“All you need to say is that you want to do it,” I said with a chuckle.
She flung herself into my arms and hugged me. “I used to come out here when I was a teenager. I’d ride my bike on the trail that led down to the river in front of the Murphy Ranch. There’s an actual beach down by the water, with all these gorgeous trees. I used to sit down there and write in my journal. It’s so peaceful and beautiful. How did you even pull this off? I heard they were locked up in a court battle.”
“They were. But I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. In a way, it allowed them closure, because they’d been fighting for so long, and everyone was exhausted. This way, they all got a nice payout, and they can finally move on.”
I’d overpaid for the place. That wasn’t something I normally did.
But I’d come out to see the property after Connor had mentioned it, and I knew that it would be perfect for her.
Sometimes you found something that was worth overpaying for.
Something priceless.
I was in for the long game on this investment, so it would only increase in value once we renovated it a bit and got it up and running.
“Are you sure we can afford to invest in it? I mean, this is way over anything we could afford, Myles.”
“Yes. I’m not worried about it. Hell, if you want to just put sweat equity in and oversee the renovations, that’s fine with me.” I put my hands up to stop her when she started to argue. “I knew that wouldn’t be what you wanted, so we’ll work out a reasonable payment plan. My attorney will draft something up this week. I just wanted to show you around and make sure this would work for you. How about we go walk the place and talk it through?”
She nodded. We took our time going from room to room as her creative juices flowed. This home was much larger than the Seaside Inn; it had twelve bedrooms, a library, and a parlor. She talked about having a suite where the bride and her bridesmaids could get ready. And a room set aside for the groom downstairs, where he and the groomsmen could smoke cigars and relax before the ceremony. She liked the idea of a boutique hotel, and they could book the rooms out for guests flying in for weddings, as well as having rooms available for tourists when it wasn’t wedding season.
This was the reason I’d wanted to invest in this woman.
Not because she had a magnificent pussy and the most perfect tits on the planet.
Not because she made me laugh harder than anyone ever had.
Not because I liked having her in my bed when I went to sleep at night and when I woke up in the morning.
Not because, somehow, she’d become the best friend I’d ever had in a matter of a few months.
It was because I knew a diamond in the rough when I saw one.
And Montana Kingsley was exactly that.
She had an eye and a talent, and she worked her ass off at everything she did.
I knew she’d turn this into a gold mine.
“I like all of that. And we’ve got a generous budget to renovate and make some updates, and I’d like you to work with Charlie to choose the finishes you’d like. This is your baby, and you’ll be the day-to-day person overseeing things. I want you to make this what you want it to be. Obviously if we’re turning it into a full hotel, we’ll need to hire employees, and I’ll have you work directly with Connor to get everything going. He’ll be the one handling the budget, and he’s set up many businesses for me, so he’s a pro.”
She nodded, eyes wet with emotion, but I saw something pass for a brief moment that I couldn’t place.
Maybe a little bit of sadness behind all that joy she was feeling.
Because I’d be moving on to the next project. Sure, I’d fly in and check on the Seaside Inn and this place occasionally, but once they were up and running, my expertise would no longer be needed.
I was the visionary. I saw what something could be and helped get it there. Once it was going—I passed the project off and looked for the next.
“That sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to show Vi. She’s going to freak out.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re excited about it. Let’s go outside and walk the property,” I said, reaching for her hand out of habit.
I’d never been a fan of affection. But when it came to Montana, I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
What the fuck does that even mean?
“Oh my gosh, Myles. Picture long tables in the grass over here,” she said, pointing to a large green area with tons of growthsurrounding it. The mountains sat in the distance, and the gorgeous river was just a stone’s throw away. “We could have a long aisle leading down to the water for ceremonies. It’s quite possibly the dreamiest backdrop you could find. And then the reception over there, under all those trees. We could have lanterns hanging everywhere and bring in beautiful flowering bushes and landscape. We can create a magical oasis out here.”
