Carter Ellis strolled over to the wall of glass at the far side of his top-floor condo. His new home was the height of luxury and designed to his specifications, but it couldn’t compare to the breath-taking view through the windows. The rising sun had tinted the sky with a swirl of pinks and purples as it rose over the dark waters of the Emerald Coast. He couldn’t see the sun from his vantage point since his condo faced south to the gulf, but soon it would rise high enough to gleam off the white sand beach and turn the shallows to the green and turquoise waters that made Destin famous. It was no wonder their tourist trade was booming here. A sense of peace settled over him. He had definitely made the right decision to build his resort here.
Seascapes Resort and Spa was due to open in two weeks at the beginning of June. He had a million things to do to ensure the success of this, his first solo business venture, but he had never been afraid of hard work. He’d been on-site since construction had been completed, living in a nearby hotel and driving over every day to manage the final stages of the resort’s completion. Everything was running on schedule and going as planned—except for one final problem.
At the far eastern edge of his property, between his resort and the beach sat a privately-owned home. It impeded the view of his east tower, thus devaluing all of the condos on that side. He had held off selling any of those units, hoping to finally convince the owner to sell so that he could tear down the house and increase the asking price for them. With the pressure of investors to keep happy, he needed to turn a profit within two years, but without getting the best price on those units, it would be very difficult. The weight of all his new employees’ livelihoods and everyone who had invested in the resort by buying condos sat heavily on his shoulders. He clenched his jaw as he thought of the very generous offer he had just made that no doubt would be rejected. Somehow, some way, he was going to convince the owner to sell.
Turning away, he breathed deeply to control his frustration. He looked over at his assistant, Brenda, who stood with her reading glasses perched in her grey curls and her tablet ready.
“Everything looks good,” he said. “The designer did a great job. Addilynn is going to love her room.”
Brenda nodded. “What little girl wouldn’t? It’s a room fit for a princess. When is she arriving?”
Carter’s tension eased off at the thought of having Addilynn with him again. He’d missed her terribly the last few months that she’d stayed with his mother while the resort was being finished. They’d agreed that it was best for her to stay in her school, and he’d flown back to spend the weekends with her. But it had still been hard. “In a few days. My mother is determined to bring a nanny to take care of her when I’m working, and apparently she doesn’t think I can find a suitable person locally.”
Raising her thinning eyebrows a fraction, Brenda stared back at him but didn’t comment.
Carter walked past her to the door, knowing she understood the situation all too well. Brenda had been working for him for eight years and knew better than anyone the power struggle he had with his mother over the raising of his six-year old daughter. He’d first hired her when he’d been nineteen. After his rash marriage less than a year after he’d graduated high-school, his father had given him the job of overseeing several of the family ski resorts in Colorado, saying if he was going to have a family, he needed to support it.
Without Brenda’s help, he never would have made it through his flash immersion in the business world or his miserable marriage to Mandy. Addi’s birth less than a year after his marriage led quickly to his divorce. Mandy hadn’t wanted children, it turned out, or responsibilities—or even him. When she’d informed him that she was willing to terminate her parental rights in return for a million dollars, his heart had turned to stone. But Brenda had strengthened and helped him better than his own mother had. The older woman was a treasure, and he was continually grateful she’d been willing to follow him here from Colorado. Luckily, Brenda’s retired husband was happy to move to a warmer climate and spend his days golfing and fishing.
Brenda followed him out of his condo, closing the door behind her. The electronic lock clicked shut automatically, and they walked together toward the glass elevator. “So, is all in order for filming the promotional video this morning?” Carter asked.
“Yes, sir. The drone will be filming at seven-thirty. I’ve personally checked the exterior of the resort. Everything looks great and all signs of construction have been cleared away. The staff knows that they aren’t to step outside for any reason and security will keep the gates closed so that no stray traffic or deliveries will be able to come through for the twenty minutes the drone will be filming the aerial shots.”
Carter glanced down at his watch and saw that it was ten after seven. “Excellent. That’s what I like to hear.”
But as the elevator door opened into the ground floor lobby, Brenda’s phone rang. She answered, a look of concern sweeping over her face. “Oh no. Well, try again. It can’t be that difficult to convince one woman to move. Good heavens, I’ll be there myself in a few minutes. This will delay everything and I don’t know if we can get the word out to everyone in time that the shoot is running behind.”
When she hung up, Carter asked, “What’s wrong?”
“There’s some tourist on the beach in front of the resort. She refuses to leave or even move her stuff further down so she’s out of the shot. The drone will be filming in,” she glanced at the time, “In eighteen minutes.”
Carter took one look at Brenda’s pudgy feet in high heels and knew there was no way she’d get down there in time. “I’ll take care of it.” He shrugged out of his suit coat and handed it to her, along with his tie. Lengthening his stride into a jog he headed out the back entrance that led to the pools and the beach. When he reached the sand, he wished he’d taken off his dress shoes since every step sent more of the powdery sand into his shoes. There was no time to worry about it though. Thirty yards to his left, he saw his resort manager and several security guards clustered around someone. They stood just in front of the beach house that was his nemesis, which was definitely an issue since she was not on their beach but would still be within view of the drone. They’d hoped that they’d have empty beaches for the shot by filming early on a weekday before the summer crowds arrived.
Walking up behind them, he said, “Good morning, ma’am. What can I offer you in exchange for clearing this beach for about twenty minutes?”
The security guards stepped aside for him and he finally saw her. Carter’s brain scrambled. She was…attractive, dang it. Even worse, she was his kind of attractive. Lovely and natural, emanating confidence, her hazel eyes drifted over him.
She raised one eyebrow and met his eyes squarely, not the least bit intimidated by him. “And who might you be?”
Carter stared in surprise. The lilting twang of her southern accent surprised him, though he wasn’t sure why it should. People came here from all over, and this was Florida after all. He took a calming breath to refocus. “I’m Carter Ellis. I’m the owner of Seascapes Resort.”
“Oh? I suppose that means these guys work for you?” She pointed to his manager and security.
“Yes. Did they tell you why we need the beach cleared for a few minutes?”
“They told me all right, but that doesn’t mean I have to leave. I’m in the wet-sand area that is public beach.”
He wanted to clench his teeth, but a glance at his watch showed him that he only had about ten minutes left before the drone was due to fly over the beach. It went against the grain for him to bribe someone, but it was probably the fastest way to get things moving. “Look, I’d be happy to compensate you for the trouble.” He pulled out his wallet and took out several hundred-dollar bills. “Will this do?”
The woman looked down at the bills in his hand. When she looked back up at him, her eyes flashed. “No thank you. This is my first day of vacation and I don’t appreciate having it ruined.”
Carter looked at her in shock, not sure where to go from this point. He had a feeling that offering her more money would just end up embarrassing him more. A sudden gust swept in from the gulf, catching him off guard. The money once held loosely between his fingers was ripped away, then sent fluttering around on the sand. His manager and security guards lunged after it while the woman laughed. They did look incredibly stupid, flapping around like seagulls after crumbs. But he was more focused on the woman’s beautiful laughter. He looked at her a second time, taking in her smooth, flawless skin, long brunette hair, and strong, athletic form. There was something fresh and free about her cut off shorts, white bikini top, and sheer, floral cover-up. With sunglasses perched over her side-swept bangs and a multitude of beaded hemp bracelets on her wrists and bare ankles, she had a chic, bohemian vibe that grabbed his very male attention.
“You know, while y’all try to catch your money, I’m gonna slide on down the beach a hundred yards or so. I don’t really mind. It was just the way y’all came in pushing and demanding. Where I come from, you say please and ask nicely. But I guess not everyone was raised the way I was.”
Completely dumbfounded, Carter watched as she bent and gathered her few belongings—a water bottle, a towel, and a phone with earbuds. She slipped them into a bag and headed down the beach. Her long cover-up undulated in the wind, clinging to her figure. He didn’t know what to think or do but squashed the urge to chase after her. Not only was it a stupid impulse, since she clearly had a poor opinion of him, but he knew better than to get involved with tourists. He’d married one once, after all.