Page 72 of The Last Resort
CHAPTER FORTY
Rachel yelped as a large takeout coffee materialized in front of her laptop. A grinning Matthew set the cup and a paper bag on the table. “It’s a carrot and white chocolate muffin,” he said, dropping into the chair next to hers. “Along with a strong flat white, no sweetener. And an apology.”
He’d been gone for less than an hour and had already come back with gifts. Rachel bit down on her bottom lip. She wasn’t used to men making peace offerings so quickly. Or apologizing.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I lost my temper when you were trying to explain something to me. It won’t happen again.”
Relieved, Rachel puffed out her cheeks and let her shoulders sag. “I’m sorry too. I made a mess of what I was saying and ended up insulting you and your family. That wasn’t fair, or right. I’m also sorry for not telling you about Dan dirtying up the floor. I shouldn’t have kept that from you.”
His warm kiss found its way to her still reddened face. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Ever since she’d got here, Rachel had been on the verge of tears. It was like she had been holding back a reservoir ofthem, and now that the dam wall had finally cracked and burst, she couldn’t hold the waters back. Being resolute and strong had come at a cost.
“You’re not the only reason I was crying. I’m tired and I can’t see a way to make this project work. I’m so worried that we are going to fail, and the council will make us knock this place down.”
“I promise we are not going to lose this beautiful lady.” He tugged the lid off her coffee and handed it to her. “I drove up to Woody Creek a couple of miles from here. The general store there reminds me of the lodge. It’s got a log cabin façade on it and a great country feel. It made me finally realize what you’ve been saying all along. No one in their right mind should be trying to build a glass and steel hotel in the middle of the Colorado mountains. In fact, just standing in the store had me realizing a lot of things I’ve been doing wrong.”
His words were surprisingly positive, but she didn’t like the sound of that last part. Was he rethinking them?
Does he think being with me is wrong?
“Do you have a passport?”
Her head whipped around. Where had that come from? “What?”
“I have a private family wedding the week after next, and I want you to come with me, as my date. I can’t reveal any more details at present other than it’s in the Caribbean at the Royal family island. And you have to keep it a secret.”
Rachel snorted. Of course his family had their own private island. They had their own satellite so an island in the tropics wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for them.
I can’t get my head around that sort of wealth.
“You want me to come with you to a wedding? As your date. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I think it will do us both good to get away fromhere. We were asked to work together to find a solution for this site. No one said we couldn’t leave town.”
He moved closer, and the warmth of his breath sent heat flushing over her body. The Matthew who had stormed out the door a little while ago wasn’t the same Matthew who now wrapped his arm around her and all but purred in her ear. “Come with me to Turks and Caicos. Let’s dig our toes in the sand and allow our minds to move into creative flow.”
Sunshine and beaches. How could a girl resist such an offer?
But he wants me to go to a family wedding, I’m not sure how I feel about that. What will his family say?
“Can I have a little time to think about it before I give you, my answer?”
“Of course.”
She sipped her hot coffee and ate her delicious freshly baked muffin. All the while pondering how she could manage a trip to the Caribbean. If she was going to leave Aspen, by all counts it should be with the express purpose of going to see her mother, not flitting off to a fancy wedding.
Guilt had Rachel calling her mother as soon as Matthew had hit the shower later that evening.
“Hi, Mama. It’s Rachel.”
“Rachel honey, it’s lovely to hear your voice. I was fixin’ to call and ask how the snow resort was going. And the bears! Kellie said you had to be rescued by Dan in the helicopter. Are you alright?”
From the way her mother spoke it was obvious that from her short time in Florida she had found some of her old self. Rachel had long forgotten that spark in her voice.
“I’m fine, Mama. The bear incident was pretty scary but I’m all in one piece. The project is moving along slowly, but Matthew and I are working together and that’s what’s important.”
Patricia gave an easy sigh. “Oh yes, Mister Matthew Royal. I do like the sound of his name. I went to finishing school in Switzerland with his mother, Alice. She was a lovely girl. Met the grandson of an English duke at a ball in New York and they got engaged the very next day. So romantic.”
