Page 51 of #Resort Love (Lakeview Harbor #1)

There was no way she was going to marry him, and that meant she had to land a major job to get her name out there.

All of her connections in Manhattan had clearly been warned not to hire her.

That’s how she ended up here in Harbortown.

If things didn’t pan out here, she wasn’t sure where she was going next.

All she knew was that failure wasn’t an option.

So one way or another, someone at this resort was going to at least hear her pitch for the design concept.

And really, it was spectacular.

The perfect combination of rustic and chic without breaking the bank.

She’d done her research, checked with suppliers, created mood boards, design boards, material sample boards, and a PowerPoint presentation that included 3D renderings of the rooms and the cabins.

It was more than she would typically do for a client, but she wanted to be thorough; wanted to look like she had it all under control and all planned out so all they had to do was sign the check.

Thunder clapped loudly all around her, and the lightning was borderline terrifying. The storm was getting worse, and if she didn’t make a run for it now, she’d be camping out right there for the foreseeable future.

In the distance, she spotted what looked like headlights down in the parking lot, but the lightning was flashing so much that it might just be a mirage.

“Screw it. The faster I get to that door, the faster I can get inside, hopefully.” And with a fortifying breath and nothing to use for cover, thanks to her umbrella taking off, she made a run for it.

She screamed and ran and slid a time or two, but as she rounded the building and spotted the stairs, all she could think about was getting inside. She’d bang the damn door down if she had to.

But hopefully wouldn’t have to.

At the top of the stairs, she reached for the doorknob and turned.

It was locked.

And that was it. No matter how brave or badass she thought she was, she started to cry. Maisie shoved the door with her shoulder, but it didn’t budge.

Why would it, dummy? When in your life have you ever banged a door down? Oh, that’s right. Never.

Why couldn’t just one thing go her way? Just one? Why did it feel like the universe wanted her to marry a man who was disgusting and repulsive in every way? Why didn’t her family care about her enough to not force her into a marriage she didn’t want? When was something good going to happen for her?

The thunder got louder and louder, so much so that the stairs began to shake. She turned one more time and fought with the doorknob, willing it to unlock and let her in.

What came next happened so fast that she still wasn’t sure how it happened.

One minute she was shaking the door, and the next something literally pulled her off her feet.

Screaming, she felt herself spinning around to a loud roar and then she suddenly found herself out of the rain, and landed with a powerful force onto whatever had been discarded onto the floor.

It was too hard to be a sofa or even a cushion, but she was certainly on top of something, and it knocked the wind out of her.

Her entire body sort of sagged with relief at being out of the rain, and it took several moments for her to realize that everything hurt. She groaned, but her head almost felt too heavy to lift.

But when she heard something—or someone—else groan, she immediately forced herself to push up and see where it was coming from.

“What the hell…?” a low, gruff voice murmured, and Maisie brushed her long, dark and wet hair away from her face and found herself staring down at a man.

At least, she thought it was a man. He was wearing a hoodie that almost completely covered his face, but when she took a quick inventory of their bodies, she realized he was definitely a man.

And he was an incredibly big and strong one. Every inch of him felt hard and muscly.

“Um…” She went to move off of him, but his arm banded around her, keeping her close. She gasped softly and stared as he used his free hand to shove the hood off of his face.

And good Lord was he handsome. Not in a traditional way. No. He was rugged with a strong, stubbled jaw and piercing gray eyes that were staring so hard at her she couldn’t look away.

“Who the hell are you and why were you breaking into the lodge?” he quietly demanded.

Maisie squirmed against him, and he groaned again, causing her to wish a hole would simply open up in the floor and swallow her. She knew she was a big girl, but she didn’t need him making such a fuss about her being on top of him. After all, he was the one keeping her there.

“Can you just…I mean…can I please get up?” she asked weakly, still trying to get out of his grasp.

“Not until you tell me why you’re trespassing. You know breaking and entering is against the law, right?”

“Technically…” More squirming. “I didn’t have time to break or enter. You clearly did that. So…”

His hold got impossibly tighter, and she held her breath, fearful of what he was going to say or do. But then, to her surprise, he laughed.

Hard.

“Okay, so…uh…”

In the blink of an eye, he rolled them over and jumped to his feet before reaching down and yanking her up. Her body slammed into his again just before his arm banded around her to steady her.

Holy crap! He really is strong!

Blinking up at him, she had no idea what to do or say. Was he one of the owners? A contractor? He was drenched from the rain just like she was, but he was dressed like a man who worked with his hands.

“Let’s try this again,” he said, his voice a bit softer this time. “Who are you, and why were you trying to get into the lodge?”

This time she didn’t even try to put any space between them. Instead, she straightened her shoulders a bit and looked up to meet his gaze.

“I’m Maisie Quinn, and I had an appointment earlier to interview for the decorator position.

” When he didn’t respond, she explained a bit further.

“I was on my way here and saw a turtle stopped in the middle of the road. I almost hit him, but I slammed on the brakes and barely avoided him. I got out and picked him up and carried him over to the side of the road. But when I got back in the truck, it wouldn’t start. ”

Still nothing.

Gently, she cleared her throat. “Anyway, I know nothing about cars, and my purse spilled out all over the floor on the driver’s side, and I had to pretty much crawl all over the place to pick up all my stuff.

My phone had gone under the seat, and it took a while for me to get it out.

Then I tried to do an online search of what to do when your truck won’t start, but there’s no reception out here.

It took a while, but it finally started again.

I drove right here to the resort, but couldn’t pull up close to the main entrance because of all the construction debris. ”

This time he nodded.

“So I parked as close as I could get and ran to the front entrance, but it was locked. Then I remembered seeing this door and just prayed it was open. Obviously it wasn’t until you showed up.”

Another nod.

“I thought I was hearing thunder, but I’m guessing that was the sound of you running up those stairs,” she said with a small smile.

“It was a little of both,” he said.

“Oh.” His arm finally released her, and she took a step back, swallowing hard. “Are you one of the contractors? I was supposed to meet up with a couple of the owners. Are they still around?”

He shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint you, but…”

“They already left,” she said, feeling completely dejected.

“I know I shouldn’t have stopped for the turtle, but with the storm coming in, I was afraid he’d get stuck and someone would just run him over.

And now, because of that one good deed, the owners took off.

Dammit.” Her eyes went wide because she knew it wasn’t this guy’s fault and she shouldn’t be getting mouthy even if he was just a contractor.

“You saved a turtle, huh?”

She nodded. “For all the good it did me. You’d think the universe would have rewarded me or something, but no. Nope. I’m out of luck and out of a potential job.”

Then it didn’t matter about manners or anything, she muttered a curse.

“Listen, um…the storm’s pretty intense right now,” he said. “Why don’t you come inside and dry off? I can make you some coffee or tea or something. There’s not much in the way of supplies up here yet, but I can definitely get us some towels and stuff.”

“Sure,” she said quietly. “That would be great. Thank you.”

With nothing else to do, Maisie followed him through whatever room this was and then into a massive kitchen. There was a workstation in the middle with a few stools set up, and he motioned to them.

“Have a seat, and I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Thanks,” she said again. But when he turned to walk away, she stopped him. “I’m sorry, but…I know I introduced myself, but who are you?”

He faced her and smiled, making him look a lot less intimidating than he had minutes ago. He even had dimples. Stepping in close he held out his hand to her.

“I’m Axel Hayes, one of the owners of the resort.” He shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Her eyes went wide. “You’re…?”

“Yup. I’m the guy who waited over an hour for you to show up. Sorry you missed your chance because of a turtle, but you did a good thing.”

And when he turned and walked away, Maisie wasn’t sure if that meant he was going to give her a chance or if he was letting her know she blew it.