Page 10 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

“Harlow, they’re a couple of cheap towels and an equally cheap robe. I haven’t figured out where the laundry room is or if there’s even a washer and dryer on site anymore. So…keep them. I don’t need them back.”

Damn. That would have been a great excuse to pop back in at another time.

“Oh. Thanks.”

He hefted another box out of the truck and onto his shoulder and turned to walk away without a word.

How rude! It didn’t matter how many times he did it—which was a lot in the short amount of time she’d been here—it was still wildly inconsiderate.

“Time to throw in the towel,” she said wearily. “For now. Tomorrow’s another day.” And really, her clothes were a mess, she had mud in her hair, and everything from the waist down hurt from the fall. A nice, hot shower was definitely in order. She took one last look at Walker and…

Ha! Walker! Because he’s always walking away!

Yeah, that thought hit out of nowhere, but it made her giggle as she climbed into her car. Driving away from the resort with no progress was a definite bummer, but maybe she’d have to sit down with Swati and Charlene tomorrow and discuss another strategy.

“Because right now, I’ve got nothing.”

The drive to her apartment took around thirty minutes. As soon as she was inside and the door was shut, she immediately stripped out of her ruined clothes, leaving them in a trail behind her on the way to the shower.

The hot water felt freaking amazing and she was enjoying it, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Walker Bradshaw walking away from her.

“Probably some sort of metaphor or something. He’s walking away just like this deal is potentially walking away from me too. Dammit.”

This so wasn’t the way she envisioned the rest of this day going.

Right now, she should be freshening up to meet Walker for dinner.

They would meet up at Dominic’s, drink wine, talk real estate deals, eat some amazing Italian food, and talk about how much money they were both going to make while saving the town.

“Now I’m stuck home alone, eating a frozen dinner by myself, and wondering if I can even afford to stay in real estate,” she murmured as she rinsed her hair. If she didn’t close a deal soon, she was going to have to find a second job.

And possibly a third.

Pushing that depressing thought aside, she finished up in the shower. After drying off and slipping a clean robe on, Harlow padded out to her living room and got comfy on the sofa. Her phone was dinging somewhere in the distance, and it took her a minute to remember where she tossed her purse.

“Ugh…why didn’t I turn this off?” But when she tapped the screen, she saw it was a text from Swati.

Swati: SO??? Did you find him? The Bradshaw family rep?

Swati: Did you convince him to get the family to sell?

Swati: Are you meeting him for dinner at Dominic’s?

Swati: Charlene said he was kind of hot! Wink! Wink!

Groaning, Harlow sat back down on the couch and contemplated her response.

Harlow: Hey! Yes, I found him.

Harlow: No, I didn’t convince him to sell.

Harlow: We’re not having dinner together.

Harlow: And yes, he’s incredibly hot, but he’s also a major jerk.

Harlow: Like the biggest jerk I’ve ever met!

She probably could have said more, but what was the point? It was best if no one ever found out that she and Walker had met prior to today.

Swati: Well that’s disappointing. I was hoping we would be celebrating tomorrow.

Swati: I was going to bake cupcakes and make mimosas

“Damn, that would have been awesome.”

Harlow: What’s the opposite of celebrating?

Harlow: Is there a sad version of cupcakes and mimosas? Can we make that a thing?

Swati: LOL! We can certainly try!

Swati: Okay, but seriously, are you alright? Do you need anything?

Swati: Want to meet me at Dominic's for dinner?

Now that was definitely better than her plans for eating alone. Plus, maybe the two of them could brainstorm tonight so Harlow could go into the office tomorrow and tell Charlene she actually had a plan B.

Because at this moment, she had nothing.

Zero.

Zilch.

Harlow: You know what? I’d love to have dinner with you!

Harlow: I’m feeling a little defeated right now.

Swati: I’m sorry

Swati: Are you going to try to talk to him again?

Harlow: In theory? Yes. I just don’t know how to make it happen.

Harlow: He’s really against selling.

Swati: Hmm…well, maybe after some lasagna, garlic bread, and wine, we’ll come up with a plan!

Harlow: Mmm…that sounds both yummy and smart!

Harlow: What time do you want to meet up?

Swati: Six-thirty? Want me to pick you up?

Harlow: Thanks, but I’m okay. I’ll meet you there.

Harlow: And thanks for checking on me!

Swati: That’s what friends are for! See you at 6:30!

Putting the phone down, she couldn’t help but sigh. It really was sweet of her friend to check on her, but Harlow couldn’t help but feel like a bit of a loser. She’d been so cocky and confident when she left the office earlier and now look at her.

“A big, fat failure.” Another sigh. It didn’t seem possible that she was ever going to feel better, but if the lasagna, garlic bread, and wine didn’t help, there was always dessert.