Chapter 8

EIGHT

The bad luck that befell her during her trip to Vermont seemed to have followed Diana back to Boston. Over the next few weeks, nothing went her way. Despite making a generous offer to Eva and Mary Chambers-Benoit to purchase the Inn at Crescent Falls, they turned her down, preferring to wait for a noncorporate buyer.

Not willing to admit defeat, Diana made a second, higher offer, which they also declined. She’d even called to see if there was anything else she could do to change their minds, but they wouldn’t be swayed.

Carter was still living with her, but as far as she could tell, he hadn’t spent as much time looking for a job as he had playing video games. He continued to shut down her attempts to get to the bottom of his problems at college, and she was tired of him moping around her town house. She loved her nephew, but he needed to get his act together.

As she arrived at the office on the Monday after the Fourth of July weekend, Diana was determined to get things back on track. Her team had narrowed down a list of five potential new hotels for acquisition, and she was ready to start her own research to see which one she’d scout for purchase next. She couldn’t afford to let her department’s performance record slip, not with her next promotion on the line.

She stepped into the elevator, already thinking through her plan of attack as she stabbed the button for the twenty-second floor.

“Diana!”

She turned at the booming voice to see Vance Wagner, a senior member of the board and longtime friend of the family, crossing the lobby. With a smile, she pressed the button to hold the elevator for him. “Good morning, Vance. How are you?”

“I can’t complain. Missed you at dinner on Saturday.”

She kept her smile firmly in place. Yes, she’d declined dinner at Harrison’s over the weekend, a dinner he’d invited several board members to. She hated having to take sides in this situation, but when forced, she had taken Carter’s. “Next time.”

Vance made a sound of agreement as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to climb. What was he doing here today? He only came to the office when there was a board meeting, but she would have been informed if that was the case.

Wouldn’t she?

“Is there a meeting today?” she asked, keeping her tone curious instead of tentative.

Vance nodded. “Between you and me, Harv’s retiring at the end of the year.”

“Wow.” Diana’s mouth formed the word, but the sound got stuck in her throat. This was news to her. Big news. Harvey Iverness was Devlin Hotels’ chief operating officer, a title she hoped to claim after his retirement. “That’s sooner than expected.”

“I hear Mary’s not doing well,” Vance said, his expression pinched with concern. “Early onset dementia.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that.” Harv’s wife was only in her fifties, far too young to be dealing with dementia.

“Very sad,” Vance agreed.

It was sad. Tragic, even. Diana’s heart went out to her, even as her mind started racing. Harvey hadn’t been expected to retire for another five years or so. If he retired this year…

It meant there would be a new COO soon. The board was here for a meeting she hadn’t been invited to. Was her father proposing his choice for the next COO today? Her chest tightened, and her eye twitched. She could be announced as Harv’s successor today , a move that would virtually guarantee her path to CEO.

This was supposed to have been years down the line. Suddenly, her end game felt tangible in a way it never had before. She could almost taste it. After all these years, all her hard work, it was finally happening.

“Have a good day, Diana,” Vance said as the doors to the elevator opened on the executive floor.

“You too, Vance.” She waved as he turned right, headed toward the boardroom. She went left, spotting two more board members as she headed to her office. Definitely a board meeting. Diana pushed a hand into her bag and gripped her keys, her thumb automatically moving over the calming strip. She focused on the textured surface until her breathing had slowed.

“Good morning, Diana,” her secretary, Nancy, greeted her from the atrium outside Diana’s office. Nancy was in her midsixties, more focused on her upcoming retirement than on office gossip, so Diana knew better than to ask her about the board meeting.

“Morning,” Diana said.

“Your father scheduled a meeting with you at eleven,” Nancy told her. “I’ve added it to your calendar.”

“Thank you.” Diana continued through the door into her office. A meeting with her father. Surely this had to do with the COO position. It was really happening. She would find out today .

Diana set her laptop on the desk before placing her bag in its usual drawer. Then she took a few minutes to tend to the plants on the shelf by the window. She carefully pinched off dead leaves and tested the soil to see which of them needed water. The dragon tail and the peacock plant also liked to have their leaves misted to combat the dry office air.

She loved her plants. Caring for them was relaxing, a good way to ground herself during a hectic or stressful day. Plus, they brightened her office and arguably improved her air quality.

Once the plants were watered, Diana sat at her desk. She lost herself in the reports her team had sent with the next round of hotels to consider acquiring. None of them excited her the way the Inn at Crescent Falls had, but one of them would have to do. The strongest contender seemed to be a mountain lodge in Montana.

That would be an interesting trip. Imagine the hiking she could do in Montana… Briefly, her mind drifted to an image of Emily on a mountainside in Vermont, painting purple asters. Shortly after she returned from Vermont, Diana had purchased that painting from Emily’s online store, a beautiful reminder of a memorable day.

She’d been enamored with the painting from the moment she’d first seen it, but after the awkward way she and Emily had left things, Diana had asked Nancy to complete the purchase for her so her name wasn’t on the receipt. Maybe she’d been afraid Emily would refuse to sell it to her, or maybe Diana didn’t know how to handle the fact that she was still thinking about her one-night stand weeks later.

She yanked her thoughts back on track, going over the financial records for the lodge in Montana. Before she knew it, her phone dinged with a calendar alert, letting her know the meeting with her father was in ten minutes. The morning had flown by, as it often did.

Diana locked her laptop and stood, rubbing at the tension headache building between her eyes. By now, the board would have met and possibly even voted to approve a new COO. Suddenly, her body was a mess of nerves, her skin prickling with anxiety. What if her father had chosen Harrison for the job instead of Diana?

Her ears started to buzz, and her fingertips tingled. She closed her eyes, focused on her breathing to avoid a panic attack. She’d been preparing for this moment her whole adult life. She’d done the work. Now she had to trust her father to make the right choice. Emotions firmly under control, she set off for her meeting.

Edward Devlin’s office was at the other end of the executive floor. Diana greeted his secretary, who waved her past. “Go on in. He’s ready for you.”

“Thank you, Sarah.”

Diana knocked before pushing the door open. Her father stood with his back to her, staring out at the city. The wall behind his desk contained floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of Boston, a more impressive view than her own since his office faced downtown while hers looked toward the airport.

She closed the door behind her. “Good morning, Dad.”

He turned to face her, hands in the front pockets of his slacks and an easy smile on his face. His hair had faded to white now, but it had once been the same reddish blonde as hers. Diana took after him in both looks and ambition. “Ah, Diana, come on in and have a seat.”

She sat, clasping her hands over her knees to keep from fidgeting.

“I’ll get right to it,” he said as he sat behind his desk. “You probably saw that the board was here this morning. Harv is taking an early retirement.”

“I heard,” she said. “That was unexpected.”

“Indeed. So, as you’ve probably also guessed, I called a meeting this morning to vote on the next COO. I won’t be making a formal announcement for a few more days, but I hope you’ll join me in congratulating Harrison.”

“Harrison,” she repeated with numb lips. Harrison would be the next COO. For a terrifying moment, her mind emptied of everything except static, the sound of her dreams being extinguished. “I don’t understand.”

He sighed. “Diana.”

“Why not me?” She gazed at him expectantly, her face a polite mask despite how she felt inside, like she’d been kicked in the stomach, like the ground had shifted beneath her feet.

“It was a tough decision,” he said finally. “I don’t have to tell you how much I value your work here, Di. You’re a remarkable woman and a vital asset to this company, but ultimately, I felt that Harrison is the right man for the job, and the board agrees. ”

She refused to flinch or crumple in her seat, no matter how badly it hurt. “So Harrison is in line to be CEO.”

“Yes.”

Her scalp prickled as hurt burned into anger. “You know how hard I’ve worked for this. My record in the independent purchasing division is exemplary, and Harrison?—”

He held up a hand. “Harrison is the eldest, and he’s put in the time to build an invaluable network of connections. He’s well respected, Diana, and I don’t mean to say that you’re not. But he’s more of a big picture thinker than you are, which is critical for a future CEO. You’ve done an outstanding job overseeing our independent purchasing division, but you spend a lot of time on the road. You’re less visible. Around the office, people wish you’d be a little bit…softer.”

“Oh?” Her fingers were clenched around the edge of the chair. “And do they wish Harrison would soften up a bit too? Or you? No? Just me, because I’m a woman?”

“You know what I mean.” His tone was overly patient, and it made her want to scream. “This isn’t a bad thing. You’ll be promoted to COO after Harrison takes my place. Devlin Hotels will be in excellent hands with the two of you leading it.”

“Harrison spends more time on the golf course than I spend scouting hotels,” she said with forced calm. She’d never lost her temper in front of her father—not at work, anyway—and she wasn’t about to start today. “I’ve streamlined operations to the point that independent purchasing is the most profitable division in the company. Imagine what I could do as CEO!”

His expression remained frustratingly patient. “You’re a confidant woman, and I’m extraordinarily proud of everything you’ve accomplished here. But there’s more to being CEO than business acumen. Optics are involved. Harrison is a family man. He’s well liked, and he’s made personal connections with so many of our vendors and subsidiaries that, frankly, you haven’t taken the time to nurture.”

“A family man,” she repeated, unable to keep the edge out of her voice. “You know he recently kicked Carter out of the house, right?”

“Carter is an adult, and that has nothing to do with Harrison’s suitability as CEO.”

“Hey, you’re the one who just listed ‘family man’ as one of the reasons he’d make a better CEO than me,” Diana snapped. “Lesbians need not apply?”

“Please don’t make this about something it’s not.” Her father’s tone finally hardened. “We value you here, Di. You’re an important part of the Devlin team, but I had to choose who I thought would be best for the top job, and I chose Harrison.”

“Understood.” She nodded briskly, rose from her chair, and strode down the hall to her office. Nancy smiled politely as she passed. Diana packed up her things and returned to Nancy’s desk, noting the way her receptionist minimized the beach condo she’d been looking at. She’d be retiring at the end of the year, and she and her husband were planning a move to Florida. Clearly, Nancy’s mind was already there. “I’ll be working from home this afternoon. Please hold my calls unless there’s anything urgent.”

“No problem,” Nancy said, not asking any questions about why. Maybe she already knew, or maybe she just didn’t care. Not for the first time, Diana wished Nancy was more of an ally. Diana sure could use one right now.

Devlin Hotels was more than a job for Diana. This was her family, her legacy, her whole world. And now she’d been dealt a crushing blow. She needed to get out of here. She needed privacy to tend to her emotional wounds.

Diana opened the rideshare app on her phone and requested a car, knowing she didn’t have patience for the subway. As she stepped into the elevator, she looked down at her hands, surprised to see that they were shaking. Her whole body felt like it was vibrating. Anger. Hurt. Betrayal. Bewilderment. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was feeling, but the cocktail of emotions had shaken her to her core, and she needed some time to process.

Thankfully, her car arrived not long after she reached the street. Hopefully, Carter would be out, because she really needed to be alone this afternoon. Actually, she needed to vent, but this wasn’t something she could complain about to him.

Diana had a sudden, overwhelming urge to spew the whole ugly story onto a sympathetic shoulder. If only she were better at cultivating friendships…or relationships. But she’d prioritized her career over everything else. She had only casual acquaintances, no close friends. No girlfriend to hold her while she cried. Diana was alone in a tower of her own making.

She’d given almost twenty years of her life to Devlin Hotels on the assumption that one day, she would run it. Now, she had no idea what to do with herself. Sure, COO was an excellent job, one she’d been looking forward to on her way to CEO. But to stall there? To always be second fiddle to Harrison?

That sounded unbearable.

Becoming the CEO of Devlin Hotels was the only career trajectory she’d ever considered for herself. How could she have been so na?ve? Now she had no idea what to do. The tightness in her chest was almost unbearable. She felt like she might actually explode from all the pent-up emotion she was holding inside.

To her immense relief, the town house was empty when she arrived. She went straight upstairs to her bedroom and changed into athletic gear, then headed out for a punishing five-mile run. The sidewalks were annoyingly crowded on this July afternoon, disrupting her stride as she had to continually dodge pedestrians.

Back home, she guzzled a bottle of water, showered, and then poured herself a generous glass of whiskey, which she took with her onto the back patio. Her backyard was little more than this patio. When she bought it, the patio had been bordered by an unsightly chain-link fence, but she’d hidden it from sight behind the lush greenery she’d planted, turning the backyard into her own private oasis.

She stretched out on a chaise lounge, gaze fixed absently on a flowering purple lilac. It reminded her of the flower Emily had been painting when they met. She had no idea how long she’d been out there, sipping whiskey and stewing in her thoughts, before she heard the glass door slide open behind her.

“Hey, Aunt DD.” Carter plopped onto the chaise beside her, wearing jeans that looked like they’d been chewed up by machinery, although she suspected he’d bought them that way. He held a beer in his left hand, and at her startled look, he grinned. “I’m twenty-one now, remember?”

“So you are.” She’d never shared a drink with her nephew before. How odd.

“I had a job interview today.” He leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

“Not dressed like that, I hope.” She allowed her lips to quirk so he knew she was teasing .

“Changed when I got home.”

Home . If he realized he’d just referred to her town house that way, he gave no indication. Diana, by contrast, felt a curious burst of warmth in her heart at his word choice. “Tell me about it,” she said. “What kind of job?”

He looked down at the beer in his hands. “You know that all-natural store down the street? They need a weekday sales associate.”

“Selling herbal soap?” She heard the incredulity in her voice. “Carter, you’re an engineer.”

“No, I’m not .”

Diana startled at the unexpected vehemence in his voice. Carter’s jaw was clenched, his shoulders hunched. His gaze was locked stubbornly on the beer in his hands. He’d completed three years of his engineering degree, had been on that career path since he was sixteen or so, when he’d first interned at Devlin Hotels in their architectural design division.

“What do you mean, you’re not?” she asked.

“Forget I said anything.” He sounded like the petulant teen he’d so recently been, but this was the tone he usually directed at his parents, not Diana. She found she didn’t like being on the receiving end of it. “You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

She purposefully gentled her tone. “Try me.”

“Engineering was the career Dad picked for me. I thought it was okay when I was like fifteen, but now I hate it, and the classes are so hard. I can’t keep up. It’s not for me.”

“I had no idea.” Diana took another sip of her whiskey. “I’m sorry if I took part in pushing you toward a career you didn’t want.”

Carter grunted. “Whatever. ”

She rolled her eyes. Moments like these, she was reminded how young he still was. Not a child, but not a fully mature man yet either. “What do you want to be, then? What’s your chosen career path? No judgment from me, whatever it is. I promise.”

“I have no idea. I can only tell you a bunch of stuff I hate.”

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, both of them sipping their drinks and pondering where their lives had gone wrong. Well, that’s what Diana was thinking about, anyway. She’d lost the only job she’d ever wanted. At least Carter was still young enough to chart a new course for himself. What was she going to do?

“Your father was promoted to COO today. Did you know?” she asked finally.

Carter made a scoffing sound. “Finally, huh? That’s all he’s talked about for as long as I can remember: COO and then CEO.”

Diana’s stomach clenched painfully. “That’s all I’ve talked about too. I guess you and I both find ourselves at a career standstill.”

“Fuck,” he exclaimed, and hearing her nephew swear was almost as disconcerting as sharing a drink with him. “I never put two and two together before. You and my dad were shooting for the same job.”

“We were,” she confirmed.

“That sucks,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“It does, and thank you.”

“My dad will be CEO? That’s what this means? And you won’t?” He looked at her then, his eyes wide and concerned.

“That’s what it means.”

Carter darted another glance at her. “You should quit. ”

It was her turn to scoff. “Carter, just because I supported you when you dropped out of college doesn’t mean I condone it as a solution to your problems or that I have any intention of doing the same. I don’t quit, even when things get hard.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “I mean, not exactly. Like, you’re really passionate about buying these independent hotels, right? That’s always been your thing?”

“I am, yes.” She didn’t have to ask how Carter knew this. He’d spent one of his summer internships in her office, traveling with her to get a feel for the independent purchasing division. It had been a fun summer.

“You’re meant to be running things, Aunt DD. You’ll never be happy working for my dad the rest of your life, and you’re really good at the boutique hotel thing. What if you start your own company? Be your own boss.”

She inhaled. “It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I…” She faltered, mind spinning. Why not indeed? “I don’t know.”

An unexpected burst of laughter came from the chaise beside her. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say those words before.”

“What words?”

“‘I don’t know.’” He snickered again. “You always have the answer. Always. You’re probably the smartest person I know.”

“Oh.” Her throat tightened. “Thank you.”

“You could call it DD Boutique Hotels, or something like that. Hey!” He sat up straight. “I could work for you! I could do your website—I took a class on that last year, and it was pretty cool—and I could answer your calls, and whatever else you need. We could really do this. ”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Carter.” She kept her tone neutral. “There’s a lot more that goes into starting a business than building a website.”

“Like what?”

“Not to blow your mind twice in one night, but…I don’t know.” She tossed a gentle smile in his direction. “I’ve never started one or even considered it.”

“I could help you research. I mean, I’ve got some free time on my hands…”

“That you do.” And she couldn’t help noticing that Carter looked more animated right now than she’d seen him in months, maybe years. There was a light in his eyes that she hadn’t even realized was missing.

More, she felt a glimmer of that light inside herself too. What if…?

“I didn’t hear a ‘no’ yet,” he pressed, grinning at her.

“You didn’t, but you haven’t heard a yes either.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve given me something to think about. This is not a decision to be made lightly or after the amount of whiskey I’ve had tonight.” She held up her empty glass. “But here’s one ‘yes’ I’ll give you: you’re welcome to spend some of that free time researching the logistics.”

He bounced again. “Got it. You won’t regret this, Aunt DD.”

If only she believed that was true.