Chapter Six #2
“Yeah, I’ve run the numbers in my head,” he said. “In my estimation, at about fifty percent capacity, Montressa operates at a loss. If that happens for too long, they’ll have to sell or declare bankruptcy.”
Her head popped up, a spark of determination in her eyes.
“After Nate asked for our ideas, I’ve been thinking about how to fix this.” Avery rifled through some papers on the desk. She pulled out a pad with a handwritten list.
“This place could be full.” She pointed at the reservation board.
“People want escapes, nature, serenity, rustic charm. That’s Montressa.
Except they can’t find us because the Coopers haven’t modernized.
People used to go on the same vacation every year, but not anymore.
They get information from a device, not a mailed brochure. ”
She pushed the pad into his chest, almost as a challenge. “I’m making a plan.”
Avery stood in quiet confidence as Miles skimmed a list of what seemed to be random thoughts: quaint, rustic, water, The Parent Trap, log cabins, camp for adults/families, fishing, swimming, water sports, weddings, family reunions, social media, website, reservation system.
Her plan was clearly in the preliminary phase.
Avery rocked on her feet, clasping her hands and letting them go. She wiped them on her jeans and finally rested them on her hips.
“This is a good start,” he said. “Let me help you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I don’t need you condescendingly telling me it’s a good start. I’m building an actionable framework,” she said. “You’re not the only one who knows how to run a business.”
She tried to snatch the pad from his hand. Yet again, the tiniest misstep had undone his goodwill. Flirting time was over. He held onto the edge of the pad in frustration.
“I said I’d help.” He gritted his teeth as he pulled. “I didn’t mean to insinuate I’m the only one who can do this.”
“Okay.” She pulled the pad away with a forceful tug. “So, what else should be on there?”
So as not to rattle the rattlesnake, Miles focused on her ideas.
Countless people had thought about promoting the resort, but none attempted to fix it.
Miles had checked out the Peppered Page website a few years ago, when he’d heard she’d made it big.
It had been more than a standard storefront site.
Customers could personalize their stationery, add their own photos, and see a preview of the finished product.
He wasn’t sure whether she’d written the code for something that complicated or hired someone.
He could design Montressa’s website himself, blindfolded. But working together meant late nights, leaning over a screen, their faces close together. A chance to get close to Avery with no outside interference. Perfect, if she’d go along with it.
“I can help with the website.” He steadied his voice. “That’s the most important item on here.”
“Of course your task has to be the most important.” Her shoulders dropped like a deflating air mattress.
She seemed to think they were competitors. Rivalry was the last thing he wanted.
“It’s the one thing I can do to make your plan go faster,” he said. “I want to help.”
She chewed her lip. He waited for her to think it through and realize collaborating saved time.
“Fine. You take the website, I’ll work on social media,” she said.
Miles’s shoulders dropped. She’d separated the tasks. She had to know a seamless product would be better.
“We should do it together,” he said, testing the waters. “For continuity across platforms.”
“But you’re busy getting the waterfront ready, appearing on Bright and Early, and then there’s your work, which is…What are you doing now?”
“I’m starting a non-profit,” he said. “A bereavement camp.”
Everything about Avery softened. Her jaw let go and her shoulders relaxed.
He licked his lower lip, unsure what to expect.
“For kids who’ve lost a parent?” Her green eyes turned dewy.
“Not just kids. It’s for families going through a loss,” he said. “But I have time to do this too, and I want to help Nate. You said you have nothing to do at night. Me too. We should combine forces.”
Avery toyed with her necklace, running the pendant back and forth across the chain.
“I know you want to help Nate, but I wanted to do this myself. It’s selfish, but I’ll be interviewing for jobs again soon.
I sold my business fourteen months ago, and this last year is a gaping hole on my resume.
I can’t put planned a wedding that didn’t happen above founded and sold the Peppered Page.
Designing and implementing a marketing plan shows employers I’ve done something. ”
This pad full of ideas was more than a brainstorm.
It was a plan for proving her worth. Selling her business should’ve made her feel invincible, but that success shared the same space with what she saw as a failure.
Miles understood dueling emotions. He’d had them that summer.
So much grief and so much love occupying one space.
The good parts never got the celebration they deserved because the painful parts overshadowed them.
“Avery, you founded and ran a successful business which you sold for a lot of money. That’s no small feat. If I interviewed you, I’d ask why you’re pursuing an MBA when you should be teaching the class.”
She dropped the pendant and ran her lower lip along her teeth.
“These are great ideas.” Miles pointed at the pad. “But for a project of this scope, you can sit at the head of the table, but you can’t sit there alone. All I’m asking is to be on the team. Or at least in the room. So I can learn a thing or two from you.”
She grimaced and shook her head.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to work closely, Miles,” she said.
“When we’re together, it doesn’t go well.
Look at today. You gave me a sweet gift and next thing, we’re bickering.
Trying to be friends is hard enough. And I’ll be leaving soon, and you’ll go back to your life as a scabrous rake. ”
Scabrous rake sounded awful. Sometimes it felt like she ignored his good traits in order to stuff him into a box labeled “model-dating, money-hungry villain.” He needed to show her who he wanted to be.
“What if I don’t want to be a scabrous rake?”
“Ha.” She snorted. “You have an amazing apartment. Famous friends. All those fabulous premieres and parties and galas. VIP tickets to Hazel Matheson concerts. You’re going to give that up?”
“I just told you how lonely that life is. Maybe I don’t want that anymore.”
Their discussion felt like part of a bigger conversation, one he’d envisioned happening in one sitting. But maybe it needed to come out in pieces, over time. She could build trust in him if they collaborated on a shared project.
Every job interview he’d conducted had a turning point. A moment when he knew whether the applicant was right or wrong for the job. Miles put one last effort into selling her on what he could contribute.
“Perhaps you can put my scabrous nature aside to help our best friends.” He tilted his head toward the reservation board.
“Working together ensures a seamless integration across all mediums. I don’t have your artistry or eye for detail, but I can be the data science behind it.
Using the reservation cards from years past, I’ll create a database with an algorithm that prioritizes who has been coming here the longest and how much they spend once they are onsite.
Every fall, the program will automatically favor families who come every year before opening reservations to the public.
It’ll reward loyalty and make next year’s reservations smoother.
New guests will find Montressa through your marketing talents, and they’ll want to come.
Prior guests will follow social media and remember why they love it here. ”
It was one hell of a pitch. She had no other way to get this level of help so quickly.
“Miles…” She hesitated. “You think we can do all of that?”
He nodded. “I can’t. You can’t. But we can. And I don’t care who’s in charge because we’re working for our friends.”
Avery ran her teeth over that full lower lip again as she studied the reservation board, considering his offer.
She nodded, maybe to herself. A moment later, Avery looked him straight in the eye and lifted her chin.
Her hair fell back, exposing her neck. Avery with a mission was all sultry determination, and so damn attractive.
He wanted to kiss that spot below her ear, but pushed her allure aside and met her stare with equal tenacity.
“Let’s do it.” She extended an open hand. “For the Coopers.”
He grasped her warm hand and shook it. “For the Coopers.”
A pact. He’d fought harder for this job than any other because he wanted it more. One opened a bottle of champagne in moments like this, but champagne was still too intimate. So he did the other thing people do in this situation.
“Thank you,” he said. “You know you’re amazing, right?”
She blushed and he caught a sliver of hope in her wistful smile, as if she were thinking about something she liked, or maybe loved once.