“Blatantly.”
“I’m not apologizing.”
“I’m not asking you to. Working here gets me that much closer to where I want to be. It’s short-term, and in the end I’ll go back to what I love, anyway.”
“And maybe someday you’ll meet the right kind of man.”
“Unlikely. I’m happy doing what I’m doing, and giving up men is kind of freeing. I can totally concentrate on my long-term goals—the things I’ve been waiting for and wanting.”
“Goals are good.”
“Spoken like a true businessman. Do you have others? Besides McKendrick’s, I mean.” The words had just popped out. “Forget I said that,” she said. “As my boss, your goals are totally none of my business.”
He shrugged. “The truth? I’m strictly business when it comes to goals. In two months it’ll be five years since I bought McKendrick’s. I want to expand the business and send it to everyone’s top ten list of hotels. So no personal goals, if that’s what you were asking. I learned long ago that I’m not suited to relationships, but that’s a boring story and we have to get back. I want you to have a little downtime so that you’re completely comfortable when you take your place behind the desk.”
But Alex had a feeling that she was never going to be entirely comfortable at McKendrick’s. Her job was the hotel, and Wyatt and the hotel were intimately entwined. No matter how she looked at things, she’d be spending a lot of time with him.
Just as an employee, she reminded herself. She thought the words, her brain registered them, but heaven help her, when she looked at Wyatt she didn’t feel even slightly “comfortable.” She felt…hot.
What a totally alarming thought. If she hadn’t been committed to work, she would have been calling up Jayne, Serena and Molly right then, and asking them to talk her down off the ledge. As it was…
“I’m yours for the day, Wyatt,” she said. A totally cringe-worthy statement, but one that was, in fact, true.
She had committed herself to Wyatt, not just for a day but for weeks to come. She might as well accept that and arm herself heavily against her unwanted blatantly physical reaction to the man. Beverly was right about one thing. The man was too much like chocolate. Tempting. He definitely threatened her “no men” diet.
All the way back to the hotel, Wyatt wondered what in hell he was doing. There was training an employee, and then there was enjoying oneself with an employee. The second wasn’t allowed. He needed his walls.
So, despite the fact that he had enjoyed watching Alex’s exchange with Beverly, he was also glad that Alex’s questions had forced him to remember not only his goals but his past, his flaws, his limitations. He’d been born not fitting with other people—from his mother, who’d given birth to him and then dumped him on relatives, to those relatives who’d tried to beat the wildness out of him, to the women who had wanted him and been disappointed when he disappointed them. All of his relationships had left someone with scars, and he was through with them.
In that sense, working with Alex might present a minefield. She seemed both tough and fragile, like a woman who needed a knight in shining armor but didn’t know it. What she didn’t need was a loner who would break her heart again. What he didn’t need was to break someone’s heart or fail to live up to expectations again. He didn’t have to be reminded that some people started out bad and tough and stayed that way. McKendrick’s was the only place where he excelled, and he needed to remember that.
Hiring Alex might be good for McKendrick’s, but bad for him. Except she was on a break from men and he was on a permanent break from relationships. So maybe this employer/employee relationship could work, he thought as he drove down the road. He hoped so.
Though he didn’t broadcast the details, his need for McKendrick’s to succeed ran deep. It was almost fifteen years since he had escaped his hellish home and the people who had beaten him down and predicted that he would never amount to anything. He was finally up, higher than anyone had ever expected him to be. This hotel was where his life had truly begun. It was his validation and his legacy.
Everything else had to be secondary, and he couldn’t forget that. If he did, someone might get hurt.
ALEX didn’t have any more time to think about Wyatt, because as soon as she got to her desk, a man came up wanting to know the best place for a haircut. Don’t panic. Don’t tell him you don’t have a clue, or remember that this hotel is up for an award and reviewers might be anonymous men asking about haircuts.
She glanced around the room. Hmm, Randy’s haircut was nice, but probably not what the fiftyish man was looking for. She scanned the room further, saw what she was looking for, then waved to Randy.
He frowned, but came over. “Randy, could you watch my desk for just a second?”
He blinked. The man who had asked the question blinked.
“I’ll be right back with your answer,” she said, striding across the lobby toward a waiter who was serving drinks to two women seated next to a fountain. As the man turned from his task, Alex flashed a smile. “Hi, I’m Alex Lowell, the new concierge, Seth,” she said, reading off his name tag. “When you’re done, I have a quick question.”
He nodded as she turned to the women and held out her hand. “Hello, and welcome to McKendrick’s. If you need anything at all, I hope you’ll let me know.”
“Actually, I do need something,” one woman said. “I have to know…where did you get that fantastic outfit?” She gestured toward Alex’s pale lemon knee-length suit.
Alex grimaced inside. She wanted to be helpful, and yet…“I’m afraid I got it in San Diego.”
“Wonderful! I’ve been wanting to go there. Now I can schedule a shopping trip as an excuse. I have a luncheon in a month, and that’s just what I was looking for. You wouldn’t happen to have the address of the shop, would you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Alex said, writing down the information for her friend’s shop. “Tell Elaine, the owner, that Alexandra Lowell sent you. She’ll treat you right.”
“Fantastic! Now, I better let you get to Seth. He’s certainly in demand this morning.”
Alex smiled. “Yes. Seth, I need the name of your hairdresser? Barber? Whoever gave you that great cut?”
Seth blinked.
“It’s for a customer,” she explained. “You have just the right look, I think.”
The women agreed that Seth had great hair, and chuckled as he blushed and smiled and scribbled an address down.
“Thanks, Seth. You’re a lifesaver. I’m sure Mr. Toliver will thank you, too.” She flashed the women a smile. “I hope you find something nice at Elaine’s.”
“Even if I don’t, I’ll enjoy looking. It was great meeting someone who takes her job personally. By the way, Alex, I’m Joanne. Wyatt runs a great hotel, and even though we’re local, Meredith and I come here often, so it’s good to meet you.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to make your stay special.”
Then, because Mr. Toliver had been waiting too long, Alex practically flew across the room.
“I’m sorry I took so long, Mr. Toliver. Thank you, Randy. I was just getting some expert advice on hairstylists from Seth.”
“Alex,” Randy said in a low voice, “Seth is a waiter.”
“Yes, and he has gorgeous hair, doesn’t he? Both of those ladies love it, too. I think