Vince watched the women pull up in three cars and file into the hotel. He rubbed his forearm across his sweaty head and paused in his movements after maneuvering the front loader to set the boulder where it belonged on the landscape.
They were some incredible women, an interesting mix of hair colors and clothing styles from business formal on Lana and Cami to more casual chic attire on Rosemary and Delphi. Sage wore a billowy, eccentric skirt, and Jonquil’s sleek pantsuit seemed somehow tomboyish, even while it reeked of professionalism. A tall, muscular, bald guy pulled in right behind them, following them into the building.
Vince had managed to meet all of the women the previous day, intentionally putting off work in their yard until the day they were to arrive, if only to catch a glimpse of them. Or rather, because he was highly curious about one woman in particular.
George had mentioned all of his daughters at one time or another, but spoke particularly of Camellia. Vince had gone out of his way to track down pictures of her on the Internet when George had made it clear he felt Vince would be a nice match for her. Vince wasn’t one to let others guide him when it came to women, but he’d been curious.
And then he’d seen her picture and thought if she was half as nice on the inside as the outside, he might be willing to get to know her after all. Yesterday he’d learned she was far better looking in person than in the grainy newsprint pictures. And those long legs—they could make a grown man weep in appreciation.
Now she flicked the sunglasses off her face, shook out the mop of red curls, and put on an expression of determination before stepping into the building. She had seemed so confident the previous day, he was surprised to see the signs of nerves.
Turning his mind back to his work, Vince backed up the front loader to get the next boulder.
~*~
There must have been nerves all around, because after the women’s various morning routines, they settled down to breakfasts of eggs, cold cereal, or in Rosemary’s case, three cups of espresso, black. They car pooled to the hotel, which was only a couple of blocks away, a nice convenience on mornings when a walk would be a welcome change. Checking out the blue skies as she got out of the car, Cami thought she might indulge in the activity often. Juniper Ridge might be the back of beyond, but it was lovely.
Half a dozen men worked in the yard, putting in landscaping. Dozens of construction vehicles created a maze the ladies had to pick their way through to reach the front door. When the women walked from the finished exterior to the inside, the sound of hammers and drills was apparent, though the entrance was mostly finished, if lacking furniture.
Alex greeted them as they crossed into the building. “Hey, ladies, I’m glad to see you all came together. Welcome to DiCarlo Resort and Spa of Juniper Ridge, Colorado. As you’ll notice, there’s still a great deal of work to be done before you open September first. We’ll do a full tour with the regional director after the meeting. Over the next few days, each of you will have a chance to discuss your departments and goals.”
“Me first, right? I have to get back to Boston for a wedding in two days,” Delphi reminded him. “This meeting is causing me a major headache.”
“Yes, you first. How are things coming with that, anyway?” He turned and walked beside her as he led them to the meeting.
“Good, great. If this bride hadn’t called me at three a.m. in tears and terror that something was going to go wrong, it would be better.”
Alex stopped at an open door and gestured for the women to go on through. “Every job has its perks.” His smile was wry.
“Don’t they just,” Lana said as she breezed into the room ahead of Cami, then stopped two steps in, causing Cami to run into her, and nearly knock her down. “What are you doing here?”
Cami righted herself and took a step back to find Lana staring at Blake Bahlmann, formerly hotel manager at the Chicago resort. Only a couple of seconds passed before she regained her self-possession and continued into the room.
“I was just appointed the new regional director and I took over opening the hotel after your father got too sick to finish. Didn’t Alex mention I would be here?” The tall blond man slid his hands into the pockets of his blue suit pants and gave Lana a steady stare. “You’re looking well, as always.”
Her face was a mask, her words clipped. “Thank you. Did you fly in this morning?” She took a chair and pulled out the binder she’d been organizing for the past two weeks, flipping it open.
“Last night. I stayed at a charming little B&B down the road.”
“Soon there’ll be a room here when you drop in to check on us. I’m sure it’ll be more to your liking.” She smiled woodenly at her sisters, but her usually steady hands fumbled with a pen as she slid it out of the sleeve of her binder—the only sign of her discomfort.
“It seems there were a number of things Alex failed to bring to your attention.” He turned his gaze on the other man before glancing around at the women with his usual ease and grace. “Since you’re all seated, I’ll introduce myself and then turn things over to Lana. It is her meeting, after all. The contractor should be up here in a few minutes to discuss how things are coming along. In the meantime, for those who don’t know, my name is Blake Bahlmann and I’m the regional director for DiCarlo Hotels. When I was put into my position, the contract stipulated I would move my office to this location when it was completed enough for residency. I’ll be taking an office in the same area as Lana’s, and the quarters usually assigned to the hotel manager.”
He looked at Lana, who had gone pale. She gripped the pen in her hand so tightly her knuckles went white.
“My apologies,” he continued, “but I understand other living arrangements have been made for you and your sisters.”
“Yes.” Her jaw clenched as though it took a few seconds to swallow down angry words. “I’m sure we will all benefit from your experience and expertise as we get things set up here.” Her voice said otherwise.
“No doubt. But this is your baby, so I’ll let you get to it.” He sat and pulled out a legal pad and pen, his face expectant.
The exchange confused and fascinated Cami. She understood Lana felt her toes were being trampled on, but there was definitely something more going on between Lana and Blake. She could have sworn the two of them had been on good terms the past Thanksgiving when she’d seen them together at the Boston resort where they’d worked together. Perhaps more than general friendliness, in fact.
Cami filed the encounter away to consider later and turned her full attention to the discussion.