An Unexpected Love Story (Love Story Book Two) (26 page)

“I think it would be easier if I just showed you,” he said. “Rather than try to explain.”

I didn’t respond and an awkward silence fell over the truck. Paul was being weird today, not his usual joking self. It almost seemed like he was nervous, but that was silly; Paul and I had been alone together hundreds of times. What could he have to show me that would make him nervous?

“I was talking to your parents last week,” Paul said, breaking the silence.

This wasn’t unusual. Paul saw them most days at the inn. “Yeah?”

“Not at work,” he said, glancing at me. “Outside of town. They were shopping out at Walmart.”

“What? They were not!”

Paul laughed, and I felt the atmosphere in the truck lighten somewhat. “I swear to God,” he said. “I was shocked, too. They were looking for camping equipment.”

I felt a little pang. They really were prepared to leave Alpena behind. Not only were they talking about taking a trip, they were actually shopping at Walmart. I was happy for them, but was no closer to figuring out what I wanted to do.

“They seemed happy,” Paul said, glancing at me again as if to judge my reaction. “Excited, you know?”

I nodded. “I think they are.”

“How about you?” he asked quietly. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “I think it hasn’t really sunk in yet.” I sighed, feeling my frustration start to rise. “And I still have no idea what I want to do next.”

Paul was quiet for a moment. “They said you had talked about going down to stay with Emily more permanently.”

I squirmed in my seat, uncomfortable for some reason. “Yeah, it’s something we’ve discussed. Em is real big on the idea, she’s been trying to convince me to move in with her, start over down there. Apparently there are lots of jobs. Or maybe I could try to go back to school, finally get my MBA.”

Paul glanced at me sharply. “Are you considering that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I want.”
I wanted John
, I thought.
I would have gone anywhere for John.

“We’re almost there,” Paul said, putting on his turn signal.

I looked out my window again. We were in a heavily forested area. I had a feeling we were over by Long Lake somewhere, but I hadn’t been paying close attention. Paul pulled onto a winding dirt road, the trees encroaching close to the truck. “Where are we?” I asked, but he just shook his head, smiling.

A moment later, we had pulled up to a rambling log cabin. It was half hidden by pine trees. Just beyond it, I thought I could catch a glimpse of the lake, glinting in the sunlight, and another much smaller log cabin. I looked at Paul questioningly. He smiled again, and jumped out of the truck, coming around my side to open my door.

“Okay,” Paul said, sounding a little nervous. He started to walk up the path and I followed him, wondering once again what was going on. As we came through the trees, more of the larger cabin came into view. It was huge, and I could tell it had been nice enough once, but it was now looking pretty run down. “I know it doesn’t look like much,” Paul said. “And they need a lot of work. But try to have an open mind, okay?”

I was about to ask him what the heck he was talking about when I caught sight of a faded signpost in front of the cabin. The paint was chipping and one of the hinges had come loose, so the sign hung lopsided on its post. Squinting, I could just make out what it said in fading light from the now-setting sun:
Full-Service Cabins and Lodge. Weekly and Daily Rates.
And below that, in fresh red paint:
For Sale
.

I was speechless for a long moment. I finally realized that Paul was looking at me in anticipation. “Brooke? What do you think?”

“I…I…Paul, what is this?”

“I saw it a few weeks ago when I was out here fishing,” he said. “Once I was back in my truck, I drove around, looking for it so I could check it out. Ever since then I just couldn’t get it out of my head.”

I didn’t know what to say and Paul’s face fell. “Look,” he said hurriedly. “It’s probably none of my business. But I thought it might be good for you to have a new challenge. I know it would be a lot of work, Brooke, but I can’t stop thinking about how perfect it could be for you.”

“The sign says cabins. There’s more than one?”

He nooded. “The property consists of this main lodge here, with five rooms, and six more cabins that can be rented for hunting or whatever.”

I was quiet, staring around at the woods. Now that I knew what to look for, I could just make out three more cabins through the trees.

Paul was still watching me expectantly, and I tried to focus.

“I don’t know, Paul,” I said, staring up at the imposing façade. “I mean, it’s nice of you to think about me, but I don’t know the first thing about this place. Six cabins and a lodge? It’s probably way outside my budget. And God only knows how much I’d have to put into it.”

“Actually, I kinda checked on all that for you.” He looked sheepish. “Remember that girl I told you about, Carrie? It wasn’t really a date. She’s the listing agent on this place. She brought me over to check it out Friday with a contractor she knows.” He flashed me a grin. “Hitting Hardy’s afterward was entirely her idea.” I stared at him, unable to comprehend that he had done so much for me. Why?

“I think you can afford it, Brooke,” he went on. “With your portion of the profit from the inn as a down payment, I don’t think you’d have any problem.”

He must have caught sight of my face, because his immediately looked worried. “I’m sorry, I know that’s really presumptuous of me, and I’m probably way over the line here. I just…I want you to be happy…” he trailed off and looked away. “Like I said, I couldn’t get it out of my head.”

“Why would you do all this for me?” I whispered, feeling like I might cry though I wasn’t quite sure why. “I don’t understand.”

He was quiet for so long that I eventually turned to look at him. He was staring at me, his eyes intense. “Come on, Brooke,” he said, his voice low. There was something unfathomable in his eyes, something that made me feel like my belly was turning somersaults. “We both know exactly why I would do this for you.”

The realization of his meaning made the blood rush to my cheeks. He did love me, after all. Even now.

“Paul,” I said, my voice coming out in a whisper. “You know I don’t…that I never…”

“Here’s the thing, Brooke,” he said, fixing me with that same tummy-flipping gaze. “I know you a lot better than you realize. I knew you’d be back here as soon as you left for school. I knew you loved that inn way before you realized it yourself. And I think there’s a chance you might feel the same way about me.”

I stared at him, completely lost for words. He took a step closer to me, and I could feel the heat radiating off his body. Paul had apparently given up the new aftershave. Now he smelled like the woods, like Old Spice and fresh lumber. He smelled familiar and comforting. Like home.

“You always think you want something new, something exciting and different,” he said, his voice low and intense. “You’ve spent half your life trying to get away from this place. But when it comes down to it, you always end up right back here.” He gestured his arms at the woods and lake, the sights and sounds of twilight descending on the forest around us. “This is your home, Brooke. This is what makes you happy. And I think, if I can just wait long enough, you might realize that you can say the same about me.”

For a moment, I was sure he was going to kiss me. When he instead took a step back, I felt a surge of disappointment that I didn’t understand. “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand. I stared at it, feeling confused. Watching my face, he broke out into a grin, suddenly looking much more like his normal, familiar face. “Well? Don’t you want to see that place?”

Oh. The lodge. I had completely forgotten the reason for us to be standing in this field.

“Listen, Brooke,” he said, when it was clear to him that I was in no shape to move. “Regardless of anything personal, I still think this could be a great professional opportunity for you. Will you at least take a look at it?”

“Of course,” I said, giving myself a mental shake. He was right. I was fast running out of options, and I owed it to myself to take a look at the property. I reached out and took his outstretched hand. “Let’s check it out.”

* * *

Paul waited until we were back in the truck before he asked me what I thought. While we were exploring the lodge he was eager to chat, explaining its features and talking about ways it could be improved. But once we were ready to go, he quieted down, letting me form my opinion before he asked for a verdict.

“So,” he finally said as he pulled out onto the country road. “What do you think?”

“Well,” I said, taking my time. I was trying hard not to jump to any rash conclusions. “I think it has a lot of potential.”

He looked at me, grinning. “Right? I’m so glad you can see it.”

“And it might have a better chance of doing well in the winter than something in town,” I mused. “Those cabins right on the lake are perfect for ice fishing.”

“That’s what I thought. The smaller ones are great for hunting cottages, and the more secluded ones we could market for couples and families.”

I turned in my seat to look at him. “We?”

Paul’s face colored slightly. “Okay, so my reasons for finding this place aren’t entirely selfless. I was hoping you might need some help getting it ready and actually running the place. I want to be your partner.”

“My partner?”

Even in the gathering darkness I could see Paul roll his eyes. “God, you’re such a control freak. We’d have clearly defined roles, okay, so I wouldn’t be stepping on your toes. But it’s a huge undertaking for one person, and I think you could use my help. I have some savings I could contribute to the down payment. And you know I’m really good with repairs and building stuff, which you would totally need for renovating something.” He paused. “Besides, it’s…well. I just really want to try it.”

I was quiet for a minute, wondering how it would work. Paul and me working together, as partners? After what he had just implied about his feelings for me, could I really agree to work so closely with him? Wouldn’t it be too much like leading him on?

“Brooke, I want to do something with my life,” he said suddenly. He hit his hands on the leather of his steering wheel. “I’m tired of tending bar and getting drunk at Hardy’s every night. I want to do something
real
. I want more.”

“Well, I can certainly understand that,” I said quietly, watching his profile as he drove. Who knew Paul had such ambitions? His words sounded familiar—they sounded like me.

“It would take a lot of work,” I said at last, trying to tamp down the overwhelming excitement that was growing in my belly.

“I don’t think hard work ever put either of us off.”

I was quiet for a moment. “It’s not in Alpena,” I finally said, my voice soft.

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Paul said, reaching over to take my hand. “Maybe it would be better, to get a little distance.”

I thought about the town, about the way it would look to me without the inn standing there on the shore. How would I feel if I had to watch them tearing it down? Day by day dismantling my home, my work. I shivered.

“Yeah, distance might be good.”

“So does that mean you’re in?” Paul asked, excitement clear in his voice.

“I want to think about it,” I said, trying to keep my voice firm. The truth was, a huge part of me wanted to squeal, to jump up and down on the seat of his new truck. My own property! To do with whatever I wanted. Well, not quite, not if I took Paul up on his offer to be my partner. But would that be a bad thing? To have some help? To not put all the weight of the world on my own shoulders, the way I had with the inn?

I couldn’t contain myself. “It does sound pretty freaking fantastic.”

Paul laughed and slapped his hands against the steering wheel again, but this time in excitement. “I knew you’d be into it!”

I laughed with him. “Let’s not get in over our heads, okay? We need to give it a lot of thought. I’ve never considered running a property like that.”

“It doesn’t have to be that place,” he said quickly. “It’s just what gave me the idea. If you want, we could start looking for a B&B or hotel or whatever.”

“It would probably be worth seeing what else is out there,” I agreed. I caught myself. “That is, if we decide to do it.”

Paul just laughed as he turned down the road that would take us home. “You’ll come around,” he said confidently. “I know you will.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

“Okay, what are we looking at today?” Paul asked, sitting down across from me in my booth. I consulted my planner before responding

“We have a resort down the shore in Acme,” I said, pulling out the appropriate fact sheet from Carrie, our realtor. “Comprised of a small motel and…holy crap. Ten private cabins.”

Paul whistled. “Ten cabins
and
a motel? That sounds pretty huge.”

“Well, if the price is anything to go by, it’s a dump.”

“I guess we won’t know until we check it out,” he said happily. I had discovered, over the past two weeks that Paul loved nothing more than checking out properties. He spent half his time at work glued to his iPhone, searching the listing service for something new. “You gonna eat that?” He asked, reaching for my half-finished sandwich.