“Trust me,
it’s a compliment.” Was that desire she saw in his eyes?
Forget it
, said
the voice in her head.
You can’t afford to blow this opportunity
.
Then why did
it feel so right?
He rose and
offered her his hand. “I’ve taken up enough of your time tonight.” He pulled
her up and continued to hold her hand for several moments. “Will you show me some
of the closer fishing sites tomorrow or the next day?” He smiled down into her
eyes. “I’ve decided to take a vacation after all. My office booked the room for
the full week, didn’t they?”
She nodded
and hoped that her legs would continue to support her.
“Good.” He
walked with her back to the lodge. “I don’t think I’ll bother with lining up a
fly fisherman. I can visualize the shots.”
“I know how
to fly fish.” Why had she volunteered that information? She had absolutely no
desire to be in one of his films.
“Why am I not
surprised?” His voice had turned husky. “I have a feeling you do everything
well, Jamie Nicholson.”
They walked
up the stairs together. “Goodnight,” he said softly, then headed for the
staircase leading to the first floor.
* * *
Jamie went
into the small office behind the reception area and collapsed into the office
chair. She was relieved to see that the phones had been switched over to
Brooke’s head set. All guests were informed on arrival that the phones would be
answered until ten every evening; after that time, calls were routed through
the night watchman. Brooke had introduced Jamie to technology that allowed calls
to be answered anywhere on the grounds. All key staff members could communicate
with each other; Jamie didn’t know how she’d managed to get along without it.
She tried to
check the new reservations that had come in during the day, but couldn’t
concentrate. Why hadn’t she heard about Craig Hansen’s family? She thought back
to two years ago, and knew the answer. That was when she’d made the mistake of
becoming romantically involved with a real estate agent from the neighbouring
town. She’d thought they might have a future together until she realized that
he was only trying to get close to her because of all the waterfront land she’d
inherited. It had been a painful experience and one she was determined not to
repeat.
She sat back
and sighed. Gareth hadn’t been the only one she’d talked to about the land, but
he was the only one she’d become personally involved with. The trouble was,
everyone who looked at the land envisioned the same result…vacation
properties. Every one of them had pushed for high density development to
‘maximize her profits’. She couldn’t bring herself to do that to the lake she
loved. She’d vowed to find another way to keep the lodge operating, but it was
becoming more difficult every day.
“How was your
dinner with Craig?” Brooke appeared in the doorway.
Jamie knew
she was grinning like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. “He’s nice.”
Brooke raised
an eyebrow. “Not what I asked, but it sounds like you enjoyed yourself.”
“I did. I
have a good feeling about this. By the way, he’s going to stay the whole week.”
“I’m glad you
told me.” Brooke called up the reservations screen. “Look, all we have
available for the next two weeks are one night openings here and there. Lots of
families. I have a couple of extra maids lined up and I thought I’d hire that
young fellow to help with the campsite and the boat rentals.”
“Good idea.
Too bad we can’t keep it full like this all the time.” Jamie stood up abruptly.
“If everything’s okay here I think I’ll go to my cabin.” She paused and looked
at her manager. “Are you going to take some time off? I know you said you don’t
mind working extra hours, but you seem to be here a lot.”
Brooke
smiled. “I like being busy. There’ll be plenty of time to slow down in the
winter.” She glanced at her watch. “You go ahead. I’m going to take my evening
walk.”
The sky was
faintly tinged with purple by the time Brooke went outside. It didn’t get
completely dark until ten or eleven this far north, but shapes were becoming indistinct
in the gathering dusk. She took her usual route, wandering slowly through the
RV Park and exchanging greetings with the people who recognized her from the
lodge. Families sat around campfires that were allowed in designated areas and
the occasional burst of laughter was music to her ears. At one campsite she
noticed a mother sitting at the sturdy picnic table, cradling a young boy of
around eight. He was flushed, and his sweaty hair was matted against his head.
She took a
few steps into the site. “Is there anything I can do?”
The woman
smiled. “Thanks, but I think he’s over the worst of it. He picked up a flu bug
somewhere.” She placed a hand on the child’s forehead. “You’re feeling better
already, aren’t you Sweetie?”
The child
nodded and Brooke moved on. It was at times like this that she missed being
part of a family. She picked up her pace, determined not to let thoughts of the
past ruin her evening.
She always
saved the best for the last. On the farthest arm of the main boat dock a small
shed held the gasoline pump for boat fuel and the collection of tools that had
been amassed over the years. This was Howie Bennett’s territory in the daytime.
The pensioner had worked for the lodge since the time of Jamie’s parents and
guarded his territory fiercely, not allowing the children to venture anywhere
near the fuel. But he’d locked up and gone home hours ago, and at the end of
her busy days it was Brooke’s gift to herself to come out here and sit on the
old plastic chair Howie kept on the dock. Shielded from the lodge by the shed,
it was a quiet place to think, to make plans, and to dream.
She stepped
onto the dock and waited while it adjusted to her weight. Mooring cleats
gleamed dully in the pale light, and boats bumped softly against the flattened
tires that had been hammered into the wood of the dock. She started to hum,
savouring the thought of a few moments alone.
She turned
left toward the shed and a figure moved in the gloom. She stepped back,
startled.
“Sorry. I
didn’t mean to frighten you.”
She’d heard
the voice before but couldn’t quite place it.
“It’s Billy.”
He took a few steps toward her. “Billy Talbot. We met earlier today when I
checked in.” He extended a hand. “It’s Brooke, isn’t it?”
She
hesitated, then shook his hand. There was something intimate about shaking
hands with someone when their eyes were scarcely visible. He held her hand a
moment longer than necessary and then let it go, as though embarrassed by his
action. If this was the famous love ’em and leave ’em Billy Talbot, then he
wasn’t at all what she’d been led to believe.
“Yes, I’m
Brooke Stephens.” Why was she breathless? Was it the unmistakable sizzle that
had passed between them when they shook hands?
“Have I
invaded your space?” He sounded genuinely apologetic.
“Not at all.”
She turned to leave.
“Please,
don’t go.” He reached out, touched her arm and then withdrew his hand. “I’d
really like you to stay.” He gestured to the chair. “You sit there. I’ll grab
another chair.” He moved past her and walked quickly down the dock before she
could reply.
“See?” He returned
holding a chair aloft. “Now we have two chairs.” He waited until she was seated
and then sat down.
“So. Now that
I’ve hijacked you, what shall we talk about?” She could see him watching her
expectantly in the dim light. He looked like a young kid who’d managed to win a
prize at the fall fair.
She couldn’t
help but smile. “I don’t know. It’s your hijacking.”
“Okay, then.
Tell me what you usually think about when you come out here at night.” The
teasing tone had disappeared from his voice; she sensed that he really wanted
to know.
“I’ll tell
you mine if you tell me yours.”
“It’s a
deal.” He smiled, teeth flashing in the darkness.
She took a
deep breath. Would it be easier to share her dreams with someone she didn’t
know? She hoped he wouldn’t laugh at her ideas.
“For several
years now, I’ve wanted to start a spa.”
“Just women,
or will men be welcome as well?”
At first she
thought he was kidding, making fun of her. Then she realized he was serious.
She thought for a moment.
“In my dream,
it was for women, but now that you mention it, men are buying spa services
these days as well.” She thought back to the job she’d held for several years
before coming here. She’d been surprised at the number of men who had facials
as well as manicures and pedicures.
“I worked at
an exclusive fishing lodge and spa on the West Coast of Vancouver Island for a
few years. The spa was famous for its atmosphere as much as their treatments
and I think I could create something just as beautiful.”
“Where?”
“Here, on
Long Lake. I only started working here in May of this year, but I think Jamie
could increase her business if she offered spa services for the women while the
men are fishing.”
“Quite a few
of the women fish as well, but you’ve seen that for yourself.”
“True. But a
top quality Spa would attract the ones who don’t come at all, plus the men
might stay longer if the women are happy.”
“What about
the men who don’t want their wives to come with them?”
She gave a
short laugh. “I’ve thought about that. They do exist, but I can’t worry about
their personal lives. I think it could be a winner. Leeza could even offer a
special menu for women who are watching what they eat.”
Billy nodded
thoughtfully. “How would you reconcile the spa concept with the campground?
They’re polar opposites, wouldn’t you say?”
He was taking
her seriously; she liked that. She looked past him, to the south. “I’d build it
on the other side of the lodge, buffered by a couple of hundred feet of trees.
There’d be winding paths through the trees leading to the treatment rooms. Even
if they didn’t need it, the clients would feel like they’re decompressing along
the way.”
Billy was
silent for a few minutes. “You’re talking about a lot of land.”
Brooke
nodded. She wasn’t sure if he could see her in the dark, but she was on a roll.
“True, but that’s not a problem. Jamie owns well over a mile of waterfront
along this side of the lake.”
He came
forward in his chair. “No fair.”
“What do you
mean?”
“I’ve been
coming here for five years and I didn’t know that.”
“I only
learned about it when we were talking about men.”
“Now I’m
really confused.”
Brooke decided
to trust him. “Some local guy made a play for her but in the end he was only
interested in her land, and if you let on I told you that, I’ll never forgive
you.”
His voice
softened. “I like Jamie too much to bring that up.” He swatted absent-mindedly at
a mosquito. “You know, I don’t like to rain on your parade, but where is the
money going to come from for this development? I’ve been associated with a few
businesses over the years and I can see Jamie’s having a hard time since the
mortgage fiasco turned everything upside down.”
“I have
money.” There, she’d said it.
“You do?” He
corrected himself quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound surprised. I should
have known this was more than a pipe dream on your part.”
It was
completely dark now but Brooke could see the gleam of his eyes in the silvery
light from the new moon. He was easy to talk to; nothing like she’d expected.
Maybe this was part of his charm, but something told her that his interest was
genuine. He hadn’t made a move toward her, even though it might be welcome.
Where had
that come from?
She continued with her story.
“This is the
personal part,” she said. “My mother died of ovarian cancer when I was fourteen.
My father wasn’t the kind of man who could be without a woman in his life and
he married a couple of years later, when I was sixteen. The woman he married
was a lot younger than my mom.” She paused, her thoughts drifting back to that
unhappy time. “We never did get along very well. I think she saw me as a rival
for Dad’s affection when all I really wanted was someone to love me. Those
years are tough for any young girl, let alone one who’s just lost her mother.
Anyway, she wanted me out of the house and I wanted the same, so my father gave
me a big whack of money and I left home when I was eighteen.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, ouch.”
She thought for a moment. “My dad was a partner in one of the big brokerage
firms in Vancouver. When he gave me the money I thought about it for a while
and then asked him to buy Google shares. He wasn’t convinced but I kept after
him and he got me in early on, at close to the IPO price. I sold them all near
the end of ’07 and bought back in near the end of ’08, so I’ve done very well
with them.”
He smiled. “Timing
is everything, huh? Good for you.”
She could
almost hear the gears turning as he absorbed this information. Finally he
spoke. “What about the fact that you’d be building with your money on Jamie’s
land?”
“Well, I
haven’t even talked it over with her yet, but I don’t see that as a problem. We’d
have a lawyer draw something up that protects us both. It’s not about taking
advantage of each other; it’s about working together.”
He slapped at
another mosquito. “Let’s go in,” he said.
“Ah, but you
didn’t tell me yours.”
“I will. The
great room will be deserted. Let’s get a brandy and sit by the fire.” He stood
up and stretched his back. “I must be out of shape. Matt and I were playing
catch with some of the kids earlier and I’m feeling it.”
“Who’s Matt?”
They stepped off the dock together and he placed a hand at the small of her
back. It felt good. She’d better get her defenses up before this went much
farther.