Page 4 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

Chapter Two

“What the hell was I thinking?”

Monday morning, Walker stood in the courtyard of the now deserted Lakeview Harbor Resort and let out a long breath.

It had been over six months since anyone had been here, and it showed.

Planning the renovations on the massive property were already overwhelming him, but now that he was finally here and seeing it all in person, he seriously questioned his sanity.

There was a time when he knew this place like the back of his hand, but it had been years since he’d stepped foot on the property and now it felt completely unfamiliar and overwhelming. Almost like he’d never been there before.

And really, he hadn’t.

At least…not this version of it.

“Fifteen hundred acres,” he murmured. “And I’m barely an acre in.”

His great-grandparents originally owned the land and had put a few cabins on it for friends and family to use.

Then, his grandparents expanded that concept and turned it into a rustic, family-oriented resort.

For decades, people from all over the country came there for different variations of camping around a lake.

And there were many options to choose from—from the one-hundred-room lodge to the wide variety of cabins, and then the campground for campers and RVs.

Hell, there was even an entire section dedicated to those who wanted to actually camp with a tent!

And for years, the resort was booked to capacity.

For as far back as he could remember, this place was the place to be in the non-wintery months.

Over the years, the activities they offered grew—canoeing, fishing, archery, kayaking, hiking, bird watching…

the list was essentially endless and there was always something for everyone.

It was tremendous appealing for families—especially when there were camps within the resort geared for kids in almost every age group—which meant you didn’t have to all be together constantly.

Walker remembered how much fun it used to be to hang out with other kids his age and only have to see his parents when it was time for dinner!

Yeah, he had a lot of great memories of his summers here, but those memories were filled with brightly painted buildings and beautifully landscaped areas.

Unfortunately, his grandparents, who he loved so much, hadn’t kept up with the times or the updates and renovations.

The whole place was stuck in a serious time warp.

And not the kind that gave you a sense of nostalgia.

No, what was still standing was run-down and almost uninhabitable.

From what he’d learned in the last few months, large parts of the resort had been closed off for years.

The list of activities had shrunk, and basically, modern families weren’t looking to completely disconnect from the world during their vacations like they used to.

There were buildings—large ones—that were just sitting vacant.

It was hard to wrap his head around how what he remembered became what it was.

Raking a hand through his hair, Walker tried to envision what it could look like a year from now.

“Like it should be someone else’s responsibility.” Another sigh as he shook his head.

Yeah, it was a monumental task he was taking on, but hopefully he could turn the place around and make it into the kind of vacation destination the masses would want to come to again.

Last year, his grandparents had made the hard decision to close the resort.

They didn’t want to sell it, didn’t want to see it torn down, but the whole family knew it would only be a matter of time before that happened.

Developers and real estate agents had been after them to sell for years.

They called them vultures. His grandmother claimed there had been people calling her for years just looking to pick apart the resort for their own projects, but she’d never been tempted to sell.

Walker was intimately familiar with the process and knew the property was worth an almost obscene amount of money.

Certainly more than he ever dreamed of.

His grandparents could retire and travel the world several times over and live comfortably for the rest of their lives—and still have money left over to donate to charities or several philanthropic ventures.

But they were emotionally attached to the property, the resort, and all the memories that went with it.

They hadn’t been shy about asking all their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews—basically anyone who was related to them—to take over operations.

Unfortunately, everyone knew it would be a lost cause, including him.

There was too much to do to turn the resort into what it was in its heyday.

So, he accepted the fact that the resort was closing its doors for good and that this chapter of his life was over.

Not that he’d had anything to do with the actual running of the place, but it had been a part of his life since he was born.

Hell, it had been in his family for years before that.

It was the end of an era, and he’d made his peace with it.

Until one of his oldest friends had called and practically begged him to come up with a plan to save the damn place.

If anyone other than Jayce Nash had approached him about it, Walker would have shut them down fast, but he and Jayce had been friends since they were five and had met right here at the resort.

For some reason, thinking about all the memories they’d made—and all the friendships—had him feeling nostalgic and the next thing he knew, he had gone and presented a loose business plan to his grandparents and, shockingly, they had accepted it.

Something he still couldn’t believe.

They were still the primary owners, but Walker and his team were going to take over the day-to-day operations and all the updates.

Essentially, he had a small group of investors—all close friends who spent large parts of their childhood summers right here at the resort—who all saw the potential in turning things around and bringing Lakeview Harbor Resort into this century.

Walker had been managing a major luxury resort chain for the last several years, so he was familiar with the industry, what was needed, and what travelers desired.

Working in hospitality was in his blood.

At least, that’s what he always told himself.

It felt natural to him, and his parents swore it was because he had spent such a large part of his childhood on this very property.

But when he decided to make a career out of it, he went for the five-star companies who focused on leisure and comfort and a more opulent travel experience.

The money was great, the perks were amazing, and going to work every day surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery and architecture in the world was wildly fulfilling.

And a far cry from what he was looking at right now.

He was just going to have to tone down his upscale luxury tastes a bit and bring it down a notch to maybe an upscale rustic chic.

“Still not even sure that’s possible.”

Okay, if this was going to work, he was going to have to change his mindset. After letting out another long breath, he closed his eyes, counted to ten, and told himself that when he opened his eyes, he needed to take in everything from a fresh perspective.

Eyes open, he looked around. The scenery was spectacular.

The lake, the view of the mountains…if they did this right and put more effort into making the cabins a bit more appealing—and optimized the views—Walker knew they could market them for everything from a family home away from home to a romantic getaway.

But it wasn’t just the cabins they had to contend with.

There were fifty of them, but there was also the lodge.

Some trees would have to go so they could offer better views, and the interior was going to need a complete refresh from top to bottom.

He truly hoped it wouldn’t need to be gutted!

If they could get those areas done first, they could possibly hold off on the campgrounds until maybe phase two.

He hated the thought of reopening with things only partially done, and he didn’t want to risk isolating any potential guests, but getting it all done in time for next year’s season was already cutting things close— especially since it was all in dire need of upgrades and renovations.

“Or just bulldozing,” he mumbled.

That was a genuine possibility considering the state of disrepair in most of the cabins.

The conservative estimate he got was around ten thousand per cabin just to make them habitable so they could pass inspection.

They’d be fine, but that wasn’t what he was going for.

He wanted them to be better than fine. Sadly, that didn’t include furniture and interior decorating.

And that also didn’t include the possibility of knocking down some of the cabins and building glamping domes. He’d seen a resort in Gatlinburg that had them, and he thought they’d be perfect for what he envisioned here at Lakeview Harbor.

To say that he was in over his head was an understatement.

His buddies, who were also investing, were scheduled to start arriving over the next several weeks.

It was Walker’s job between now and then to do the initial walk-through and come up with a tentative plan of action for them.

The utilities were still connected for a handful of cabins, and even though staying someplace else would have been his preference, he knew he was going to have to fully immerse himself in this project.

Which meant sleeping on site and getting his hands dirty.

Glancing around he wondered if maybe renting a mobile home or camper or anything that was new and clean might be a better option.

Pulling out his phone, he was about to Google it and see what he could find when he remembered yet another issue with the resort.

No Wi-Fi.