Chapter 10 #2
“But she’s not staying,” Axel finished for him. “And I know I’m not tied here to Harbortown, even though I said I was going to settle here for a while. If Maisie had shown even the slightest interest, I would have considered trying to do the long-distance thing.”
“Look, I’m saying this as your friend, okay? I get that there was a connection, but maybe it was just because of proximity.” He shrugged. “She’s a great girl, we all agree on that, but maybe you can re-examine the whole thing when she’s done dealing with whatever her family situation is.”
“Maybe.”
“Just…you know…reach out in a month or two and see where she’s at. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Yeah. Okay.” It wasn’t the worst idea, but it made the most sense for now.
And now that he was feeling a little less tense, he figured he might as well ask what he was dying to.
“So, um…I heard you and Maisie talking just a few minutes ago,” he began carefully. “Is everything okay?” And he watched Connor to gauge his reaction.
And there wasn’t one.
“I’m still trying to decide on a house, and I want her to do all the design and decorating on it, but I know she’s on a time crunch to help her feel a little more financially secure, so she was just touching base with me to ask if I’d made a decision yet.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to call bullshit, but he didn’t.
Not yet.
“Were you able to find out anything?” she asked.
“Nothing major, but I think I confirmed some of the stories that are common knowledge.”
“You did? Is anyone willing to say anything publicly?”
“Not yet. But I’m working on it.”
“Oh. Okay.”
There wasn’t a damn thing about that conversation that even remotely sounded like it was related to home searches or decorating.
But why would Connor lie?
And did he really want to find out?
For two days, she’d been working her ass off at the Lakeview Harbor Resort. It didn’t seem possible for so much furniture to be delivered, unpacked, assembled, and placed in the rooms, but it was happening.
Fast.
Once Walker had informed her that the carpets were installed and the painters were done, she had pushed the deliveries through, and to see it all coming together was like a thing of beauty.
She felt energized and exhausted in the best possible way every night when she went back to that crappy little hotel.
Like tonight.
Basically, she was only here to sleep. Connor had been feeding everyone who was moving the furniture, and she’d been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. It was so nice to be around people who were just genuinely decent.
But she’d barely seen Axel.
She didn’t want to come right out and ask where he was, but she heard Walker and Connor mention how he was putting in a lot of time making sure all the cabins were ready for when their furniture arrived.
Which would be next week.
As for meals, she couldn’t say where he was, just that he wasn’t eating with everyone else.
It bothered her that he was clearly avoiding her after they had seemed to part on good terms. Of course, it was possible that he truly was busy and he was making his own meals, but it seemed silly considering literally everyone else working on the property was up in the lodge.
Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and took the elastic band out of her hair, shaking out her ponytail.
Rubbing her scalp, she slowly padded to the bathroom and opted to take a shower just to wash the grime of the day off.
She wasn’t doing any of the lifting, but it was a lot of running around and answering questions about where things got placed, and there were a few issues with some pieces that came in damaged.
Still, it felt great to be working.
And it felt even greater to step under the hot water and just let all her sore muscles get a little relief. There was no need to rush, so she simply let the water do its thing while she thought about everything she wanted to accomplish tomorrow at the resort.
Like finding Axel and making him talk to her.
It was foolish, and she knew she should just let it go, but she couldn’t.
Connor’s advice at the wedding came to mind.
“Just don’t mess with him, okay? Axel’s had a hard life. Like…a really hard life. I get that the two of you hooked up and maybe it didn’t mean anything beyond the moment, but…if he knows about your real life, it’s going to seriously screw with his head. He’s going to take it personally.”
The thing was, it did mean something beyond the moment.
And if Connor would just dig up the dirt on Bryce so she could get out of this situation, she knew that she and Axel could have something.
Even with her revealing her true identity and telling him everything about her family, she still believed they could have something.
“Especially if I’m disowned,” she murmured, but pushed that thought away quickly.
In a perfect world, she would be rid of Bryce and have control over her life and still have access to her family’s money and connections. She had a trust fund coming to her when she turned thirty, but that was still three years away. Then, she’d really feel secure in her own life.
She just wasn’t willing to wait three years to have a genuine relationship with Axel.
Why couldn’t things be simple?
Why couldn’t she just have normal parents and a normal life?
Why couldn’t she just be allowed to be happy?
Obviously there were no answers to any of those questions, so she washed and conditioned her hair and lathered up her body with her favorite body wash before rinsing off.
After she dried off and pulled on her robe, she padded back into the hotel room.
It was too early to go to bed, but she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with herself.
Her phone was vibrating on the nightstand, and she was almost afraid to look at it.
Sitting down on the bed, she saw it was a text from Harlow.
“Okay, whew.” Picking it up, she read:
Harlow: Hey! Sorry to be texting so late. I had planned on being at the resort today, but I was swamped at work.
Harlow: I just sold this massive old Victorian, and the buyers are looking for a decorator to help them bring it back to its original charm!
Harlow: Personally, it’s not my taste, but I’m not the one living there. Lol!
Harlow: Anyway, I gave them your name and email, so you should probably check your messages, because I was with them when they called and then emailed.
Harlow: Needless to say, they are extremely motivated.
Harlow: I’ll be at the resort all day tomorrow so we can talk about it, and I’ll email you the video I took of the walk-through.
Harlow: Have a great night, and I am so excited for you and for this!
Harlow: See you in the morning!
“Holy crap!” she said with excitement, immediately tossing her phone down and grabbing her laptop.
For the next fifteen minutes, she watched and rewatched the walkthrough video and already had some amazing ideas for the house. Retro stuff like that wasn’t really her thing, but she had studied enough that it wouldn’t be hard for her to find the resources she’d need to make it happen.
She was just about to do a little more research when she realized she never responded to Harlow.
Maisie: OMG! This is very cool! Thank you so much for the referral!
Maisie: Hopefully they’ll want to hire me!
She was about to put her phone back down when it vibrated with a response.
Harlow: They’re definitely hiring you. When I told them about you and everything you’re doing for the resort, they were on board.
Harlow: I can be very persuasive too.
Maisie: Wow! This is definitely exciting! Thank you!
Harlow: My pleasure! See you in the morning!
Okay, now she was ready to dig into some research.
She searched for inspiration—what colors and patterns were used in that era. She created a mood board that she would share with Harlow tomorrow. Then she looked at furniture and where she might purchase antique pieces or replicas and made a list.
Her eyes were starting to blur, and when she finally looked at the time, she saw it was after midnight. Yawning, she stretched and went to put her laptop back on the desk. It was late and she was tired, but she was also lonely and wished she had someone to talk to about this potential job.
And before she could second-guess herself, she pulled up Axel’s name.
Maisie: Hey. Are you up?
Of course, he could be asleep. After all, he was working hard all day doing physical labor, so there was no guarantee he’d be awake. But when those three little dots began dancing, she giddily got under the blankets and waited for his response.
Axel: Hey. Yeah, I’m up. Is everything okay? Are you alright?
Her heart melted at his concern. She could almost hear him speaking the words.
Maisie: I’m fine. Really.
Maisie: I was just sitting here planning out a potential new decorating job that Harlow has recommended me for.
Axel: That’s awesome! Is it a house in town?
Maisie: Yes. An old Victorian one that the new owners want to bring back to its original glory. Her words. The house wasn’t built in Victorian times, but it’s of that architectural style.
Maisie: I’m hoping to find out just how far back they want to go. Like, do they want all original antique furniture or replicas? That sort of thing.
Axel: That sounds very cool. Good for you! I’m sure you’re going to do a great job.
Maisie: Thank you!
She stared at the phone for a moment before she got brave enough to take this to a more personal level.
Maisie: I haven’t seen you around the resort for the last few days.
Axel: Yeah, I’m trying to get the cabins ready for you. They all need last-minute touch-ups. Some more than others.
Axel: I wasn’t sure when the furniture was coming so I was just trying to get ahead.
Maisie: Oh. That’s good. And I appreciate that.
Maisie: I thought maybe you were trying to avoid me.
There. She’d said it.
But he also wasn’t responding.
Maybe she should have kept her observation to herself and just accepted their relationship for where it was at.