Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth (best ereader under 100 .TXT) 📗

week were about to come into view. She would have been perfectly content to avoid them for the last two days of her visit too.

Trust Me.

She could hear a jogger behind her but didn’t turn around. Instead, she walked slowly around the corner. But what she saw was not what she had expected. The once-pristine pool with rocky caves, billowing boulders, prestigious waterfalls, and an inviting lazy river was now all dried up. The only things left were water stains and cracked concrete. The once-towering white gazebo stood with far less pride, its white weathered and its wood rotting. The restaurant looking out over the pool, which fifteen years ago had afforded her and Sam some of the best food they had ever eaten, was boarded up. Boarded up. Every window was boarded up.

Old memories closed, heaven whispered. Time to make some new ones.

The magnitude of the moment brought old Winnie to her knees much the way last night’s encounter had done, though this time was different. This moment was a gift. She had a vision in her mind, a memory she didn’t want to let go of. And it would always be there. But it was time to cease the perpetual revisiting and reenter the land of the living. She would never have had this closure if she had stayed away. Seeing the state of this place, here, now, had released the final piece of her heart to live. To heal.

* * *

Laine had come up quietly on Winnie. She watched her walk slowly over to the old, boarded-up hotel. She felt like she was intruding in some way and had turned to go when Winnie fell to her knees in a heap of tears. Laine knew there was no way she could leave her there by herself. Not like that.

She walked over, knelt beside her, and wrapped her arms around her as best she could. She might have fed her a little too much this week. “It’s okay, Winnie. It’s okay.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I know.”

Laine had not let a woman cry in her arms in a whole lot of years. Shoot, she had done things this week she wasn’t sure she had ever done. She laid her head on Winnie’s back and patted her hands softly. “I’m sorry you lost him, Winnie. I’m really sorry.”

“But I got to love him. That was worth the losing,” Winnie said. “I’ve got to start living now, honey. No more living in the past. I’ve got to let Sam go and start living my life.”

Laine raised her eyebrows but didn’t lift her head. She had been right. Winnie had needed last night to herself. “I’m proud of you.”

Winnie chuckled. “If someone sees us, I don’t even want to know what they are going to think.”

Laine laughed too. She was from Los Angeles. She knew exactly what they would think. “Well, you’re a little old for me.”

Winnie elbowed her. “I’m not too old to beat your tail, which is what you need.”

Laine stood and helped Winnie to her feet. “You’d better go see Tamyra. She was pretty traumatized by what happened last night.”

“Bless her heart. I’ll go see her.” She looped her arm through Laine’s and pulled her sleeve up to wipe her face.

“Why do you all say that?” Laine asked as they walked.

“Say what?”

“‘Bless her heart.’ I heard that means, ‘Ain’t she stupid.’ If that is what it means, I don’t want you ever blessing my heart.”

Winnie laughed. Laine could tell it came from her toes. And Winnie didn’t stop. And Laine didn’t want her to.

* * *

Riley stared at the sky before she walked back into her office. The day was beautiful, making it hard to believe that a hurricane could be blowing through here by Saturday. The wind was so calm. She had noticed this morning that the waves had grown a little higher, but other than that it seemed like another picture-perfect day in paradise. There had been a mass exodus of guests last night, and today would prove just as crazy. On top of that, Max’s VIPs were heading in, along with Harry Connick Jr., but all were flying out tonight as well since the latest indicator was that the storm was picking up speed. Good, in that it wouldn’t be over the island very long; bad, in that it might not impress vacationing VIPs. Each one Riley’s responsibility. She had hit the ground running at 5 a.m. Had checked and rechecked rooms, concert tickets, table arrangements, and it didn’t look like she had missed a thing. By eight o’clock she had already consumed a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and three Dr Peppers. She had so much sugar running through her veins, she would probably register positive on a drug test.

As soon as her butt hit the chair, Mia tapped on her door. “Did you have a good evening?”

Riley could not control the smile that took over her face. She had thought about the experience at church until she finally drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, she was thinking about it all over again. “It was wonderful. Magical, almost.”

“My, my . . . Christian must be quite the ladies’ man.”

Riley felt her face flush. “I wasn’t talking about—”

“You’ll have to tell me details at lunch. I’ve got to take care of some guests who are heading out early. And some more guests who want to snag their concert tickets. But I want to hear all about it. Not one juicy detail do I want you to leave out.” With that, she was gone.

Christian was wonderful, but the evening had been about so much more than Christian. Riley shrugged it off and knew she’d have the opportunity to tell Mia later. Her cell phone buzzed. She retrieved it from her hip.

“Hey, Max.”

“Hey, Riley. Everything good?”

“It’s all ready to go. I’ve checked and rechecked and checked again. We’ve got every detail prepared for them. The gift baskets are absolutely extraordinary. Mr. Connick arrives at ten this morning and we’re expecting