“I think I’ve wasted a hundred million dollars.” Calvin trudged over to the patio table out by the pool where I was lounging, soaking up the warm sun, staring at the sparkling, blue water, and wishing I could take a midday dip.

Calvin looked like someone had run over his puppy. He slumped down into the chair beside me, putting his head in his hands.

I blinked, gulped, and put down my sandwich to give him my full attention, feeling guilty about being out there, taking a break, even though I’d been cooped up in the office, working hard all morning. “What are you talking about?”

He dug his hands into his hair, mussing the thick, brown strands. “This project is going to be a total failure if I can’t find the staff I need, and so far, I have less than a quarter of the positions filled. Why did I agree to only hire locals?”

He dropped his hands to the table, leaving his hair a mess, his face twisted in desperation. I gave him a look of sympathy and put my hand on his. Fear curled in my stomach at the thought of losing my own job, but that was nothing compared to the investment he’d made.

I’d given him suggestions a week ago, and I thought he’d liked the ideas, but after our conversation ended on a sour note, he hadn’t implemented any of them. I didn’t want to bring them up again and risk his ire. I’d made enough mistakes that cost him time and money, I obviously had no business telling him how to run his. The fact that he’d been so patient with me was a testament to how desperate he was.

He stared at my hand for a moment, and I stiffened, worried that I’d crossed a line, but he didn’t pull his hand away. “I want to try some of your ideas, Layla. The incentive program. Can you help me come up with the specifics?”

I perked up at that and sat up straighter. “Sure, I’d be happy to. If you’re trying to get people to sign on, what if you offered a hiring bonus?”

He winced. “The problem with that is, they might take the bonus and then quit. Any other ideas?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” I bit my lip, feeling foolish. But I appreciated the way he didn’t act like I was stupid, even when I said something dumb. Instead, he encouraged me to keep trying.

“But if the bonuses were ongoing, that might work.”

“Well, what if they could earn bigger bonuses for each month they work here? Maybe a percentage of the profit the business makes?”

“I like that idea. That would motivate them to help the business succeed.” He smiled at me, flashing bright, white teeth, and crinkling up the corners of his eyes. In the blazing sun, they sparkled like the pool water.

He was attractive even when he was in serious, business mode, but he was downright gorgeous when he was happy. I had to find more ways to bring that out. He worked so hard, and he’d achieved so much, but it never seemed to satisfy him.

My mind swam with the ideas that had been bubbling since we last talked about it. Now that he seemed more open to the concept, I let them spill out. “You could also offer non-monetary rewards, like coupons for a free massage at the spa or a meal in the restaurant. That wouldn’t cost you much, but it would be a luxury to them. You could even let them choose the reward they want. Maybe they could earn points for doing different things.”

“Like what?” He leaned in and looked at me, his eyes so intense they felt like lasers, burning into me.

I gave a nervous smile and tried to stay confident. “It could differ, based on their area. Like, the people who work in reservations could earn points for every room they book. The spa employees could earn them for the services they sell.”

“Motivate them to do their job to the best of their ability. That’s brilliant, Layla.” He squeezed my hand, and I felt my fingers shake and my cheeks warm.

The idea wasn’t that much different from the way waitresses earned tips for good service, so I didn’t feel right taking the credit for it. But I loved it when he looked at me like that, like I was his partner and not just some dumb actress who couldn’t land a role and had to take the only job I could find.

“Can you come up with a list of goals for each department and a list of possible rewards? I want to show this to Tessa right away, see if we can draw some more applicants. I’ll run the numbers and figure out what kind of profit percentage bonus we could offer.” His body seemed to vibrate with renewed energy like he’d downed a double shot of espresso. I grabbed his arm as he jumped out of the chair.

There was something else I’d been mulling over for a while, but I’d been hesitant to suggest it since I knew how he felt about the people of Sweet Bay, but his excitement motivated me. “Calvin, I have another idea.”

He looked at my hand, clenched around his arm, then furrowed his brow and sat back down, staring at me with that intensity that made me feel six inches tall.

“Never mind. You probably won’t like it.” I quickly pulled my hand away, but he reached for it and covered it with his.

“You’ve had a lot of good ideas, Layla. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. What is it?”

I avoided eye contact by staring at the beautiful scenery around me — tall palms and lush, tropical plants surrounding the pool, and a stunning ocean view in the background — and tried to remind myself why this was a good idea. The sun beat down on me, making sweat bead up on my forehead.

“Well, I think you might drum up more local interest in the resort if you gave people a chance to check it out, see how incredible it is, and give them a sense of belonging and ownership. Just like the incentive plan. What if you had a job fair? You could throw a big event, give all the attendees a tour and a taste of the luxury — food, music, maybe some spa services. Then you could tell them about all the benefits you plan to offer.”

I could tell Calvin was struggling with the idea by the look on his face, but he wasn’t rejecting it outright. He pulled at his tie and wiped at his brow with one of my napkins. “It’s a nice idea, Layla. But do you have any idea how much something like that would cost?”

I hated that everything came down to money with him. He was a billionaire, for heaven’s sake! Would it really break him to spend a few dollars? I knew being frugal was how he’d managed to get where he was, but he was so stingy, it came across as greed. But I knew that would be his argument, so I’d thought of a solution.

I took a drink of my water to fortify myself, wishing it was something stronger. “Well, I had an idea for that, too. What if you asked local businesses to provide the food, entertainment, and supplies in exchange for free advertising and a chance to bid for a contract to provide services to the resort?”

“Local sourcing of supplies wasn’t one of the requirements of my permits. I might be able to find a better deal going with overseas suppliers.”

I gritted my teeth. Couldn’t he ever see beyond the bottom line? “I know, but you’d earn favor with the town and help the other businesses if you sourced everything locally. You can’t put a price on goodwill.”

He cringed but sat silently for a few moments, staring out at the pool like he was considering it. Or maybe just considering how to tell me it was a stupid idea.

“What if I can make sure the bids are comparable to what we’ve gotten from other suppliers? Would you consider it then?”

He let out a long, dramatic sigh then gave me a wry smile that made him look younger and less burdened by the stresses of running a multimillion dollar business. “Saying yes goes against all my principles, but I’m desperate, and it sounds like a good idea. I’ll come up with a budget I’m willing to spend. If you can make it happen for that, I’m willing to try it.”

“I won’t let you down.” I forced a smile. I’d just taken on a huge project unlike anything I’d ever done before, and if it failed, I’d probably lose my job. But I wanted to help Calvin and the town and prove to myself that I was more than just a pretty face. It meant so much to me that he was willing to give me a chance. I couldn’t let him down.

The party would delay my return to Hollywood, but another month wouldn’t hurt. As long as I was living with my parents, I could save all my money and use it to pay the back rent on my apartment. It should be just enough to keep me from losing it.

I jumped up as soon as Calvin walked away and hustled back to the office to get started. I had tons of planning to do, lists to write, calls to make. I spent the next several days working every minute, getting everything organized.

I came up with goals and rewards for the incentive program and got Calvin’s approval then forwarded the plan on to Tessa, along with information about the upcoming job fair. I contacted several local companies to convince them to provide food, drinks, and supplies for the party, promising them the chance at a huge, exclusive contract. I even found a local band who was willing to play for the party in exchange for publicity. I hung up signs everywhere they’d let me, posted on the resort website and on Facebook, then let the town gossip chain help spread the word for me.

My local fame and status came in handy. Even after twelve years of absence, most everyone in town still knew who I was, and I’d always had the charisma to persuade people to do what I wanted. Even though I had to go through the same, torturous conversation a dozen times, trying to make it sound like I’d left Hollywood and come back to work at the resort by choice and not out of desperation. But fortunately, my involvement and enthusiasm alone got people to soften some of their resistance towards Calvin and the resort, and people seemed eager to attend the party.

My parents and the Society Club members weren’t too happy about the excitement I was inspiring, but I couldn’t let them discourage me. They were stubborn and stuck in their ways with a huge grudge against Calvin just because of who his family was. I just prayed they wouldn’t do anything to sabotage the event.