Page 2 of Hot Water: A BBW Small Town Romance (Lovers Lake)

2

Ethan

The three of us are standing outside the hotel, not moving, when Baxter lets out a low whistle. I don’t know if it’s because he sees potential, or a hell of a lot more work than he was expecting. Lexi’s head swivels around and she’s wide-eyed, taking in the scene.

“Where do we start the grand tour, Ethan? Indoors or do you want to show us the grounds and the dock first?” Baxter asks, getting straight to the point.

“Ethan, this place is amazing,” Lexi says encouragingly, eyeing the hotel first before glancing at the lake. It’s beautiful here this time of year. I’ve been so busy trying to get the place fixed up that I haven’t really stopped to look around. Now I’m seeing the place through their eyes, and it is incredible. Watching her expression tells me my instincts are right. Once the place is restored, people will flock to it like they did in its heyday.

“There’s not much to see inside yet but I’ll show you what we’ve achieved so far,” I offer, stepping up onto the porch, indicating for them to follow. Thankfully, Lexi isn’t critical of the surroundings. She takes it all in her stride, ignoring the scaffolding set along the exterior, the drop sheets on the porch, and the general clutter of building materials lying around.

“The new carpets will be laid this week and once the exteriors are painted, we’ll start the interior refurbishment.” I hold the door open for them to enter the foyer. It used to be grand, and will be again, but right now it’s piled high with boxes and stray bits of trash leaning against the walls. We poke our heads into the hotel’s burgundy billiards room, taking in the old photographs from the 1800’s lining the walls. The mahogany bar needs updating but I see a time in the future where guests can kick back in the leather armchairs by the fire, drinking whisky and playing cards.

“Watch your step and try not to touch anything. It’s a construction site and there’s crap everywhere. If you follow the corridor and turn left, I’ll show you the main dining room. It’s one of the hotel’s best features, but I’d love to hear what you guys think.”

“Baxter said the hotel belonged to your grandparents. And you’ve only recently returned from a tour?” she asks thoughtfully, careful to watch my response, but I have nothing to hide. My time with the armed forces is over. I’ve done my duty to my country, and now it’s time to do my duty to my family’s legacy and build myself a future.

“That’s right, but I’m done with that life and committed to making the place a success.” We walk into the dining room and she gasps. Even Baxter lets out a low whistle. The great room might be shabby, but its size and scale are impressive. So is the view. Their wide-eyed stares tell me exactly how they feel.

The dining room is flooded with natural light as the entire wall is made of glass. Sliding doors open onto the veranda, which leads out to the grass and down to the water. The view over the lake is spectacular from this part of the hotel.

“The kitchen is over on the right side of the dining area, but the floor has been ripped up, so we can’t go in there. If you follow me back to the hall, I can show you one of the guest suites.”

I take them to the room I prepared for Lexi, but don’t let them know it’s for her. I want to gauge their reaction before committing to anything.

“All the bedrooms aren’t completed yet, but I have an idea of how I want them to feel. They’ll be painted in a soothing blue, in the same tones as the lake. On the walls, I’d like to hang paintings by local artists to help highlight the views across the lake. The beds will be covered in white comforters with soft green blankets, like the pine trees surrounding the lake.”

“That sounds so cozy,” Lexi says, poking her head into the bathroom. Her soft voice echoes around the room as she adds, “Another thing you could do to make guest feel at home is to put a handwritten welcome note with chocolates on the bedside table.”

She’s got the right idea for the atmosphere I want to create. “You’re right, Lexi. There are endless things we can do to make the place appealing, but it all depends on budget.”

Well, at least that’s the vision in my imagination. Whether I can make my dream a reality depends on a lot of things, and right now, I may just have to dial my dream back to match my budget.

As we enter the foyer, Baxter’s phone rings, interrupting the tour. He waves us on and turns his back to us, heading out through the glass doors and onto the grass. His voice booms and echoes across the lake.

“Wow, you’ve done so much of the restoration work already. Is it just you and your friend doing all the work?” she asks, assuming I have superpowers. I laugh and answer, “We hire contractors to help. My skills are limited, and to be honest, the place was in good shape when I arrived. It’s been closed to the public for years, but the bones are good. It just needs freshening up.”

My tactic for dealing with overwhelming situations like the total refurbishment of a boutique hotel is to play down the drama. It is a huge restoration job but if I break it down into small tasks, it’s manageable. Besides, I had an idea of what I inherited; it didn’t come as a total shock to me. Lexi, however, seems overwhelmed by the amount of work going on. I get the feeling she didn’t know what she was walking into.

“There’s so much to do! I had no idea and now I’m really worried my brother oversold my skills. Ethan, I’ve worked in big hotels but setting up an operation of this size from the ground up is a whole other level.” She looks terrified at the prospect of all the responsibility, and I know how she feels.

“Any experience you have is more than me, Lexi! I’ve eaten in an Army mess hall; I’ve never organized fine dining or run a hotel or anything like this before. I’m good with my hands and I can get the building stuff done but I need to hire people who know more than I do to do the other jobs. When the time comes, I’ll hire staff to run the day-to-day operations, the bookings, and so forth. I have no idea about any of that stuff.”

We’ve come to the end of the tour and Baxter’s still on a call. “Come on, I’ll show you around the grounds until Baxter joins us,” I say, jumping off the veranda to the ground below. The gap from the veranda to the grass is over three feet and she’s wearing boots with heels.

“Take my hand,” I offer and the feel of her warm hand in mine is exquisite. She eyes the distance, figuring out how big of a step to take when her heel catches on a loose board and she wobbles, slips, and lands straight in my arms.

“Sorry,” she whispers, “I’m such a klutz.” She’s warm and soft and all I want is to hold her and squeeze her tight. Or maybe throw her over my shoulder, carry her to my room and have my wicked way with her. But neither scenario is happening anytime soon, except in my imagination.

“Are you okay?” I ask, brushing a strand of hair back from her eyes. A flush creeps across her cheeks but she bats her eyelashes and nods. She angles her body away from mine and for a moment, her smile becomes a grimace. She may be embarrassed, but when she licks her lower lip, I feel a stirring in my pants. It’s been a long damn time since a woman’s gotten that kind of response out of me.

“Damn thing,” I say, smashing the board with my fist so nobody else trips. I don’t think I’ve ever caught a damsel in distress before, but I liked it and would gladly do it again if her name is Lexi. Every day of the week and for the rest of my life if I could. “Sorry Lexi, I’ll get it fixed. Is your leg all right? you didn’t twist your ankle, did you?” Her attention shifts away from me to her brother as he interrupts our conversation.

“What do you think?” Baxter asks in a loud booming voice, eyeing Lexi eagerly. I wonder what it would feel like to be that confident. To know your own mind and not care what others think. I care too much, which is why I can’t afford to touch Lexi again. I can’t trust myself around her. She’s too tempting.

“It’s great,” she answers, recovering her confidence.

“I could see the potential from the photos Ethan texted,” he says, tapping the right side of his temple. At this point, he’s way more excited than she is. I can practically hear the wheels turning over in his mind.

Baxter faces the water, then turns back to the hotel. He sweeps his arms theatrically across the vista, as though conducting an orchestra and says, “Picture this. One side of the hotel is five-star luxury lakeside accommodation, catering to honeymooners. The other side is a conference center catering to big corporations for team building and such.”

Ah…I’m starting to get his drift. Baxter always considers the bottom line and how to spin a situation to make himself richer. “Conference centre, huh?”

“Yup,” he nods, rubbing his hands together. “Lexi, what do you think? Can you see yourself working here? Helping Ethan transform it into something amazing?”

“Um – ,”

“I know you can do it, sis; I have faith in you. What do you think, Ethan? Email me the amount you need, and I’ll transfer it to you, along with a contract from my lawyer.”

“Contract? I thought this was more personal, like a loan between friends.”

He narrows his eyes, and suddenly my childhood friend disappears, replaced by the hard-ass sports agent. He’s fierce but I like it. “We aren’t talking beer money, Ethan. This place needs millions invested in repairs before the doors open to the public.”

“Millions? What are you talking about? It only needs a few small repairs and a bit of paint,” I lie, knowing that my savings and inheritance aren’t enough to cover the costs. I can see where he’s going with this. He wants to force me into taking Lexi on. He has no idea what he’s asking of me, of what I want to do to her, and what that could do to our friendship.

“Sure, if you want to offer it to people as a three-star truck stop.” I know that he’s trying to encourage me to aim higher, but I really want to smash his face in for the insult. I just don’t want to scare Lexi. He’s dressed in Italian threads and I’m in a wife-beater. It doesn’t look good for me, now does it?

“Baxter, you asshole. You want me to build a fucking resort for you and the sports teams you manage to use as your own private retreat. That’s what you had in mind all along, isn’t it?”

“Think big, my friend, dream large! You can’t stop progress. I mean look at the potential here. Ha! It’s limitless! With my connections, “Eden Lake Resort” will be the go-to destination for sure.”

I don’t want to make Lexi uncomfortable, but he’s getting carried away with this grandiose plan and I have to say something.

“It has potential. But look, Baxter, we need to talk.”

“Baxter please, I need to talk to you, too! Sorry Ethan, it’s not personal,” she says, pulling a face at her brother. He sighs and frowns, “Excuse us a moment, will you?”

“Take all the time you need,” I answer, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice so I don’t offend Lexi. “I’ve got work to do inside, you can find me when you’re ready,” I say to no-one in particular, taking care not to slam the door behind me and risk smashing the fragile glass.

Fuck, he’s got me by the balls here. What the hell am I going to do?

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