Page 22 of #Resort Romance
“I don’t think jeans, checkered shirts, and cowboy hats really mean ‘dressed up,’ Mom. It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”
Luckily, Kelsey chose that moment to come out of her cabin and she wasn’t dressed up like a cowgirl. “Oh, wow! You guys all look great!” She walked over to Jayce and grinned. “Were we supposed to dress up?”
“Do you have a cowboy hat and boots with you?” he teased.
“Um…”
“I’m starving!” his grandfather called out. “Now let’s go! This is the last hoedown this place is ever going to see, and I don’t want to miss it!”
Like they had earlier, the two of them followed behind their group. Smiling down at Kelsey, he said, “You look beautiful tonight.” She had on a baby blue sundress with thin straps. Her skin was lightly golden from being out on the boat, and he couldn’t wait to touch her all over later.
“Thank you. I know we’re just going up to the lodge, but I always wore a dress when we went to dinner whenever we were here. It’s kind of tradition.” She laughed softly. “And for full disclosure, I knew that dressing up for all the themes was encouraged and I chose to ignore it.”
Wrapping his arm around her as they walked, he said, “A woman after my own heart. I love it. Such a rebel!”
Her arm went around his waist as they continued their stroll. “It makes me sad that this is the last hoedown. I would love to know why Walker and his family aren’t taking the place over.” Looking up at him, he could see the sadness in her eyes. “Do you feel close enough to him that you could call and ask?”
“I mean…I could, but I’m not sure what good it would do. There’s obviously got to be a reason. For all we know, they want the cash that selling the property would bring in. And really, we can’t fault them for it.”
“I can,” she murmured. “This place means so much to so many people. And it just needs a little love! What if they got investors and a bunch of people took it over and revamped the place? What if it was updated and offered a little more…you know…adventure activities? Water skiing? Zip lines? TV and Wi-Fi?” Laughing, she shook her head. “There’s just so much potential here and every time I think of this place going away, it breaks my heart.”
Hugging her close, he totally understood how she felt.
“Although, earlier today, your grandmother reminded me of how our memories are always with us. Whether this place is here or not, I’m always going to remember it. I just hate the thought of never being able to return to it.” Her soft sigh spoke volumes.
“I know. I hadn’t thought of this place in years, but now knowing we can’t ever come back? Yeah, it sucks.”
“I would totally invest in this place. When my dad passed, I got his life insurance, and it was for a lot more than I ever imagined. The same with my mom. They wanted to make sure I was well taken care of. So if Walker wanted to do something—like get a team of investors to be a part of keeping Lakeview Harbor Resort alive—I’d totally be in.”
“Kelse, come on. Granted, I have no idea how much your parents left you—and I don’t want to know because it’s none of my business—but why? I get being nostalgic, but why is this place so important to you?”
It was a simple enough question, but he wasn’t prepared for her answer.
“It’s the last place my family was whole,” she said quietly. “It’s the last place we were happy—at least…it’s the last place I thought we were happy. It’s the place I’m going to leave my mother when I scatter her ashes.” Beside him, she stopped walking. “It’s where I first met you.”
Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. “Kelsey…”
“I know it’s crazy, but…this place is an integral part of my life, Jayce. I know I have my memories here in my heart, but…I’m always going to want to go to the playground to the spot where we shared our first kiss or sleep in the cabin with the loft like I did when I was a kid. I’m going to want to precariously perch on one of the canoes and pray I don’t tip it.” Her lips trembled as her hand rested over his heart. “And I’m always going to want to go back to the cabin where we first made love.”
Reaching up, he gently caressed her cheek, but words completely eluded him.
“This isn’t just a place my family came to vacation. This place is part of my family.”
“I’ll call Walker after dinner. I promise.”
Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, “Thank you.”
And with that, they started walking again and caught up with his family. Neither said another word, but seemed content to listen to his grandparents playfully argue over what his grandfather should and shouldn’t be eating because of his cholesterol and whether his grandmother should dance at the hoedown because of her osteoarthritis in her hip.
Riveting conversation, he thought. But right now, it was exactly the kind of mindless banter he needed. His heart ached for Kelsey and everything she’d lost and everything she was clinging to. He couldn’t do anything about one, but he could certainly try to do something about the other. Calling Walker wasn’t an issue. They talked every now and again. He just wasn’t sure his old friend was going to be open to sharing why things were happening the way they were at the Lakeview Harbor Resort. For all he knew, there was some bad blood in the family or financial distress or even something scandalous that he didn’t want to share.
Still…there was only one way to find out.
Beside him, he could feel how tense Kelsey was without her uttering a word, and he knew he needed to make the call sooner rather than later.
Pausing in his tracks, he smiled down at her. “Hey, why don’t you go ahead with everyone? I think I’ll give Walker a call right now.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really? You’d do that?”
