Just as awe-inspiring as the living room was the bedroom. A king-size bed first captured my attention, with its rich mahogany headboard and the taupe silk pillows piled high in front of it. A mahogany bench upholstered in gold velvet occupied the end of the bed, a nice contrast to the two chocolate boudoir chairs that faced the room.
“This is too much for me to accept,” I started, turning to face Trina and shaking my head. Trina was tall, eye to eye with me. I had more of a curvaceous body—natural C-cup boobs and wide hips that would have made me look like a pear were it not for my bust—while she was rather slender and small-framed. She looked younger than Ryan…I would have pinned her around thirty, maybe. Ryan appeared to be in his late thirties. Trina’s eyes were hazel with flecks of gold in them, making them look more amber. Full lips, oval face, high cheekbones, and golden hair, Trina was definitely a looker. And very definitely Ryan’s sister. The family resemblance was uncanny.
“Don’t be silly,” she started in a voice reminiscent of Scarlett O’Hara. I was just waiting for her to bust out with “fiddle-dee-dee!”
“Please, I insist you let me pay for it,” I continued. I was entirely uncomfortable with accepting Ryan and Trina’s generosity, especially since it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it.
The attractive blond shook her head with a duplicate expression of her brother the previous night. Apparently, obstinacy ran in the Kelly family. “I’m goin’ to give you a brief lesson on Southern hospitality,” she interrupted. “You’ll find people down here happily go out of their way to help you. That’s because we like doin’ it, honey. So please, just let us.”
I laughed and nodded my consent, feeling immediately drawn to her easy yet direct manner. “Point taken and lesson learned. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” she finished, dismissing the conversation with a French-manicured hand. I noticed she wasn’t wearing a ring on her graceful fingers, so I assumed she wasn’t married. Not that I could swing both ways…Nope, I was very happy in my fully convinced heterosexuality. But I could also appreciate true beauty—be it male or female.
But while I could recognize Trina as a beautiful woman, it was her brother I couldn’t seem to get out of my mind. Which in a word…sucked. My rational side kept insisting that my attraction to Ryan Kelly wasn’t part of my plans. I was newly divorced and needed to focus on living by myself, for myself. In no way was I ready for any sort of romantic liaison, not that Ryan was looking for one…
While the rational side of me could see things plainly in black and white, the emotional side of me, also known as the idealistic, girly side, couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan. His dimpled smile and the way his Southern accent sounded so lazily relaxed…as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Besides, this hotel already owes my brother quite a few favors,” Trina continued with a knowing smirk. “And he phoned in one of those favors for you, so you better accept it!”
I laughed and nodded, liking how immediately at ease I felt around her. So at ease, as a matter-of-fact, that I dared to do some digging where her brother was concerned. “The hotel owes your brother some favors?” I repeated. “Why is that?”
She shrugged like I should’ve already known the answer to my own question. “Ryan was the general contractor on the remodel.”
My eyebrows raised up in surprise as I studied my surroundings again with renewed interest before bringing my confused expression back to Trina. “He was the general contractor?” I repeated dubiously. Something here didn’t ring true…hadn’t Ryan told me he only “dabbled” in construction? Looking around myself again, there was no way a “dabbler” could have achieved such a magnificent result.
“You better believe it, honey,” Trina said, nodding all the while. “If my brother excels at anythin’, it’s his talent to accurately restore old mansions.”
“Hmm,” I said with a deep breath. I wasn’t sure if I was setting myself up for an unpleasant outcome, but I wanted to get to the bottom of whether Trina or her brother was stretching the truth. “Ryan told me he only ‘dabbled’ in construction?”
Trina nodded without surprise. Then she sighed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“So there’s a disconnect there somewhere?” I spoke before thinking I might be treading into personal territory where I had no right to intrude. “I’m sorry…it’s none of my business.”
Cocking her head to the side, Trina didn’t argue with me. Instead, her attention was on the French doors, where she seemed to zone out on the view just beyond them. “Ryan used to own the largest construction company in N’awlins,” she said with a wistful smile. “Kelly’s Construction,” she finished softly.
I glanced around myself again, taking in the lushness of the living room before recalling the immense foyer of the Omni Royal. If Ryan could manage a project this massive, Trina was right—he was well beyond talented. Even more, he was easily more than qualified for my remodel. Well, that is, if he was still in the construction business. Seeing the nostalgic expression on Trina’s face, I got a feeling the answer to that question was a resounding no. “So, is Kelly’s Construction still around?” I asked sheepishly.
Trina immediately shook her head as the wistful, sad smile returned to her lips. “Unfortunately it hasn’t been around for the last—what?—four years now.”
“What happened?” I asked even though I knew I was becoming nosy again. “Did business dry up or something?”
Trina shook her head. “Findin’ jobs and keepin’ clients have never been a problem for Ryan. He’s always gotten more work than he could handle. He actually had waitin’ lists.”
“So why isn’t he still doing it?”
Wrapping her fingers around the back of her neck, a general expression of worry came over her face, like she wasn’t sure if she should tell me or not. Reluctant to corner her into a tough position, I interrupted. “Trina, you don’t have to tell me, really. I’ve already asked you too many questions and stuck my nose where it doesn’t belong. I have a tendency to do that,” I continued apologetically. I sighed. “I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable and I apologize.”
“No,” she said with authority. “It’s better I tell you than for you to ask him, especially since you are lookin’ for a contractor to remodel your home.” She continued nodding vehemently, as if she were trying to convince herself as much as me. “It’s probably just a matter of time before the conversation comes up anyway…” she said mostly to herself.
“Well, as for contractors, Ryan said he would meet me in the lobby at noon with a list of names.”
She nodded, but didn’t seem convinced. Then she sighed despondently. “I’m sure they are all good, Peyton, but not one of them is Ryan Kelly.”
I shook my head, failing to grasp what she was trying to tell me. “But, by the sound of it, Ryan’s no longer available?”
She nodded again with a deep breath, only to exhale it for a count of three. She cleared her throat and brought her eyes to mine. “Ryan was married for maybe six years,” she started. I felt a spire of disappointment jet through me at the thought that he was off the market…or was. Irritated, I shoved the thought right out of my head. “Elizabeth was his whole life,” Trina continued, smiling fondly as if she were looking at a picture of them together. Then her smile fell. “One day, she was visitin’ one of his job sites. While she was waitin’ for him to free up, she took a walk around the property and…just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”