by Jenna Brandt
Shaking the troubling observations from his head, Blake went on the attack. “What are you doing here, Miss Belmont? I heard you planned to leave this morning.” He hoped she was there simply to say goodbye.
“And where did you hear that?” she asked, with a tilt of her head. “Were you keeping tabs on me?”
Blake averted his eyes, not liking that she’d figured out that was exactly what he had been doing. He had been ready to jump for joy after the bellhop’s report. Alex had found and released Peyton from the stairwell, just as Blake had planned, and when he did, she had announced she had decided to leave. Her presence in the gym today, however, made him think that he had banked on his success much sooner than he should have.
The vibration of his phone gave him the perfect excuse not to answer her. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. It was a confirmation of arrival for a huge shipment of items he never ordered. They were at the loading dock ready to be brought over to the new buildings. He started scrolling through the list, and he quickly realized, it was all the items Peyton would need for the new luxury wellness center and spa.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Holliday? You look confused,” Peyton said with what he would have sworn was mirth in her voice.
“Did you do this?” he asked in an accusing tone, shaking the phone at her. “I never authorized any of this to be ordered.”
She leaned forward and looked at the screen. Her lips curved into a victorious smile as she said nonchalantly, “Oh, that, why yes, I did order all of that—last night, as a matter-of-fact. Right after the craziest thing happened to me. A false fire alarm woke me up and drove me from my room. What was most surprising was that it was isolated to my floor. What are the odds of that? I mean, I thought it was odd enough that all my remotes went missing, and alarm clocks and phones made noise in my room all night, The most amazing event was when a fire alarm sounded trapping me in a stairwell, that really kept me from falling back to sleep. So, I figured if I was up anyway, I might as well get some work done.”
“Let me get this straight, you went behind my back and placed an overnight order for a quarter of a million dollars worth of items for my island?”
“Your island, Mr. Holliday? I thought it was your father’s island—after all, he hired me, and gave me the expense account to purchase whatever I needed to remodel and rebrand this place in order to bring in the high-end clients that you don’t seem to be able to attract on your own.”
“Hey now, no need to go insulting the guests that already enjoy Comet Island,” Danny said from the side of his friend.
She glanced over at the dark-skinned athlete, who despite the insult, was giving her a charming smile. “I’m sure there are wonderful guests who come here, but if the island was doing as good as it could, Gordon Holliday wouldn’t have hired me.” Turning her attention back to Blake, she added, “I can see you’ve spared no expense with the gym equipment on the island. Since that is in order, it’s time we paid attention to the other areas you’ve overlooked.”
“And what might those be?” Blake asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, not liking that she decided to dress him down in front of his friend.
“The spa, for one, though you have one, there are so many missed opportunities with what little you are offering. Also, we need to look at the menus for nutritional values, the classes offered in the gym to make it well-rounded, not to mention the building sitting empty on the end of the island that I plan to turn into the wellness center.”
“Is that all?” he asked sarcastically.
“No, that’s just the broad strokes. I have a detailed list, which I will show you.” Then scrunching her face up at his sweaty body, she added, “But only after you shower and change. I’ll wait for you at the Pinnacle restaurant so we can start with its menu.” Not waiting for his response, she turned on her heel and headed out of the gym.
Danny leaned over and whispered, “You better watch out for that one. She’s going to give you a run for your money. I think Blake Holliday has met his match.”
The look of shock and frustration on Blake’s face was worth staying on the island. She could tell in that moment, he realized he had underestimated her.
As she sipped her glass of iced tea, she went through her plans for the island in her head. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said she had a list. In fact, it was more of a detailed business plan for what needed to be done before the new year in order to get the place ready for the grand unveiling. She wasn’t sure what Blake had been doing with his time—or rather not doing. This place was not at the level it needed to be in order to keep up with the other elite fitness destinations in the world that catered to the rich and famous. She was going to change all of that, starting today.
Blake glided into the restaurant and sat down at the table. He looked perturbed that she had ordered him there, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t about to lose the publicity or the money from this job because some spoiled, rich kid didn’t understand how important this was to her. If he continued to put up a fight, she would give it back to him in full measure.
Blake pulled the menu towards him. Glancing through it, he asked, “So, what exactly is wrong with my menu?”
“There isn’t enough balance. The menu sacrifices nutritional value for trendy or gourmet items.”
“Trendy and gourmet sell. If you put skinless chicken breasts with chopped salad on the menu, no one is going to order that,” Blake countered. “And I can guarantee they aren’t going to come back if we remove the filets and duck.”
“You do realize, not all healthy options have to be boring. There are wonderful options out there.” Pulling out a piece of paper, she slid it across to him. “I’ve done my research. All of these dishes will satisfy your wealthy guests’ taste buds while providing them with nutritional energy. I guarantee you, they’ll love these dishes so much, they’ll be begging you for the recipes.”
“How can you do that?”
“Because I’ve tried out similar dishes at several other locations. These are specifically curated for your resort. The recipes are based off regionally sustainable ingredients, along with a handful of organic farms in the States that will weekly ship in the other items we need that we can’t get here in Alaska.”
Blake pulled the list to him and studied it. “Which chef came up with these dishes? How will you know if our chef is replicating the dishes the way the original creator envisioned?”
“That’s easy. I’ll be there to make sure.”
“What if these dishes don’t turn out the way they’re supposed to. Then we’re just getting rid of tried and true menu items for new ones that don’t hold up.”
Peyton took a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back. “Look, I know this will work. I’ve worked with high-end clients before and I’ve never had any complaints with the menus I provide.”
“I think a few clients is very different then extensive menus for three distinct restaurants and two cafes like we have here on Comet Island.”
“It wasn’t just a handful of clients. These specially curated menus have gone into multiple wellness centers I’ve created, as well as fitness resorts all over the world.”
He shoved the list back across the table. “I’m still not convinced. Not without meeting the chef who created them.”
“Is that really what it’s going to take?”
He nodded.
“Fine, I’ll call Chef Breole and have him come out here early. He wasn’t planning to come to run the restaurants until next month, but for an exuberant amount of money, I think I can get him to come early.”
“Wait, Chef Breole created these dishes?” Blake asked with incredulousness. “And you hired him to come to run our restaurants?”
“Should I have led with that?” Peyton asked, knowing that the chef had a massive reputation in the culinary world. She had hoped Blake would trust her expertise, but when he showed he didn’t, she revealed the ace up her sleeve.
“I shoul
d say so. He’s a legend. Anything he creates is a masterpiece. Once word gets around that he’s running our restaurants, the dishes will sell themselves.”
Peyton leaned back in her seat with a triumphant smile on her face. “My thoughts exactly.”
“I’m rather shocked you were able to get him to agree to all of this, Miss Belmont.”
“I have a great relationship with Chef Breole. I was actually saving the invite to work for the right client as the in-house chef, and when your father hired me, I knew this was it.” Peyton left out the fact, she had been saving the chef for her own wellness center. When the loan hadn’t gone through for the property she had her eye on, she had decided to give him to the Holliday Islands Resort in order to get the money for her future center. She would just have to find another chef once she finished this job.
“Now that you’ve shown me you can deliver, at least where food is concerned, what else do you have in mind?”
“We need to overhaul the room service menus. Their offerings are paltry to say the least, and again, lack balance. I also think a gourmet juice bar that doubles as an oxygen bar in the evenings could be unique.”
“I’ve thought about the juice bar, but never got around to it. The oxygen bar is a great addition to it and would make it stand out.” He leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. “I hate to admit this, but you’ve come up with some rather good ideas so far, Miss Belmont. I’m actually looking forward to hearing the rest.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Since we’re here, we might as well grab a bite to eat,” Peyton suggested. “I’m famished.”
“This place is known for its breakfast food. Are you a breakfast-for-dinner type of girl? The truffle poached duck eggs are splendid,” he recommended.
“I’m more of a whites-only omelet type of girl, and I stop eating breakfast food after 10 AM like most people in the world.”
“Ah, the healthy, standard choice,” he mused. “Tell me, Miss Belmont, do you always pick the safe choice?”
“Is there a problem with that?” she asked, feeling herself tense under the scrutiny.
“No, I just think life is an adventure and you’re not living if you don’t take chances. While you’re staying on my island, I think I’m going to make it my ambition to find ways for you to find a little adventure of your own.”
At first, Peyton wanted to balk at Blake’s offer, but the more she thought about it, the more she figured what could it hurt to mix business with a little pleasure for once in her life. Perhaps a little adventure was exactly what she needed, and who was she to argue if a handsome billionaire wanted to be the one to bring it into her life. “You know what, I will have the truffle poached duck eggs after all.”
Chapter 4
The instructor at the front of the weight class was doing a decent job of explaining the equipment and how to use each piece. Danny, however, wasn’t using the level of buoyancy Blake knew was needed to make guests comfortable. He was going to have to talk to him about it afterward.
Several times, guests glanced behind at Blake, who was standing in the back of the room. He wasn’t there to draw attention away from Danny, but it seemed he couldn’t observe without growing an audience.
“Blaze, why don’t you come up here and demonstrate the next machine,” Danny requested, gesturing to the leg press machine. “Everyone would rather see you do it anyway.”
“I’m good back here,” Blake said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Oh, please, Mr. Holliday, show us how you do it,” a pretty blonde woman in a skimpy exercise outfit cooed from the front row. “I can’t wait to see a six-time Olympic gold medalist flex his muscles.”
“Danny is an Olympian too, and just as qualified,” Blake countered, not wanting to give into the woman’s obvious flattery to get her way. He wasn’t positive he’d seen her before, but she looked familiar, which made him wonder if she was a fan. It wouldn’t be the first time someone booked a stay at his island in hopes of getting close to him.
“Come on, don’t disappoint us,” one of the men toward the middle of the room coaxed. “Danny is great, but who wouldn’t want to see “The Blazing Comet” in action given the chance.”
Everyone around the room started clapping and cheering, with several people saying, “Come on, get up there.”
It quickly became apparent that Blake wasn’t getting out of doing the demo. He suppressed a sigh as he lumbered up to the front of the room. Danny stepped back and let Blake take a seat on the bench. He lifted his legs and put them against the flat, metal stand, making sure they were the correct distance apart while sitting up straight and placing his back flat against the rest. As he made each adjustment, Danny explained the importance of what Blake was doing. Slowly, he pushed his legs out until they were straight, held it for five seconds, then slowly brought his legs back in. Blake was right in the middle of the second set of repetitions when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peyton enter the room.
She looked amazing in a striking black and hot pink exercise outfit that enhanced her athletic frame, but in a modest way that Blake appreciated. He was sick of women wearing the scantiest outfit they could find in order to gain male attention in the gym. It was refreshing to see a woman that took care of her body but didn’t make it a priority to flaunt it.
“Are you finished, Blaze?” he heard Danny ask, and realized he must have been so focused on Peyton, he had forgotten what he was doing.
He glanced down at his feet, trying to remember what number he was on. For the life of him, he couldn’t recall. He glanced back up and all eyes were on him, several had puzzled looks while a couple were stealing glances between him and Peyton. They must have put it together that she was the distraction that caused him to lose count. He could feel his cheeks burn bright red with embarrassment. Blake scrambled to his feet, wanting to get out of the spotlight as quickly as possible, but in so doing, he tripped on the edge of the machine and went sprawling on the floor. He hit hard, causing his knees, chest, and palms of his hands to bear the brunt of the impact.
There were several gasps around the room as he tried to climb to his feet, but as he did, a sharp pain shot up his leg, starting at his right ankle. Immediately, he knew that he had injured it when he hit it on the machine.
Danny came up and let Blake lean on him. “Are you alright, Blaze? What the heck happened? I’ve never seen you have an accident like that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled under his breath. “Just get me out of here.”
Danny announced that the rest of the class was canceled and that they could take advantage of the pool and the rest of the gym instead.
The pretty blonde came rushing up, asking, “Are you okay, Mr. Holliday? Can I do anything for you? I have no problem nursing you back to health.”
Blake shook his head. “No, please, go enjoy your stay at the resort.”
The woman looked disappointed, but took his rejection in stride. She moved on to talk with a couple of the other men in the room.
Peyton followed them out the door and into the back office of the gym. “What just happened?” she asked, as Danny helped Blake sit down in a leather chair and then put his leg up on the desk.
Blake came up with an excuse that dodged admitting why he had been distracted. “I wasn’t paying attention. I was too busy thinking about other things.”
“What things?” Peyton asked with genuine curiosity.
“Yes, Blaze, what things?” Danny echoed in a mocking tone.
“I just don’t get it. Aren’t you better trained than that in handling equipment,” Peyton observed, as she came up and touched his ankle with her fingertips. It sparked a surge of warmth up his leg, causing his eyes to dart to hers. Her soft touch felt good against his skin.
“I know, it just doesn’t make sense. Do tell us what caused you to get so distracted that you tripped over a piece of equipment you’ve been using for over a decade,” Danny added, with a smirk that only Blake could s
ee.
Blake gave Danny a dirty look. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t bother him that his friend was trying to tease him. He knew his friend was just razzing him, which was normal between them-spanning all the way back to their Olympians days. With Peyton so close, however, he couldn’t keep his head straight. He was afraid he would let it slip that she was the reason he had fumbled his demo just a few minutes ago.
“I think I could use some ice for this ankle, Danny,” he clipped out. “Do you mind getting me some.”
His friend nodded. “Sure, I can do that.” Glancing over at Peyton, he added, “You don’t mind keeping an eye on him for me, do you?”
She shook her head, kneeling down beside Blake. “I can manage.”
Once they were alone, she probed, “What really happened in there?”
He didn’t want to admit the truth, so he said instead, “I think there was some sweat on the floor that caused me to trip.”
“Sweat? On the floor?” she asked, her eyebrows raising in disbelief. “Are you sure it was that, or was it that blonde woman with her cleavage hanging out for the world to see?”
“What? Her? No way. I’m not interested in women like that,” Blake protested with a shake of his head.
“Really? That’s not what the tabloids say. They constantly have you linked with women like that.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you read. Most of those women find me when I’m out with a group of friends and latch on to all of us. I just end up being the one featured in the newspaper the next day or blasted all over social media. Part of the curse of being a Holliday.”
“And a record-breaking Olympian,” she added, opening the medical kit on the desk and pulling out an Ace bandage. She started to gently wrap his ankle with it.
“You know about that?”
She nodded. “Like I said, I do my research. I know all about how you broke two world records for sprinting, won 6 gold medals, two silver, and four bronze during your three trips to the Olympics.”