Heather put a sign on the counter that said BACK IN TEN MINUTES and hid her smile as she motioned him through a pair of wide glass doors. He didn’t have relatives coming to visit any more than she had wings. He was planning a rendezvous with a lady friend. It was kind of sweet, Heather thought, the way he was making special plans for it.
“The suite is convenient to the swimming pool.” She called his attention to it as they walked through a landscaped courtyard.
“Bit nippy for a swim.”
“It’s heated year-round.”
“No foolin’?” He glanced dubiously at the water.
“No fooling. That pool is my daddy’s pride and joy. My mother talked him into installing it when they expanded and added this new wing. But it was Daddy’s idea to heat it. The honeymoon suite was also my mother’s idea. It’s not as elaborate as ones you’d find in Dallas or Houston hotels, but it’s pretty. Here we are.”
She unlocked the door for him and stood aside. He hesitated on the threshold. “If you feel uneasy coming inside with me, Miss Winston, I can take a look-see by myself.”
His eyes were so apologetic and earnest that Heather would have followed him into a dark alley wearing all Darcy’s diamonds. “After you, Mr. Cato.”
The “suite” was decorated in mint and peach, the quality of materials a notch above what was used in the other rooms. It had a sitting room and a bedroom with a king-size bed. The bathtub had a built-in whirlpool. Otherwise it was standard motel fare. Heather wouldn’t want to spend her wedding night in it, but she supposed it would seem luxurious to the hicks in Eden Pass.
Bowie Cato nodded appreciatively to every amenity she pointed out, but remained noncommittal. “Where does that go?” he asked, indicating a door on the far side of the bedroom.
“The parking lot. If a guest wants to rent just the bedroom, we lock the door that connects to the parlor.”
“Hmm. So you can come into the bedroom using the parking lot door without having to go through the lobby and around the pool?”
“That’s right,” she answered, suppressing another grin. Mr. Cato was having a secret affair. “The TV in the bedroom has a VCR, so you can bring your own movies to watch.”
“Oh, I doubt we’ll be watching—”
He broke off when he realized that he’d given himself away. Embarrassed, his ears turned red and he swallowed hard. She smiled to let him know that his secret was safe with her. “Like doctors and lawyers, people in the hotel business are very discreet.”
“Yes, ma’am. Well, I think I’ve seen all I need to see. Thank you kindly. Can I go out through this door?” He moved to the one that opened directly onto the parking lot.
“I’ll lock it behind you. Should I make a reservation for you?”
“Not tonight, thanks. I’ll be in touch when, uh, a date’s been set. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
Still looking sheepish, he replaced his hat and waved good-bye. Heather locked the suite and returned to the lobby. As far as she could tell, no one had been there during her absence, nor had the search for the Northwest Passage grown more interesting. She couldn’t concentrate for thinking about Tanner. He’d told her he would be at home studying tonight, but was he?
On impulse, she dialed his number, asked his father if she could speak with him, and was relieved when Ollie told her to hold on while he called Tanner to the phone.
“Hi, it’s me. Whachadoin’?”
“Studying history.”
“Me, too. It sucks.” She twirled the phone cord. “I’m sorry I totally bitched you out after school today.”
“It’s okay.”
Heather could tell by his tone of voice that it wasn’t. “Everyone was saying—”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.”
That was a little too glib a response, she thought. Why wasn’t he denouncing the rumors and denying any interest in Mimsy Parker? I’m losing him, she thought in panic. She knew she’d never live it down. “Tanner, why don’t you come drive me home when I get off at ten? Please? I want to see you.”
“Don’t you have your car?”
Since when did he need an excuse to see her? “I can tell my folks that it wouldn’t start, so I called you.”