen him, she’d just kept pushing. She should have backed off and suggested meeting the next morning for coffee, or maybe just suggested a meeting when they were both back in Boston. Maybe if she’d had a résumé with her, that would have made a difference… But how could she carry a résumé around everywhere she went? Her thoughts tangled up in her head, recriminations and disappointment.

She glanced around. The Mudge family had disappeared. She should go up to the room. Except Josh was there, and she wasn’t sure if she had the ability to act as though nothing had happened. A feeling of intense pressure built behind her cheekbones and her eyes burned. A tear slipped out and she brushed it angrily away.

Her insides tight and hot, she covered her face with her hands and bent forward. A shaky sigh leaked out of her mouth and she fought the urge to burst into tears. She never cried. Especially in a public place.

Shit, shit, shit.

What was she going to do now?

Her bottom lip pushed out and she tried to press her lips together. She’d figure things out. Somehow. But for a few moments, she couldn’t fight the bleak despair that swept over her.

“Devon?”

Her head snapped up at Josh’s voice and a light touch on her back. She stared at him and watched his expression change from mild curiosity to frowning concern.

“Hey! What’s wrong?” He dropped to a crouch in front of her, taking her hands. “What happened?”

She again tried a painful swallow. She couldn’t speak, her throat was so constricted. Another tear leaked out. And another. The anxiety in Josh’s expression multiplied.

“What is it, Dev?”

She just shook her head and closed her eyes against the caring and concern she saw on his face, tears now sliding in streams down her cheeks. Jeebus Crust. How embarrassing. She
never
cried.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling helplessly.

“Do you want to go up to the room?”

She nodded again, and he straightened and helped her stand. He slid an arm around her waist and she turned into him, instinctively seeking comfort and protection from him as he led the way over to the stairs, up them and down the hall to their room.

Once inside, the storm of emotion somehow exploded in her and a sob burst from her lips. She turned away from Josh, again covering her mouth with her hands, her shoulders shaking. She felt his warmth as he came up behind her, felt the strength of his hands as he laid them gently on her shoulders. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’ll be okay, Dev.”