She let out a soft, shuddering sigh. “I don’t know how,” she admitted.
Finally, he nodded. “I understand.”
“You do?” She barely understood, so how could he?
“I wish you’d told me, but—”
“I thought this was strictly business, Zeke.”
He closed his eyes, like the words were a direct hit to his heart. “That’s where I made my first mistake.” He pushed up, stepping around her. “But I won’t make a second.”
The words sounded cold and harsh and...deserved. She inched back as he walked away.
“Would you like me to drive you home?” he asked.
For some reason, that question did her in. The dismissal of it. The finality. And, no, she didn’t want him to drive her home. She couldn’t bear to be alone tonight.
“I’ll sleep upstairs, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
Tears burned behind her lids. Pushing up, she stood and watched him walk across the room, not sure what to do. Then he stood very still, as if he was having an internal debate.
Turn around, Zeke. Turn around and forgive me. Turn around and take me in your arms and tell me that we’ll figure this out.
He didn’t move.
“Zeke...”
“I have to make a phone call,” he said, the tone still utterly...icy.
She deserved that. Without a word, she walked out and padded up the stairs, closing the door in the guest room but not locking it. Because she still hoped he’d come up to her.
An hour passed, and she was still alone. Still in a frothy pink dress he’d bought for her, alone in a guest room she’d cleaned for him not a week ago.
She rolled up on the bed, pulled the comforter over her and finally, fitfully fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, the very first whisper of dawn touched the morning sky beyond the plantation shutters she hadn’t bothered to close.
And she was still alone.
Pushing up from the bed, she wiped sleep away and waited for the realization that she’d had a very bad dream. But it was no dream. She opened the door and peered into the dark, and then tiptoed down the stairs, sensing something different about the villa. Emptiness.
“Oh, no, please.” The words slipped out from behind her fingers, as if she could contain the pain she knew she was about to endure.
She went straight down the hall to the master bedroom and into the open door. The room was empty, the rose petals and candles out of sight, the Egyptian cotton sheets stripped off the bed.
Any sign that Zeke Nicholas had been a guest was gone.
* * *
Amanda wasted no time doing what she had to do. At eight-thirty that morning, she was waiting outside Lacey’s office, hoping to be the first meeting of the day for the Casa Blanca owner.
As Lacey came around the corner, she slowed her step and gave a warm smile in greeting. “Amanda, I love your ambition,” she said with a laugh. “You aren’t going to wait for me to make this decision, are you?”
Amanda swallowed hard, smoothing her hands over her dress. “Actually, I’ve come to withdraw my proposal, Lacey.”
Amber-brown eyes widened in surprise and disappointment. “Why?”
She’d never say. “And I also am here to ask if you’d consider letting me have my old job back.”
Lacey let out a low sigh, clearly not thrilled with either request. “Come on in, let’s talk.”
But there would be no talking—not openly. Just some begging. She had to repay Zeke somehow. She’d spent two thousand of his loan starting her business, and she wanted to pay back every dime, as quickly as possible. This was the most expeditious way she could think of.
In the office, Amanda perched on the edge of the guest chair, while Lacey followed her in, hooked her bag on the back of the door and closed it with a sharp snap. “What happened?” she asked before she even sat down.
“My...my...” She hadn’t expected Lacey to ask. “My financing fell through,” she finally said. And that was kind of the truth.
“Yes, I saw his name on the morning checkout list.”
Amanda closed her eyes, unable to meet Lacey’s gaze. “Don’t judge,” she whispered.
Lacey surprised her with a sharp laugh. “Judge? You are talking to the wrong woman. Honey, I have been there and done that and have the baby to prove it doesn’t always go south when a man helps you out. So, what happened?” she repeated.
“I...he...we...” She laughed at her pathetic stuttering, taking a deep breath to find some composure. “It’s a long story.”
“I like long stories, but give me the abbreviated version. He wanted more than you’re willing to give?”
A warm blush rose up. “Am I that transparent?”
“No, he was. When he came to our house, the guy was already half gone. But I know you’re a private woman, so I haven’t been able to read your take.” She leaned forward, dropping her chin on her knuckles. “He’s a catch. Great-looking, wealthy, caring. What’s his fatal flaw?”
“He doesn’t have one,” Amanda admitted glumly. “I do.”
“And it is?”
She nodded. “You’re right about me. Private. And so’s my answer to that question.”
Lacey grew quiet, considering a reply. “You know what meeting my husband made me realize?” She lifted her hand as if to say, Don’t bother, it’s a rhetorical question. Then she leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. “When it’s real, anything is possible.”
Her chest squeezed. “This wasn’t real.” It was, in fact, imaginary.
“Then better you learn that now before you make any lifelong mistakes, right?”
Right. “I guess.”
“I was going to give you the business.”
Damn, damn, damn. “I can’t do it, Lacey. I have to pay back his loan. Otherwise...” I’m no better than my husband, the swindler. “I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place.”
“Well, that’s a shame, because I loved your proposal. And I have some serious issues with Tori and Jared. For the time being, I’ll continue to manage housekeeping through the resort and revisit the outsourcing at a later date. Maybe by then you can re-bid for the job.”
“Maybe.” But she sounded about as confident as she felt. Like, maybe pigs could fly. “But right now, I need an income. Can I work for you again?”
Before she answered, her phone rang. “Hang on,” she said, lifting the receiver on her desk. “Lacey Walker.”