by Parker, Ali
A minute later, Sade appeared.
“Hi,” I said with a smile.
“Oh my god. Are you okay? Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “It is. I texted you, but I’m guessing you didn’t get it.”
“No, I worked straight through my break today. What’s going on?”
“I’m in town.”
She burst into laughter. “I can see that.”
“I have a meeting with the owner of the hotel in a few hours.”
“Oh. Wow. That is fast.”
I nodded. “Yes. That’s how I move. I can get a hotel room.”
“No! Don’t you dare. You have to stay with me. Unless you want to get a hotel.”
I shook my head and leaned close to her. “Baby, you know I want to share a bed with you.”
She blushed. “Good.”
“What about Khloe?” I asked.
“What about her?”
“What if she shows up and needs a place to stay?”
She shrugged. “I have a bed in the guest room. Even if she was here, she wouldn’t care. I wouldn’t care. I want you with me.”
“Then you have me. Can I have your key?”
“Oh, duh. That’s why you’re here.”
I nodded. “That, and to see you.”
“Hang tight, and I’ll grab it.”
She disappeared through the door and returned a minute later carrying her purse. Another woman was following behind her.
“Hi,” I said, feeling a little weird with the way she was staring at me.
“Trent, this is Holly. She’s been dying to meet you.”
“Hi, Holly. Thank you for keeping my girl company.”
“Of course. She’s a fun person to hang out with.”
“Yes, she is,” I agreed. “I’ll see you when you get off work.” I gave Sade a quick kiss on the cheek.
I got the key and left before I got her in any trouble. I had the driver take me to Sade’s condo, where I dropped off my bag. Then it was off to a coffee shop to meet Gene, the hotelier. I walked into the shop and scanned the area. There was an older gentleman wearing a blue shirt sitting at a table. That was my guy.
“Gene?” I said, walking over to the man.
“You must be Trent,” he said, getting up and extending his hand.
I shook it before we both sat down. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I have to say I was a little surprised when you called.”
I shrugged. “I wanted to meet the man behind the property. I did some digging and found out you were the only owner. The founder, if you will.”
He smiled. “I am. It was my dream to own and operate a hotel.”
“Why are you selling?” I asked, being completely blunt.
He chuckled. “A man that gets right to the point.”
“Life is too short to beat around the bush.”
“I’m selling because I’m old. I’m not so old I don’t see what’s happening to the hotel. I know it’s falling into disrepair. I see it, but sadly, I don’t feel as strongly about it as I once did. My heart isn’t in it. I want to enjoy my golden years.”
I nodded. “I can understand that.”
“I don’t know what your personal life is like, but I will tell you, I devoted my life to the hotel. I’m going to tell you—warn you rather—don’t let the hotel be your wife. I did. My wife divorced me about ten years ago. I was married to the hotel, and I didn’t realize just how detrimental that was until it was too late.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your marriage.”
He shrugged. “It’s life. I don’t think we were really a match made in heaven. Are you married?”
I held up my left hand and waggled my fingers. “Nope.”
“Got a girl?”
I laughed. “I do. It’s why I’m here. She lives here. I’m interested in buying a hotel and moving here.”
“Wow. She must be special.”
“She is.”
“You own a couple of hotels in Lake Tahoe?”
“I do. Three now.”
“And now you want to buy mine and start all over?”
I laughed. “I’m considering it,” I said, not making any verbal commitment to buy the hotel.
I wasn’t a fool. I didn’t want to look like I wanted his hotel too badly. That would limit my ability to negotiate a lower price.
“I understand you’re going to be doing a walkthrough tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Yes. I want to take my girlfriend with me. I’d like her opinion.”
“Smart man.” He winked.
I chuckled. “I’m trying.”
“The hotel needs some work, but not a lot. I know it needs updating, but I’ve kept up on the major things.”
“Good. That is very good to know. You don’t have any secret kids lurking in the shadows, do you?”
He gave me a strange look. “Pardon me?”
I laughed, realizing my humor wasn’t for everyone. “Sorry. I just bought a hotel, and the deal was nearly undone by a kid that came up claiming rightful ownership.”
“What? This is a story I have to hear.”
I shook my head and quickly filled him in on the situation. “Now, the kid works for me. My right-hand man convinced me to hire him as the manager for the hotel.”
He let out a low whistle. “That’s a hell of a story. I can assure you I don’t have any kids waiting to inherit. Like I said, I spent way too much time at work. I didn’t have time for any kids.”
“I see.”
“I am going to retire, buy a boat, and sail every day. I’m never going to think about guests or towels or bad reviews.”
I nodded. “I think that sounds like a very good idea.”
“Don’t wait until you’re my age to enjoy your life and the money you’ve made,” he advised.
“I think that is probably some of the best advice I’ve gotten, and trust me, I have been tossing around the idea of retiring quite a bit.”
“I’ve done my homework as well. You’re not exactly scraping the bottom of the barrel. You could retire right now. You don’t need my hotel.”
I shrugged. “I need to stay busy.”
“You’re ex-military,” he said it as a statement.
“I am.”
“I understand. My brother is a retired Marine. He doesn’t stop moving. He says he can’t. I get it.”
I solemnly nodded. “That’s about right.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see how things go. I do hope you buy it. I think you’d be the man to restore it to its former glory. I would hate to see it torn down or get made into something like a Best Western. It’s got good bones. You’ll see that when you walk through it.”
“You’ll know when I do,” I said, keeping it noncommittal.
We chatted a few more minutes before we went our separate ways. I headed back to Sade’s place, letting myself in to wait for her. Her place was cozy. I wouldn’t have minded staying with her for a while if I didn’t have Leia. Unfortunately, Leia needed space to run. She was not meant to live in a condo.
I heard the door open and got to my feet to greet her. I pulled her into my arms. “Oh man, it feels so good to have you in my arms. I can’t wait to be able to do this every damn day.”
“I think I like coming home to you,” she said with a smile.
“Good, because I want to do this over and over. I want to be here every day. Or anywhere.”
She grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“What do you want for dinner?” I asked, my arms resting on her waist.
“I don’t know, burgers? Italian?”
“Have you explored any of the restaurants around here?”
She grimaced. “No. Not really.”
“Then I guess we get to try something new together. You go change, and I’ll do some searching and find something good for us.”
She gave me a quick kiss and headed off into her bedroom. I pulled out my phone and started looking for a place within
walking distance. There wasn’t one. It was very different than back home. I ended up calling an Uber to pick us up to take us to the restaurant I found.
She came into the living room wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a loose shirt. It was a simplistic outfit, but as usual, she looked sexy as hell. “Did you find something?”
“I did, but I’m having second thoughts. Maybe we should just stay in.”
“Oh?”
I walked toward her. My hands moved to her waist and then slid down her hips and over her bare thighs. “You look good enough to eat. I don’t know if I need dinner.”
She laughed nervously. “You need food. What’d you find?”
“I found a place that isn’t too far. I called an Uber.”
“What place? Do I need to change?”
I shook my head. “You said you wanted a burger. I found a place that looked promising.”
“Sounds good. I’ll put on my shoes, and we can go.”
“Or we can stay,” I whispered, sliding my hands around to squeeze her perfect ass.
She laughed. “You are so bad.”
“Nope. So good. I’m going to be even better when we get back. I’ll try not to keep you up too late, but damn woman, you are killing me in those shorts.”
“I’m going to remember that for later.”
I swatted her ass as she walked away and went back into her bedroom. I was really looking forward to the time when it could be just me and her all the time. We’d eat dinner together. Sleep together. Shower together. Everything. We were going to share our lives.
I was hoping to address the living situation soon. It hadn’t been said, but I did want to make sure she would be moving in with me. I wanted the total package. Her. Me. Leia.
All of it.
Chapter 43
Sade
I skipped lunch, eager to get home to my man. I loved that. I had a man waiting for me at home.
It had been very difficult to leave for work in the morning. I wanted to stay in bed all day with him. I had a feeling that was going to be the first of many mornings like that once we moved in together.
Assuming we moved in together.
I rushed home, prepared to surprise him. He offered to send a car to pick me up, but I quickly declined the offer. I liked walking. I took a few steps up the stairs and heard loud music. Singing. I cocked my head to the side. It was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I pushed open the door and froze.
Trent looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. “Hey, baby.”
“Pitch Perfect. You’re watching Pitch Perfect.”
He laughed. “It was on. I’ve heard a lot about it. I don’t get a lot of downtime. Or maybe it’s more like I don’t take a lot of downtime.”
“Don’t mind me,” I said, walking around to sit down beside him.
He was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. He looked completely casual and very sexy.
“I’m going to go change. Do we still have the appointment with the realtor at the hotel?”
He nodded, his eyes on the screen. “Yes.”
I grinned. “I’ll leave you to watch the end. It’s the best part.”
I got up and headed into the room to get ready for the appointment. I was excited to see the hotel. I felt privileged to be a part of the process. I loved that he valued my opinion and we were going to share this part of the journey together.
“Don’t you, forget about me,” I sang along with the TV as I slid on the comfortable summer dress I had planned to wear for the showing.
We were getting dinner afterward. It was going to be a real date on a Friday night. I was happier than I had ever been, and it was all because of him. I had just put on some mascara when Trent came into the room.
“That was a cute movie,” he commented before opening my closet and pulling out his black pants and white dress shirt.
I laughed. “Now we need to catch you up on parts two and three.”
“What? There’s more?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
I laughed again. “We’ll save those for a boring night in.”
Ten minutes later, we were in the back of a cab, being driven to the hotel. I was immediately impressed. Trent was a little more subdued. He was all business when he stepped out of the cab, shook the hand of the man that worked for the realty company, and then introduced me.
We toured the hotel, with Trent stopping every few feet to touch a wall, kick the floor, or open a door. He was very thorough in his inspection. I was quietly watching the whole time. The realtor talked a lot. About everything. Most of what he said went right over my head, but Trent seemed to understand.
“What do you think?” Trent turned to me when we stepped into the enclosed courtyard with the outdoor pool.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know the first thing about this stuff.”
“What do you see?” he asked again.
I looked around at the pool area. “I don’t know. It isn’t terrible, but it feels like something I would have visited when I was ten.”
Trent nodded. “It feels dated.”
I started to catch on to what it was he was looking for. “The carpets throughout the lobby area are kind of ugly and dated as well.”
“Yes. They would need to be ripped out and replaced with marble or tile. The carpet in the halls and every room would also need to be replaced.”
“Isn’t that expensive?”
“Very, but if I’m going to own a hotel and have my name on it, it’s going to be comfortable and clean.”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
He took my hand, and we walked back in. He asked the realtor for ten minutes alone while we talked about what we had seen. We strolled down one hallway and into one of the guest rooms that was being touted as a suite. I watched as he walked into the bathroom and then came back out. Once again, he was rapping on walls and stomping on the floor.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Checking the floor to see how solid it was. I think I want to take down this wall and make these two rooms into one big room and call it a real suite.”
I smiled with amazement. He was completely focused on the hotel. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he mentally drew up plans. I felt like I should have had a notepad to take notes. Then I realized he didn’t need that. It was all in his head.
We meandered through a few more rooms. Trent’s head was practically on a swivel as he looked up, down, and all around. We were just making our way back to the lobby area when an older gentleman appeared in front of us.
“Hi,” Trent greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“What’d you think of it?” the man asked.
Trent quickly introduced me to the man that owned the hotel.
“Good evening,” I said.
“Ah, you’re the special lady that has Trent moving over here?”
I blushed a little. “That’s me.”
“I need to talk with my partner and run some numbers, but I’m definitely interested,” Trent said. “If I can make all the numbers work, I will definitely be reaching out to the agent.”
Gene shook his hand. “Thanks for coming by and giving it a look.”
“No problem.”
We left the hotel after a long two-hour visit and headed to dinner at a nice restaurant. Trent seemed to be in a good mood.
“Did you like the hotel?” I asked.
He smiled. “I did. It has a lot of potential. It will need a lot of updating, but I can see it being a nice place for couples and families.”
“When you look at properties, do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“I could see you mentally drawing up plans. You must have an excellent memory.”
He chuckled. “I do have a good memory, but I will need to jot down my thoughts. It’s all fresh in my mind now, but I’ll forget some of the details within a few days. I
’m a guy who likes lists. That place isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but there are a lot of things that will need to be done.”
“Do you think Richie will go for it?”
He winked. “It doesn’t matter if he does.”
“You said you had to run the numbers.”
“That’s because I’m going to run the numbers, but I don’t want him to think I’m too interested. I can’t pay his asking price and make the renovations and feel like I got a good deal. I want to give him a fair price, but I need some time.”
I smiled, thoroughly impressed with his business acumen. “Damn, handsome and smart.”
He laughed again. “I don’t know about the being smart part, but I know hotels.”
“I’m excited for you to do this, but I feel like I have to say it again—you don’t have to.”
He stared into my eyes and reached for my hand, holding it in his. “I want to. I want to be closer to you.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Now that I’ve seen the hotel and I’m pretty confident I can make it work, it’s time to start looking for a house.”
“You know you can stay with me,” I offered.
“I know that, and I appreciate that, but Leia needs space. Also, you might find yourself with a roommate very soon.”
I grimaced. “I really hope she gets a job. Not because I don’t want her to move in, but because I know she was so looking forward to this part of her life. I hate that she’s struggling.”
“It’s tough, but she isn’t the first newly graduated person to struggle in the world. Khloe is a strong, smart girl. I have no doubt in my mind she is going to rebound and be stronger for it.”
I smiled, appreciating his encouragement. “Do you have any houses in mind?”
“Not yet. I have a realtor looking into it. Do you have big plans for tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. The only thing I can think of involves you naked.”
He laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. “That can be arranged. When we get back to your place, I’ll see what the realtor has found. We can check out a few properties tomorrow.”
“I’d love that.”
A waiter came by, taking our order for lobster tails and steaks.
“I can’t wait to be here with you all the time. I won’t smother you, but I look forward to being able to actually see your face and touch you while we eat dinner.”