“Let’s hope the ocean breeze will work its magic.” She smiled, her dimples peeking out.
Logan wasn’t sure about how the ocean breeze might affect the team, but what was clear was that Emily was already working her magic on him. After she left, he closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the scent of her perfume still lingering in his office. There was something mesmerizing about this woman that he couldn’t put into words.
Chapter 7
Emily
The private Marshall Resorts plane touched down in Santa Barbara, California. As soon as Emily set foot off the plane, she could smell the salt and sea in the air, and it had only gotten stronger as they drove toward the seaside Marshall Resorts property where they would be staying for the next week, maybe longer if necessary. She tried to enjoy the sunny skies, but she was a bit nervous.
The Belvedere Resort was as spectacular as the brochure claimed. Despite four years of working within the company, there were so many resorts and properties Emily hadn’t been to yet, and Belvedere was one of them. She was delighted to see that their work cabanas were literally steps from the water.
After check-in formalities were completed, Logan hadn’t arrived yet. In his new capacity as a vice president, Robbie took control of the schedule in his absence.
“Dinner at the private dining room in two hours,” he announced as the executive team stood in the lobby, private cabana keys in hand. “Dress casual. Bring your tablets.”
With that, Emily set out to find her quarters for the next week. She caught herself wondering when Logan Marshall would arrive and where he would be staying. Trying not to think about him, she unpacked, showered, and dressed within an hour, which gave her another hour to explore the beach before she had to report to their first dinner. Her cabana was next to last, and beyond that final cabana was nothing but uninhabited sand and surf, so she started walking in that direction.
As much as she wanted to pretend she was on vacation, she didn’t let the luxurious surroundings distract her from the fact that she was here to propose something groundbreaking. She struggled to figure out what could possibly top a megaplex resort with more eating and entertainment choices than any other resort on the planet. The sand in her toes was warm and soft, and she stopped to ponder the question while she watched the waves rolling in.
Emily believed most wealthy people who frequented places like the Marshall Resorts properties got it wrong. They paid for over-the-top, gimmicky experiences when all they were truly looking for was the feeling she was having right there on the beach, watching the water roll in and out. People often failed to appreciate tiny moments like these. This, to Emily, was truly living. All the distractions of modernity didn’t seem to let people really live in the moment and savor the miracle of life.
Emily checked her watch. Soon she’d have to start heading back for the team dinner and the real work would begin. Walking slowly, she was lost in her thoughts and didn’t hear the footsteps approach.
“Hey,” a strong, masculine voice said. Hearing Logan sent goosebumps running across her skin. Surprised, she turned around. He was dressed in khaki pants that were rolled up to his calves and had no shoes. His seersucker shirt was untucked and flowed in the sea breeze. She had thought he was handsome in his suite, but seeing him so at ease nearly took her breath away.
“Hi.” She was suddenly unsure of how to make small talk. “Did you just get here?” she asked, kicking herself for not being able to think of anything more interesting to say.
“I did. I had a meeting in Los Angeles, so I took a later flight. Did everyone get settled in?”
Emily shrugged. “I can’t speak for anyone else, but my cabana is perfect.” She started to walk again.
“Glad to hear you like it so far,” he continued. “This is one of my favorite places in the entire company. It’s simple. It’s not trying to hype itself up into something it's not. It’s just...real. And real is often hard to find in the world.” He gazed back at the resort, and Emily couldn’t help but see why the board had made him president of the company in this time of crisis. Clearly, he understood the company’s strengths in a way that few did.
Emily recognized a hint of melancholy in his tone, as if his remark were meant to imply much more than his appreciation for this particular resort.
“That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking,” she said with a weak smile.
They walked in silence the rest of the way. She kept telling herself that she should stop thinking about Logan. Before the trip, she had Googled his name and found several pictures with an attractive redhead at the opening of the woman’s restaurant in Chicago, a movie premiere, and a couple of glamorous parties. At the same time, a local newspaper published an article about him under the title “One of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago doesn’t believe in love.” Apparently, when the journalist asked him whether he had time for love, he responded “What is love?” Her ex-boyfriend’s words echoed in her head. “The idea of spending my whole life with one woman depresses me.” How could someone so desirable as Logan Marshall be any better? He was far more likely to be even worse.
It was hard to ignore how sad the revelation had made her. The bubble of her fantasy version of him had been burst. She hoped that knowing the kind of man he really was would make it easier to put aside her attraction to him and focus on business. If his looks were his only weapon, resisting his charms wouldn’t be a problem. But getting him out of her mind proved to be much harder than she had expected because there seemed to be so much more to this man. He was kind, intelligent, intense, and focused. She had heard that he was under tremendous pressure from stockholders, his family, and the board to get Marshall Resorts out from under this cloud, but he had hardly shown any signs of wear over the past week. He was also good at what he did. He asked the right questions to get his employees on track and gave them a sense of security.
Finally, Emily was snapped from her thoughts by the sight of the cabanas.
“This is me.” She pointed to hers.
“Neighbors.” Logan grinned, gesturing toward the last cabana in the row. “This is me. See you at dinner.”
The team had the entire private dining room in the Belvedere hotel restaurant, more than enough room for their ten-person party. She arrived early and picked a spot that seemed to be surrounded by other executives so she could settle in and do her best to pay attention during the work meeting. The further from Logan, she told herself, the better. He was only going to distract her, and she couldn’t afford any distractions. She needed to be useful to keep her job. She had to prove herself, not just to Logan but to the whole team.
Logan was the last one to arrive. When everyone was seated, waiting dinner service, he strolled in. She stared at her tablet and did everything she could to avoid his eyes. He was everywhere in the room once he entered it. She could smell him. She could hear him. She could sense exactly where he was in relation to everyone else. The seats near her were all occupied, but through the corner of her eye she noticed that he was approaching her anyway.
“Herb,” he addressed the man who was seated to her left. “Could you, please, sit next to Robbie? There’s something he wants to discuss with you.”
Robbie gave his brother a blank stare from across the table while Herb obediently rose from his chair and gathered his things. Logan settled in next to Emily without looking at her. He pulled out his phone and swiped his finger across the screen for a few minutes. Her heart fluttered as she pretended to be busy scribbling on her tablet. Suddenly, his head snapped toward her.
“As you predicted, the media attention is already fading.”
“That plays in our favor right now.” She finally forced herself to meet his gaze.
“As long as we come up with something good here.” His words were about the work ahead, but his eyes were saying something else.
“Exactly.” It was the only word she could get out, worrying that her voice would betray the intense attraction she felt for him. She l
ooked away and tried to concentrate on the plate that had just been served before her.
They started eating in silence while the chatter of the rest of the team continued.
“What do you do for fun?” he asked after a few minutes, clearly intent on keeping the conversation going.
“I’m a runner,” she said, not sure how personal to get with her answer. Surely her boss didn’t want to know about her private life. He was a busy man making small talk.
“I asked what you do for fun, not to keep in shape,” he teased, his eyes shining with humor as he watched her reaction to his words.
“Running is fun.” She looked at him with a smirk.
“Is not,” he said, a bit childish.
“What about you? Do you have any hobbies?” She tried to steer the conversation away from herself.
“I sail. I restore old boats too. Basically, anything that gives me an excuse to be on the water,” he explained. She suddenly remembered how tanned his skin had been when she first met him in Aspen, and it began to make sense. It also made her smile at the memory, causing him to give her an oddly contemplative look.
“That sounds interesting,” she said, realizing that he had been waiting for her to reply. It did sound interesting. She hated to admit it, but whatever Logan Marshall said sounded interesting to her. “I’ve never sailed,” she added.
“Really? You don’t know what you’ve been missing. You have to try it while we’re here. I can take you,” he offered, the words just hanging there as he turned to Carl, the executive on the other side of him, to ask a question about his daughter’s college choices. Emily was glad to have a break from his attention so she could calm herself, because the thought of sailing the open seas with the most attractive man she had ever met was a bit much to process.
The business portion of the meeting was about to start, and Logan got back to his president persona. While he was rising from his chair, Emily observed him intently. First, he wanted to sit next to her, and then he offered to take her sailing. Luckily, she had done her research and she would never fall for his heartbreaker ways. Still, the picture of sailing off into the sunset with him was a hard one to push from her mind.
Chapter 8
Emily
Two days passed before Emily spoke to Logan one-on-one again. Sure, she had watched him from her side of the meeting tables across pitchers of lemonade and finger foods. Their eyes had met more than once, but each time it happened she did her best to appear disinterested, even though the last thing she wanted to do was tear her eyes away from him. Keeping her distance didn’t help her keep him out of her thoughts.
The meetings and think-tanking seemed endless, and the team was finally starting to get frustrated with each other. The ideas all seemed to be the same. Bigger. Better. More than Carlton. More than ever before. More. More. More. Emily spent the first couple of meetings jotting down pages and pages of notes, but nothing was really gaining any traction. Everything felt stale, and tempers were beginning to flare. The group was dismissed for the afternoon and evening with a breakfast gathering planned for the following morning so that everyone could cool off and regroup.
Some of the executives had grumbled that they were there to work, but Emily saw the wisdom in the decision. Logan wanted them all to experience the resort as guests so that they could be inspired to make the guests the center of their thought process.
Back at her cabana, Emily changed into a swimsuit, shorts, and a tank top in case the water proved more inviting than she could resist. She walked out and did everything she could to just let the chaos and noise of those meetings go. Step by step, she finally found the clarity she needed and let out a long sigh. She stopped and closed her eyes. This. This was what made those endless idea and number-crunching sessions worth it.
When she started walking again, she noticed a figure sitting alone staring out into the water. She recognized Logan’s outline as she approached. His eyes were closed, and he almost looked asleep. Unsure if she should disturb him, Emily moved to walk by without saying anything, but he stirred, opened his eyes, and looked directly at her. She jumped in shock. It was as if he had felt her without even seeing her, and it shook her.
“This isn’t going well, is it?” he asked, his handsome face a study in frustration.
The question hung between them, heavy and quiet. Emily wondered if she should keep her opinion to herself, but spoke up anyway.
“No,” she said quietly as he patted the sand beside him, beckoning her to join him. “It’s not going well.”
She sat down and looked out to the water, worried that she had said too much.
“Why isn’t this working?” he continued. “We have the sharpest minds in the business, the most competitive advantages. Why can’t we up the ante?”
She didn’t answer immediately. There were a lot of reasons they were probably failing. Nobody got along on the team. The ideas were all regurgitated forms of the same megaplex that Carlton Group had scooped them on.
“I think the idea of upping the ante is our problem,” she finally said in a soft voice.
Still looking away from her, Logan narrowed his eyes as if the sea before them might clarify her words.
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to face her with the full magnitude of his intense gaze.
She inhaled slowly, trying to gather her thoughts.
“I think the big, gaudy wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented, honestly. Marshall Resorts knows luxury and big, fancy resorts. Carlton Group is copying that by adding more luxury accommodations, more eateries, and more facilities. More. More. More.”
Emily’s mouth was off and running, and she was suddenly worried that she might be offending him by suggesting that there was something wrong with Marshall Resorts. She stopped speaking and cautioned a glance at Logan. He was listening carefully.
“What if the next big thing for Marshall Resorts isn’t a big thing but a real thing?” She posed the question to him and let him ponder it before continuing. “I stood out here that night we arrived and was almost overwhelmed with how real standing in the sand and water felt and how alive it made me. What if Marshall Resorts found a way to make real the next thing they offered?”
“What would that look like to you?” he asked, his face betraying nothing to let her know if he was intrigued by her idea.
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to picture exactly what it was she was getting at.
“Unpretentious. Natural. Simple,” she began slowly. “Buildings using natural materials that are local to the region. Top chefs producing meals with local ingredients. Nothing more than what’s needed. Maybe our lives are already overstuffed with things and commitments and distractions that less could mean more?”
He was silent again, and Emily started feeling foolish for saying it at all.
“Look…” She hesitated. “I know it’s not the best idea—”
Logan interrupted her. “It’s probably the best one we’ve had all week. Why didn’t you bring it up earlier? It might have saved us from having to listen to Bertha’s plans for an eight-floor luxury spa that used gold leaf treatments and diamond-encrusted manicures.”
They both laughed as she felt all the tension leave her body. The husky, warm sound of his laugh made her melt inside.
“I’m still trying to find my place in that group,” she answered honestly. “Sometimes I think I’m a fish out of water among these Ivy Leaguers. Suggesting that the ultimate in luxury would be minimalism could leave me with an entire room of people laughing at me.”
He turned from the water at that point and looked at Emily. She couldn’t help but hold his gaze. She hated to admit what his smoldering eyes did to her thoughts and heartbeat.
“That kind of background blinds people sometimes,” he said, his voice low. “It puts them in a bubble, and they lose touch with reality. Bertha is a clear example.”
That made her chuckle. “I have been very much in touch with reality since I was a ki
d. My parents had a printing press business that they built with their bare hands,” she blurted out, unsure why she was telling him her life story. “My dad went into an expansion partnership with a bigwig from a national brand, and long story short, a seedy contract that my parents didn’t read the fine print for cost them everything. The business. Their savings. Our house. I used to dream of going to law school to help people like my parents, but it’s expensive. Instead, I got my degree in four years and got two jobs to pay my way through. I picked the course of study that gave me the best chance of getting a job right away. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury to chase our dreams.”
She had to look away when his expression grew intense at her story.
“You can still do it. It’s never too late.” He gave her an encouraging smile. “Never underestimate yourself,” he said as he ran a hand through his hair. “You have a great mind for things like this, and these people need to hear your ideas before they get too self-congratulatory with their own.”
“That’s very kind of you.” She wasn’t sure if he was sincere or just trying to cheer her up.
“I’m not just being nice. I honestly think you’ve been a real asset to this team. I have to give credit to my brother for hiring you,” he said as if he were surprised his brother had managed to make a smart hiring decision.
“Thanks for the encouragement.” She nodded awkwardly.
It felt good to be valued in your new job by your CEO, but the fact that Logan Marshall praised her work meant much more than professional fulfillment to Emily. Although she was determined not to let her guard down in his presence, it was hard to resist the curiosity to get to know him better. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, she was surprised to hear him radically change the subject.
“That first encounter was so weird.” He shook his head, smiling to himself.
Not Just Another Billionaire Page 4