Page 24 of #Resort Romance
“A team? Like…members of my family? Because trust me, no one’s shown any interest in taking it on.”
“Not even you? Because you seriously used to love this place! I know we don’t talk about it much as of late, but I know how much this place meant to you.”
“Well, yeah, when we were kids. I’m not in any position to take on something like this,” Walker argued lightly, but Jayce could tell there wasn’t any strong opposition there. “I’ve thought about it; I’m not gonna lie to you, but…no one in the family wants to get involved.”
After a pause, Jayce told him about seeing Kelsey again. “So I was walking to the cabin after I checked in the other day, and someone bumped into me.”
“With the senior citizen crowd that seems to be the primary guest demographic, that’s not surprising.”
“It wasn’t a senior citizen. It was Kelsey Banks.”
There was a second of silence before Walker said, “No way! How freaking crazy is that?”
“For a minute, I thought I was seeing a mirage,” Jayce told him. “But she was definitely real, and we’ve been…you know…spending time together.” He explained how her mom had recently passed away and why she was there at the resort.
“Damn. That’s awful. Please send her my condolences.”
“I will, buddy. But here’s the thing…she’s incredibly attached to the Lakeview Harbor Resort and would seriously be interested in investing in it if it were something you’d consider.”
“Jayce…”
“Just…hear me out, okay? I get that no one in your family is interested, but what if you found other investors and you took over? Well, not like take over, take over, but headed it up and then hired someone to run it? With the right team of people, you could turn this into a place that attracts both a younger demographic and the loyal guests who’ve been coming here for twenty-plus years.”
“I don’t know…that sounds like…” He let out a long breath. “Damn, Jayce. You have no idea how much I want to say yes because I’ve thought about it like a million times. I love working in the hotel and hospitality business. I guess it’s in my blood. But I don’t know a lot about construction and maintaining a property the size of Lakeview Harbor. It’s worth an almost obscene amount of money just for the location and the land. The buildings aren’t worth much because they’ve been neglected for so long. There’s no way we could raise enough money to buy it outright, and without my family’s help…”
“Are you telling me you don’t know anyone else who would invest? I know I would and so would Kelsey!”
The thought of investing himself just came to him, but as soon as he said it, he knew it was a no-brainer.
“She got a decent amount of money from both of her parents’ life insurance, and this is something she’d invest in as a tribute to her family. For all you know, there are others who might not want in for the same reason, but they’d want in just the same. Hell, if you put it out there to Axel, Conner, Milo, and Slater and whoever else you still keep in touch with, you might not need your family’s help. Just…think about it.”
Another loud sigh. “It still wouldn’t be enough to buy it.”
“Then maybe your grandparents would consider taking on the investors as partners? You know, we handle all the renovations and operating expenses, and they still draw an income for their retirement?”
“You have no idea the can of worms you’re opening, Nash. We had all just sort of come to grips with letting the place go and now…now I’ve got a lot to think about. And fast!” The bark of laughter was a stalling tactic. “The whole thing sounds overwhelming and…and…I have no idea the kind of money we’d need or how much would be involved or…or…”
“Okay, okay, okay,” he quickly interrupted. “It was all just an idea, Walker. I’m sure if you went to your grandparents and told them what you were thinking, they’d make a deal with you—especially since they don’t want to see the place demolished! Maybe this will work out, maybe it won’t. I just…I promised Kelsey I’d call you, that’s all.”
“Damn, the two of you…” He laughed softly. “You always had a soft spot for her, even before you started dating for the summer.”
“And apparently I still have a soft spot. Maybe even more.”
“Seriously? It’s only been…what…three days?”
“She was the one who got away,” he admitted. “I never forgot her, but I just thought our chance at anything had passed. Running into her here was like fate and…I need to see where it’s gonna go.”
“Where do you want it to go?”
Good question.
“In a perfect world? I’d want to take her home with me to Raleigh and have the life we probably should have had all those years ago, but were too young and didn’t know any better.”
“Wow…just…wow. I don’t even know what to say to that. Although…I just can’t wrap my head around feeling that way about someone after a handful of days.”
“Walker, Kelsey and I have known each other since we were kids. There’s a history there. A history that I screwed up and walked away from. This is our second chance, and I don’t want to blow it this time.”
“Then I say go for it! Only you know how you feel and if you feel like Kelsey’s the one, then don’t let this slip through your hands a second time.”
