Page 24 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

Chapter Eight

Walker saw the massive truck driving through the resort gates and smiled from ear to ear.

Axel was really here.

“Son of a bitch, he wasn’t lying. That is one massive trailer.”

Axel drove a full-sized pickup truck and it was hitched behind a large moving truck. It was a miracle he’d made it up these small back roads with such a large haul.

He parked in the middle of the parking lot, and Walker couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like anyone else was here, so why not make it easy on himself? And when he hopped out of the truck and stretched, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted.

“When you said you were bringing a moving truck, I did not expect anything like this!” Walker called out as he walked over. “Holy shit, Axel! Just how much stuff did you bring with you?”

They shook hands and then hugged before breaking apart.

“I told you I left Baltimore, so this is pretty much everything I own. It’s a lot of tools and lumber.

” He shook his head with a laugh. “Probably more of that sort of thing than personal belongings. I sold most of my furniture but kept the bed and a few small pieces just for comfort. And the TV. I figure we’ll deal with everything else as needed. ”

“And your motorcycle’s in there too?”

He grinned. “Yup! It was a hell of a drive. I got pulled over more than once, and there were a few times in the last hundred miles where I swore I wasn’t going to make it, but I did.

I figured if things got too difficult, I’d unhitch the pickup and go back for it later.

I almost did it when I drove by the Lakeview Inn, but I remembered it being a pretty straight run from there to here, so… ”

They both laughed.

“I’m just so damn glad you’re here. You have no idea.” He clapped Axel on the back. “So, what do we need to do first? I know you’ve been driving for a while, so I’m guessing you’d like to walk around a bit?”

“Hell yeah! Show me where we’re staying and let me see what we’re dealing with. I wouldn’t say no to an early dinner, though. Last time I ate was about six hours ago. I was afraid to stop because this setup was a beast to park.”

“We’ll go into town and grab something. There’s a pub that does some amazing burgers. You’ll love it.”

“Awesome. Okay, give me the tour!”

They walked around for more than an hour. Axel examined the cabin Walker was staying in and then the one he was going to move into before following the path from it to the storage building.

“I think I can get the moving truck pretty close to everything, but if we could take down a tree or two, it would be helpful.”

“Like I told you, the grounds crew will be here on Monday. You can tell them exactly what you need. When do you need to return the moving truck?”

“I’ve got it until Tuesday. Then I need to drive to Pineview to return it.” He grinned at Walker. “Obviously, you’ll need to go with me and drive me back.”

“That is not a problem. I’m happy to do it. Hell, by then we might be able to start buying some supplies so we can get to work on either your cabin or some of the other ones to make them ready for the guys.”

“We can talk about that later. Right now, I’d kill for one of those burgers. What do you say? You ready?”

“Absolutely!” Clapping Axel once again on the shoulder, they made their way back to the parking lot and hopped into Walker’s truck.

On the way into town, they talked about trying to do some of the preliminary repairs on Axel’s porch today, but honestly, Walker felt like it was fine to wait another day.

“The town still looks exactly the same,” Axel commented as they drove.

“I know. It’s weird. I felt like I was driving back in time.”

“Ha! Exactly! Man, when you first called and talked about the possibility of renovating the resort, it was like an answer to a damn prayer.” Sighing, Axel raked a hand through his hair.

“I feel like I’ve just been existing, you know?

None of the jobs I was working on gave me any sense of satisfaction.

But this? This is going to be everything because it’s a place I love. ”

“I get it. I felt the same way until I got here. Then I was completely overwhelmed because it’s really gone downhill. I’m almost embarrassed by how much my grandparents let the place go.”

“It had to be overwhelming after a while. You know, you put things off and then you put a few more things off, and before you know it, there’s a shit ton of stuff that needs to be done. You know they did the best they could, and now we’re going to make it all amazing.”

“From your lips to God’s ears, because I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve walked the property, it feels like it’s almost too much.”

“That’s because you were here alone. Once we start actually working, you’ll feel better. You need to start seeing results, that’s all.”

“I hope so.”

They pulled up to the pub and it was just a little after six and it looked like it was just starting to get crowded.

While they waited to be seated, Walker couldn’t help but glance around.

This was where he’d met Harlow. It was highly unlikely that they’d both be here at the same time again, yet he was still disappointed when he realized she wasn’t there.

Even as they walked to their booth, he kept looking around. By the time they sat, Axel figured out what he was doing.

“Dude, who are you looking for?”

“What?”

Grinning, Axel nodded to the room. “You looked at every person here like you were searching for someone specific. What’s up?”

Crap.

“It’s nothing. Just…I don’t know…looking.”

It was possibly the lamest thing he had ever said and, by the look his friend was giving him, he felt the same way.

“Fine,” he murmured. “I met a woman here the night I first got into town. There was a festival going on, and there was a line of people waiting to get in here to eat. Her friends didn’t want to eat here, but she did, and we ended up having dinner together.”

Leaning back against his seat, Axel shrugged. “And?”

“And that’s it,” he lied. “I guess I was curious if she ate here regularly.”

Another lie, and Axel clearly knew it.

“Are you sure that’s it? Because that would have just caused a casual look around. You, my friend, were looking with some serious intent. So, care to tell met the rest of the story?”

Laughing softly, he shook his head. “No.” Picking up a menu, he tossed it across the table. “Dinner’s on me.”

“I’d rather have the story about you and this mystery girl.”

“The burgers here are great,” Walker said, trying to deflect. “I can highly recommend the bacon cheeseburger. Their fries are pretty great too.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re not going to talk about it. Fine.” They quietly scanned their menus for a minute before Axel perked up with a low whistle. “This must be the place where all the attractive women come to hang out. I think I know where I’ll be spending my free time.”

That made Walker laugh. “What are you talking about?”

“Those two women who walked in?” He nodded toward the door. “Very attractive. And very sexy. Especially the brunette.”

Walker was sitting with his back to the door, but when he turned around to look, he immediately froze.

It was Harlow.

Well, Harlow and one of her friends from the night of the festival.

Shit.

Turning back around, he could feel himself scowling.

“You typically go for blondes, don’t you?” Axel asked. “If I go over and introduce myself, we can…”

“Don’t even think about it,” he said through clenched teeth and then watched his friend’s expression go from neutral to curious. Huffing with annoyance, he knew he had to explain himself. “The brunette is the girl I had dinner with.”

“So? You said it was just dinner. All the more reason to maybe invite her and her friend over.”

“Um…it wasn’t just dinner.”

“I knew it! Ha! This is awesome! Go on!”

Was he really excited about his friend being here just an hour ago?

“We spent the night together, okay?” he hissed quietly, practically leaning across the table so no one would hear him. “And then she showed up at the resort a few days later.”

“She stalked you?”

“No. Well…sort of. Turns out she’s the real estate agent who has been relentlessly pursuing my grandparents to convince them to sell the resort. My grandmother warned me specifically about her.”

“And you still slept with her?”

“I didn’t know who she was at the time.” Leaning back, he shook his head. “Anyway, she showed up at the resort, and I told her to leave—that she was trespassing and whatnot—and I ended up not telling her what we were doing with the resort.”

“O-kay…and…?”

“Then she came back again several days later and I invited her to dinner.”

Axel grinned. “Yeah, you did!”

Ugh…he wanted to laugh because his buddy was totally egging him on, but he was trying to hold on to a little bit of his dignity.

“Anyway, I let her pitch me all the offers she had on the resort and then I told her me and a bunch of investors had purchased the property.”

Axel’s smile immediately faded. “You told her over dinner? After leading her on about a deal?”

“I never led her on,” he clarified. “I told her up front that I wouldn’t be accepting any deals. I just didn’t tell her why.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, but Axel broke the silence. “That’s harsh. And a little mean. Did she storm out?”

Walker explained how he essentially groveled and how they ended up enjoying the rest of their dinner together.

“So you drove her home and wished her good luck and now you just don’t want to talk to her again?”

He let out a long breath as a response and did his best not to make eye contact.

“Duuuddde…please tell me you didn’t sleep with her again,” Axel hissed. This time he was the one leaning across the table. “And now you don’t want to see her because you snuck out?”