Hartwell. Yet a doctor chose your establishment over mine.”
“Well, she has taste,” Bailey said, grabbing my arm. “Now, we’ll be leaving before you storm into me deliberately again.”
“It was an accident,” he said lazily as she started to pull me away from him. “It’s not my fault you’re always in my way. Enjoy your stay in Hartwell, Dr. Huntington.”
“Pfft!” She tugged me forward and I had to quicken my steps to keep up with her.
“Well, there’s a story there,” I said, thinking about how the air had snapped and crackled around the two of them. “Ex-lover?”
“What?” she screeched, drawing to a complete halt on the boardwalk by the bandstand. There was horror in her pretty green eyes. “What would make you say that?”
“Sexual tension,” I answered honestly.
The horror in her gaze multiplied. “Sexual . . . wha . . . pfft . . . huh!” she sputtered. “No! There is no sexual tension between us. Just pure dislike.”
“Hmm.”
“You don’t believe me?” She pointed to Paradise Sands. “That monstrosity was a deliberate attempt to undermine my business.”
“Wasn’t it a hotel before Vaughn bought it?”
“Yeah, but a crappy one. Vaughn’s place is affordable luxury.”
“Has it affected your business?”
Bailey shrugged and turned toward the water. She leaned her elbows on the railing and stared out at the beach. “No. But that doesn’t mean he cared whether it would or not. And what is he evendoing here?” She glanced at me, frustration mingling with curiosity in her eyes. “He’s this big fancy New Yorker, born and bred in Manhattan. Comes from big money, owns numerous hotels, and he decides to take up residence in the hotel in little Hartwell, Delaware? You don’t find that suspect?”
I leaned on the railing beside her. “You don’t think Hartwell has its charms?”
“Of course I do.” She grew serious. “But not to someone like him. Vaughn Tremaine treats me like an uncultured country bumpkin, like I’m less of a person because I’m a townie who lacks ambition. I admire people like you, Jessica. You’ve worked for a long time and worked hard to become a doctor. But I never wanted a fancy education or to live anywhere but here. For me this is all I’ve ever wanted.” She gestured to the sea. “I believe it’s the simple things in life that make it great. My inn. My ocean. My family. My friends. I don’t appreciate someone telling me that all the things I admire the most about my life are things to be sneered at as simple and folksy.”
I nodded, understanding now. I’d be mad at Vaughn Tremaine, too, if he’d made me feel that way about my life. Gazing out at the water, I found myself envious of Bailey. All the things she thought made her life special were the things I didn’t have.
“I just don’t get why the smug bastard wants to be here. Why stay somewhere when he so obviously finds it provincial? He won’t tell anyone. And I don’t like it.”
I grinned at her. “He didn’t seem so bad.”
“Oh, don’t be fooled by his suave, cultured manners. That there is a wolf in Armani.”
Funny, his expression had struck me as wolfish, too. “Maybe you’re right,” I murmured.
“He’s worming his way in. I think he may even have Cooper softening up to him. Asshole.”
I laughed.
“Speaking of Cooper, how did it go? With Sarah’s letters?”
That pall from earlier threatened to return. “It didn’t, really. Hesaid the family had already guessed Sarah was being abused and they tried to help. He said she had choices and she made the wrong choice. I didn’t find him very compassionate. At all.” I shrugged sadly.
And that was just so crappy because even without realizing it I’d built him up in my head to be this . . . I don’t know . . . someone I had really liked a lot from our one encounter. I hated that the second time around he wasn’t who I’d hoped he’d be.
“You sound disappointed.”
“I
“Well, she has taste,” Bailey said, grabbing my arm. “Now, we’ll be leaving before you storm into me deliberately again.”
“It was an accident,” he said lazily as she started to pull me away from him. “It’s not my fault you’re always in my way. Enjoy your stay in Hartwell, Dr. Huntington.”
“Pfft!” She tugged me forward and I had to quicken my steps to keep up with her.
“Well, there’s a story there,” I said, thinking about how the air had snapped and crackled around the two of them. “Ex-lover?”
“What?” she screeched, drawing to a complete halt on the boardwalk by the bandstand. There was horror in her pretty green eyes. “What would make you say that?”
“Sexual tension,” I answered honestly.
The horror in her gaze multiplied. “Sexual . . . wha . . . pfft . . . huh!” she sputtered. “No! There is no sexual tension between us. Just pure dislike.”
“Hmm.”
“You don’t believe me?” She pointed to Paradise Sands. “That monstrosity was a deliberate attempt to undermine my business.”
“Wasn’t it a hotel before Vaughn bought it?”
“Yeah, but a crappy one. Vaughn’s place is affordable luxury.”
“Has it affected your business?”
Bailey shrugged and turned toward the water. She leaned her elbows on the railing and stared out at the beach. “No. But that doesn’t mean he cared whether it would or not. And what is he evendoing here?” She glanced at me, frustration mingling with curiosity in her eyes. “He’s this big fancy New Yorker, born and bred in Manhattan. Comes from big money, owns numerous hotels, and he decides to take up residence in the hotel in little Hartwell, Delaware? You don’t find that suspect?”
I leaned on the railing beside her. “You don’t think Hartwell has its charms?”
“Of course I do.” She grew serious. “But not to someone like him. Vaughn Tremaine treats me like an uncultured country bumpkin, like I’m less of a person because I’m a townie who lacks ambition. I admire people like you, Jessica. You’ve worked for a long time and worked hard to become a doctor. But I never wanted a fancy education or to live anywhere but here. For me this is all I’ve ever wanted.” She gestured to the sea. “I believe it’s the simple things in life that make it great. My inn. My ocean. My family. My friends. I don’t appreciate someone telling me that all the things I admire the most about my life are things to be sneered at as simple and folksy.”
I nodded, understanding now. I’d be mad at Vaughn Tremaine, too, if he’d made me feel that way about my life. Gazing out at the water, I found myself envious of Bailey. All the things she thought made her life special were the things I didn’t have.
“I just don’t get why the smug bastard wants to be here. Why stay somewhere when he so obviously finds it provincial? He won’t tell anyone. And I don’t like it.”
I grinned at her. “He didn’t seem so bad.”
“Oh, don’t be fooled by his suave, cultured manners. That there is a wolf in Armani.”
Funny, his expression had struck me as wolfish, too. “Maybe you’re right,” I murmured.
“He’s worming his way in. I think he may even have Cooper softening up to him. Asshole.”
I laughed.
“Speaking of Cooper, how did it go? With Sarah’s letters?”
That pall from earlier threatened to return. “It didn’t, really. Hesaid the family had already guessed Sarah was being abused and they tried to help. He said she had choices and she made the wrong choice. I didn’t find him very compassionate. At all.” I shrugged sadly.
And that was just so crappy because even without realizing it I’d built him up in my head to be this . . . I don’t know . . . someone I had really liked a lot from our one encounter. I hated that the second time around he wasn’t who I’d hoped he’d be.
“You sound disappointed.”
“I
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