Page 64 of Release Me

“And what is that?” I ask, enjoying this little game of back and forth we have going.

“That, Zoey, is the Mountain View Motel.”

Everyone knows the Mountain View Motel. It has been around since the 1950s and hasn’t been renovated since the seventies. It serves as a layover for people taking the bus into Lake Tahoe, but no one stays there for real. It’s sketchy and honestly an eyesore for tourists driving in off the main road.

It was probably once a bustling motel since there wasn’t anything here back then, but once the area got built up, it lost its luster. If it was ever anything but grungy.

“Please tell me you aren’t planning to keep it?” I say, feeling a little guilty because someone does own it and it is their livelihood. Although, I can’t imagine it’s bringing in all that much money. It’s one of those rent by the week kind of places.

“We own the land. It’s leased to the owner of the Mountain View Motel. Obviously long before I got involved with Badger Creek, a deal was brokered to lease the land for one hundred years.”

“That’s a long ass time and it’s not even close to being up,” I say, trying to figure out where he’s heading with this.

“2055 to be exact,” Ethan says. “But I’m going to buy out the lease and reabsorb the land.” Ethan points to the spot, drawing an outline around the property with a red marker and then drawing around it with a blue one.

“We own the land that the Mountain View Motel is built on, but we also own all the land surrounding it,” Ethan clarifies.

“And your plan for it?” I ask and Ethan lets out a low chuckle.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He looks over at me, reaching out, he tucks my hair behind my ear, leaning in to kiss me.

“I am. Aren’t you?” I mutter against his mouth, the warmth of his breath peppering my lips, sending goosebumps to dot my skin.

“Oh, you have no idea. Talking business with you is a way bigger turn-on than I expected,” he replies, making me let out a laugh.

“Foreplay?” I joke.

“Something like that.”

Ethan moves on to telling me how the villas on the opposite side from where I live are owned by a timeshare company. They’re failing and failing hard. The pandemic took its toll on the real estate market and people dumped the unnecessary, like timeshares. Many sit empty and while the company has tried to make a comeback by using them as short-term rentals, they haven’t been able to recover.

“So my plan is to buy them, renovate them and turn them into Badger Creek villas,” Ethan states, proudly. “Larger places to allow for families, guy’s trips, ski clubs, extended in-season stays, whatever, to stay and rent through the Badger Creek name.”

My eyes widen at the idea, thinking about how Badger Creek could grow without losing any of the mountains or land to the expansion.

“And how does the timeshare company feel about your plan?” I ask, wondering if that will be the biggest hurdle.

“We close next week,” he says, a massive smile on his face. “They couldn’t wait to offload it, and I made them a pretty solid offer. They were on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“Couldn’t have been that solid of an offer because you’re not the kind of guy to leave money on the table.” I wink at him. There’s no way he paid market value for the villas and knowing they need renovations, he had to have gotten them for pennies on the dollar.

“You know me well already, Zoey,” Ethan says, leaning in and kissing me again. “It was one of the last of their properties they needed to sell off and while the negotiations took a while, eventually, we all walked away happy.”

“Now what about the Mountain View Motel? Same deal? Did the owner cave to your charm and money?” I tease, hooking a finger into the belt loop on his pants, tugging him toward me.

“That’s where you come in,” Ethan admits, clenching his teeth and wrinkling up his nose. “That old guy hates me. Thinks I’m some big city smarmy asshole.”

“But you already have a plan for that land.”

“I do and that’s why I need you to go negotiate with him on my behalf,” Ethan finally says, spitting it all out rather quickly.

“Oh my god, Ethan! No! Not a chance!” I instantly reply. “I have no idea how to do that. I’ve never bought real estate in my life and I certainly don’t know how to convince someone to give up their business.”

“Wow, you said that far faster than I thought you would,” Ethan says, laughing. “But you’ve got it in you, Zoey. You just don’t realize it yet. I need someone local, someone who can sympathize with the guy, but still get him to take a huge sum of money for that lease.”

“And I’m that somebody, huh?”

“You are. What do you say, babe?”

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