Chapter 6
Maddox stared after Denise Farrington’s rapidly retreating form in bewilderment.
It was a nice form, though. Their eyes couldn’t help being drawn to her shapely behind, accentuated by her dark brown skirt.
Even as she hurried away, there was a subtle swing to her hips which, when accompanied by the click of her high heels, made it difficult to look anywhere else.
The woman had a presence. That was for sure.
From what little Maddox had seen, she’d been nice to look at from the front as well.
She had soft, sumptuous curves and clearly knew how to choose stylish business suits that showed her assets to their best advantage.
Right until the moment she’d done a disappearing act, Ms. Farrington had seemed completely put together.
The makeup on her fair complexion was attractive but not overstated, and her full brown hair was swept up into an orderly updo.
It was surprisingly easy to imagine disordering it a little, though.
It wouldn’t take much to loosen the strands from the hair tie and let them fall over her graceful shoulders.
Her hair would probably feel soft if Maddox were to—
“What happened?” Bobbette’s curious voice sliced through Maddox’s daydream like a meat cleaver, and they jumped at the interruption.
Ugh. What was wrong with them? They had no business mooning over Ms. Farrington’s figure or hair.
Contrary to the teasing they got from friends like Rhonda, Maddox was not some player always on the lookout for a new conquest among the resort guests.
Maddox’s encounters only happened here and there and always after work hours.
During shifts, they usually had no issues keeping their thoughts focused and professional.
And if there was ever a time to be focused and professional, it was now.
Not only was this woman’s company booked here for a sizable conference, but they were also the potential buyers for Middle Waters.
As much as Maddox still despised and dreaded the idea of the buyout and the way it would shake up this community, they knew it was a potentially significant business deal for Oliver and others in the area.
They’d never do anything to mess that up.
“No idea,” Maddox mumbled in response to Bobbette’s question.
“Hmm, guess that Maddox Daniels charm is finally wearing off,” Bobbette teased.
Maddox only scoffed and shook their head.
Ms. Farrington had looked mostly at ease when Maddox had approached.
Then when she’d turned around, she’d given Maddox a long once-over as if she’d been sizing them up.
Then they’d shaken hands and made eye contact, and Ms. Farrington had responded like she’d come face to face with a specter from her nightmares.
Strange.
Maddox had received a few confused and even rude reactions to their androgynous appearance over the last couple of years. But no one had literally run away from them over it, especially not a woman who seemed as sophisticated as Ms. Farrington.
Before either Maddox or Bobbette could speculate any further, the puzzling woman returned. She appeared out of breath and flustered.
Maddox took a step closer and met her hazel eyes, worry taking up space in their stomach for the first time since this brief meeting had started. “Ms. Farrington, is everything okay?”
Ms. Farrington met their gaze, flinched so slightly that Maddox might have missed it if they hadn’t been watching closely, then looked away.
“Of course,” her voice was clipped, almost sharp. “Everything’s fine. Can we get on with this now?”
Maddox took a step backward at the impatient question, but they put on their usual friendly smile. “Absolutely. Now, we’ve been in communication with Shelby from FunDaze about most of the accommodations you’ll be needing, so I can go over those, if you’d like.”
They gestured toward the front door. “Your group gatherings and guest rooms will be in the Sugar Maple Lodge—all our buildings are named after trees common to the area. This main building is the Sycamore Lodge. Anyway, if you’ll follow me, I’ll walk you over so you can see where you will—”
“Hold on a second,” Ms. Farrington snapped.
Maddox came to a halt near the front door. Their spine tingled distractingly at her demanding tone. “Is something wrong?”
“You keep saying we will and you will, but I should remind you that nothing has been finalized yet. We haven’t signed the paperwork. We could easily decide to change venues at this point if anything proves unsatisfactory.”
The ice that had slid into Ms. Farrington’s tone startled Maddox.
This whole meeting was taking an odd turn.
There was a growing hardness showing up around the edges of Ms. Farrington’s conversation that Maddox didn’t understand.
Maybe she was tired from the drive here from Oklahoma City or burned out from being part of a company that steamrolled through small businesses and towns, completely turning their worlds upside down.
Maddox internally chided themself for the bitter thought. That wasn’t helpful. Maybe it was time to turn on the Maddox Daniels charm, as Bobbette had called it.
They flashed a smile and met Ms. Farrington’s gaze. “That’s very true, of course. But once you look around, I’m confident there won’t be any issues we can’t resolve.”
Taking a step closer, Maddox continued, “I make it my personal mission to ensure our guests leave here completely satisfied.”
A hint of surprise flickered in Ms. Farrington’s eyes right before her frown deepened, and Maddox winced. What were they doing? Now wasn’t the time to flirt!
They cleared their throat. “Would you like to walk over now?”
“The sooner the better.”
Instinct and several years of hospitality experience told Maddox that Ms. Farrington’s impatience called for maximum efficiency and maybe even a little placation on their part.
But the businesswoman’s shift from the demure and courteous image she’d presented at first to this colder, more exacting persona annoyed them.
Instead of taking Ms. Farrington directly to the Sugar Maple Lodge, as she doubtless would have preferred, Maddox slid into tour guide mode and showed her around the resort. Might as well let her see what her family was getting ready to dispose of.
They pointed out the restaurant, playground, swimming pools, saunas, game room, and even their favorite trees.
Ms. Farrington had donned a pair of designer sunglasses as they walked, but they didn’t conceal her frustrated expression, since her smooth pink lips were set in a firm line.
To her credit, she didn’t push Maddox to hurry along the tour and skip to the part she actually cared about.
But that only made her behavior an even bigger mystery.
When they finally made it to the Sugar Maple Lodge, Maddox switched back to their event coordinator role and showed off the rooms where the meetings and breakout sessions would take place and the dining area and the block of rooms reserved for conference guests.
They noted how each space matched up with the requirements and event schedule the company rep had already sent to the resort before Ms. Farrington got involved.
Maddox was proud of the work they’d put into perfecting these arrangements.
Every event the resort did was unique, and of all the jobs they did around here, they loved none of them more than assessing the needs of even the pickiest guests and organizing the space and amenities to fulfill them.
The high of a well-executed event, be it a conference, wedding, or princess birthday party, kept Maddox going through all their more mundane duties.
“So, what do you think?” Maddox asked Ms. Farrington once they’d shown her everything.
Her face had gone from upset to impassive over the course of the tour, which really didn’t seem like an improvement.
She still avoided Maddox’s eyes as she replied with a perfunctory, “Thank you.”
For a moment, it seemed like that was all she was going to say, but she followed it up at last with a pointed, “If you’ll get me checked into my room for the night, I’ll think things over and let you know what I decide in the morning.”
It was a deflating response, to put it mildly, but Maddox only smiled. “I’d be glad to. And I hope you’ll get dinner at our restaurant and maybe check out the spa. There’s nothing like a massage when you’re tense after a long day.”
Ms. Farrington didn’t answer but turned to the door of the lodge to leave—presumably to head back to the Sycamore Lodge—and left Maddox to follow her this time.
Twenty minutes later, Ms. Farrington was all checked in and settled in her room to…think over her decision?
Maddox leaned their elbows on the front desk, shaking their head.
“I don’t get it. We worked out the conference plans weeks ago with Shelby, and Farrington Senior seemed cool with it.
Enough so that he was going to be the one to come here.
But now that she’s in charge, she’s not sure about any of it?
Why bother driving all this way out here, then? ”
Bobbette worked on the desk computer while Maddox vented. “It’s almost like her problem is with me. Like I did something wrong from the outset or…”
“Whoa, Maddox. Just chill!” Bobbette raised her hands like she was trying to calm an agitated circus animal. “Why do you have to take everything on yourself? You and the White Witch of Narnia only met a couple of hours ago. What could you have done that was so wrong?”
A guffaw escaped Maddox at the nickname Bobbette had used, despite their agitation. “I don’t know. But I need to get to the bottom of it.”