Page 50 of Always Be an Us

Hal wipes his hand over his forehead again and admits. "I know you shouldn’t. It's your hotel after all. But it’s just that...Like I said, this hotel has been standing here for the past century. They sometimes even talk about how sacred it is in church. Loads of folks are attached to the place. We hold festivals here and –"

"Yes, I heard." I wave a hand, annoyed.

I've never understood how people can get so attached to buildings. My father with his first hotel. And now the townspeople with this piece of junk that is basically hanging together by duct tape and prayers. "Prepare for a demolition next week. I’d like to get this show on the road." So I can go back home.

Although, I don't feel the same urgency to return to New York as I did before.

I stiffen my muscles to keep from recalling last night, the passion that exploded between Emma and me.

The unbelievable feel of her in my arms still amazes me.

And being buried inside her was nothing short of euphoria.

My cock twitches at the thought.

I don't want to admit that that’s probably why I’m not in as much of a hurry to go home as before.

Although I should leave here as soon as possible. Because one night with her wasn’t enough to get her out of my system. I want more.

And I shouldn’t want more.

"That will be all," I tell Hal.

He nods and stops wringing his hat, slapping it back on his bushy head.

"I'll tell my boss," he says as heads back to the entrance. He pauses. "Do you still need the old plans?"

I shrug. "Sure why not?" Couldn't hurt to see the old design of the place. Maybe if I keep the new design as close to the old one as possible, it'll make the people happy.

Not that I necessarily care about making them happy, but it's better not to have too many enemies.

Once Hal is gone, I take a deep breath and lean back in the seat. I shut my eyes, feeling the beginning of a dull throb at my temples. I have a family physician on speed dial, but I already know what he would say.

Too much work and not enough rest.

You need to slow down.

Fuck that. If I didn't work as hard as I did, I wouldn't have a damn thing to do with my time.

I decide to go for a walk beside the lake.

I will admit that even though this hotel is overrated and probably powered by superstition, this lake makes it nearly worth the hassle.

It's beautiful.

There's something nearly magical about its stillness despite the soothing breeze that rustles the trees on the other side. As I stroll this afternoon, I picture the story my daughter told me about the lovers... How the man would come to the lake almost every night to see if he could catch a glimpse into her window.

"He would look for rainbow pearls on the shore for her," Amelia said. "You know, because they're said to be a symbol of love. And the Pink Pearl is the strongest of them. Any couple with a Pink Pearl will be together forever. Isn't that super romantic?"

"Right," I responded at the time, feeling less amused with each retelling of the story. I don't mind that my daughter liked to indulge in fantasy stories once in a while. But I don't want her to take those stories as factual.

She's too old to believe in fairy tales, and I want her to live in reality.

But it is real.I can almost hear Emma's protest now. She seemed so certain when she told me that the diary was real and the stories about the theft and the disappearance of the three thieves and the woman were true too.

It was clear from her gaze that she believed everything she was saying.

So her grandfather probably indoctrinated her with that story too. After all, he used to work at the hotel. Disappearing women, dead lovers, and the Pink Pearl. Rainbow Pearls. All of that was probably a carefully designed ruse meant to attract tourists and then charge them for a mystical experience.

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