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She wanted Reid.
Unlike the previous days since her arrival, this morning’s sky was cloudy and gray. The air was thick with muggy moisture. She would guess a rainstorm was headed their way soon. Hopefully, the weather wasn’t any kind of ominous sign regarding what she was about to do. When she reached the concierge level, she made a beeline straight to Reid’s door. She had to do this before she lost her nerve.
Her knock went unanswered. She tried again with the same result. A pleasant male voice sounded behind her. “Can I help you with something, Celeste?”
She turned to face Reid’s smiling, handsome business partner, Alex.
“I, um, was looking for Reid.”
“Maybe I can help you.”
She quickly shook her head. “I don’t think so. I did some work for him, I just wanted to get his feedback on it.” She had to tell the lie. She couldn’t exactly divulge to Alex the real reason she was here. Kind eyes or not.
“Ah, right.”
She shifted awkwardly. “Do you happen to know when he’ll be in today?” she asked, knowing she sounded anxious and impatient but unable to help it.
“I’m afraid he won’t be in at all today. I actually don’t know when he’ll be back. He flew out to Boston earlier this morning.”
Celeste would have sunk into the floor if she didn’t have an audience. Reid had left. Without so much as a goodbye. He hadn’t even tried to find her first.
Alex continued to speak. She barely heard him over the pounding in her ears. “But I know he’s read your file,” he told her. “I’m sure he’ll email you his comments in due time.”
Celeste felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her lungs. Reid was going to email his comments. She’d laid her heart out on those pages. And he didn’t think enough of that to so much as try to talk to her about it. He’d run off. Just like Jack had done on the day of their wedding.
Ridiculous as it sounded, Reid’s betrayal felt like the bigger one by far. She’d recovered from Jack’s desertion. She knew the same wasn’t going to be possible this time.
She did her best to summon a smile for Reid’s friend. “Thank you. I’ll look for it in my inbox.”
She could do so on her way to the airport. Looked like she would be cutting her trip short. She no longer had any desire to stay.
Or to ever come back again.
* * *
In his anxiousness and relief to be back in Jamaica, Reid exited the town car almost before the vehicle had come to a complete stop in the circular driveway of the Baja Majestic.
This had to be the quickest trip he’d ever taken to Boston and back. He usually booked at least one night at the Evanson Premier Boston Harbor hotel before taking a morning flight the next day. But he’d had no intention of sticking around the city this time. Once the confrontation with his father was over, he was more than ready to fly back to the Caribbean. Back to the resort he’d called home for weeks now. Back to Celeste. They had quite a bit to work out between them.
Though confrontation wasn’t exactly the correct term for the meeting he’d had with Dale. Reid had arrived at Evanson Properties headquarters just in time to head off a vote of the board of directors. The clear relief on the expressions of the twelve executives told him the vote could have gone either way.
After that, he’d made sure to finally have the one-to-one with his father that he’d been avoiding for so long. It had taken Celeste to help him discover his avoidance had been more personal than business. He had yet to thank her for that.
In the end, Dale had seen reason and agreed to a limited role as a company president. Another weight lifted off Reid’s shoulders, though he and his father had a long way to go before their personal relationship could begin to mend.
All in due time.
Nodding to the doorman, he passed through the sliding doors into the Baja Majestic lobby, gratified that several guests were milling about, ready to check in. So far, the holiday season could officially be called a success. Celeste’s marketing plan would only help once it was implemented. Yet another thank-you she was due.
He stopped at the counter and removed his sunglasses. “Sanya, please deliver a cart with our finest champagne and a variety of desserts to Room B717.”
