Unacceptable.
Merina was the key to saving that legacy. No chance of her absconding with someone he knew unless she wanted to be sued or lose her hotel. But he couldn't see her straying. First off, she was nothing like Gwyneth. Merina Van Heusen cared about her family and preserving history. His ex made it clear history meant nothing to her the day she ended what she and Reese had for a guy she'd slept with on a whim.
Only that whim had turned into marriage. She and Hayes had the audacity to send him an invitation, and Gwyneth had expressed she'd like to "remain friends," which would have been laughable if he'd been able to feel anything other than deep, dark acrimony.
Hayes, who had worked for Crane Hotels at the time, was offered a hefty severance package and encouraged to leave. Reese supposed he owed Gwyneth a thank-you for that life lesson. If she'd have stayed with him, he might have settled down with a couple of kids and been happy as a clam in the same management position at Crane he'd held nine years ago.
He might have ignored his drive and aspirations to become CEO. Being in charge of one of the most recognized brands in the country didn't allow a lot of time for relationships. If the board could wrangle two or three brain cells together to see things his way, they'd also see that not having relationship entanglements afforded him to work all the hours he wanted. He could stay up as late as he needed and never receive a text asking him to leave early and pick up eggs and milk on his way home.
Like Mom and Dad.
At that thought, his stomach clenched. He had nothing but good memories of his mother and father, of their relationship. They were the ideal. But after trying his hand at attaining ideal, Reese saw that ideal wasn't for everyone. Success didn't come equally in all factions of life. For him, his success was in business, which, face it, wasn't a bad area to excel.
This was better and exactly why their father had never remarried. Alex knew the secret to thriving in business was to stay flexibly single. Reese knew it. Tag knew it. And when Eli returned from overseas and resumed a regular schedule back at Crane, he'd likely follow the same path. It was the family way.
"Scotch, neat," came a warm female voice to his left.
Reese was seated at the bar at Armande awaiting Merina with a full view of the door, so he knew the woman speaking over his shoulder wasn't her. The voice was a purposeful seductive purr when she addressed him properly.
"Reese Crane. You never called."
No, he wouldn't have called. He turned his head, meeting eyes with a tall brunette in a simple black dress. Long chestnut hair grazed her shoulders.
"But I did appreciate the flowers." Her lips curved to the side in a lazy smile and that's when her name came to him. Rebecca. They'd met at a fund-raiser for the art museum over the holidays. She worked there. What a perfect example of why he didn't do more than one date. She was trouble with a capital T if he'd ever seen it.
Flowers cover a multitude of sins." He accepted the scotch from the bartender with a nod. Rebecca raised her glass of wine in cheers and they drank.
"I have to say," she said, glancing around the bar, "when we met, I was hoping what the media says about you wasn't true."
God help him if she mentioned his hashtag.
"I was sure you'd find the time we spent together good enough to warrant a second date." She swept her hair over her shoulder. With that body and her piercing almond-shaped eyes, Reese hazarded the safe guess that Rebecca hadn't gone home and cried in her Häagen-Dazs. "But I guess not."
"You seem to have landed on your feet," he said casually, checking the door again. "Who are you here with?"
He looked back at her in time to see her wide mouth part into a smile. "Busted. I'm here with Arnie Palatino."
"Mayor's son." He shrugged his mouth. "Not bad."
"Yeah, but"—she looked around conspiratorially before leaning in and murmuring in his ear—"he doesn't have a rocket in his pocket."
That explained the renewed interest. Before he could respond, he caught a flash of honeyed hair and red that drew his eyes to the door. Rebecca had started talking again but her voice faded into the din of diners and waitstaff. Everything in the room fell away as his eyes zoomed in on the woman who'd come here to meet him.
Merina Van Heusen's dark blond hair was down, one side pushed behind her ear. She wore a classy, simple red dress. It wasn't skintight but floated seductively over delicate shoulders, flaring at her hips. A subtle V exposed a hint of cleavage, just enough to make his mouth water but not enough to reveal the trace of ink he'd spotted the day she'd come in wearing a see-through wet silk shirt. A long gold necklace with a circle pendant hung between her breasts.
His mind echoed the reminder business agreement, but his instincts, the ones he trotted out for his dates, recognized her as one hundred percent woman.
Beside him, he was aware Rebecca had stopped talking. Just as well—they had nothing to say to each other.
"Excuse me," he said, standing from the bar. The moment he was on his feet, Merina spotted him. Her eyes cut to the brunette, then back to him.
He tried to communicate with a subtle headshake. Relax, she's old business.
"I guess you're here with someone too," Rebecca murmured.
"I am," he said. "Thanks for the drink."
She lifted her wine in a noncelebratory cheers, a tight, bitter smile on her face. By contrast, Merina Van Heusen was polished. Confident. Decked out in simplicity.
She straightened her shoulders as he approached, both hands wrapped around a gold clutch. She wore heels—five inches if he had to guess. The added height put her damn near eye to eye with him. Her amber eyes flashed with a mix of animosity and bravery. Just like the first time he met her.
"Merina." He offered an elbow.
"Reese." She glided her hand over his forearm. He held back a smile at hearing her say his name. At least she hadn't called him "Crane."
"I see you charged a dress to my tab as I recommended," he murmured as they followed the hostess through the restaurant. A few heads turned, and he wasn't surprised. Merina's red dress and elegance were enough to draw many a wandering eye.
"This old thing?" She slanted him a gaze.