Part 13 (1/2)
When she received a text from Ian, she ignored it. Phone calls? She hit decline. She deleted messages without listening to them, her anger only growing as the day went on.
The next two days pa.s.sed in a blur of tours, meetings, and eating at each restaurant in the large hotel. They checked out the conference rooms to make sure they could accommodate pre-game summits; they needed an even larger area for a makes.h.i.+ft chapel, because many of the players and their spouses liked to attend services. They sat down with floor plans, examined the layouts, the suites, the regular rooms, and by the time the trip was over, Riley's head spun with information.
Good thing she'd taken copious notes to compare to the previous five years' accommodations, since she hadn't been around to see them herself. Dylan seemed pleased and said they'd have a meeting with the rest of the team back in Miami before making a final decision.
Exhausted by the time the car service took her home, she wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep. The time difference would be messing with her system, and Dylan told her not to come in tomorrow.
She was only too happy to oblige.
Ian showed up at his mother's house in Weston, which had also been his childhood home. Personally, he didn't know why she still lived here when she could afford to move wherever she wanted. Anywhere wouldn't have the memories this place did.
He parked in the circular drive and let himself into the house.
His mother greeted him in the hallway, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. Emma Dare, with her dark hair, not a strand of gray, looked younger than her fifty years, and she was as beautiful inside as out.
”Ian! I'm so glad you came by.”
He hugged her and kissed her cheek. ”It's been awhile, I know.”
She waved away his concern. ”Draft time. I remember how crazy your uncle used to get before, during, and after. No worries.”
Before and after Robert Dare had abandoned his real family, his brother, Paul, had been a permanent fixture.
Ian grinned at the mention of his uncle. ”Have you heard from him?”
His mother smiled. ”He's on an African Safari with Lou. I don't think he'll be in touch for a while.”
Ian chuckled.
His uncle and his long-time partner had waited until Ian was ready to take over the reins before Paul retired and they took off to travel the world. Being gay wasn't the reason he treated Ian and his siblings like his own children, but the fact that Lou didn't want babies was. Paul loved Lou, and he had his nieces and nephews to spoil when they'd been younger, so he never felt as if he'd missed out. Ian was happy his uncle was enjoying his life.
Grasping his hand, his mother led him into her state-of-the-art kitchen. Recently remodeled to indulge her love of all things culinary, his mother now gave cooking cla.s.ses. It was her way of establis.h.i.+ng her independence and having something for herself, and Ian admired her for it.
He settled onto a barstool while his mother poured iced tea for them both.
”So what brings you by?” she asked.
”Nothing in particular.”
She placed his gla.s.s in front of him. ”This is your mother you're talking to. You don't show up in the middle of the week for no reason.”
He stared at the multicolored granite counter, the wash of colors forming an indistinct blur. He hated it, preferring things in bold colors with stark contrast. Kind of like his life, with distinct rules, everything having its place. Knowing what to expect let him breathe easier. Which explained his need for control, in all things.
”So your sisters tell me you met someone special,” she said softly.
Ian let out a laugh. ”They have big mouths.”
”They're girls! The first thing they each did Sunday night was call me,” she said, laughing. ”Olivia thinks it's a good thing there's someone who won't take your c.r.a.p. Her words,” his mother said, amus.e.m.e.nt in her voice that he didn't appreciate.
But he could never be angry with her. The little brats he called his sisters were another story.
”Who is she?” his mother asked.
”Her name is Riley Taylor.” He went on to bring his mother up-to-date on how he'd met Riley and her entanglement with Alex.
”Well, that hits right where you hurt,” she said bluntly, as only a mother could.
”Yeah.” And he still didn't understand Alex and Riley's connection.
Yes, they'd grown up as neighbors, but Riley and Alex had an unbreakable bond. Maybe if Ian understood what lay behind it, it would be easier for him to accept.
”Yet she's worth dealing with them? I mean, you've avoided doing so for all these years.” Her eyes lit with questions.
Ian nodded. If there was one person he could confide in, it was his mother. ”Yes. She is. And right now she's ignoring my calls.” And texts.
Emma laughed at his obvious distress.
”Umm... What did you do?”
He raised his eyebrows. Normally with that look, his employees would go running.
His mother merely laughed again.
”What makes you think I did something?” he asked.
She shrugged. ”Oh, I don't know. Why would she suddenly ignore you unless you upset her?”
He rolled his shoulders, the tension there painful. ”I sent flowers to her hotel room.” And told her to miss him because he sure as f.u.c.k missed her.
”And?”
He didn't want to admit to the next part and let out a frustrated groan. ”I might have called and warned her boss to keep his hands to himself on their business trip.”
She'd left him a message while he was in a meeting telling him in no uncertain terms that she was p.i.s.sed and he'd gone too far. And she wasn't answering his return calls.
”Ian Carlton Dare, how could you!” his mother asked, wagging her finger in his face as if he were a child.
”You should hear the things he's said to Olivia! I was just making sure he understood that Riley was mine.”
She shook her head, her blue eyes dancing with undisguised laughter. ”Oh my G.o.d. You are impossible. First, Olivia and Dylan have history, not that it's any of your business.”
Ian nearly fell off his stool. ”How the h.e.l.l would I know that?”
”You wouldn't! Your sisters don't want you to know anything about their love lives because you scare men away.”