“Ooh…English muffins, please.”
“Maisie?”
“Hmm?”
“You don’t have to be so polite,” he said with amusement.
Shrugging, she started cracking eggs into the bowl. “I can’t help it. That’s how I was raised.”
“I mean, I appreciate it, but it’s just the two of us here so…you can relax.”
Things were quiet for a solid five minutes, and it was making her crazy. “So how will you go about checking for damage? There’s a lot of property here, I’m guessing. Are you going to do it all today?”
Luckily, that led to a solid conversation that took them through the rest of the breakfast preparations, and by the time they sat down to eat, it was the perfect segue for her presentation.
They had already talked about a lot of what she had laid out, so this time she set up her PowerPoint presentation that included 3D models of the rooms and cabins. It was almost fifteen minutes long, so they could eat without having to talk.
When the video ended, Maisie drank the last bit of her coffee before looking over at Axel. “So?”
He shrugged. “I told you yesterday and again this morning, it’s exactly what I was looking for. And once the guys respond to my text, I think we’ll all agree that we want to hire you.”
This was the time when she should have jumped for joy, but she was still reluctant. What if his friends didn’t like it? What if they still wanted to interview more people? What if…?
Axel’s phone began vibrating and chiming, and as soon as he picked it up and tapped the screen, his smile grew. He tapped it a few more times before putting it down and looking at her.
“Unanimous,” he said, holding out his hand to hers to shake it. “The entire team at the Lakeview Harbor Resort would like to hire you.”
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, her hands covering her mouth. Maisie felt herself tremble because…this was it. This was the answer to a prayer. The miracle she needed. Relief washed over her in waves, and before she knew it, she was on her feet and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
And then she was in Axel’s arms, openly sobbing.
Later she knew she’d be mortified, but right now, it was like all the tension and anxiety she’d been carrying around could finally be released.
He didn’t say a word, didn’t try to ask her what was wrong or if she was okay. It was like he knew this was what she needed.
This man…
Time simply melted away. She had no idea how long they stood like that. All she knew was that little by little, she felt herself relaxing. And when she could finally pull away, she did so reluctantly. Ducking her head, she quickly wiped her face before looking up at him, and the look of pure tenderness on his face almost made her cry again.
But she didn’t.
“Sorry. Obviously, I’m very relieved. This is…it’s…” She sighed. “For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe.”
His expression never changed. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I told you last night and again this morning…”
“I know. I know,” she interrupted. “But that was before you had confirmation from the rest of the owners. Now it’s real, and I am ready to get to work!” She wanted to hug him again but resisted. “Okay, so…let’s clean up the breakfast mess and clean up the rest of the stuff in here so we can move all the food over to your cabin and I can get on my way.”
Together they cleared away the dishes and washed them, but when they moved back out to the common area, Axel stopped her before she could pick up the sheets and blankets she’d used last night.
“You don’t have to do all that,” he told her. “I’d feel better if you left before the rain started again. It would ease my mind a lot knowing you got home safely.”
“I appreciate that, but there’s no way I’m going to leave this mess. I helped make it, so it’s only fair that I help clean it up.”
But he was already shaking his head. “Please go and get dressed and then pack up your presentation stuff. By the time you’re done, I’ll have this all under control. Although it’s probably going to stay here because I can’t do any laundry until all the power’s restored, so…”
“Oh. Right.”
“It’s okay. Really. Go and do your thing, and I’ll do mine, and we’ll meet up in the kitchen when you’re ready.” And without another word, he turned and walked away.
