And completely unprofessional.
If she wanted Ryder to take her seriously, then she needed to learn to act slightly more reserved, think before she spoke, and not show up at his home after dark and uninvited. Tomorrow was another day, and she’d call him and set up an appointment and go from there.
Pausing, she stared up at the house and sighed wistfully. It figured that his home was big and beautiful and someday she hoped to live in something equally magnificent. It was three stories, right on the beach, and from what she could see, there was a pool around the back. The property was large so the neighbors weren’t too close and she had a feeling the inside was just as impressive.
Maybe knocking on his door isn’t the worst idea…
She immediately admonished herself because it was just wrong–all of it. Tomorrow she would call him and they’d sit and talk like colleagues and stay on task instead of making snarky comments at each other.
Knowing it was the right thing to do, Peyton pulled out of the driveway and slowly made her way home.
But stopped for some ice cream first.
The next morning, she went to the café and put in a few hours helping out in the kitchen before going into her office to take care of some invoices. When everything was done, she knew it was time to bite the bullet and call Ryder.
Only…she didn’t have his phone number.
With a muttered curse, she texted her cousin–again–and asked for it. Her phone rang less than a minute later, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hey, Austin!”
“The two of you are taking up way too much of my time,” he said instead of a greeting. “What in the world is going on?”
Peyton gave him the super abbreviated version of what went down the previous evening.
Minus the kissing.
“So you see, I’m trying to be respectful and I wanted to reach out to set up a time for us to try talking things through again.”
“Honestly, Peyton, are you sure you even want to do this?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“It just seems like Ryder pushes your buttons…”
You have no idea…
“And I don’t know why you’d consider pursuing this,” he went on. “If you want, I’ll talk to him for you and make it clear that you’re not interested and to just leave you alone.”
“That’s very sweet of you and I do appreciate you wanting to do that–even though you’re the one who gave him my address–but I’m really curious now about the whole thing. For all we know, it won’t work out and we’ll discover we can’t work together, but I’d like to try.”
She also left out the part about Ryder building her restaurant because it would require a much lengthier conversation.
“If that’s what you want, I’m not going to stand in your way.”
“Thank you, Austin.”
“However…I’d rather not be in the middle, either. So…when the two of you talk, get each other’s contact information and only involve me when absolutely necessary. Please.”
It was said lightly, but she understood what he was getting at.
“No worries. I promise to leave you alone.”
“Thanks,” he said with a small chuckle. “I know I’m partially responsible, but…”
“Really, Austin. It’s okay. From here on out, we’ve got this.” Then she laughed softly. “Well, I’ve got this. I really can’t speak for Ryder.”
“He’ll get the same mini-speech if he calls me about anything related to you, so again…you sure you want to work with him?”
Peyton wished the answer were cut-and-dried, but her cousin didn’t need to know that. “I’m sure. I think it’s going to be a challenge, but it will also be a fantastic learning experience.”
“I’m not so sure Ryder’s the guy to be teaching you anything about the restaurant business. If anything, you’ll be teaching him,” he mused. “You’ve worked wonders with both places, Pey, and he’s just dipping his toes into this sort of thing for the first time.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m just saying…you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and you’ve got great instincts. Don’t let anyone make you second-guess yourself. I hate the way he beat you out on the property, but…in time, I truly believe you’ll do something even better.”
It was probably the sweetest thing he’d ever said to her, and if she were in the same room as him, she’d hug him. “Thanks, Austin,” she said quietly. “I appreciate that.”
In the background, she heard voices before Austin told her he had to go. With another round of thanks and promises to get together soon, they hung up.
Then she stared at Ryder’s number for a solid five minutes before she felt bold enough to make the call. Her fingers flew across the phone screen, and she held her breath until he answered.
“Ryder Ashford,” he said, his voice was low and a slightly rumbly and almost made Peyton want to hum with appreciation. “Hello?”
Oh, right…
“Ryder, it’s Peyton Bishop,” she said, feeling positive.
“Peyton…hello. This is…unexpected.” His tone was flat and she had a feeling he was frowning.
While his words and tone didn’t instill confidence in her, she also didn’t let it stop her. “Yes, well…you left before we could finish talking last night, and I’d very much like to continue our discussion. I was hoping you had an actual presentation for the resort and I think having a visual would certainly help me get a feel for what it is you’re looking to do.”
“Um…”
“Do you have time this afternoon? I’m free after two if that works for you.”
“I…I have a call at two, but…are you sure about this? After the way things went last night, I would have thought…”
“That we could both be adults and move past it?” she finished for him. “Because it seems to me like the timing was possibly off and maybe if we move into a more professional setting, we could try again. Would three o’clock work for you?” Her heart was racing with false bravado, and she hoped Ryder didn’t see–or hear–through it.
“I’m not sure.” He drew the phrase out and she knew he was trying to come up with a reason why they shouldn’t do this.
“Ryder, I think we’re both mature enough to realize what happened yesterday didn’t mean anything.” Her stomach flipped just thinking about the kiss, but she powered on. “And as for our disagreement over concept, well…maybe I judged things too soon. After all, I never let you finish telling me about it and I’d really appreciate the opportunity to hear the entire presentation. Surely you can spare me an hour for that.”
And once again, Peyton found herself holding her breath waiting for his reply.
“Four o’clock would be better,” he finally said. “Unless that cuts into your time at the café…?”
She knew what he was doing and did her best to hide her amusement. “Four is perfect. There’s plenty of coverage here at the café so they won’t miss me.”
“Oh, uh…okay. Then I guess I’ll see you at four.”
“Great!” she said, and then realized there was one bit of information she needed. “One last thing, Ryder.”
“Yes?”
“Where’s your office?”
“At my home,” he replied. “I’d offer the address but considering you were in my driveway last night, I figured you didn’t need it.”
Crap!
“Um…”
“See you at four, Peyton.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, she gently banged her head against the desk out of pure embarrassment. Maybe working with Ryder was a mistake. After all, how many times could she possibly keep making a spectacle of herself with him?
But as soon as the thought entered her head, she pushed it aside.
“As many times as it takes to get the job done.”
If there was one thing Ryder excelled at, it was doing his research to make sure he was always prepared.
But right now, he was completely unprepared for seeing Peyton again.
All night long he had cursed himself for his lack of control even as he kept reliving how incredibly satisfying kissing her was.
And how much he wanted to do it again.
Yeah, he was completely unprepared for this.
When he put his personal feelings aside, however, he had to admit that he admired her tenacity and the fact that she even reached out to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he figured last night was a one-and-done situation and the only time he’d ever see her again was at some sort of Coleman family event.
Which there were a lot of.
But now not only was he going to have to face her, but face her in his home. Her comment about meeting in a more professional setting wasn’t lost on him, and if he had been smart, he would have offered to meet her at the café or maybe some other neutral location. But it hadn’t registered with him until it was too late and now he was stuck trying to figure out the best way to handle this.
One of the bedrooms was set up as an office for him, but…the last thing he wanted to do was lead Peyton past any room with a bed. The living room was another option, but considering how that went last night, they should probably avoid that as well. That left the dining room table and if he tried, Ryder knew he could set it up like a conference room table and try really hard not to be hospitable or let the conversation get too personal.
“Surely I can handle that,” he murmured as he went about setting up his laptop. It took several minutes, but he printed out some reports before pulling up the PowerPoint presentation. Next, he placed two bottles of water on the table along with a couple of notepads and pens in case either of them wanted to go old-school and take notes.
Stepping back, he was pleased with the setup and knew the last thing he needed to do was grab a tie and his suit jacket. It was a childish thing to do; he knew that, but he was using it as a defense mechanism so she’d go back to seeing him as the uptight workaholic she originally saw him as.
He just hoped she took the same approach and dressed a bit more formally than last night’s yoga pants and tank top.
Well, maybe he didn’t hope she did that, but…he needed her to.
Desperately.
It was insane how he was suddenly so drawn to her and completely unlike him to be so…bold and utterly clumsy about it. He was normally suave and sophisticated; his usual MO was to take a woman out for a romantic dinner–somewhere she’d be noticeably impressed–and at the end of the night, he’d offer a chaste kiss. Thinking back, Ryder was pretty sure the last time he’d been so consumed with lust was when he was seventeen and about to get laid for the first time.
Why did he have to feel this way now? And why did it have to be with Austin’s cousin? His younger cousin at that!
So he put on a tie and jacket–he’d already been in dress trousers and a button-down shirt–and walked out to the living room to pace and try to figure out what he needed to do to not look at Peyton Bishop as a desirable woman.
Unfortunately, when he opened the door to her ten minutes later, he had his answer.
Nothing. There was nothing he could do because he’d seen her dressed in business casual at the café, and he’d seen her in yoga pants with her hair up in a ponytail. Today she was wearing a black pencil skirt, a coral sleeveless blouse, and stilettos with her hair down; he was fairly certain he was staring at her in an inappropriate way.
Practically drooling.
I’m so screwed…
Taking a step back, he forced himself to smile. “It’s good to see you, Peyton,” he said and groaned at how lame that sounded.
“Hey, Ryder,” she said with a smile as she stepped into the house. Then she paused in the entryway and looked around in mild confusion. “Oh, this is one of those reversed floor plans, isn’t it? The living area is upstairs, right?”
Nodding, he motioned for her to head up the stairs ahead of him.
And then immediately realized his mistake again.
Walking behind Peyton while she wore a figure-hugging skirt was a new form of torture.
So screwed…
They stepped out onto the third floor–houses on the beach were notoriously tall–and she walked right over to the dining room table to put her satchel down before walking over to the sliding glass doors. “Wow! This is quite the view!”
A small chuckle was out before he could stop it. Stepping up beside her, he asked, “Don’t you have the same view? You’re right on the beach too.”
“My little bungalow is ground level. But up like this you really have a much better view. And at this end of the town there are fewer houses so it’s just more breathtaking, don’t you think?” She smiled up at him, and he felt his heart kick hard in his chest.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Breathtaking.”
He couldn’t care less about the view outside. The woman standing beside him truly took his breath away and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
For a moment, he thought he saw something there–a hint of heat and need–but it was gone before he could be sure and figured it was just wishful thinking. Her smile faltered and she quickly moved away and sat down at the table. “It looks like you’ve got everything ready to go here. I’m sure you’re very busy, so why don’t we get started?”
With a curt nod, he joined her and started up the official presentation.
For the next fifteen minutes, Ryder went through everything he had planned for The Ashford and read through and explained all the bullet points, and was pleased that Peyton was taking notes. The final slide was a rough property map that he left up on the screen to show her where he planned to place all the buildings.
Leaning back in his seat, he smiled at her. “And there you have it. The Ashford.” As soon as he said it, he wondered if she was going to comment on it again.
But she didn’t.
“So, what did you think? Do you have any questions?”
She started scanning her notes and didn’t respond right away. Placing the pad down on the table, she straightened and folded her hands on top of it before clearing her throat. “Okay, I think your design for the buildings and the grounds are very appealing,” she began. “The property is closer to the sound side of the island so I would suggest possibly maximizing on that view rather than trying to capture both the sound and the ocean.”
Nodding, he noted it on his pad. “May I ask why?”
“It’s just…it feels like by trying to do too much, you’re pulling guests in opposite directions. The sound side offers a more tranquil experience whereas the ocean side tends to be a little more crowded and busier. So if your goal is to be offering this peaceful resort stay, then focus on one side and merely mention the other as a secondary offering.”
“Noted. What else?” he asked, genuinely interested.
“I know I was a bit snarky about it last night, but you really should reach out to the businesses that are closer to the property. We’ve made great strides in cleaning up and revitalizing that part of town, but it’s nowhere near as eye-catching as one would expect–especially near the entrance to the resort.”
“Okay. But reach out…how?”
“Well…I’m no marketing expert, but maybe by throwing some business their way as an incentive to…polish their property a bit?” With a nervous laugh, she shook her head. “I’m not saying that properly, but I’m thinking start the incentive before you even break ground. Ask the Mystic Magnolia to cater lunch to the construction crew or talk to Jones Automotive about servicing the resort vehicles you purchase.” Pausing, she seemed to be collecting her thoughts. “Talk to my cousin Sam about what else can be done on the properties nearby. He owns a landscaping company and did a lot of the work there during the initial revitalization. He might be able to work with you on the transition property leading up to where the entrance to the resort will be. Do you know who owns it?”
“Um…” Leaning over, he reached for his laptop a
nd began searching through his research on the town.
“We don’t need to know that right now,” Peyton interrupted. “It was just a thought. If the property isn’t being used or built on, maybe the owner will work with you on beautifying it. Maybe lease it from them or something.” She shrugged. “Like I said, that’s not really my area of expertise so…”
“No, no…it’s a good point for sure,” he murmured and made a note to look into it further. Then he looked up at her. “Okay, let’s talk about the restaurant. What kind of equipment should I be looking into ordering?”
A slow smile played at her lips. “Well…there’s a big restaurant trade show in Denver at the end of the month. I had bought a ticket and planned on going when I thought I was getting the property.”
“Peyton…”
Holding up a hand to stop him, she went on. “I wasn’t going there, so please don’t either.” With a small huff, she continued. “There are still tickets available and as much as I can point you to websites and offer suggestions, you seem the type who might enjoy going and seeing everything in person and being able to ask questions of the suppliers.”
She was right, he realized. “How long is the show?”
“Five days. There are around fifteen hundred exhibitors and tons of workshops. I’ve gone to events like these before and they’re a little overwhelming but very informative. So if you’re interested…”
“I am,” he replied firmly. “What do I need to do?”
“Um…here. Let me have your laptop,” she said, reaching for it and turning it toward her. Ryder watched as her perfectly-manicured fingers flew over the keyboard and in less than a minute she turned it back toward him. “There’s the site. You can look it over and have your assistant fill everything out and pay and they’ll send a packet to you. There’s a link on there for local hotels. I’m sure a lot of them are booked, but…”
“Not a problem,” he assured her as he began filling out the info.
“What are you doing?”
“Filling out the registration. Why?”
“I just thought…”
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