The Sea Star Read Online Free PDF Page B

echo of his voice, with the unexpectedness of his gift, with a sense of well-being and optimism generated by his promise not to interfere with her management of the hotel. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, his part ownership of the Sea Star might greatly improve it. Perhaps, working again with a man who loved his work, Susanna would be able to restore her cherished hotel to its former popularity.
          “Mr. Grainger,” she said impulsively, “I accept your generous offer with all my heart.”
          “Good,” he said, watching the radiant glow of her eyes.
          And as she returned his steady gaze in a silence that spoke volumes, Dallas , also silent, was watching them both.

 
    Three
          Later that evening, after Susanna had shown Jay about the Sea Star, he said to her, “This is a fine hotel. It’s hard to believe that you’ve been operating it on your own.”
          Dallas had left them immediately after dinner, to keep an “appointment.” They were alone in the lobby, seated on a curved settee near the main entrance. Gas-lit wall lamps shed rose-colored light on potted plants and cheery wicker furniture. Practical hemp scatter rugs covered the oak floor, and the chair and sofa pillows looked plumply inviting. In no way could the room be described as elegant, yet it was as vibrantly warm and welcoming as a house filled with love.
          “I don’t operate it on my own.” Susanna was again unaccountably pleased by his approval. “ Dallas is a great help.”
          “Is he really?” Jay said blandly. “In what way?”
          “In many ways,” she hastened to say, although she had to quickly search her memory to think of one. “The wine merchant comes in twice a year, and Dallas orders our stock.”
          “Ah, I see. He keeps inventory, then?”
          “Well...no. I do that. But he deals with the wine merchant, which is a load off my mind, I assure you.”
          Again Jay gave her that curious searching look, as if he didn’t quite know what to make of her. This puzzled Susanna, because she was the one who didn’t know what to make of him. She knew she should be angry because of what he’d done to Dallas , but anger, at this moment, was the last thing on her mind.
          Jay Grainger was so far removed from her preconceived idea of him. He wasn’t a greedy Robber Baron. These few short hours had shown Susanna that he was simply a hardworking hotel man, as her father had been. His comments while touring the Sea Star had been succinct and perceptive. He had admired the sparkling cleanliness of the kitchen, the homey decor of the guest rooms, the fine choice of labels in the wine cellar. His sole suggestion, the addition of a ballroom, was something which Susanna had recently been thinking about. It had been so long since she’d spent time with someone who knew and loved hotels as much as she did. This man’s very presence was exhilarating!
          “Do you mind if I smoke, Miss Sterling?”
          “Not at all. Please do.”
          Susanna watched him covertly as he lighted his cigarette. She hadn’t noticed before that there were laugh lines about his eyes and the corners of his mouth. And that was odd, she mused, because at this moment, his mouth clamping the cigarette looked unyielding and stern, as if laughter were a frivolity he didn’t countenance. She noticed, too, as he shook out the match and deposited it in an ashtray, that there were faint ridged scars on the back of his hands. She asked him about them. He said briefly, “They’re from burns.” But a look in his eyes, recollective and stark, contradicted the casual tone of his voice.
          For no reason she could imagine, Susanna felt compelled to try to banish the memory that obviously troubled him. “ Dallas told me,” she said brightly, “that you’re planning to build a hotel on the Boardwalk.”
          His expression changed,