Page 12 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

Milo: Work commitment that I can’t get out of. I may own the company, but that doesn’t mean I can leave in the middle of a big product release.

Milo: Besides, we all know I’m not the guy who’s going to be working with my hands. It’s better if I show up when I can get into the office and get things set up.

Connor: Way to get out of the dirty work, dude.

Axel: Yeah, seriously, Milo. This was supposed to be a group effort.

Milo: And it still is! We’re hiring contractors to do the bulk of the work. You’re all going to be there to oversee and make sure everything we discussed is being implemented.

Milo: Walker? You’re being awfully quiet about this.

Raking a hand through his hair, he was almost hesitant to jump back into the discussion.

But he did.

Walker: I agree with Milo. We’ve got the meeting set with the contractors in three weeks. We’re all going to help with demo—those of us who are going to be here—and it’s going to be a matter of us picking projects we can do on our own without having to pay anyone for.

Walker: We’re not going to know what that looks like until we start taking things apart.

Walker: And for the record, we all knew Milo’s job was going to be the tech stuff. The resort was pitifully lacking in that area. And while it might not be a dirty job, I think he’s going to be challenged just the same.

Milo: Pfft. Nonsense! There isn’t anything tech related that I can’t handle. This is going to be a piece of cake.

Slater: Famous last words!

Walker: Okay, I’m heading out to grab some dinner. I just wanted to keep everyone informed about the progress. I plan on going over all my notes this weekend and seeing what I can possibly start on.

Walker: I think a landscaper needs to come in first. I may reach out to the groundskeeper my grandparents had on staff and see if he’d like to come in and do some work. He actually cleaned up the area around our cabins already. Is that okay with everyone?

Luckily, everyone agreed, and within minutes, he could put the phone back down and get ready to leave for dinner. It would have been great if one of the guys were here with him so he wasn’t going out alone, because—again—he was seriously tired of his own company, but it was what it was.

His grandparents used to live close to here, but when they closed the resort, they sold their house and moved down to Florida.

There was a time when the bulk of the Bradshaw family lived in this area or not far from here, but they’d all moved over the years.

It was a shame because then he could have reached out to one of his cousins or someone to meet him for dinner.

But that wasn’t going to happen, so he needed to quit fixating on it and just deal with the fact that he was dining solo.

Grabbing his phone and keys, Walker looked around the cabin one last time before heading for the door. He had a new lock on the door, but the guys had gotten into his head a little bit.

“Too late now. Everything’s here and I’m not going to pack it all up and take it back to the hotel.”

No matter how tempting it was.

“Fucking Axel.” Staying here felt quiet and isolated, but his mind never went in the boogie man direction until now! “Just…don’t think about it. Everything’s fine. Peaceful is a good thing, and nothing bad ever happens in Harbortown. Staying here alone is no big deal.”

With a curt nod, he reached for the door and pulled it open.

Only to come face to face with a wide-eyed Harlow St. James.

He fought the urge to smirk because he knew he hadn’t read her wrong. She hadn’t given up on her quest.

“Oh, Walker, hey,” she said a bit breathlessly. “I was just about to knock.”

Stepping out onto the small porch, he pulled the door shut behind him. “What can I do for you, Harlow?”

She straightened a bit, and it was like she was mentally putting on her real estate armor. “I wanted to talk to you about those offers I mentioned the other day. I’d love the opportunity to sit down and share with you some of the amazing possibilities we’ve been presented with.”

There was no way she was going to present anything of interest to him, but he wanted company rather than spending more time alone. That’s the only explanation for why he opened his mouth and said, “Why don’t you join me for dinner and we’ll talk about it?”

And for a moment, he wasn’t sure who was more surprised by the question—him or Harlow.

She was fairly certain she misheard Walker because there was no way he was seriously inviting her to dinner. Not after the way he’d been so openly hostile toward her.

Plus, he was kind of stealing her thunder.

“Um…what?”

Nodding, he walked past her and down the steps to the path before facing her again. “Dinner. Have you eaten?”

“Eaten?”

Another nod. “Yeah. You know, dinner. Food.” And he was grinning at her.

“It’s a little early for dinner…”

“Yeah, but the place I want to try is about an hour away, so by the time we get there, it won’t seem so early.”

Okay, now her curiosity was piqued. “Where are you going?”

“The Artisan Grill. I looked up the menu online and it sounds fabulous. I was in the mood for something a little more upscale than burgers and sandwiches.”

She could certainly understand that, but The Artisan Grill was out of her league.

She’d never eaten there and as much as she wanted to say yes so she could have the time to talk to him, it would be rude to ask him to pay for her meal.

If anything, she should pay for his since she was the one presenting deals to him.

Walker glanced at his watch and then back at her. “What do you say? Will you join me?”

Damn, she wanted to say yes, but…she couldn’t.

“Thank you for the invitation, but…um…I’m not really prepared to go someplace that uh…you know…I’m not really dressed to go somewhere that nice.”

The way Walker looked at her almost felt like a caress. His eyes scanned her from head to toe and then back again. “Harlow, you look fine. Business casual is the dress code, and you totally fit that.”

It would be weird, wouldn’t it? The two of them going out to a really nice restaurant for dinner by themselves? It would be different if they didn’t have…carnal knowledge of each other, but they did and she didn’t feel like it would be even the slightest bit comfortable.

“I just don’t think…”

“Come on,” he urged. “It’s my treat.”

Well, since he offered, she supposed it would be rude to turn him down.

Wow…that didn’t take much to change my mind, huh?

“Are you sure? Just a few days ago, you were ready to have me physically removed from the premises.”

This time he smiled and…wow. It felt like a sea of butterflies took flight in her belly. This was the man she originally met—handsome and charming and utterly appealing. He looked good when he cleaned up a bit and his smile was lethal, and she hoped she wasn’t openly ogling him right now.

“I’m sure, Harlow,” he said. “To be honest, I was dreading going out to eat by myself.”

“Oh.”

“I’m willing to hear your pitch, but you need to know that I’m still not going to accept any of them.”

“Oh.” She hated the thought of being a pity dinner companion, but it was still a chance to talk to him and maybe get him thinking about how beneficial selling the resort could be. Maybe plant a few seeds that he can hopefully let take hold.

“Do you want to drive with me, or should I follow you to your place so you can drop off your car?”

It took a moment for her to consider the options, but she ultimately decided to just leave with him from here. Driving home alone later didn’t bother her, which is what she told him.

“And you’re sure about this? It’s okay if you want to change your mind…”

He laughed softly, shaking his head. “I don’t get you. I thought you’d jump at the idea of having me alone in a car for an hour!”

“What the hell does that mean?” she snapped, feeling oddly offended, like he thought she was so desperate to get him alone and get her hands on him again or something.

“I mean, this is your big chance to tell me all the things you claim you want me to know while I can’t get away!” he replied with amusement. “I’ll be a captive audience the entire way there and back.”

“Oh.”

Sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, he studied her again. “If you’re not comfortable with this or you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay. I just thought…”

“No!” she quickly interrupted. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m still just surprised by your complete one-eighty and the invitation. That’s all.”

“Alright. That’s good.” He nodded toward the parking lot. “You ready?”

Was she?

“Let’s go!”

They walked in total silence, and she couldn’t speak for Walker, but she was trying to save everything she wanted to talk about for the drive. Realistically, they were going to be together for the next four hours, so she needed to pace herself.

Walker held the passenger door of the Yukon open for her and she was thankful she’d dressed a little more practically today.

She’d learned her lesson with the pencil skirt and heels the other day, that’s for sure.

So while the black skinny jeans, black tank top, gray plaid blazer, and black boots looked totally cute and fashionable, it wouldn’t have been her choice for going out on a date.

No! This is not a date! It’s just dinner! She reminded herself.

Smoothing a hand over her hair, Harlow waited until they were pulling away from the resort property before she spoke.

“How’s the evaluation going?” she asked.

“Exhausting.”

It was crazy how she could hear it in his voice.

“What kind of stuff have you been doing?”