Page 12 of The Last Resort
“The basement isn’t flooded, and the water on the first floor doesn’t tend to stick around too long when the snow melts. Other than that, I don’t really know.” Dan shrugged.
“You’re the architect. Spend as much time as you want here, and maybe even come back later in the week. All I can say is that what happens to this place will eventually come down to someone like you. If you can come up with a viable alternative to clearing the site, then my parents would be happy to hear it.”
Kellie gave her a hopeful smile. The old ski lodge and itsfate mattered to these people, though Rachel suspected her sister’s interest had more to do with Dan’s happiness than anything else.
Guilt sat heavily on Rachel’s heart. She’d failed to save their family home in Atlanta from foreclosure. Her mother was now living in the guest wing of her brother’s house in Coral Cables, Florida. Uncle Ray’s home was a gorgeous mansion, but it wasn’t her mama’s home.
Maybe this is the universe giving me a second chance. To make something right.
“Dan, would your parents have any of the original blueprints of the building, or any recent survey maps of the whole site? What about the last time a building surveyor gave the roof a thorough going over? I need every bit of paper or documentation you have on this place.”
It was time to get to work. The more plans and designs Rachel could get her hands on, the better. From the age of the old lodge, it was doubtful that anything would be in any sort of design program. It would all be paper based.
I’ll need to scan everything.
“The last proper inspection was just before gramps died, so that’s five maybe six years ago. The potential buyers have also had some engineers inspect the place, but I doubt they would be keen to share any of their reports with us.”
Rachel nodded. She could understand why they wouldn’t want to share their intel with the vendors. If she was in their shoes, she’d do exactly the same. Play her cards close to her chest.
Now there’s a thought.
“If— and I mean if, I do put some rough plans together, I think we should keep my involvement in this project a secret. Let’s not give the opposing team anything to work with, anything that might undermine our position.”
Kellie looked to her husband, then back to Rachel. “You mean about dad and all that stuff in Atlanta?”
“Yes. We are all looking for a fresh start, so let’s keep quiet about me. For any documents or contracts, my name is now legally Rachel Little. The smart thing would be to keep completely quiet about engaging an architect. Don’t let anyone know until it’s close to time for us to present to the town planning committee.”
“I understand,” replied Kellie.
Rachel didn’t care what Dan thought of her decision to change her family name. This was between her and her sister.
“Dan, whatever papers, photos, drawings, etcetera you can find about the Green Tree Resort, I will take them.”
“I’ll check with my folks and see what they might have lying about in their attic. Gramps wasn’t one for throwing stuff away, and I know Dad has kept quite a few boxes of papers about the lodge, so fingers crossed.”
Her sister launched herself at Rachel, wrapping her up in her embrace. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I promise you won’t regret taking on this project.”
Over Kellie’s shoulder, Rachel met her brother-in-law’s grateful gaze. “I’m not making any promises as to what we might be able to do with your grandpa’s lodge, but I’ll do my best. Worst case scenario we find out she isn’t worth saving, but at least you know we tried. If the old lady does end up in the hands of developers, it won’t be because we gave up on her.”
That final dose of hard reality was a necessary one. The last thing she wanted was to get people’s hopes up, and then disappoint them. She’d learned during her career that tempered expectations saved a lot of explanations.
After Kellie released Rachel from her octopus hold, Dan led the three of them upstairs. Refusing her sister’s help, Rachel gripped tightly to the banister rail of the grand staircaseand limped her way to the top. When she got to the second floor she turned and looked down at the first floor. As she did, her breath caught.
While dust and rubble covered parts of the lobby, they couldn’t hide the elegant marble floor which lay underneath. “Is that original?” she asked, pointing to a patch where the white and smoky charcoal veined floor was visible.
“Yep. Locally mined here in Colorado, at a place aptly named Marble. The marble is so pure they used it to make the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C,” explained Dan.
If her mind hadn’t already been made up, the stunning marble lobby would have sealed the deal. The Green Tree Resort had won her over. Rachel was in love.
I’m all yours.
“Right. From this moment on, no one walks on that floor in snow chains. Dan, we need to get wood paneling laid down to cover the marble. And you can stop dropping vapes everywhere, because we are going to save this place from greedy developers.”
Whether the old lodge furthered her career or not, Rachel was determined to see the grand old lady back where she belonged—in the glittering limelight.
CHAPTER FIVE
The Jeep Wrangler hugged the corners, its snow tires gripping tightly to the road. Matthew put his foot down and applied more pressure to the gas pedal. He was relishing the freedom of not sitting in bumper to bumper New York City traffic. On the road out to the Green Tree Resort it was rare to encounter any other cars.
