Page 28 of You, Me, and Forever

“I make it a point not to need things, Montana. But I also don’t pass up opportunities.”

“Your hotel is going to be the hottest tourist attraction in Blushing. But you think my weddings are going to be an opportunity that you don’t want to miss out on?” I wasn’t buying it. He didn’t need me, and we both knew it.

Why were we even here?

“That’s a fair point. And sure, having the exposure of weddings at the resort will be good for business. But more importantly, it’s an opportunity for you.”

“Why do you care?” I asked, pausing when Benji set our plates down in front of us. He winked at me before walking away.

Myles thought about my question as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, exposing his forearms. I internally groaned that the man even had sexy forearms. How was that possible? He cut into his steak and popped a bite in his mouth before motioning for me to eat.

The bossy bastard can’t help himself.

He waited until I took a bite before he spoke. “I don’t know why I care, but I do. And I’m a man who trusts his gut, and my gut tells me to insist you take this opportunity.”

I rolled my eyes, even though I couldn’t hide my smile. “Maybe it’s guilt because you know that you’re bulldozing a beautiful property, and at the same time you’re sort of ruining my business.”

He chuckled. “I don’t do guilt. It’s not my thing. I don’t base decisions on emotion. I base them on facts and numbers. And how does this ‘sort of’ ruin your business? That doesn’t make sense to me. It either does or it doesn’t.”

“Listen, not everyone is looking at everything in dollars and cents,” I said, reaching for my water.

“Well, then, they aren’t trying to make money, and that’s their prerogative.”

“Most of my weddings choose the Seaside Inn because of the nostalgia that comes with the property. It’s one of the oldest structures in Blushing. So, yes, I’ve found other venues for the weddings that I’ve been forced to move, but they aren’t better than the Seaside Inn, and that bothers me.”

“The clients don’t think they’re better, or you don’t?” he asked, his gaze locked with mine.

I thought it over. After the initial blow of letting our couples know that they’d have to move venues, everyone had been fine with it. Most had moved to the Parkers’ bed-and-breakfast up the street, and though the view wasn’t quite as impressive, it was a close second. And the Parkers had offered discounted pricing, since they were just thrilled to get the business from us, and my father would still provide the catering out of their kitchen.

“I don’t.”

His lips twitched. “Attagirl, Honey Badger. You’re passionate. I like that. But does it actually hurt your business that the weddings will be moving to a different venue? Are you losing bookings?”

“No. But I had an easier time selling the Seaside Inn to clients because it’s just special.”

“And it will be special again. Even larger in size, which means you can book more weddings than you have before, because we can accommodate that. More guests can stay at the resort for destination weddings. This is not a bad thing. And we will get this built quickly. It’s what I do. So I don’t understand the hostility.”

“Because tearing that place down is emotional for me,” I said, suddenly feeling defensive and frustrated.

“Business should never be emotional.”

“Maybe that’s because you don’t have a heart.” I shrugged.

I expected him to get angry and snap back.

But he didn’t.

His gaze softened. “You’re not wrong about that.”

Chapter EightMyles

“That’s your answer?” she said, and for whatever reason I wasn’t offended by her statement. I could be cold when it came to business. I knew that.

I’d learned from the best.

My father was a heartless bastard.

“How about this. You tell me why it’s emotional for you that I’m tearing the structure down and building something that will be larger, accommodate more people, and function much better. Not to mention it will be modern and up to date.”

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