Page 7 of Dreams That Bind Us
"Oh ho! Give the man a cigar. He was listening," Gus crowed, humor lacing his words. "It's a miracle. And yes, to answer your question."
"Okay, back to the hotel's timeline," Jack redirected. "I'd recommend that you get a manager hired soon. There will be a lot to coordinate with this place. Hiring the staff, permits, vendors, that kind of thing. Annette is willing to help out to a degree, but you'll still need boots on the ground here fast."
James nodded. "Already on it. I'm down to two local candidates now."
"Who?" Gus asked, his eyes lighting with interest.
James rattled off the names and relaxed when Gus and Jack nodded in unison. At least that part of his life was going right.
"They're both good and have been on the island for as long as I can remember. You won't have any problem hiring hotel staff with either one. It's too bad you can't hire both of them," Jack replied.
"Actually, I've been thinking about doing just that." James paused for a moment, his gaze shooting back and forth. "I trust that you'll keep this to yourselves, but my sources tell me the property on Sunset Key will be available soon. If that's the case, I could hire one as the general manager and the other as assistant manager, with the expectation that he'd switch to Sunset Key once that acquisition is complete."
"Sounds like a solid plan," Jack commented. His forehead puckered. "I'm surprised I haven't heard anything about a sale on Sunset Key. The grapevine here is strong."
"It started with a random conversation in a bar and steamrolled quickly when the seller learned how profitable itcould be for them." James lifted a shoulder. "I got lucky. That's all."
"Dude, I'd guess you get lucky a lot," Jack snarked.
James grunted. "Alright, back to Monday. What time should I be around?"
"Hey now!" Gus elbowed Jack. "The dude is digging. I say we don't tell him and make him stick around all day. Maybe put him to work. The manual labor will do him some good."
"The idea's tempting. We could always use an extra pair of hands." The amusement twinkling in Gus and Jack's eyes made James want to punch them. "Just be here by ten and you'll be good," Jack offered.
James ran a hand over his face and huffed out a breath, then nodded reluctantly. He guessed from their answers that Anna had something to do with the furniture delivery, but he knew digging any further would be useless.
He wasn’t used to people withholding information. However, most people weren’t married to Charli and Annette. Those two had never had a problem telling him to take a flying leap, and it’s one of the reasons he respected them so much.
"Okay. Fine. I'll be here."
"Great!" Jack slapped him on the shoulder again. "Now onto more important things. I'm hungry. Who's ready for lunch?"
Gus's brows shot up, his eyes twinkling at the mention of food. "The Spent Pickle?"
"That's what I'm thinking." Jack's gaze moved to James. "Are you in?"
James was sorely tempted to say yes. It wasn't every day he was invited to join them at their favorite bar. But he had too much on his plate.
"I'll have to take a raincheck. I have a few meetings on my calendar," James answered, lifting his chin. "The place looks great. So if you don't need anything else, I'll head out."
"Man, you'll have to join us for lunch someday. You don't know what you're missing." Gus shook his head. "The Spent Pickle is an icon for locals."
"I'll catch you next time and lunch will be on me," James promised, his mind already on his meetings.
"You're on!"
The rest of the day passed in a blur of phone calls, meetings, and legal reviews. Mid-afternoon, he made a visit to a local art gallery to buy a collection of paintings and furniture he’d spied on a previous visit, and then it was back to work. His eyes were crossing by the time he ended his day with a call to his assistant, Gwen.
"That Uptown developer is asking for a meeting to discuss a new proposal," Gwen announced.
"Okay. What day was he thinking?" His eyes scanned his calendar, noting the hellish schedule of meetings and tasks. "Next week might be better."
"It is for him, too. He wants to meet on Monday."
"No!" James barked. The idea of missing out on his chance to meet Anna made his chest tighten. "No meetings on Monday. In fact, would you block it for me? The furniture and art are being delivered for The Majestic, and I want to be there."
It was a lame excuse, but how could he explain that he was clearing the day to meet a woman he’d been dreaming about for months?
