Chapter 13 #2
Slater started to say something, but Walker sent him a warning look. “Don’t.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Anyway, when the right woman comes along,” Milo went on, “I’ll know.”
“Oh, really?” Walker asked, completely amused. “How?”
“Look around, Walker. Connor knew Lexi was the one from the time we were kids. Axel knew Maisie was the one within a matter of days after he met her. And the only reason it took you so long to know with Harlow is because you were fighting it. So really, how hard could it be for me?”
“Just because you’re good at business, doesn’t mean you’re going to be smart when it comes to women,” Axel said. “And you’ll need to actually step away from work to meet someone.”
“You didn’t.”
“Not true. Maisie and I got stranded together here in the storm. I wasn’t working. It was my weekend off.”
“But it was still here at the resort you partially own,” Milo countered lightly. “And Walker may have met Harlow before he came to the resort, but it was the resort and the work here that kept them together.”
“So, what are you saying?” Slater asked. “That you’re going to meet your future bride here at the Lakeview Harbor Resort?”
“It’s a bit more likely than while I’m sitting in my office in Seattle. We have hundreds of guests coming through over the next three months, so who's to say that I can’t meet her?”
“He’s got a point,” Connor said. “But I think we can all agree that it typically happens when you least expect it.”
They all nodded.
“Please, she could be dancing in front of you in a string bikini and you won’t look up from your computer screen,” Slater said, laughing.
“Okay, okay,” Connor said in his best dad voice. “That’s enough. I have two kids at home; I don’t need two more here.” Then he laughed. “And speaking of, let’s finish eating and get cleaned up so I can go and spend time with them. I’ll grab everything we need for s’mores if you want to join us.”
“Sounds like a plan!” Slater said, and everyone agreed.
And Connor tapped out a quick text to Lexi letting her know what they were thinking.
While the guys were doing their thing, the girls got together to do theirs.
Lexi wished that Kelsey was here to be part of this first official girls’ night, but she knew that the next time she and Jayce came to visit, they’d make it happen.
Right now, they were hanging out at Walker and Harlow’s cabin. Ruth was watching the kids, so this was a real girls’ night out for her, Harlow, Maisie, and Nora.
“I’m really glad you guys invited me,” Nora was saying as Harlow poured her a glass of sangria. “I feel like all I do is work and go home, so…thanks for including me.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Maisie told her. “How are you enjoying Harbortown and the resort?”
“Honestly?” she asked with a nervous laugh.
“It was a bit of a culture shock. I’m used to working in some remote places, but this isn’t quite the same.
There’s stuff close by, but it’s such a tiny town that there isn’t really a whole lot to do.
That’s why I don’t mind working extra hours. It keeps me busy.”
“I was born and raised here,” Harlow explained. “My dream was to make enough money to move away, but once I met Walker and we traveled a bit for his job, I missed it. This is going to be our home base, so to speak. But we’ve got this new resort that we’re going to start work on in the new year.”
“Ooh…I didn’t know you guys had a starting date! That’s exciting!” Maisie said with a bright smile. “And any decision on a wedding date? Will it be before or after the work on the new resort?”
They were sitting around the small kitchen table noshing on chips, guac, salsa, and queso while they waited for their dinner to be delivered from the hotel restaurant. “Funny you should ask,” Harlow said after a moment. “We’re thinking of a New Year’s Eve wedding.”
They were all talking at once.
“Oh my goodness! How fun!”
“Think of the amazing party we could throw!”
“And the entire resort would already be decorated! It will be so festive!”
“Yes, to all those things,” Harlow laughed. “But what about you and Connor, Lex? We don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. So if you’re planning a holiday wedding…”
“Honestly, we haven’t talked about an exact date. We both agreed that we don’t want a long engagement, but…” She sighed. “As much as I have, like, zero love for his parents, I’d feel terrible if they weren’t there. It would just be something else they would hold against me.”
“That’s bullshit,” Nora said, making them all look at her. “It seems to me that they did all of it to themselves.” When they all simply stared at her, she shrugged. “Slater filled me in on all the drama.”
“Okay, I know this is completely off topic, and I swear we’ll come back to weddings in a minute,” Maisie said with a mischievous grin aimed at Nora. “You and Slater. Is there anything…there?”
Her bark of laughter made them all jump a little.
“Absolutely not! Ugh. He’s like a brother.
And not in a good way.” She must have realized how that sounded because she quickly explained.
“We have been friends for over six years, and I respect him as a friend and coworker, but I’ve seen the way he treats relationships, and that’s not appealing to me at all. ”
“When you say treats relationships, you mean…?” Harlow prompted.
“I mean, he’s not interested in anything serious.
He’s a big goofball whose only interest is having a few nights of fun and then disappearing into the wilderness with a tour.
” She took a sip of her sangria before adding, “I love what I do, but I’d really like to do a little less guiding and adventure stuff and see what having a normal life is like.
That was the appeal of coming here to Harbortown.
I’d love to meet someone and…you know…have the house with the picket fence. ”
This was quite an admission, Lexi thought. She and Nora worked closely together, but she never showed this side of herself, and it just made her like Nora even more.
“I can tell you’re trying not to say something, Lex,” Nora said with amusement. “So come on. Out with it.”
“This is just a side of you I haven’t seen in the office.
You carry yourself like a badass woman who doesn’t need or want anything.
Like you have everything you want. It’s kind of nice to know that you’re not looking at all of us like we’re weirdos because we’re getting married and doing the whole…
house with the white picket fence thing. ”
“Are you kidding? That has been my dream. My parents were both adrenaline junkies, so I get it from them. And it’s been a blast, but now I’m ready for something stable. Comfortable. Something that doesn’t leave me feeling so alone at the end of the day.”
As if of one mind, Lexi, Harlow, and Maisie all stood and went behind Nora to hug her. They laughed, but they all also held on for longer than was expected.
When they were all seated again, Nora reminded them of the original topic of conversation. “You were saying, Lexi? Connor’s parents? The wedding? Feeling bad?”
“What? Oh, right. Yeah, that. When Kelsey and Jayce were planning their wedding, she was sad because both her parents are gone. I remember thinking about how devastated I would be if my parents weren’t there.
They were when I married Adam, and they’ll be there when I marry Connor.
I get that men don’t always look at things like that as a big deal, but…
” Pausing, she groaned. “I know I’m going to sound like a total dork here, but just bear with me. ”
They all nodded.
“I just think that if the Winslowes were there when we got married, Connor would feel…respected. Like his parents were finally understanding his wishes and boundaries and it would be a good beginning for our marriage.”
“Wow. You don’t sound like a dork,” Harlow commented.
“But maybe a little delusional. Although, I get it. Walker’s grandparents hated me when we met and it nearly broke us up.
Then his grandmother came and apologized because she knew she was wrong and shouldn’t have interfered.
I’m not saying it took all the hurt away, but it certainly helped.
Plus, it’s not like we have to see her all the time. ”
“The two of you looked like you were having a great time at the grand opening,” Maisie recalled. “I saw you with her a lot.”
“That’s only because she’s really going out of her way to make things right and prove to Walker that everything’s fine.” She shrugged. “He knows she’s being a little over the top, but, again, we don’t see them very often.”
“Wow, you all have a lot of complicated family issues,” Nora said.
“Oh, please. We haven’t even gotten to mine!” Maisie told her before sharing how she was basically disowned and how she ended up here at the resort.
“Wait, so you’re like…an heiress?”
“Ugh…I hate that word. Axel uses it all the time, and I get that it’s kind of accurate, but I personally just don’t like it.
I have my decorating business, and I get a monthly allowance from my family, and then I’ll get my trust fund when I turn thirty.
But that’s just money. I never see my parents and me being at a point where things are good, you know?
Too much has happened, and I don’t like the person I am when I’m around them.
The person I learned to become since showing up here at the resort? I like her. A lot.”
“We all do,” Harlow told her, giving her hand a squeeze. Looking at Nora, she studied her for a moment. “Any weird family issues?”
“Um…no? We’re pretty normal. My dad’s a dentist and has a pilot’s license, and my mom’s a teacher who used to be a competitive skier. I had a pretty typical upbringing, but we used to always be doing stuff on our school breaks.”
“Do you have siblings?” Lexi asked.