Blind Love by SUE FINEMAN Page A

made lasagna while Catherine made a salad for dinner. He’d finished the job he came here to do, and although he hated to leave Catherine, if he didn’t go soon, he’d end up in her bed. That was okay with him, but she wasn’t willing, at least not yet. If and when they made love, she’d have to want it as much as he did.
    He had other things he could do before he returned to Cara’s estate. Nick had asked him to check out some of that land for the development company, and one of the parcels they’d bought was within a couple hours of Santa Barbara. Might as well check it out before he left.
    Megan came home and they ate dinner in the breakfast room, which overlooked the pool and gardens. While they ate, Tony asked, “How did the Timmons Hotel empire begin?”
    “It started right here in Santa Barbara,” said Megan. “Walt’s grandfather built a small hotel down on the waterfront. He and his family lived there until they built this house, or the core of this house.”
    Tony cocked his head. “What happened to the hotel on the waterfront? Is it still there?”
    “No, it’s gone. As soon as this house was completed, he turned it into a hotel. It did so well, he added the two wings and then built another hotel in Monterey and another one in San Francisco. The original San Francisco hotel burned down a few years later, but he rebuilt it.”
    Catherine put her fork down. “Father sold the hotel business three years ago. I thought he’d keep it for me, but he apparently didn’t think I was capable of running a business.”
    “You worked for him?” asked Tony.
    She nodded. “For four years. I grew up thinking I’d be running a hotel somewhere. I didn’t know he was selling the business until it was done.”
    Megan sipped her wine. “Do you like what you do now, Cathy?”
    “Yes and no. I work long hours and some of the people really rub me the wrong way. They don’t know me as Catherine Timmons. At work, I’m Cat.”
    Tony scooped another piece of lasagna from the dish. “Maybe he had a reason for selling.”
    “Sure he did. He didn’t want me running the business.”
    “But he gave you a job,” said Megan.
    “Only because I insisted. The week after I graduated from college, I walked into his office and asked where he wanted me to start. He looked at me like I was crazy, but he put me to work as an assistant in Public Relations. Two years later, I took over Public Relations.”
    She blotted her lips with her napkin. “I also acted as his hostess at business dinners and hotel openings. I thought things were going fine, until he sold the business. I didn’t even find out from him. The deal was announced on the national news before the employees were told. I was humiliated and angry, and I was gone before he got home. I haven’t been home a half-dozen times since then.”
    The room settled into a silence so deep, Tony could hear himself swallowing the last bite of his lasagna. The old man made a big blunder. By not telling Catherine, he’d hurt her feelings and alienated her. Hearing about the sale on the news must have been like a slap in the face.
    After several seconds of silence, Megan said, “Someday you’ll own this house. You could start your own hotel right here.”
    “You make it sound easy.”
    “Honey, nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”
    Tony wondered if Walt realized he’d made Catherine feel like a failure, both as a daughter and as an employee. That was why this television show was so important to her. It wasn’t about building a career in television production. To restore her pride in herself, she needed to be successful at something.
    He and Catherine cleaned up the dishes. Tony leaned in close and asked, “Do you still want me for your television show?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “You don’t expect me to propose or express my undying love to the winner at the end of the show?”
    “I expect you to do what feels right, Tony. If you find the woman of your dreams and decide