Page 37 of Three Reckless Words

Go ahead and call it stupid, but I haven’t been this thrilled in ages.

But these aren’t technically my bees. I have no earthly right to get this attached.

For all I know, I might be breaking some rule in the fine print that will have Mr. Gruff Stuff throwing me out tomorrow.

Still, less than an hour later, I’m dirty and smiling deliriously as I stagger back inside the house.

First things first—water.

I guzzle down a full glass to rehydrate after being in the hot sun and then start on one more. I’m pretty sure I’ve burned myself despite the sunscreen I slathered on this morning, but there’s no helping that.

I don’t even care.

I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet when I grab my phone, swiping past all the notifications—how can they just keep coming?—and find Archer’s number.

I can’t sit on this, consequences be damned.

This man has a right to know he’s sitting on bee-madegold.

6

TOTALLY BEE-GUILED (ARCHER)

Ishould’ve known it would be impossible for me to get a little quiet.

Working in the home office doesn’t mean I don’t have distractions. It just means whoever wants to hound me does it through my phone.

First Dexter, who doesn’t even bother with a greeting when I pick up.

“I have an idea,” he says.

“Hello to you too.”

He makes an impatient sound. “Yes, hi. Anyway, I was thinking… The Cardinal has been one of our most successful ventures, right?”

“Yeah.”

The Cardinal is Patton’s baby, mostly. There’s no denying the hotel that really isn’t a hotel has outperformed our loftiest expectations with minimal problems. Better than anything I thought Pat would ever do, even if he had some major help from his now-wife.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good businessman.

He has good instincts. But Salem’s management took a serious investment with long-term potential and spun it into one of our best moneymakers ever in record time.

“Of course,” I tell him. “What’s your point?”

“Why did we stop at one?”

That’s what I thought he might say. I press my phone closer to my ear. “Because buildings like that are unicorns and they require monster capital.”

“We have the money.”

“Still a gamble,” I growl back, although he might have a point. “Did you have a where in mind?”

“Saint Louis.”

Still in Missouri, then. It’s a logical step—the second biggest city in the state, and it would be like a stepping stone for future expansions. We could even spin off the same Cardinal branding, considering how much attention that property keeps getting in travel blogs and video reviews.

“And what brought this on?” I ask.

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