Page 11 of Never and Always
“Murray—” She tried to pull her hand free, but I held tight.
With a huff, she gave up.
She was tall, and with her heels, she was only a few inches shorter than me. I towed her through the lobby. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this pool project, or working so closely with Piper, but I had to admit, Ro had a good idea.
The glass-enclosed pool would be very popular.
“You like to swim?”
Piper blinked. “Actually, I do.”
Instantly, my brain conjured up an image of her in a bikini. A red one. She’d look spectacular.
Get a grip, Murray. I pulled her into the great room.
I loved this room. The huge, stone fireplace was the centerpiece of the space, and large chandeliers added to the grand vibe. It was a casual lounge, where guests could relax, get a casual meal or drink, and sit and look out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I pulled her right up to the windows, and something crossed her face. It looked like a flicker of pleasure.
I grinned. “You like the great room.”
She sniffed. “No.”
“Give it up, big city, I can read you like an open book.”
She pulled a face. “Fine, this room does have a certain charm.”
I smiled. “Did that hurt to admit?”
“A little.” She stared out the window.
It was snowing a lot today. There were lots of guests making the most of the slopes and clearly enjoying it.
“So that’s where the pool will go.” I pointed.
She tilted her head. It was the area where we’d had the Halloween party back in the fall.
“It’ll join the main building over there.” I shifted my finger, studying the edge of the hotel building. “And you’ll get to expand your spa.”
“I am happy about that. I was hoping we could offer more services in the spa, so this would be a huge upside.” She tilted her head. “I have to admit, the glassed in pool, and the snow, will be very Instagrammable.”
I couldn’t imagine who would want to take photographs of a pool rather than actually swim in it and enjoy it.
“I need to take a look at the pool pump system, and the heating system, and the engineering for the glass roof.”
“And I need to pick colors for tiles and paint. Plus, make the adjustments to the spa plans.”
I could see that clever mind of hers whirling.
“So, are we going to do this?”
She straightened. “I’m on board with anything that’s good for Langston Hotels and its guests. And that’s profitable. I’m sure we won’t have to spend too much time together to finalize this.”
“We’ll see.” I couldn’t resist poking her. “Maybe you’ll discover you like me.”
The look she shot me told me that she didn’t find that likely.
“I’m actually a nice guy, you know.”
