I turned and headed back to the main lobby. I hoped she was impressed by what she saw. I opened the double doors, slowing my pace when I saw her. Damn she was beautiful. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a pink blouse. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
“Harper,” I called.
She turned to look at me and it was like being hit with a two-by-four. Damn if she didn’t take my breath away.
She offered a small smile and waved. “We’re here.”
“We?”
The same young woman from the store rushed to stand beside her.
“I don’t think you guys formally met last time,” Harper said. “This is Parker Grant. She is a creative art director. Parker, this is Chase Adams, the owner of the resort.”
Parker grinned and extended her hand. “My new boss.”
I smiled and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you Parker. Harper, thank you for coming.”
She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “It was the best of the many offers I had.”
I appreciated her humor. “Good to know. We can leave your bags with the porter and I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“This place is amazing!” Parker exclaimed.
“Thank you.”
“You’ve gone all out,” Harper said.
“I am hoping to make a good first impression.”
“You’re definitely going to do that.”
“We’ll start with the greeting room,” I said, leading them into what looked very much like a piano bar.
“What’s a greeting room?” Parker asked.
“Guests will come here before they go to their rooms if they like. This is basically the holding place for those that arrive before check-in. They can check their bags and enjoy a drink and some appetizers.”
Harper was nodding as she looked around at the décor. “Nice.”
“Thank you. Through here is the outdoor pool.”
“You have an outdoor pool?” she asked.
“It isn’t always twenty degrees with three feet of snow on the ground. I want to make sure we have a year-round attraction.”
“Good thinking.”
“Through here, you can access the indoor pool,” I said.
“Woah!” Parker exclaimed. “I think I just turned a shade paler. That is some serious chlorine you’ve got going on.”
“It’s being handled,” I muttered.
I showed them around the ground floor and the many amenities we offered our guests.
“I think if you send another message to your assistant, he’s going to be on the first flight out of here,” Harper said.
I grimaced, realizing I had been sending the poor guy a lot of messages. “I’m a little nervous.”
“You think?”
“Why don’t I show you to your room?” I said.
I was a little disappointed she had company. I’d purposely placed her in the suite next to mine. I was hoping there could be a chance we could maybe run into each other. Fortunately, my plan would not be exposed. The suite had two bedrooms. I could play it off like I had planned it that way all along.
I opened the door before handing the key to Harper. “Please,” I said, gesturing for them to go inside.
Parker stepped inside first. “No way,” she exclaimed. “You are kidding me.”
Harper gave me a look before walking inside. She looked around, nodding. I was going to take that as an approval. She liked what she saw. “This is very impressive.”
“Thank you. Not all of the rooms are like this. This is a suite.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Parker said, coming out of one of the bedrooms. “I have never been anywhere this nice.”
I didn’t want to impose on their time. “I’ll be in the restaurant sampling some of the lunch offerings. I’d love for the two of you to join me.”
“That’s very nice, thank you,” Harper said. “I think we could both use something to eat.”
“It’s the informal restaurant,” I clarified. “The fine-dining one won’t be up and running until next week. There are some last-minute details that need to be handled.”
“I think informal is just fine,” Harper said.
“I’ll see you in about thirty minutes. If you get lost, just ask any of the staff and they’ll get you there.”
“Are you going to put up signage?” Parker asked.
“Yes. We realized it is needed. They should be here in the next day or two.”
“We’ll see you in thirty minutes,” Harper said, effectively dismissing me.
I smiled again and left them alone. I had to play it cool. If I came on too strong, she was going to kick my ass to the curb, or rather, she was going to go to the curb. I needed her experience. I needed her help. I took the elevator back to the ground floor and made my way to