Page 58 of The Legend of Lovers Hollow
“I do know this. Whatever it is between us is still new, but I feel things for you I’ve never felt for anyone else. I’ve never even really dated someone seriously, never been in a relationship, but I’d really like to try because…” He hesitates. “I feel like we could have something special. I don’t know why, it’s like a–”
“A gut feeling,” I whisper. “An instinct.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs.
“I do too. I mean, yes to all the above.” I smile. “I mean, I feel that way too, about you and that we could have something special.”
“I’m worried I’m going to mess it all up.”
“Mess it up how?” I ask softly.
“With you, with Warren and the business, with saving the hotel, with Grandfather.”
I can hear him stressing himself out, so I roll onto my knees and throw my leg over his, settling myself in his lap. Taking his glass, I set it down on the nightstand and cup his face in my hands so I can press a lingering kiss to his lips.
“Stop,” I murmur as I pull back and look into his eyes. “You’re worrying about too many things at once. It’s going to feel like you’re drowning. Let’s start with me. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m certainly not making any demands of you.”
“But I haven’t even been able to take you on a proper date yet, and we’re supposed to be getting to know each other.”
“I don’t know what the men who’ve danced in and out of your live have been like, but honestly, I’m easy. As long as I get to see you in between your trips, I’m good. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other and see how we fit. I don’t need fancy restaurants. To be honest, I’ve been a bit spoiled by Aggie. I don’t think any other restaurants are going to compare to her cooking.”
“True.” He’s watching me with a small smile tugging at his lips. “I want to spoil you though.”
“I don’t need you to spoil me. I just need you.” The words slip out before I can censor them, but even as they pass my lips, I know they’re true. Meeting him changed me too.
“You really are something special,” he mutters, and I smile, warmth radiating through my body.
“Okay, what was the next item on your list?” I think hard. “Warren and your stepdad’s fancy hotel company. Well for starters, Warren adores you, anyone can see that. What’s just as obvious is the bond you share.”
“I know.” He frowns. “And just because I want to slow down and make some changes to my life, I don’t want him to feel obligated to do what I want. Selling off his dad’s company–”
“You do that a lot,” I mutter.
“What?”
“Call ithisdad’s.”
“Do I?” He blinks and I nod.
“Do you feel deep down that it’s not yours too, or that you haven’t earned it?” I tilt my head as I study him.
“I have no idea,” he murmurs thoughtfully. “Warren and I both love the hotel business, it’s all we’ve ever known. Even as kids, we’d run loose in whichever of the hotels we were staying at. We moved around a lot while he oversaw the building and running of new properties. It’s in our blood. I can’t imagine doing anything else, and I don’t think Warren can either. But a huge multibillion-dollar chain of luxury hotels was Royce’s dream. A part of me feels guilty at even the thought of selling it off.”
“You don’t have to, you know, even if you want to take a step back or down. You could get a CEO or someone else in to run it, couldn’t you? Why sell it?”
“Warren had this idea, which I have to admit sounds appealing… really appealing. And if we were to move forward with it, we would need money to do it. A lot of money. It’s going to be expensive and challenging and–”
“Exciting? I can see the fire in your eyes. Something that’s missing when you talk about your job the way it is now.”
“Warren floated the idea of downsizing. Instead of running this dreadnought of a hotel empire with its cut-and-paste formula for all its assets, we build a new one that’s completely ours. A smaller portfolio, but the hotels would be rescued historical buildings. I mean, there would be so much red tape, but a lot of conservation work. We could save old buildings and turn them into exclusive but accessible boutique hotels so that the history is preserved and people can still enjoy them.”
“I wonder where he got that idea.” We both grin.
“There’s just one problem though.” Morgan’s smile falls. “Even if we agreed and proceeded with either selling the Hamilton group off as one business or broke it down and sold off the hotels individually or in batches—which would generate more income to buy and renovate some of the new hotel stock—it would take a fair amount of time. There’s no way we can do it in time to save this place.”
“That’s okay.” I stroke his face. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“But this estate, it’s in a very tenuous place. With the money Warren and I have poured into it so far, it’s been enough to keep it from going to auction, but it won’t hold the creditors off forever. We need more money coming in, more than a few extra guests. We need investment and renovations. It’s your home, and Bertie’s, and all the staff’s, the ghosts’, and most importantly, Grandfather’s. What if I can’t save it?”