Malcolm hoped he was wrong, but he had a bad feeling he wasn’t as he called Luca Havers and told him he wanted to see him.
GOLDIE LAY HALF-NAKED, clutching the hotel sheet covering her as she stared up at the ceiling fighting tears.
“Are you all right?” Donovan asked as he leaned on one elbow next to her to look into her face. “Goldie?”
She blinked as she turned to meet his gaze. One tear escaped and ran down her cheek. He captured it with his thumb, the skin smooth, not rough like Max’s had always been. “I’m sorry.”
“There is nothing to be sorry for,” he said.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for thinking I could do this. I honestly wanted to when I came up to your room.”
He nodded, smiling down at her. “I know. But Goldie, if you’re going to make love, it’s going to be with the man you’re still in love with.”
She swallowed as she gave a slight nod. “I’m a fool.”
“No, you’re not. You can’t help who you love. I get it even though I’ve never loved anyone like that. I’ve come close and that terrified me so much I left without a goodbye.”
“That woman who was here? Lolly? It’s not too late to tell her, is it?”
He let out a bark of a laugh. “It’s complicated. I’ll admit I was hoping to lose myself in you, literally.” His smile made her remember why she thought she could go through with this.
Donovan rolled over to his side of the bed, sat up and pulled on his jeans before standing to face her. “Why don’t I let you get dressed.”
“Thanks.” She was awkwardly shy now around him, wondering if she could feel more foolish. She waited until he left the room before she got up and dressed. She kept thinking of how close she’d come to having sex with him. The fact that all she could think of was Max made her angry. He certainly hadn’t been thinking of her for months.
As she dressed, she remembered what Donovan had said about his relationship with Lolly being complicated, no doubt because of her father. How was it that they had both ended up here? Her suspicions about what was going on over at her caféreared again. She cursed Max for putting doubts in her head and worse for making her incapable of really moving on with another man as badly as she wanted to. Needed to.
As she started to turn away from the bed, she saw a crumpled sheet of paper that had apparently been tossed in the corner. The discarded paper caught her eye because other than that, Donovan’s room was surprisingly very neat. Instinctively, she moved to pick it up to throw it away, but once in her hand she caught sight of a word that stopped her.Sheriff?Carefully, she smoothed out the paper to read what was written on it. Her heart pounded so hard it stole her breath.
At a sudden knock at the door, she quickly folded the paper and stuffed it into her jeans pocket before crossing the room. She took a breath and let it out, afraid it might be Lolly at the door. Or Donovan?Please don’t let it be Max. She was humiliated enough without him seeing her as upset as she was. And yet she needed to tell him what she’d learned from the note, didn’t she?
As she flung open the door before the person could pound again, she saw with surprise that it was her cousin. “Clancy, what—”
“It’s Penny. She’s over in front of the café with some other women carrying signs, protesting what is happening inside.”
“We don’t know what is happening inside,” Goldie said.
“Arnie is threatening to have them all arrested and that if Max won’t do it, he’ll find someone who will.”
She groaned. “Fine, I’ll go talk to her.”
“Are you all right?” her cousin asked, as if finally focusing on her.
“Fine.”
Clancy looked past her into the hotel room to the unmade bed. “Did you—”
“Not now,” she snapped and reached for the door, drawing it closed behind her. “I need to see what I can do about Penny.”
Clancy said nothing more as they left the hotel and rushed over to the crowd gathered in front of the café.
Goldie made a beeline for Penny, who was chanting, “Go home, interloper!” and waving a “We Want Goldie’s Back” sign she’d clearly made herself in garish colors.
Grabbing the woman’s arm, she pulled Penny aside. “What are you hoping to accomplish by this?”
“We can’t let just anyone come into town and do whatever they want,” Penny said breathlessly.
“I sold the café. Arnie has every right—”
