Trent
I held up my hand, stopping Richie’s boasting about his bedroom habits before he could get started. “Linens. Are they ordered?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Are we set for the happy hour tomorrow?”
He nodded again. “Yes. We have extra servers on hand and a shitload of champagne. I hope this extra expense is worth it. You’ll see the invoice for the champagne in that stack. I suggest you be sitting down when you look at it.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You have to spend money to make money. I want people to feel like they are getting luxury treatment. I want them to feel like their hard-earned money is appreciated and we’re not only a reasonably priced hotel, but we also have all the little extras that the five-star places offer.”
He didn’t look convinced. “We’re not exactly running a dive here. We’re right up there with the five-star places.”
“Yes, but we’re not there. My goal is to be at the top. I want people waiting to get into this place. I want them settling for the others. Right now, we’re probably second or third best. I want that top spot.”
He nodded. “Noted. We’ll get there. We’re making huge strides.”
“Couldn’t have done any of this without you,” I said sincerely. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. This is a win for both of us. I get to put that business degree to good use and make some serious money doing it.” He laughed.
We talked a little more, cementing the plans for the meet and greet tomorrow and making sure we were ready for anything. There was always some emergency that arose. We planned and strategized and planned some more, but experience had taught me that nothing ever went according to plan.
It was the adapt, improvise, and overcome training that had kept my head above water during some of those freak situations, like the toilets overflowing last year. That had been nothing short of a disaster. I shuddered, thinking back on the situation.
Richie left me alone to take care of some work stuff while I focused on the acquisition I was hoping to make. My small enterprise ran fairly smoothly, but I had to pay attention to every detail. The devil was in the details. That was my motto. I always studied and analyzed a situation, contract, proposal—anything and everything—looking for the tiniest detail that could rise up and become a huge issue.
“I’m going to make my way over to the restaurant and check with the chef to make sure he has everything,” I said, stopping at Ashley’s desk.
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll see you Monday.”
Talking to the chef was a good excuse to stop in the restaurant. I was hoping to see my mystery woman from earlier. I had been trying like hell to get her out of my mind, but there was no stopping the visions of her from popping into my head.
I wanted to know more about her, like her name for starters. I wanted to have a real conversation with her and see if her personality matched what I pegged her for.
I made my way through the dining room, scanning the faces of the happy people eating and drinking and enjoying themselves, but I didn’t see her. I was a little disappointed, but they had said they would be staying for a week. I was confident I would see her again.
Hopefully, she and her friends would stop by the little meet and greet tomorrow. Few people, especially those on vacation or celebrating something exciting, could pass up free champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
Disappointed but not totally down, I made my way out to my car where Bentley was leaning against the front passenger door and reading the paper. He was a good-looking guy and tended to attract a lot of attention from admiring women, but he only had eyes for his wife.
“Anything interesting?” I asked, walking up to the car.
He smiled, putting the newspaper under his arm and shaking his head. “Nope. Just reading about the coming heatwave.”
He opened the door for me, insisting on acting like a professional driver.
“Thank you.”
“Home?” he asked before closing the door.
“Yes,” I said, anxious to get home and get the suit off. And to hang out with Leia.
I probably had an unhealthy attachment to my dog, but she was my best friend in the world. She was always happy to see me and was the best listener—as long as I was scratching her ears or rubbing her belly. I wondered if my mystery woman liked dogs.
That was a deal breaker for me. Leia and I were a package deal. I had tried to date one woman, and I thought we got along well enough, but she hadn’t been fond of Leia. I trusted Leia’s judgment, and when she turned and walked away from the woman without letting her pet her, I knew something was off.
I really hoped the woman that had occupied my thoughts for most of the day was going to be Leia friendly. I smirked, shaking my head as I realized where my thoughts were going.
I was already dating the woman in my mind, and I didn’t even know her damn name.
But I was that sure she was supposed to be in my life.
SadeI rolled over in the bed that I swore was made from clouds, and I looked into the sleeping face of Julia. She and I had agreed to take the room with the two queen beds, giving Khloe the master bedroom in the suite.I didn’t feel like we had settled at all. The beds were comfortable and inviting. It kind of felt like a sleepover with my best gal pal. Julia and I had been friends since we were in third grade. Friends from a distance—a very long distance sometimes, with my family bouncing all over the world.She’d gone to a different school, but we had kept in touch. We had managed to make plenty of time to hang out on the weekends, and the three of us had all become the best of friends. They were my family. They were my real support system, and I didn’t think I could have ever made it through the grueling years without them pushing me and encouraging me to keep moving forward.“I don’t want to get out of bed,” Julia moaned.“Me either, but I think that would completely ruin the pur
SadeI rolled my eyes. “Easier said than done. I’m a dork. I sound like a dork, and I look like a dork. That man is way out of my league. He was only being nice. He probably dates Victoria’s Secret models.”“I don’t know,” Khloe commented. “He looked like he wanted to eat you for dinner. It was kind of awkward. The tension was thick.”“Stop. It was not. You guys are completely exaggerating.” I felt my cheeks flush.“Oh, she’s blushing!” Julia squealed.“Stop, I am not,” I argued, knowing I was.“I think we need to see if we can find him,” Khloe suggested. “He could be your summer fling.” I gasped in horror. “No! You’re crazy. I’m not going to have a fling.”“I think you should,” Julia said. “You need to let your hair down and get wild. You’ve been buttoned up for too long. Take a walk on the wild side.” I shook my head. “My wild side is buying a movie I haven’t seen.”Khloe nodded. “This is true.”“There’s something to be said for being a good girl,” I said, lifting my chin.“Yes, i
TrentShe looked nervous. I could tell I was flustering her. Her cheeks were a pretty shade of red, and it had nothing to do with the sun.I liked that she was shy. She had a very innocent quality about her, which was new to me. Since my recent rise in financial status, it wasn’t often I encountered a woman who truly intrigued me. They were usually very obvious in their attraction, and most were very skilled at the art of flirting. Not her.I wanted to talk to her more. I wanted to ask her to have a drink with me. My ringing phone pretty much destroyed that plan.I looked at the number on my phone and saw it was the front house manager. “I have to take this. I’m going to see you again.” I looked directly at her, letting her know I found her very attractive.“Okay,” she replied, her voice so low I barely heard her.I nodded, answering the call as I walked away. “Trent here.” “Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but we’ve got a situation here, and you said to call if there were any problems,
Trent“You’re late,” he commented.“I had some issues to deal with,” I replied.“I like when you’re late—it gives me good reason to speed,” he said with a laugh.“You speed regardless,” I said.“But now I have a good reason to,” he answered.I arrived at the lawyer’s office about ten minutes late for my appointment. I’d be charged for those minutes, so I wasn’t all that worried about running behind. I was taken right in.“Trent, it’s good to see you!” Lance Avery said, extending one of his pudgy hands toward me.I shook his hand and took my seat. “Sorry, I’m late. Business.” “No problem. I’ve got the proposal drawn up and just need you to review it.” He picked up a file and slid it across the desk to me.“You spoke with him directly?” I asked.He nodded. “I did. Nice man.”“And why is he wanting to sell?” I asked, not trusting anyone at face value. “And if he does want to sell, why isn’t it more widely known? And why sell it to me?”“In a nutshell, he’s tired of the game. He’s ready
SadeBreakfast had been amazing. We had decided to actually get out of bed and join the living downstairs in the restaurant instead of dining on room service. It had been worth the hassle of getting dressed and presentable. I had never enjoyed such delicious crepes in all my life. I could have eaten so much more, but that would have been a little cliché—the big girl eating four helpings while her skinny friends stuck to one.We took a different path, wanting to check out the grounds of the hotel, and went out a side door. We walked along a path with both sides of it surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn with rose bushes blooming and little benches placed under shade trees. It was a beautiful garden space that I planned to visit again soon.Out of nowhere, a slobbering, short-haired beast rubbed against my legs. I looked down, initially horrified until I saw the prettiest dog in the world, attempting to wrap its body around me, all while looking up at me with the biggest smile on it
Sade“You guys,” I protested again.“This is going to be fun,” Julia said. “We’re going to a house party—on the lake. The guy is mega rich. I can’t wait to see his house!” “I don’t think he was serious,” I said again.Julia picked up one of the flirty blouses I had packed for a night out. She held it up to me and cocked her head to the side before dropping it on the bed. She reached for another one, similar in style but black with large shoulder cutouts. “Yes, this one.”I snatched it from her and turned to look in the mirror, holding it up to me. “Jeans or shorts?” I asked, giving in to the fact I was going.“Shorts,” Khloe said. “Definitely shorts. Those ones with the fringes.” I groaned. “Those are kind of short.”“Exactly,” Julia said. “They make your legs look long. They’re perfect. You can wear the wedges with them and really make your legs look long.” I had to trust them. They were both far better dressers than I was. I never put a lot of thought into what I wore. I spent a
TrentI made my way through the crowd of people hovering in the open living area that overlooked the back deck and the lake. Mira was giving me the look from the dining room. I knew she had something to say, and I was trying to get to her, but I kept getting stopped along the way by guests that wanted to chat about the weather, compliment my house, or ask about business.I excused myself and almost made a clean break for the kitchen where Mira had disappeared to when Richie grabbed my arm.“Where are you going?” he asked in a low voice.“I need to talk to Mira,” I said irritably. “She’s been trying to get my attention for the last fifteen minutes.” “You need to be nice to your guests,” he said quietly. “These are some of the major players in the area. You’ll want them on your good side. That guy over there owns one of the top ski resorts. We want him to send us his overflow.” I groaned. “That’s what you’re here for. I don’t do this whole schmoozing thing well. I need to check with M
Trent“Hi,” Julia said, looking up at me with a big smile.“Hi,” I said, startling Sade. Her head whipped around, looking up at me with surprise.“Hi,” she stammered, her cheeks blushing again.I liked how often she blushed. I kicked off my shoes, rolled up my pant legs, and sat down beside Sade. “Enjoying yourself?” I asked her.She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”I noticed her glass was empty. I pulled my feet out of the pool and stood up before waving at one of the waiters moving through the crowd with a tray filled with glasses of wine. I took the entire tray and carried it back to the edge of the pool.“Here you go.” I balanced the tray on one hand and handed her a glass before offering glasses to her friends.“Thank you,” Khloe said, grinning. “You are a full-service host.” “I try,” I said with a wink, taking one of the glasses and sitting back down beside Sade.“Have you lived here long?” Julia asked.I shrugged a shoulder. “About two years.”“Is that how long you’ve owned the hotel