“Why would you even want to do this? I’m just someone decorating the resort. It would be one thing if this involved Axel, but it doesn’t. It can’t. He already shared his past with me so I would never put him in a position where anyone would make him feel bad about himself. I refuse to let him get hurt. He’s been through enough. He doesn’t deserve to get dragged into my mess.”
For a long moment, he simply studied her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“If it weren’t for this situation with your family—or even who your family is—would you have gone for Axel?”
Maisie didn’t even have to think about it. “I would. But I don’t think he would have gone for me if he knew who I really was or where I came from.”
They stood in companionable silence until they heard cheering coming from inside. “I think that’s our cue to go back in,” Connor said.
“I guess so.”
“Give me a name, Maisie,” he urged. “I want to help you.”
She stared at him for so long her eyes actually hurt. “Please don’t make me regret this.” And after another pause, she said, “Bryce Chadsworth.”
With a curt nod, he motioned toward the doorway. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
Chapter Ten
It had been another two weeks before Axel saw Maisie again.
Delivery trucks were filling up the main parking lot, and it was an all-hands-on-deck situation. Walker had hired a team of workers who were going to help unload the trucks and assemble furniture. Today’s deliveries were for all the rooms in the lodge. Maisie was standing with a tablet and directing people on where to take what they were unloading. Technically, he could help, but he had decided to tackle punch list items on the cabins.
It wasn’t that he was avoiding her—they had ended on good terms—but if furniture and decor were arriving, the cabins were going to need to be finished. So he put on his tool belt, grabbed a few guys from his crew, and started walking through every cabin. Some of them needed just a few things—nail pops needed to be repaired or missing hardware had to be installed—but others had more extensive lists that would require sending the finishers back in to repaint.
By lunchtime, they had knocked out almost twenty cabins. They still had another thirty to get through, but he wasn’t sure it was all going to happen today.
Well…he would probably continue to work after his guys went home for the day, but it was so much easier when he had the crew with him. Maybe the next batch of cabins wouldn’t need as much attention.
“Why don’t you guys take your lunch break and we’ll meet back here in an hour?” he suggested. The guys all gave him a thumbs-up before walking away. Axel was going to follow because they had food brought into the lodge for everyone, but he wasn’t really interested in going up there and getting in the middle of the chaos. Instead, he opted to head to his cabin, where he’d make his own lunch.
Stepping onto his porch, he dropped his tool belt before heading inside. There wasn’t much to choose from—grocery shopping was on his to-do list this weekend—but a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches seemed like the way to go.
The weather was cool today, and he’d left the windows open to air the place out. In the distance, he heard Connor’s voice and didn’t think anything of it. But then he heard Maisie’s and that got his attention.
Going over to the window, he stood out of view and tried to hear what they were talking about. Connor’s cabin was next to Axel’s, so he was wondering why the two of them were out there instead of up at the lodge.
“Were you able to find out anything?” she asked.
“Nothing major, but I think I confirmed some stories that are common knowledge.”
“You did? Is anyone willing to say anything publicly?”
“Not yet. But I’m working on it.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She sounded disappointed, but for the life of him, Axel had no idea what they were even talking about.
“Don’t lose hope,” Connor said. “I’m close. By the time the resort work is done and you put the last fresh flower in a vase, I’ll have answers. I swear.”
“Connor, you can’t know that.”
“Trust me. I can.”
