Page 15 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

“All the buildings need to be renovated, the amenities need to be updated, and we need to bring everything up to code and into this century. And while we’re at it, we’re going to make it a little less rustic, and a little more…

upscale. The business model was solid. With all the updates and upgrades, we’re going to bring in a wealthier demographic who will spend more money—and not just at the resort, but with the local businesses. ”

“Yeah, but…”

“The loss of guests was primarily because the resort was showing its age.”

She nodded before taking a sip of her wine.

“Obviously you’re familiar with the property. Did you ever stay on site as a guest?”

Another nod. “Oh, lots of times. Mainly with friends. The parents of one of my best friends worked there and we used to come up and spend the day. Well, days. It’s how we spent most of our summers. My parents didn’t think it was necessary to stay there since it was so close to home.”

That made sense. “When you started researching the resort as a real estate agent, what were your thoughts?”

So much for not talking about the resort…

“I thought it was outdated and in desperate need of attention. Most of the perspective buyers wanted to bulldoze everything and start fresh because either it would cost too much to rehab everything, or they were going to use the property for something other than a resort.”

“Which would you prefer to see?”

“It’s a toss-up,” she replied without hesitation.

“We need to have the tourism back if Harbortown is going to survive. The resort takes up so much property that could be used for other things. Some of the plans for retail space were really appealing and would bring national chains to the area. That’s a big draw.

However, having a vacation destination in the area has done well in the past. I’m just not sure making the resort into something upscale is going to work here. ”

“Why not?”

“Walker, have you actually looked around town? It’s nothing but cute little mom and pop places. Your rich clientele isn’t going to be charmed by it. They’re going to be turned off. The people who live here year-round can’t afford to change their businesses to meet what you’re doing.”

“You don’t know that,” he countered.

“But I do,” she volleyed right back. “You’re forgetting that I’ve been working with the locals for years. I know what kind of businesses have come and gone, and…”

“But this new model for the resort will draw more businesses to the area, Harlow! Not just the ones that are owned by the people of Harbortown.”

“Then you’re still putting them out of business,” she said sadly. “Unfortunately, bringing in new and shiny businesses is still going to have a negative effect on the people who live here. Sure, some of them can go to work for these new, snooty boutiques and whatnot.”

“I didn’t say snooty.”

“You didn’t have to. Eventually, the people who have lived here all their lives will be forced to move because taxes will go up. They’ll want to sell their homes and move away, but there isn’t going to be anyone to buy those homes because they’re old and outdated. It’s very depressing.”

“I didn’t peg you for being a pessimist,” he said blandly before taking another sip of his wine.

“It’s not going to be a quick fix. The work that needs to be done is going to take at least a year.

We’re going to have market research done and I’ve already reached out to the company who handles PR for the resorts I work for.

I believe the people who always came to Lakeview Harbor Resort are still going to come back.

We’re just going to have more upscale offerings. ”

“And the people who used to stay there probably won’t be able to afford it, Walker,” she replied with frustration. “I don’t understand how you’re not getting that.”

“Everything can’t stay the same,” he argued lightly. “If you sold the property to one of your many potential clients, would you be arguing with them about what they were going to do with it?”

“If they asked me, then yes.”

Why am I not surprised?

“We know what we’re doing, okay? And we’re going to make sure every bit of the property gets the attention it deserves. We want to do things right, and that means we may reopen the resort in stages.”

“Stages? You mean because everything won’t be ready at once?”

“Exactly. The lodge and at least one section of cabins are the top priority, but we also need to have some amenities ready for guests. This is an enormous undertaking and we’re already going to miss out on an entire season.

Plus, we have no idea what the weather is going to be like or what complications we may hit…

there’s a lot that can go wrong. So I’d rather under promise and over-deliver, you know? ”

“I guess that makes sense. Still, you’re essentially going to have a year to make things come together. Hopefully that will be enough.”

Nodding, he took another bite of his appetizer.

“Is this going to be your full-time gig then when it opens? Are you going to run it?”

If he didn’t have food in his mouth, he seriously would have laughed out loud.

When he finished chewing, he shook his head.

“Hell no. I took a six-month leave of absence. I’m still going to be available if anyone needs me, but my bosses were willing to give me the time because I’m very good at what I do. ”

She grinned and made some sort of noncommittal sound.

“What?” he asked. “What was that sound?”

“What sound?”

“You know what sound. Come on. Out with it.”

Leaning forward slightly, her smile grew. “You’re not only a snob, but you’re arrogant.”

Again, he didn’t take offense. Instead, he leaned closer. “The two typically go hand in hand.”

It shouldn’t have felt flirty, but it felt flirty.

And when Harlow made a low, sexy humming sound, he knew it was flirty.

In that moment, Walker knew it wouldn’t take much to keep things flirty, so he had to work a little harder to get things back on track.

“So tell me, Harlow,” he said gruffly, forcing himself to sit back a bit. “What do you do when you’re not out making real estate deals?”

She also sat back, but she took a sip of her wine before replying.

“Sadly, nothing exciting. I’ve been focused on this deal for a long time because it was going to be kind of life-changing for me.

I love Harbortown, but traveling has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, so…

” She shrugged. “I guess I’ll need to work on a new dream. ”

Damn. He felt like he should apologize again, but wasn’t sure it would help.

“Unfortunately, I shouldn’t have put all my eggs in one basket,” she went on. “Lesson learned.” She finished her wine and studied him. “What about you, Walker? What do you do when you’re not running one of those fancy-schmancy resorts?”

“Rest,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “I work a lot. Like…way too much. And while the work isn’t exactly physically taxing, mentally it’s exhausting.

I used to love to get my hands dirty and building stuff when I was a kid, and believe it or not, I’m looking forward to doing just that with the resort. ”

“You’re going to do the work yourself?” she asked incredulously.

Now he really laughed. “Not all of it! Hell no! We’re meeting with several contractors in the coming weeks who will do the bulk of the work, but the guys and I are going to do as much as we can ourselves.”

Their server cleared away their appetizer plates and returned with their salads.

“What kind of work are you and your friends going to do?”

He poured himself a second glass of wine and refilled Harlow’s glass as well.

“You know what? Let’s not talk about the resort anymore tonight.

I realize that was part of the reason we’re here, but…

it sounds like it’s been consuming your life for years, and I know it’s been consuming my life for months and it’s going to keep doing that for months to come.

I’d seriously love to talk about anything else. ”

Instead of saying anything, she took a sip of her wine.

“And as much as we both seem to be avoiding the elephant in the room, we got along very well Friday night, even before we went back to the hotel. I really enjoyed talking with you. Although…”

“Although what?”

Did he really want to say what he was thinking?

“I realize we were both holding a lot back that night—conversation-wise. I think if we had talked about why I was here and about your job and what you’ve been working toward…”

“The night would have ended much sooner,” she said with a small laugh.

He nodded, glad they were clearly on the same page.

“So now it’s all out there and hopefully we can put it aside and maybe let down our guards and just talk. What do you say?”

She looked hesitant and he really couldn’t blame her. Without talking about the resort, what else was there?

And was he prepared to find out?

Two hours later, she was back in Walker’s Yukon and heading back to the resort. She’d canceled the car she was going to take home because once they went back into the restaurant and started talking, it just seemed childish.

And once she got over her shock and anger, she’d had a great time.

Walker was a great conversationalist—something she already knew from their previous dinner—funny and charming, but also intelligent and truly fascinating. If he wasn’t such an arrogant snob, she’d be crushing pretty hard on him right about now.

But…she couldn’t.

She shouldn’t.

Glancing over at him as he drove, she admired his profile in the moonlight.

He had a strong, stubbled jaw, long dark lashes, and some very kissable lips.

Then she looked at his hands. Oh, dear Lord, his hands.

They were large and when he helped her into the truck, she remembered how they felt touching her bare skin while taking her to heights of pleasure she never knew existed.

They were slightly rough and calloused, and she had fantasized about them more than once in the last week.