Page 37 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

“It’s weird. I work in the hospitality business, but there are aspects of it I never considered, like the ones that don’t fall under my job title.

Things like the kitchen, the Board of Health…

maybe it’s because I knew that was going to be Connor’s domain that I never even considered it.

” He studied her for a moment. “Every time you come here, you give me more to think about.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

He wanted to say yes because she was pointing out all the ways he was unprepared, but that sounded like he was pouting.

Which he internally was.

“Not necessarily bad,” he replied carefully.

“Let’s just say you’ve…humbled me. I thought when I showed up here in Harbortown that I had it all worked out and everything was going to go according to my plan.

Mine. No one else’s because no one else knew as much as I did.

” A mirthless laugh was out before he could stop it. “Man, did I get that wrong.”

“Walker, you didn’t get it wrong. You and the guys just obviously didn’t talk things through enough.

Now that you’re all here—or mostly all here—you can do that.

You’ve got a long road ahead of you with the renovations.

I’m guessing you have at least three months before you have to get serious about operations.

And considering you’re all basically living here, there’s no excuse not to talk. ”

“I guess. Most days we’re all in different spots, trying to tackle as much as we can before the general contractor shows up on site Monday.

He’s got permits to file and it’s not like he’s going to jump right in and start transforming everything, but we’ve been so focused on getting to a place where he can start that it’s all we’ve been talking about. ”

“Really?”

He nodded. “And at night, when we’re all up here eating or out grabbing something to eat, we’re talking about how the day went.”

“I’m sure things will shift once the contractors are here.

The main thing you need to remember is to be open to their suggestions.

I don’t know what everyone’s contributions are to this project financially, but you’re a team.

Even if you put in the most money, you still need to listen to everyone’s concerns. ”

Another nod and they ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.

“What about you?” he asked. “What is work like for you?”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “You’re not going to believe this, but…there’s a lot of renewed interest in our little town.”

“Really? Because of what we’re doing here?”

“Partially, but also because of the work going on over in Pineview. There’s a new mall that’s being proposed, tons of new houses, and…” Pausing, she sighed, and he had a feeling whatever she was going to say next wasn’t good for him.

“Come on, Harlow,” he gently nudged. “You don’t have to sugarcoat whatever you need to tell me.”

“There’s suddenly a lot of interest in…land. Today alone, I had three emails inquiring about plots of land. Between what you’re doing with the resort and all the stuff coming to Pineview, more investors and builders are looking to be a part of it.”

Damn.

“So…what do you think that means to me?”

“I’m not sure. Selling real estate—whether it’s homes or property—is my livelihood. I can’t only be looking for property for you. I have to help these people.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t expect you not to,” he assured her.

“However…there could be people who have more money to spend or want bigger parcels, and you might not get what you want.”

“Oh. Well…I guess that’s a risk I need to take, right? And you’re going to start making calls tomorrow?”

She nodded. “There are a few plots that could work for you. I think the size would be ideal for your project.”

“But…?”

“But again, we need to be prepared for a bidding war. If I find land for one developer, word may travel. And…I hate to say it, but…”

“You need to go to the highest bidder,” he finished for her. “And not just for you, but for your seller.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m hopeful I’m going to find something for everyone,” she told him. “I just wanted to be completely honest with you.” Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. “Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Walker let out a long breath and decided that this wasn’t the mood he wanted for the rest of the night. He needed to shift gears fast.

“Have you ever gone skinny dipping in the lake?”

“Crap! Crap, crap, crappity crap!”

It had been two weeks since the night she and Walker had pizza at the lodge, and she had been very busy trying to find the right property deal for him.

Only…it wasn’t working out that way.

Charlene stepped out of her office and Swati perked up from her spot across from Harlow.

“Everything okay?” Charlene asked.

“I just sold that large parcel of land. You know, lot number 1710,” she said miserably.

“Holy crap, Harlow!” Swati said with awe. “That was fifty-five acres! That’s amazing!”

“Congratulations!” Charlene cried happily as she ran over to hug her. “That’s truly incredible! What was the selling price?”

“One point one million.” And yeah, she wasn’t particularly enthused.

Both women stood and stared at her like she was crazy and, to be honest, she was.

The deal was amazing, her biggest sale ever, but it was in a really great spot for Walker. Unfortunately, the seller didn’t want to break up the property, and it was way more land than Walker needed. Plus, it was much more than he wanted to spend.

“Okay, maybe I’m missing something here,” Charlene said, interrupting her thoughts. “But…why aren’t you happier?”

So, she explained about Walker and the situation. “And there are other pieces of land, but he’s going to get outbid on them too. I think lot number 1707 is going to sell next. I’m expecting to hear from the seller on the offer we put in.”

“And how big is that lot?” Swati asked.

“Twenty-five acres.” She sighed. “It’s still more than what Walker wanted—he narrowed it down to fifteen acres—and the location wasn’t directly connected to the resort, but he could have made it work.”

Swati and Charlene exchanged glances before her boss sat on the edge of Harlow’s desk.

“Harlow? Sweetie? Um…you are doing some amazing things right now with these deals. I mean…two big property deals in the same week? That’s fantastic!”

She nodded, staring at her laptop screen. A new email popped up and she read the subject line and sighed again. “Three.”

“Excuse me?”

“Three. I just got an email from Tom and Angela Foreman that they’re accepting the offer I presented to them on Monday for lot number 1703.” She glanced up. “Seventeen acres. Bidding war. A major bidding war.”

“Let me guess,” Swati chimed in. “Walker bid on it?”

“Yup.”

“How much did they outbid him by?” Charlene asked.

“Seventy-five thousand.” She shook her head in disgust. “It’s insane! It was an outrageous bid, but I had to share it with them! I couldn’t keep that information and Walker told me his absolute max bid. There was nothing I could do, but I don’t feel good about it.”

“Are you insane?” her boss demanded. “Harlow, you are going to close on three—three!—huge property deals! These are the kind of deals that most agents would kill for! You essentially made a hundred thousand dollars this week! Week , Harlow! Not year ! Not month ! But this week ! You should be celebrating, not moping around because Walker Bradshaw lost out!”

“We get that you’re like…in love with him,” Swati went on. “But he essentially has 1,500 acres to do stuff with. If he’s thinking of changing things up down the road, then he can transform a section of the property then! Right now, these deals are great for not only you, but the entire town!”

“Exactly!” Charlene agreed. “And I understand that this isn’t the big commission you had dreamed of by selling the Lakeview Harbor Resort, but it’s still wildly impressive!”

“I know,” she said with a small huff. “I know. It’s just hard to be super excited when I’m going to have to break the bad news to Walker and hear how disappointed he is.”

She was already dreading it.

Swati braced both her hands on Harlow’s desk. “Okay, not to sound like a total bitch, but…um…do you remember the night Walker took you to dinner? The night you went to The Artisan Grill?”

Nodding, she said. “Yes. Why?”

“Okay, he like…he didn’t care that he was literally crushing your dream.

If anything, he sort of took joy in dangling the hope of you maybe convincing him to sell and then waited until you were relaxed and enjoying yourself before he yanked it away!

” Swati reminded her. “He took you an hour from home, knowing that news would devastate you.”

Not her favorite memory of her time with Walker.

“I do remember that, but it was before we got involved. We’ve moved on from it. There’s no way I’m going to take joy in breaking this news to him or make it like it’s some sort of payback for what he did to me.”

Swati shrugged. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t feel bad. Even if this isn’t vindictive, he should know how hard it is to have something you desperately want taken away from you.”

“Aren’t there more plots still available?” Charlene asked. “Did anyone else on the list say yes to wanting to sell?”

“There are two that said no, and one who is asking for way more than the property is worth.”

“Wasn’t there one more? I remember you showing me the map and the list,” Charlene commented. “I thought I saw…”

Ugh.

“The last piece of property belongs to my grandparents,” she said flatly. “On my father’s side.”

They both gasped.

“I thought you were trying to reconnect with them,” Swati said softly.