‘Actually,’ Sierra said, smiling, ‘Mav broke the guy’s hand.’
There was a loud round of applause.
Paul slapped him on the back.
Jordyn gave him a single nod of approval.
‘But?’
All eyes turned to Deb.
‘I mean, there is abut– right? You wouldn’t be telling us if there wasn’t.’
‘Tomorrow morning, Nina and Mav are going to head back to LA. To officially file a police report.’ Sierra linked her hands together on the desk, Mav knew, trying to appear calm despite the storm. ‘After which, we will be closing the resort gates to the public for two weeks.’
Sierra continued through the ghostly silence. ‘We’re expecting a media storm. And we want to keep Nina as safe as possible during it. Obviously, we also want to continue to provide our guests with the luxury and privacy they’re paying for.’
Jordyn collapsed back in her seat. ‘Sierra … The restaurant – the bar – is our cash cow.’
‘I know.’ Sierra sighed. ‘I am fully aware of the risk we’re taking, but we can survive two weeks of limited operations.’ When Jordyn didn’t say anything, Sierra added, ‘Think of it as a two-week vacation, Jords. You’ll be feeding twenty to fifty people a day instead of hundreds.’
‘I mean, I’m all for the break and I’m sure my staff are too, but I don’t want you guys to risk the resort. I freaking love my job here.’
Several nods followed her statement.
‘We’re not risking the resort. Closing to the public will hurt – yes. But we’ll manage.’ Sierra sighed. ‘We look after our own here. And since Mav and Nina are dating—’
‘Goddammit.’ Jordyn fished a hundred-dollar bill from her bra and passed it to Deb.
Paul groaned. ‘I’ll give it to you after the meeting.’
Lucas said, ‘Ditto.’
Mav had to ask, ‘You guys had a pool going?’
‘We did,’ Deb said sheepishly.
‘Dude!’ Jordyn slapped his arm. ‘I’m happy for you and shit, but you just cost me.’ She shook her head. ‘Maverick Hunt datingtheNina Keller. Who would’ve guessed?’ She angled her head to look at him. ‘I’d ask if it’s serious, but I know you.’
‘I don’t do casual,’ was all he said in reply.
‘Oh my God, could you imagine if she moved here? And we got to see her all the time?’ Deb asked excitedly. ‘We’d have our own resident celebrity!’
‘Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,’ Mav warned, only because he desperately wanted that future but couldn’t focus on it until Nina was safe.
There was a lot that needed to happen before they even had that conversation, including dealing with Alexander Cane and the ensuing fallout. And, still, he was man enough to admit that he was scared.
Nina had a life that she had worked really hard for. But so did he. If they chose to stay together, if she chose to stay with him, it would be hard. For both of them. He would never ask her to give up acting, so there would be months of distance when she was actively filming. And, yeah, he could visit relatively often.
But it would weigh on them.
And Poppy.
He could know in the depths of his soul that Nina and Shannon were nothing alike and still understand that it would be difficult for him and Nina to make an honest go of it. And if it didn’t work out …
‘It’s going to be a rough couple of months here,’ Sierra said, distracting him from his thoughts. ‘I’ve put together some Dos and Don’ts of talking to media.’ She reached for a wad of papers and passed them around. ‘The gates will be locked, but they’ll try get in anyway. If in doubt, just say “No comment,” and then come and get either Mav or me.’
She picked up another stack of papers and passed them around. Mav looked down at the IMDb photo of Alexander Cane. Handsome. Successful. Wealthy. And a complete predator.
