Page 30 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

Chapter Ten

Saturday morning, Walker made his way around the first floor of the lodge and inspected all the work they’d done.

He and Axel had done a decent job of cleaning up all the extra demo work he’d caused, and the cleaning crew handled the rest. Now, the kitchen was spotless and they had one of the common areas—a spot that used to be set up with a few tables and chairs outside of the dining room—ready for him and the guys to use for eating and to work.

Things were coming together and in a few hours, the heavy work would finally get started.

Not that he and Axel hadn’t accomplished a lot, but once the rest of the guys were there, they were going to meet with the contractors and make final decisions on who they were hiring and then they were all going to jump in and start getting down to business.

He couldn’t wait.

The only downside was that he wouldn’t be seeing Harlow this weekend.

They had talked about it and as much as he wanted to be with her, he had to be here for the guys so they could all get on the same page.

It was important, especially since Axel was already on the fence about all the plans.

He couldn’t afford to have everyone else suddenly doubting the business model he had so carefully put together.

Thankfully, Axel had finally moved into his own cabin, so maybe he could still invite Harlow over. He’d have to text her once everyone was there and plans were figured out.

“Probably not tonight,” he murmured as he continued to walk around. He hadn’t seen these guys in a while, so it should be just them tonight. Maybe tomorrow night he’d invite her to come and meet everyone and then stay in his cabin.

Yeah, just the thought of having her around made him smile.

“Ugh…wipe that sappy grin off your face,” Axel commented when he walked across the room. “I get it. You’re getting laid and probably thinking about the next time you’re gonna get laid. No need to brag.”

“I didn’t say a word!” Walker replied with amusement. “Sheesh. Somebody’s grouchy.”

“Yeah, because I’m not getting laid! Duh!”

Shrugging, he continued to walk around inspecting everything. “That sounds like a you thing. I thought you hit it off with Gwen the other night. Why didn’t you get her number?”

“Because she’s got a boyfriend and is practically engaged,” Axel replied miserably. “Besides, she was definitely cool and nice, but I wasn’t really attracted to her.”

“Do we need to plan a night in town then soon? You know, all of us guys can go to the pub or we can find another bar if you’d like.”

“Walker, I don’t need you trying to help me hook up with someone. I’m a big boy,” he teased. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that on my own.”

“Just trying to be supportive. That’s all.”

“Besides, you’re not the guy to be playing wingman…not now that you and Harlow are a thing. Not that I’m begrudging you your happiness or anything, but I’m thinking Connor, Slater, and Milo might be more up for the task.”

“Not Jayce? I know he’s only going to be here for a week, but…”

“He and Kelsey are engaged, and I think they either want to be married here at the resort once it opens or honeymoon here. He’d be the last guy I’d ask to play wingman. You’re the second to last.”

“Gee, thanks,” he mumbled.

“Anyway, I have a feeling we’re going to be too busy for me to be worrying about a wingman. Since we only have Jayce here for the week and Milo a little less than that, I think we need to be hyperfocused, you know? Make the most out of the time we have with them to get as much done as possible.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Milo’s going to need to do a lot of work on his own that none of us are going to understand, and Jayce is dealing with the electrical stuff so we know exactly what to talk to the electricians about when we hire them.

I don’t think he’ll need a team of us hovering.

He’ll probably just give us a report at the end of it all. ”

Axel shrugged. “Still, we need to keep our focus on the work, Walker. You’ve been here for three weeks and while stuff has gotten done, there’s so much more than I imagined. I think the guys are going to feel the same way.”

He frowned. “I sent videos and pictures and reports,” he said defensively. “None of this should have come as a shock. I mean, yeah, I was shocked when I got here, but I conveyed all of that every time I reached out to all of you.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m just saying that even with the pictures, it was still a bit of a surprise, that’s all. We need to…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…I heard you. We need to focus. What I don’t get is why you’re harping on that with me right now.”

Axel faced him, his expression completely neutral. “Like I said, I’m happy for you and Harlow. I’m glad you worked all your shit out. I just don’t want her to be a distraction.”

His bark of laughter was out before he could stop it.

“Is that all? Pfft …you don’t have to worry.

My focus is fully on getting the job done here, but I’m not going to work 24/7, and I don’t expect anyone else to, either.

We’ll burn out before anything gets done if we take that attitude.

I’m going to see Harlow when I can, but it’s not going to take away from the work I need to do, okay? ”

“Just felt like it needed to be said,” Axel said evenly. “I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

He nodded. “We are.”

Axel’s phone rang and he excused himself, and Walker took the opportunity to take out his phone and text Harlow. She mentioned having to show a house this afternoon, but she wasn’t doing anything this morning.

Walker: Hey, beautiful. How’s your day so far?

He grinned when he saw that she was responding right away.

Harlow: Hey! So far, it’s been a bunch of boring responsibilities.

Harlow: Laundry. Changing the sheets on the bed. Cleaning.

Harlow: Zero stars. Do not recommend.

That made him chuckle.

Walker: What time are you meeting your clients today?

Harlow: Two o’clock. We’re going to look at three different houses.

Harlow: They just threw those last two at me a little while ago, so I made arrangements.

Harlow: I’m hoping that means they are super motivated to buy.

Walker: That would be awesome!

Harlow: I know, right? Fingers crossed!

Walker: You got this!

Harlow: Thanks!

Harlow: Are the guys there yet?

Walker: Not yet. Connor texted a little while ago that he was an hour out.

Walker: Same with Jayce, who shocked us by saying Kelsey was with him.

Walker: Milo and Slater flew together and should arrive around the same time.

Walker: Axel went shopping earlier and we have the kitchen fully stocked with food for lunch and dinner tonight. But I’m guessing tomorrow everyone’s going to want to stock their own cabins.

Harlow: I can’t wait to see how you fixed them all up!

Walker: Oh, you can’t tell from the outside. Lol! And the insides have just been cleaned and I ordered mattresses for everyone and some pieces of furniture to get them started. After they all get settled, they can add what they want.

Harlow: That makes sense.

Harlow: So you’re probably going to be busy all weekend, huh?

Walker: I think so. But maybe Sunday night you can join us for dinner and meet everyone. Kelsey would probably appreciate a break from all of us. What do you think?

Harlow: I would love that, but why don’t you wait until you guys get settled and see where you’re at? Then you can let me know. It’s not like I’m super busy or live far away.

Walker: I know. I just miss you already.

Harlow: Miss you too.

She sent an entire line of heart emojis and they made him smile.

Harlow: I need to go take a shower and start getting ready. Have fun today and let me know how the weekend goes.

Walker: I will. And I fully plan on calling you tonight when I crawl into bed.

Harlow: Ooh…phone sex? Is that what we’re doing?

That hadn’t been his plan, but now that she mentioned it…

Walker: Maybe

Walker: I’ll talk to you later, and good luck today!

Harlow: TY!

He slipped his phone back into his pocket before heading into the kitchen.

They had all the makings for sandwiches with a ton of chips and salads and drinks.

Axel had even picked up an almost obscene amount of snacks and cakes and cookies.

It almost looked like he had shopped for a bunch of ten-year-olds.

Which…considering the group that was about to be there, it was kind of accurate. They did have a tendency to revert to their younger selves when they were together and Lakeview Harbor Resort was the place they had first met as kids, so…

Chances were pretty good that they were going to act like a bunch of kids this weekend.

And he was really looking forward to it.

He grabbed a bottle of water and decided to head down to the cabin and relax until everyone got there. Axel was still on the phone and there wasn’t anything else that needed to be done, so it was the perfect time to just sit and chill for a little while.

No sooner did he get settled than he heard horns beeping and he knew quiet time was over. When he looked at his watch, he realized they were right on time and he felt his smile grow.

Here we go…

Jogging out to the parking lot, he spotted Axel already shaking Connor’s hand and then saw Jayce and Kelsey getting out of their car. He went over to greet them first, shaking Jayce’s hand and hugging Kelsey. “This is a surprise! We didn’t think you were coming until things were further along!”

“I know,” she said bashfully. “I really thought I could wait, but I wanted to be here to see you all breaking ground or whatever you’re going to do. Plus, I’m still a little in shock that it’s happening.”

“All thanks to you,” Jayce said as he put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. “You made this happen.”

“Then it really only makes sense that you are the one to officially break ground,” Walker told her, smiling as her eyes went wide.

“Really? You’d let me do that?”

“Absolutely!”