Why couldn’t she just be allowed to be happy?
Obviously there were no answers to any of those questions, so she washed and conditioned her hair and lathered up her body with her favorite body wash before rinsing off. After she dried off and pulled on her robe, she padded back into the hotel room. It was too early to go to bed, but she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with herself.
Her phone was vibrating on the nightstand, and she was almost afraid to look at it.
Sitting down on the bed, she saw it was a text from Harlow.
“Okay, whew.” Picking it up, she read:
Harlow: Hey! Sorry to be texting so late. I had planned on being at the resort today, but I was swamped at work.
Harlow: I just sold this massive old Victorian, and the buyers are looking for a decorator to help them bring it back to its original charm!
Harlow: Personally, it’s not my taste, but I’m not the one living there. Lol!
Harlow: Anyway, I gave them your name and email, so you should probably check your messages, because I was with them when they called and then emailed.
Harlow: Needless to say, they are extremely motivated.
Harlow: I’ll be at the resort all day tomorrow so we can talk about it, and I’ll email you the video I took of the walk-through.
Harlow: Have a great night, and I am so excited for you and for this!
Harlow: See you in the morning!
“Holy crap!” she said with excitement, immediately tossing her phone down and grabbing her laptop.
For the next fifteen minutes, she watched and rewatched the walkthrough video and already had some amazing ideas for the house. Retro stuff like that wasn’t really her thing, but she had studied enough that it wouldn’t be hard for her to find the resources she’d need to make it happen.
She was just about to do a little more research when she realized she never responded to Harlow.
Maisie: OMG! This is very cool! Thank you so much for the referral!
Maisie: Hopefully they’ll want to hire me!
She was about to put her phone back down when it vibrated with a response.
Harlow: They’re definitely hiring you. When I told them about you and everything you’re doing for the resort, they were on board.
Harlow: I can be very persuasive too.
Maisie: Wow! This is definitely exciting! Thank you!
Harlow: My pleasure! See you in the morning!
Okay, now she was ready to dig into some research.
She searched for inspiration—what colors and patterns were used in that era. She created a mood board that she would share with Harlow tomorrow. Then she looked at furniture and where she might purchase antique pieces or replicas and made a list.
Her eyes were starting to blur, and when she finally looked at the time, she saw it was after midnight. Yawning, she stretched and went to put her laptop back on the desk. It was late and she was tired, but she was also lonely and wished she had someone to talk to about this potential job.
And before she could second-guess herself, she pulled up Axel’s name.
Maisie: Hey. Are you up?
Of course, he could be asleep. After all, he was working hard all day doing physical labor, so there was no guarantee he’d be awake. But when those three little dots began dancing, she giddily got under the blankets and waited for his response.
Axel: Hey. Yeah, I’m up. Is everything okay? Are you alright?
