Page 42 of Unexpected Entanglement

Rowan cut him a piece and placed it on his plate, laden with his huge sandwich and potato chips. She’d opted to make herself a small salad instead.

“I want that tomorrow,” Chris said after tasting it.

“I might make it for you to thank you for what you’ve done so far.” She started on her salad. “I feel so much better knowing we have a plan.”

“You had a solid plan already before I arrived. You might feel better because you’re sharing the load now.”

“You’re probably right. Knowing Alex and Oliver control the meal service took away a lot of worries. And with you helping with the staff training, I’m confident we’ll pull this off.”

“I’m sure you’d do just fine without me, but you might not have the time to enjoy the events. It is a family wedding, and you are family, right? Are you in the wedding, or you’re strictly event managing?”

“I’m a bridesmaid.” Rowan sighed. “I know I should’ve said no.”

Chris chuckled. “You have a problem saying no, huh?”

“I do not,” she denied.

“You can’t say no to the wedding. You can’t say no to being a bridesmaid even when you know you’ll be running the wedding. You can’t say a direct no to Greg—”

“Not that again.” She rolled her eyes. “I said no right to your face in town yesterday.”

“But you misunderstood my intention entirely.”

“Whatever.”

Chris chuckled at her dismissal. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll run the wedding so you can be present for your cousin.”

“What? No.”

“Hey, there you go. You said no,” Chris said. “But this is an offer you should say yes to. What are you going to do? Run back and forth while you’re doing your hair and makeup?”

“Have you ever run a wedding before?” she questioned.

“Probably more than you have. I worked at my family’s hotel’s Sales & Event department during the summer of my sophomore year in college. And the Bali resort is a popular wedding destination.”

“But you don’t run the events yourself anymore.”

“No, but I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said and changed the subject. “Tell me something. How do you do what you do and still have the time to help me?"

"I'm on vacation, remember?" Chris smiled. "Having a solid team that I trust allows me to take time off. We all need a life. I can't do what I do by myself."

Rowan mulled his answer with a twist of her mouth. She knew the same applied to her, and Chris suspected that realization had trumped her pride when she decided to accept his assistance.

She moved on and asked, "Why did you decide to build your own resorts instead of doing it under The Sullens’ name?”

Chris swallowed a laugh.Is she interrogating me?

Sitting back in his chair, Chris took a second with the question. His standard response was he wanted to dedicate his undivided focus to building The Eve Resorts. But this time, he felt compelled to tell her the real reason. He got a feeling she'd understand.

“My father and I have clashing visions when it comes to the future of The Sullens. He’s built the company to where it is today by seeing the needs for affordable accommodations driven by the economy growth in the past thirty years.”

“He nailed that right on the head,” Rowan commented. “You can’t go anywhere in this country without seeing The Sullens Hotels—full service or budget kind.”

Chris nodded in agreement. “It was the right direction in the past decades. While I think the need for affordable hotels is still there, there is a demand for smaller, more intimate destination that promises unforgettable experiences. Top it off with specialized services, excellent food offerings, picture perfect views, and five-star rooms you have—”

“The Eve Resorts," Rowan finished his sentence with a smile. “From the pictures I’ve seen, they are something else. I see your vision.”

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