Page 57 of Courting Catherine
Confused, she pressed her fingers to her temple. “We’d be, what—renting it from you?”
“That’s not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking more of a partnership.” He took her hand, examining it closely. “Your knuckles have healed.”
“What kind of partnership?”
“The St. James Corporation fronts the money for the renovations, advertising and so forth. Once the retreat—I like retreat better than hotel in this case—once it’s in operation, we split the profits, fifty-fifty.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s really very simple, C.C.” He lifted her hand, kissed one finger. “We compromise. We have our hotel, you have your home. Nobody loses.”
Afraid to feel it, she banked down the little flicker of hope. “I don’t see how it could work. Why would anyone want to pay to stay in someone else’s home?”
“A landmark,” he reminded her, and kissed another finger. “With a legend, a ghost and a mystery. They’ll pay very well to stay here. And when they get a taste of Coco’s bouillabaisse—”
“Aunt Coco?”
“I’ve already offered her the position of chef. She’s delighted. There’s still the matter of a manager, but I think Amanda will fit the slot, don’t you?” His eyes smiled as he brushed a kiss over her third finger.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m a businessman. It makes good business sense. I’ve already begun the market research.” He turned her hand over and pressed his lips to the palm. “That’s what I’ve told my board of directors. I think you know differently.”
“I don’t know anything.” She pulled her hand away to walk to the open garage doors. “All I know is that you come back here with some sort of wild scheme—”
“It’s a very solid plan,” he corrected. “I’m not a wild-scheme sort of person. At least I never have been.” He went to her again, taking her shoulders. “I want you to keep your home, C.C.”
With her lips pressed tight, she closed her eyes. “So, you’re doing it for me.”
“For you, your sisters, Coco, even Bianca.” Hands firm, he turned her to face him. “And I’m doing it for me. You wanted to keep me up at night, and you did.”
She managed a weak smile. “Guilt works miracles.”
“It has nothing to do with guilt. It never did. It has to do with love. With being in love. Don’t pull away,” he said quietly when she jerked against his hold. “Business is closed for the day. Now it’s just you and me. This is as personal as it gets.”
At her sides, her hands clenched into fists. “It’s all personal with me, don’t you understand? You came here and changed everything in my life, then waltzed away again. Now you come back and tell me you’ve altered the plans.”
“You weren’t the only one things changed for. Nothing’s been the same for me since I met you.” Panic snaked through him. She wasn’t going to give him another chance. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want it.”
“Oh, you made it abundantly clear what you didn’t want.” She shoved against him and got nowhere. “You have no right to start this up again.”
“The hell with rights.” He gave her a hard shake. “I’m trying to tell you that I love you. That’s a first for me, and you’re not going to turn it into an argument.”
“I’ll turn it into whatever I want,” she tossed back, furious when her voice broke. “I’m not going to let you hurt me again. I’m not going to—” Then she went still, eyes widening. “Did you say you were in love with me?”
“Just shut up and listen. I’ve spent three and a half weeks feeling empty and miserable without you. I went away because I thought I could. Because I thought that was right and fair and best for both of us. Logically, it was. It still is. We’re nothing alike. I couldn’t see any percentage in risking both our futures when you’d certainly be better off with someone else. Someone like Finney.”
“Finney?” A shout of laughter escaped. “Oh, that’s rich.” While her emotions whirled, she knocked a fist against his chest. “Tell you what, why don’t you take your percentages back to Boston and draw a graph? Now leave me alone. I’ve got work to do.”
“I’m not finished.” When she opened her mouth to swear at him, he let instinct rule and kissed her until she quieted. As breathless as she, he rested his brow against hers. “That has nothing to do with logic or percentages.” Still holding on, he took a step back so that he could see her. “Catherine, every time I reminded myself that I didn’t believe in love or marriage or lifetimes, I remembered the way I felt with you.”
“How? How did you feel with me?”
“Alive. Happy. And I knew I was never going to feel that way again unless I came back.” He let his hands slide away. “C.C., you told me once that what we had could be the best part of my life. You were right. I don’t know if I can make it work, but I need to try. I need you.”
He was afraid, she realized. Even more afraid than she was. With her eyes on his, she lifted a hand to his cheek. “I can give you a guarantee on a muffler, Trent. Not on this.”
“I’d settle for you telling me you still love me, that you’ll give me another chance.”
