Page 11 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

Chapter Four

For the next three days, Walker felt like he walked a thousand miles.

He’d covered the entire Lakeview Harbor Resort property—making voice notes on his phone the entire time so he could go back and make detailed reports on everything later.

But with every step he took, he had to fight the urge to keep looking over his shoulder because he had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of Harlow St. James.

And if he were being honest, he was a little disappointed that she gave up so easily.

Or that she was the one person he was told to avoid.

It wasn’t like he was ever going to consider any offer she presented to him, but he appreciated someone who was passionate enough about their work and believed in it enough to fight for it. And she definitely seemed like a fighter.

Well, a fighter who was also a pain in the ass, but still…

Plus, she was sexy as hell and no matter how much he knew he shouldn’t, he still wanted her. That wasn’t something he was going to get over easily.

He was typically an excellent judge of character, and he truly felt like she was going to be back, even though she’d run out on him after their night together.

He’d rehearsed in his mind at least a dozen different scenarios and conversations they’d have if she came back—both after she snuck out on him and after their run-in at the resort.

He liked that she didn’t back down from him the other day.

Although he didn’t appreciate it at that moment, looking back, he kind of admired her willingness to go toe to toe with him.

And, once he’d gotten over his annoyance, it was almost impossible for him to forget how attracted he was to her. Every time he thought about her coming back—which was more than he cared to admit—his focus was on how she looked. But the last few days had been spent peacefully alone.

And he was getting annoyed with his own company.

Tonight was going to be his first night staying on the property—he’d checked out of the hotel this morning—and it was so damn quiet out here that it was almost unnerving.

Today the cable and Wi-Fi were being installed and once that was done, he’d be able to move into the cabin.

He still wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but between the new mattress and bedding, a TV, computer, and a few comfy pieces of furniture, he’d turned the space into something habitable.

Plus, it was a thousand times cleaner than it was before, thanks to the hotel maid he hired to clean it for him.

Maybe it was a bit of a diva move, but there were so many other things that needed his attention that it just made sense to hire someone to come in and clean.

When he asked Marie at the front desk if she could recommend someone, she immediately introduced him to one of the ladies who was on the cleaning staff at the Lakeside Inn.

Money well spent.

Once he could watch some TV and get online, it was the last piece to phase one of getting things going at the resort.

He was keeping his friends up to date on things daily—every night when he got back to the hotel, he would update everyone in their group chat—but now he could reach out whenever he wanted or needed to.

Plus, he’d be able to look things up immediately instead of having to wait until he got back to his room every night.

The biggest issue was going to be food.

He missed good food.

Well, he missed fine dining and quality food.

Since arriving here, he’d had more than his fair share of fast food and sandwiches, but he’d give his left arm to sit down at a five-star restaurant and have a perfectly grilled steak, a glass of his favorite cabernet sauvignon, a loaded baked potato, and maybe some bananas foster for dessert.

That obviously wasn’t going to happen, but he was definitely craving it right now.

“If I want a steak, I’m going to have to buy it and grill it myself,” he mumbled.

Then he thought about the condition of the charcoal grills over at the campgrounds and mentally cringed.

The kitchen in the lodge still had its appliances, but it would take a team of cleaners scrubbing the place from top to bottom before he’d be comfortable cooking in there.

Not that it mattered because Walker knew his limitations, and cooking was one of them. Grilling a steak and baking a potato he could probably pull off. Same with picking out an excellent bottle of wine. But the dessert? Hell no. So where did that leave him?

More fast food and sandwiches.

Raking a hand through his hair, he stared out at the lake. It was absolutely breathtaking to look at, but he still wished he were anywhere but here.

When his phone rang, he welcomed the distraction. He didn’t recognize the number, but he answered anyway.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Bradshaw?”

“Speaking.”

“Hey, this is Cliff with Spectrum. I wanted you to know we’re done with the installation, so if you’d like to come back up to the office and test everything out, we’re ready for you.”

“Oh, wow! Okay, great! I’ll be up there in a few minutes.

Thanks, Cliff!” Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he jogged away from the lake and followed the path up to the lodge.

He’d had the electricity turned back on yesterday and figured that it was the best spot to have all the main hardware installed.

Then he’d set up some remote equipment in his cabin.

For the next two hours, they worked out all the kinks in the main setup and then got everything connected down in his cabin and the entire section, since the guys would arrive soon and would need it.

Eventually they were going to need to come back to get the entire resort online, but with all the upcoming construction, Walker decided to just deal with the necessities for the time being.

When he watched the cable crew drive away, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted and even though he was exhausted, he really wanted to celebrate.

“I guess I can look up where the nearest restaurant is that doesn’t serve burgers,” he mused as he strolled back to his cabin. And that’s exactly what he did.

Only…there weren’t that many options, and the ones that appealed to him were at least an hour away. And while it wasn’t ideal, it also wasn’t a deterrent. After all, it wasn’t like he had anything to do tonight other than the same thing he’d been doing every other night.

Obsessing over the plans to bring the resort back to life.

And having Harlow naked in his bed.

And honestly, he needed a mental break from it all.

Making his decision, he got up and stretched before padding over to the tiny bathroom to shower and get ready. If he could have done a rehab in the bathroom before moving in, he would have. He barely fit in the shower, and it just felt crammed and uncomfortable.

“Something to think about when we start working on all the cabins,” he murmured.

After he dried off and changed into clean clothes, he picked up his phone and sent his daily update to everyone.

Axel, Connor, Milo, Slater, Jayce, and Kelsey had all grown up spending part of their summer vacations here at the resort.

They became a tight-knit group who had stayed in touch over the years.

Jayce and Kelsey reconnected right here this past summer quite by accident, and they were the reason this entire project was happening.

Well, mainly Kelsey. She had a real emotional attachment to the resort for personal reasons, and she actually prompted Jayce to reach out and ask about the possibility of getting a team of investors together to bring the Lakeview Harbor Resort back to life and to its glory days.

Surprisingly, it hadn’t taken much to get everyone on board and now… here they were.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he typed out today’s update.

Walker: Hey, everyone! We now have cable and Wi-Fi!

Walker: The crew just finished up a little while ago and I tested everything and it’s working great. It’s not resort-wide yet since we’re going to be doing a lot of demolition and construction, but all of the cabins here in the section I set up are connected!

Walker: And that means I have officially moved into the cabin. Tonight will be my first night here.

He put the phone down and went to brush his teeth and finish getting ready. When he came back into the bedroom, his phone was practically exploding with incoming messages.

Connor: That’s great news! Glad you’re making some progress!

Jayce: Wonderful! Are you going to be alright staying there alone?

Slater: You could have waited for one of us to show up before moving in. It’s got to feel a little creepy being there all by yourself.

Axel: Don’t watch any of those horror movies set at old summer camps! Lol!

Milo: Do you have any kind of security system or cameras set up?

Milo: You know, to make sure you can see if anyone’s lurking around the property?

Slater: We know you’ve gotten a little soft, Walker. LOL! Working in those luxury resorts and getting pampered with massages and sleeping in comfy rooms with big fluffy beds…

Connor: Not to mention the spa quality amenities!

Axel: Do you think you can outrun a bear or an angry mob who are still pissed about your grandparents closing the place?

Slater: Maybe you should have renovated the top floor of the lodge first. You know, make it harder for the bears or masked psychos to get to you!

Connor: Nah, deserted lodge? Wasn’t that what The Shining was about?

Kelsey: You guys, that’s just mean!

Kelsey: But yeah, don’t watch any of those movies, Walker!

Jayce: Knock it off, everyone. Walker’s going to be fine.

Jayce: But who’s arriving there next?

Milo: Any issues with the Wi-Fi in the cabin? I’ll work on getting us the most up-to-date equipment when I get there. Which, by the way, is the middle of next month. Six weeks, the latest.

Axel: Why the delay? We’re all going to be there in three to four weeks. That was the plan.