Page 18 of When You Were Mine

When he caught up with her, he cupped her elbows. “Let’s do it.”

Why the hell not?They both wanted companionship, nothing more. Neither could get hurt if it didn’t work out.

“Let’s get married.”

Jessica got lucky.

A warm front hit Iceland, which meant there was very little snow on the ground, giving her outstanding views both from the plane and the drive to the remote hotel.

Usually, when she traveled, she had an impression of the destination from movies or photographs. The canals in Venice, the grand, historic buildings of Paris, or the turquoise-blue seas of Bora Bora. But she hadn’t known what to expect with Iceland.

And it was like another planet. Volcanic craters, electric-blue ice caps, black-sand beaches, and steaming hot springs made up the landscape.

Now, after a red-eye flight and a two-hour drive from Reykjavik, she sat in Chris Pullman’s office. Judging by the streaks of gray in his thick, dark hair and skin roughened by sun exposure, the handsome man looked about her age. His wealth—as she picked up from the big, shiny watch, designer jeans, Gucci loafers, and Tom Ford flannel shirt—stood in contrast to a room that smelled like old paper and a hint of must. The furniture was dated and scuffed, and the chair cushions held deep impressions.

“Tell me about the history of this place.” From the exterior, she could tell it had a great footprint. It might not be as much work to upgrade as he expected.

“My grandparents bought this land for pennies.” He motioned toward the window. “It was largely unusable. How do you build on a thousand-year-old lava flow?”

She could answer that. “You work with it and not against it. Also, the quality of the lava’s a determinant. You can’t build on it if it’s brittle, so I’m going to assume this field’s strong and impenetrable.”

Smiling, Chris sat back in his chair. “See that. Worth every penny.”

“Well, it was a seven-and-a-half-hour flight. I had to dosomethingto fill the time.”

“Most people sleep on red-eyes.” Mischief sparkled in his eyes.

“Most people don’t get two hundred thousand dollars for four days of work.” She’d also done her research on him. He’d made his fortune on Wall Street. Considered a maverick, he’d given countless interviews and closed massive deals, so she’d found enough information to form a solid impression of him.

“Very true.” He laughed. “But that tells you how important this project is to me. So, yes. It’s rugged lava, and my grandparents were able to build on it. Over time, they developed the geothermal features and wanted to share them with others, so they turned it into a B&B. With the help of an investor, they expanded into a hotel. The bones are solid, but it’s never been anything more than a place to sleep for a night along the Golden Circle.”

“And the inheritance battle? I read the hotel’s been closed for a number of years.”

“Correct. After my grandparents passed away, the property went to their children. They couldn’t agree on what they wanted to do with it. Uncle Rat Bastard wanted to sell it outright. He wanted the cash, but my dad and aunt insisted on keeping it. They couldn’t get a consensus, so it’s just sat here.”

“And now?”

“Uncle Rat Bastard died, and his siblings are too old to renovate this place.” He lifted both palms. “The timing was good for me, so here I am.”

“Just to be clear, how many voices have a say in the décor and, more importantly, the budget?”

“I own it outright, and I make all the decisions. And you should know, right off the bat, you have carte blanche to transform this place according to your vision. Do I want to see your choices every step of the way?” He nodded. “You bet. But I only reached out to one designer. There’s no one I trust more with this place than you.”

His confidence warmed her. “I appreciate that very much. And all this from one resort in the Maldives? What if you were love drunk because of the lovely Leizel?”

He laughed. “I’ve been to four of your properties. The Anabelle in St. Barts? That place is stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She smiled. “Thank you. That was a lot of fun.”

Truthfully? Even three decades into this career, she still felt uneasy about charging so much for doing something she loved. The little girl who’d never owned a single outfit that hadn’t come from the church clothing exchange internally screamed when she sent off a proposal. But because of that, she took her work seriously and made sure she delivered value.

“That one took three years,” she continued. “But since we’re not changing the footprint, I don’t think yours will take nearly as long. The biggest project will be adding a state-of-the-art wellness center and gym. Once we have our theme, it won’t take much to turn the rooms into suites. But as you said in your text message, we’ve got all the time in the world.”

He shifted forward, his features tightening. “You’re right. I did say that. But there’s a new development that’s pushing up the timeline.”

She was unfazed. “Oh?” Most of her clients didn’t understand supply and delivery issues, contractors who overbooked, and products that wound up being discontinued. “What’s changed?”

“My sister called last night. She’s getting married, and she wants to have it here. Childhood memories and all that.”

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