Page 57 of (Un)Expected

“Love you more, Cole. Tell that girl how you feel, or I’m going to kick your ass until kingdom come.”

We hung up, and I kept moving up the trail, stopping to look at some of the sights along the way. Eventually, I found my way to one of the main roads, trying to get my bearings. Though it wasn’t a far distance from the resort, the air back here was completely different. While the resort was perfectly curated to scream relaxation, these properties looked more like they were carved from the forest itself.

I walked along the road, taking in the different homes and motels until eventually, I stumbled upon one for sale. In the front, there sat a large wooden cabin—a sign hung from the porch that read “Fox Creek Lodge.” Behind the main building was a field with ten smaller cabins. Evergreen and Balsam trees lined the background, making it picturesque, exactly the kind of image you’d want to see in a brochure for Saint Stephen’s Lake.

Even from a distance, though, I could tell it needed some help. It’d probably been vacant for years. But even with age and wear, there was something about the lodge that called to me.

“Do you think the owner would budge on price?” A voice called out in the distance. “Factoring in the repairs, I don’t know if it’ll be in my price range.”

“It never hurts to ask,” another person answered. “That’s the reason it’s still on the market. We got flooded with above-ask offers from developers, but the owner refused to sell. He wants someone who will keep the original feel of the property.”

The conversation faded as they walked around one of the cabins, and my curiosity had me moving closer to them. As Alex emerged, she spotted me instantly, jumping a little at the unexpected sight.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

Okay, so she might still be pissed at me from all the shit I’d pulledover the past week. Trusting Calla’s advice, I tried to offer some words of support. “This place seems great.”

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes. “Which part? The crumbling roofs or the rotting floors?”

“Those things can be fixed,” I said. “But the bones are great. It could be something amazing if someone knew what they were doing.”

That seemed to soften her glare. Alex sighed, resting her hand along the wooden porch. “I think so too. It’s been vacant for years. I’d love to bring it back to life.”

The woman, who I assumed was a real estate agent, followed behind Alex, checking something on her phone. “Do you mind if I take this?”

Alex shook her head, still looking up at the ancient cabin with stars in her eyes. As the woman started down the hill, I stepped closer to her. “You’re thinking of buying this place?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Maybe? I was trying to get a feel of the available properties in town, to get a scope for my budget before I drafted my business plan. That was before we came here, and I fell in love.”

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Oh, about twenty-four hours,” Alex laughed. “You probably think I’ve lost my mind, and maybe I have. I’m not normally this impulsive. It’s just…once this idea came into my head, everything started to make sense.” Her bright blue eyes met mine. “Have you ever had one of those realizations?”

I swallowed, dodging her question. “I thought you hated your job?”

“I hate the politics of it,” she sighed. “The drama and bullshit I have to put up with daily, people who are too busy taking selfies to enjoy the world they’re using as a backdrop. The idea of carving out a piece of this town for myself? Helping people see why this place is so special? That means everything to me.” She blushed as she stared up at me. “Or I’ve lost the last of my brain cells, and this is the biggest mistake of my life.”

Unsure exactly what to say, I reached out, placing my hand on hers. It was soft, almost softer than I imagined as it fit perfectly with mine. Almost as quickly as I realized what I’d done, I pulled my hand back, pictures of Adam flashing in my mind. I brushed the back of my hair with the same hand, trying to forget the feel of her as I nodded to the cabins. “Show me what you see.”

Her gaze dipped from her hand on the railing back up to my eyes, and for a moment, I thought she was going to say no, tell me to fuck off once again. Instead, she smiled brightly back at me.

“Come on.”

Hours later,Alex dropped me back at the resort with a renewed sense of purpose in her eyes. I don’t know how anyone could doubt that this was what she was meant to do. The way she talked about the property and her vision blew me away.

Maybe that was why I offered up my limited skills, wanting to help her bring her vision to life.

There was also a selfish part of me that wanted to take her dream and make it a project for me.A purpose. It had been years since I felt like I had one, not to mention the added benefit of spending more time with Alex. Every minute we spent together today confirmed what I already suspected: I had feelings for her, feelings that I had no right to have but were there anyway.

For the first time in a long time, I wanted the chance to try, to fight for someone I could care about—fuck, to even get the opportunity to prove I wasn’t the asshole I’d shown her.

After spending the evening at Alex’s house, Calla told me I had some serious groveling to do. It was clear that my plan to get Alex to hate me worked a little too well—there was a wall between us that wasn’t there before, like she was keeping me at arm's length.

That was fine. I’d atoned for bigger sins in my life. I’d spend the rest of our time here convincing her I wouldn’t hurt her again.

Despite Dani’s advice, I needed to talk to Adam first. I owed him that. His reaction wouldn’t stop me from spending time with Alex, not if she wanted me as much as I wanted her, but the least I could do was be open about my intentions.

When I returned to the room, I pushed the front door open, revealing an exhausted Adam on the other side. He was laid up on the couch, his arm draped over his eyes. When he heard me enter, he muttered, “Whoever decided we needed to be on set before the sun came up is the world’s biggest douche.”

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