But causing guilt hadn't been Annabelle's intention. She was equally busy, equally absorbed with business and Vaughn. She didn't blame her sisters for their distraction. But between this unexpected visit and Lola's drastic change in appearance, Annabelle just wanted to understand what was going on with the man who'd raised them. So she and her sisters had agreed to sit Uncle Yank down at the upcoming family party and find out once and for all.
VAUGHN HEADED to his gym downstairs, the one place in his home where he was guaranteed to be alone. No phone calls from parents trying to reach him, no animals begging for attention, no Annabelle guaranteed to distract him, and no bickering Yank and Lola needing him to referee. Or so he thought.
He walked into the partially mirrored room and caught sight of Yank in the reflection. He turned in the other man's direction. "What're you doing here?"
Yank shrugged. "Same as you, I suspect. Want to get away from animals and women. Not necessarily in that order."
Vaughn chuckled. "Okay, I admit to thinking something along those lines. Is Lola making you insane?"
He snorted. "Does a bear-"
"Don't even say it," Vaughn muttered. He sat down on the padded seat of the bench press and resigned himself to working his jaw not his muscles. "I'm going to pry," he said, warning the other man.
"Figures."
"Why aren't you interested in Lola? Not only is she beautiful, but she's as loyal to you and your nieces as they come. She's stuck with your obnoxious personality all these years, and she obviously loves you. Enough to completely alter her appearance to get your attention. So either there's just no attraction, which frankly I don't buy, or you're scared to death after all these years as a single man. The latter gets my vote." Vaughn shot Yank a pointed stare and waited for the older man to tell him to mind his own goddamn business.
"Hell, you think I don't know how she feels? And I'd be blind not to appreciate how she looked before and after this dumbass transformation." Yank burst out in what could only be described as a guffaw of laughter. "I'd have to be blind, get it?"
Vaughn shook his head. At least Yank still had his sense of humor. "Well you're not blind yet, so what gives?"
Yank kicked at an old ball Vaughn kept in the room. It hit the far wall and rolled back. He repeated the distracting motion while he talked. "Did you know Lola and I had an affair once?"
Vaughn's eyes opened wide in shock. He knew this because his head jerked up at the same time and he caught his stunned expression in the mirrored wall. "You and Lola?" he asked, completely taken off guard.
He laughed. "Yeah. Right before the girls' parents died and they came to live with me. Man, we were hot for each other."
Vaughn groaned. "That was probably more information than I wanted to know," he muttered.
Yank scowled at him. "My point is, of course I appreciate who and what she is."
Vaughn doubted any of the nieces knew about the couple's past and wondered how they'd feel if they learned the truth. They'd probably applaud.
"So what happened?" Vaughn asked. "My first guess would be that she came to her senses, but if that were the case she wouldn't have stuck by you all these years and wouldn't be flaunting her, uh-assets, at you now."
Yank rolled his eyes as if Vaughn were an idiot. "The girls happened and I couldn't split my focus."
This time it was Vaughn's turn to laugh. "Give me a break. You were the legendary womanizer in your day. The girls may have limited where you could do things, but I doubt they slowed you down," he said chuckling.
"Yeah well, I'd never felt about anyone the way I felt about Lola.''
Vaughn nodded, understanding completely. "And it scared you," he guessed, mainly because he was in that same sorry state himself.
"Hell yes. Lola was a bright, beautiful woman who deserved a hell of a lot better than a man like me.
"Don't you think that was her decision to make?" Vaughn asked of Lola.
Ball forgotten, Yank leaned back against the wall. "Well, this is all hindsight, you know? All I knew then was, I was suddenly a guardian of three girls who wore panties with bows on their butts and had big, sad eyes. That scared me spitless. Add a woman ready to make us a family-" He shook his head. "I couldn't handle it back then."
"And now?"
"I'm not about to saddle her with an old man whose going to lose his eyesight," he muttered, then rose from his chair.
"Isn't that her choice?" he asked again.
"This discussion is over. We can move on to my niece."
Vaughn stiffened in his seat. For all his careful planning, he'd blown it now but good. "Look, Yank-"
"My Annabelle's got a tendency to pick losers." As Yank paced the floor and muttered, Vaughn furrowed his brows and shut his mouth. He was clueless as to where this discussion was going, so he might as well find out before he created trouble he might not be in.
"Annabelle needs a good man," Yank continued. "All three of my girls need a good man."
Vaughn swiveled around fast.
"Can't argue that point, can you?" Yank asked Vaughn.
"Uh, no I can't." He had no doubt what Yank's point was. His niece deserved the best and Vaughn, with his sorry excuse for a family, dyslexic background and the way he'd betrayed Yank years ago, wasn't it.
Yank walked over and slapped Vaughn on the back. "Glad to hear it. I knew we'd understand each other."
"We do." Vaughn swallowed hard. He was damn glad he had Yank Morgan back in his life and he'd already known to steer clear of his niece. Now he had confirmation. He understood Yank's unspoken words.
After this business deal, when Annabelle left for New York, anything they shared while she was here was over.
BY MIDDAY, Vaughn arrived at the lodge. As Mara had informed him, Annabelle had called Nick for a ride and had gotten there first. He was way past being jealous of Nick. After all, he was the one who had
Annabelle in his bed. He did a quick tour of the construction area before returning to the office where Mara sat at her desk stuffing and stamping envelopes.
"Hey there," he said, treating her to a wink.
"Hey yourself." She pushed a too-tall pile aside before it toppled over. "I think offering a free night to all your registrants is a great idea."
"At least it's a start. Finding out who wants this lodge not to succeed would be even more helpful."
She nodded. "What do the police say?"
"That they're following up leads, whatever that means."
"Hey, at least you know you've got the best working for you here," Mara said.
Vaughn rolled his eyes at the blatant pat on her own back. "I just gave you a raise when we started this project," he reminded her. Before the lodge's inception, Mara had been his personal assistant. Now she ran things here, too.
"Are all men this thick or is it just you?" Mara asked, laughing. "I'm talking about Annabelle, not me." She stuffed another envelope, licked, sealed, stamped and began another pile.
"Oh." She had a point. Annabelle was the best. "Where is she, anyway?"
"When she arrived, she asked to use the computer and printer, worked for an hour and then headed to gather the employees."
"Uh-oh. What's she up to now? Anything I need to be forewarned about?"
"It's pretty basic. And nice, too. She's inviting all high-level employees, including construction foremen, to a big party her firm is throwing in Manhattan."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a long drive from here."
Mara tried to lick an envelope, then grimaced. "I've got no spit left." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I doubt anybody minds the trip."
"And she's doing this…"
"For you, blockhead…" Mara rose and smacked him on the side of the head.
He rubbed the sore spot and laughed. "I haven't been called that since-"
"I broke up with you," she said, grinning.