The Undercover Resort Billionaire

by Chelsea Hale

  Thoughts of his uncle flooded him. What had Uncle Dale seen in this place? There had to be a reason he sent Liam here. If it was ultimately to tear the place down to use the location, he wouldn’t have set up this two-week experience, would he? His uncle was known for his oddities, but there was always a master plan behind them.

  “I suppose I’m still trying to figure that out.” The words came tumbling out before he could pull them back in. “I guess before I made any changes, I’d want to talk to employees who had been here longer than I was and get their input. Especially if I kept a place like this or wanted to renovate it.” He still wasn’t sure it was worth keeping, intact. But the property was valuable and the location was good. He could see three larger buildings instead of two if he rebuilt it from scratch.

  She gave him a funny look. “Your first thought when you have a dream about owning a place is to get others’ opinions on what to change?”

  Color surged through his face and it wasn’t caused by the sun’s heat. He shifted uncomfortably in his plastic lounge chair. For a minute they hadn’t been employees of the hotel he had inherited, they were just talking. He loved futuristic conversations about dreams. It was one of the things that had fueled him with his uncle to own so many properties around the world. They’d dreamed about it first. But he couldn’t explain that to Callie.

  Suddenly he felt stupid for bringing up dreams at all. He’d have to be more careful about how he asked for people’s opinions as he went around working on the resort. “I think I’d take others’ opinions seriously in my desire to own a place like this.” Though this wasn’t his ideal place. He still wasn’t sure what his uncle saw in it.

  “In my experience, if you tell too many people your dreams, they find a way to use them against you.” Her tone was sad, but matter-of-fact, like she really believed what she had just said.

  He felt the air between them chill in the midst of the sun, and he became aware that a few other employees had joined them on the beach. One went walking into the water and two others threw a Frisbee back and forth. Her statement intrigued him. What had happened to her that she’d keep her dreams to herself.

  Maybe the purse thing was just something to say and not something she meant. He had always been of the opinion that the more people he told about his crazy idea of owning a luxury hotel chain, the faster he would find the people around him to help him and to support him. But her point of view was so different from his. There had to be a solid reason.

  He didn’t know why he wanted to know since he’d only just met Callie, but he asked, “Is that what happened to your dream—the idea about purses?”

  She pressed her lips together and they formed a thin line on her face. She kept her eyes on the horizon. “I realized that dreams were just that. Dreams. And sometimes in the middle of a good dream you wake up and find a nightmare.” She stood up, brushing the sand off her. “I’ll see you after your break is over, I’m going to go back early and get an extra half hour of work in.”

  She stood, not waiting for a response and headed toward the resort.

  Liam just sat there, feeling like an idiot. He’d upset Callie. And why? Because he had wanted to get to know her and was interested in her opinions. But it was obvious that the job she had here at the resort wasn’t her dream job. Not even close. She seemed stuck, and something inside of him wanted to know what she had lost and if he could help. She was bright and intelligent, that had been obvious from the beginning. He had a knack for reading people and wondered if she would be someone he could trust to make decisions about this resort. Perhaps he was just attracted to her. He shook his head. Either way, he wanted to figure out a way to help her.

  Chapter 7

  Callie took the small piece of garbage she’d found on the beach from her pocket and threw it in the trash. Just because she’d been off duty didn’t mean she could ignore the bits of paper that were littered by her lounge chair on the beach.

  She clocked back in and started folding towels. She needed something to do. Her mind raced as she methodically folded the towels and stacked them. Why had she even mentioned her dream at all? She didn’t know Liam. She didn’t need to go around letting people know how far she’d fallen. While she was an employee, she needed to be an employee. She couldn’t be thinking too far in advance until she’d made back the money she needed. And right now, she was on track to finish here in five years. Five more years to make her dreams a reality.

  If she thought too much about her purse line—if she allowed herself to daydream too much, she’d be distracted and restless at work. She knew her plans; she didn’t need to discuss them with anyone. Especially another handsome face who was interested in her dreams. That’s how she’d started out talking to her ex, and look where that had gotten her. It was the reason she was here. No. She’d hold her dreams closer to her chest this time.

  She unfolded the towel she’d just rolled up. It looked like a sloppy mess. She matched the corners, being more meticulous. Every guy wasn’t Michael. And Liam was only making conversation. Maybe that was how he had bounced around from resort to resort. Maybe he liked to pretend he owned the place, and perhaps that helped him stay motivated and take pride in doing his job. And why had she been weird about that? Lots of people probably did the same thing.

  She became aware of someone standing next to her out of her peripheral vision, but she kept her eyes on her towel and the corners.

  “I’m sorry I upset you. I didn’t mean to. Sometimes I get carried away, I guess.” Liam grabbed one of the towels and began folding.

  Repetition was what she needed. And a strict schedule. It was good to keep her mind off of how far she’d fallen. She’d been basically homeless before getting this job. What the bank didn’t repossess to pay for the damages the police had taken as evidence. Even with the situation resolved, things weren’t going to go back to what they had been before.

  “You didn’t upset me. I just needed to get back to work.” The words sounded tinny to her own ears.

  He leaned over to her. “You’ve refolded that same towel four times now. Something’s wrong.” He gave her a slow smile.

  How could she put it into words? It wasn’t him particularly. It was the difference between them. He had lavish dreams and she was rebuilding hers. He was fine with playing the “what-if” game about what he might do with something he might never achieve, and she wanted to move past her hurt and make her dreams a reality.

  No. She didn’t want to sit on the employees’ beach and daydream about what it would be like. But she didn’t need to take that out on him. She wanted to stay focused with her nose to the grindstone and get back on track to reach her dreams. She finished folding the towel and looked up at him. Liam was a coworker, but maybe he had some insight. After all, he was dreaming about a farfetched life, and he had worked at a couple of other resorts.

  Maybe she just needed perspective. “Have you ever wished your life turned out differently—I mean, that you weren’t here folding towels?”

  He tilted her head at her, a ponderous look in his eyes, and she wondered if she’d offended him. When he didn’t say anything, she filled the silence between them. She put a hand on his forearm, and immediately felt a wave of sparks pass between them. She pushed the thought away immediately. She wasn’t in the market to be interested in him. She was finally getting her feet back under her. “Not that there’s anything wrong with folding towels.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I mean, I’m not judging—obviously I’m also folding them too, but haven’t you ever wanted something more? Something more than just doing a job? You talked about big dreams on the beach, and I guess it got to me. I’m done with talking about dreams. I want to live my dreams.”

  He opened his mouth and just as quickly shut it again. He didn’t say anything, just stacked another towel. They moved to the next area where another laundry bin of clean towels was ready for the same makeover of being folded and stacked, ready for guests to use at their disposal.

 
; She could tell she had offended him. Maybe he thought she was talking down to him. She wasn’t above working hard for what she wanted. And everyone had their own idea of an ideal job. But working at a resort wasn’t hers. Not in her current capacity. But what if this really was what Liam wanted to do? Perhaps he liked the flexibility of living at and trying new resorts and seeing the world while not worrying about the expense of settling down with a house. She shouldn’t assume that her dreams were everyone’s dreams.

  Maybe he liked thinking about owning the places he worked and that was enough motivation for him. She turned to him and leaned against the cart with the towels. “Sorry. You just got me thinking. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. There’s nothing wrong with a job. I mean, it pays the bills, right? And besides, I bet you have seen some amazing resorts, and have had fun going from one to the other.”

  He smiled at her and her heart did this crazy stuttering thing against her rib cage. What? It was just a smile. Just teeth and lips. But the way he moved both captivated her.

  “Callie, I wasn’t offended by your observation. I was thinking how … to answer you. I suppose I do have big dreams.” He blew out a breath. “I’m in the middle of a dream right now … trying to figure out what exactly I want to do and how I want to go about that.”

  The idea intrigued her. “In the middle of a dream? Like this is your dream job?” Her voice sounded shocking even to her own ears.

  He laughed nervously. “I suppose this isn’t my exact dream job, but I don’t know. There’s something about this place. It makes me want to dream even bigger and get outside my own ideas. I want to hear other people’s opinions and dreams. It helps me think. It helps me wrap my head around the logic of my own decisions.”

  This guy was deep. She wasn’t sure what he meant, but before she could ask him, he gave her a flirtatious smile and threw a towel at her. It surprised her, and she laughed, throwing the towel right back at him. Her lungs seemed to expand deeply for the first time since the day she’d walked into the bank six months ago. Had she really not laughed at all since then? Except for when she was around Liam? The thought both scared and excited her.

  She whacked him again playfully with the towel before quickly folding it. Liam tried to get her back, but she dodged out of the way, using the cart as a shield. Liam leaned over the cart and she yelped, then laughed at being scared by him.

  “Not fair,” she said, coming at him with a towel and swirling it around like a whip.

  She’d just about got him when he pushed back against the cart and the entire thing toppled.

  Liam’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry,” he said, trying to get up and right the cart.

  Their pyramids of towels had fallen into the dirt and small bushes that surrounded the large palm trees. Others rolled down the sidewalk, until the towels were completely flat on the ground.

  Callie smiled, amazed at how much her mood had lightened since she’d been at the beach. Things were fine in her life, and they were going to continue to be better, especially with Liam around. She laughed off the moment, helping Liam gather up the now dirty towels and taking them to the laundry bin underneath one of the other tables.

  “Just where did you say you worked before here?” she asked, unable to keep from poking fun at him. She covered her mouth trying to suppress her laugh.

  “Don’t hold my current performance against my last employment,” he said quickly.

  His gaze met hers, and he looked like he like a deer staring at headlights. Why did he look so panicked?

  Callie held a towel in her hand but stepped closer to him. “I was teasing, I wouldn’t do that. Now I’m even more curious where you worked though.” For a minute she studied him, wondering if he would tell her his story of how he came to be here. Did they have something in common in their stories? She wondered as she waited for him to speak.

  “I used to—”

  Callie hung on what he was about to say but before he answered her question, their supervisor came up to them, interrupting their conversation.

  Gina gave Callie a pointed look. “I need to see you in my office.” Her voice was no-nonsense, and Callie wondered how much of their flirting she’d seen.

  “It was my fault. It won’t happen again,” Liam said.

  Gina just looked over at him, raising one thinly penciled eyebrow over her left eye. “See that it doesn’t.”

  Callie followed Gina down the hall and into her office. They didn’t speak until the door was closed and they were both seated. “I’m sorry—”

  Gina held up her hand for silence. “I don’t want to know. But I also won’t tolerate goofing around while you’re on duty.”

  Callie nodded, not wanting to point out she’d gone back to her shift early. If she was doing work, then she needed to be professional, she understood. She wasn’t quite sure how it even happened. How she’d been laughing and talking and sort of flirting with someone she’d just met yesterday. No other coworker in the last six months had inspired so much as a spark, but here she was now, acting like a twitterpated teenager.

  “I called you in here because there is news for you.” Gina opened a folder on her desk and handed Callie an envelope.

  “Thank you,” Callie said, opening the envelope. It was a note explaining that the full report was ready for her, but must be hand delivered. Callie looked up, wondering if Gina knew anything about it. Gina had been the delivery person for several notices over the last couple of months as sensitive correspondence was not put into Callie’s employee mail slot.

  Gina nodded. “The man who delivered this said he would be outside of the hotel in the parking lot for the next fifteen minutes. Should you like to talk to him, I’ll allow it.” Her voice had turned kind, and Callie appreciated the support.

  “I think I will,” she said before walking out the door and toward the lobby. She thought she’d already been given a full report when they’d caught Michael, but she wondered what else there could be.

  * * *

  Callie scanned the parking lot, not seeing anyone who looked like they were waiting for her. She turned around to go back in the lobby when a voice from around the corner of the building said, “Ms. Hayes?”

  Callie stepped toward the man wearing dark sunglasses and an even darker suit. His hair was slicked back, and he looked like he’d be perfectly at home in some popular crime-fighting drama. “That’s me.”

  The man took off his sunglasses, giving her a good look over, and then nodded. “I’m Dawson.”

  She shook his hand. She’d met with several people over the last six months, but they’d always seemed to send someone new. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “My orders were to give this to you personally,” he said, taking out an envelope from an inside pocket of his suit jacket. “I’ve been following this case since before you became involved with it. I’m sorry for the way things turned out.”

  She tapped the envelope against her palm. “Thanks for bringing this to me,” she said, wondering if she should read through the report now or wait until she was back in the privacy of her own room.

  As if sensing her thoughts, he said, “Sometimes people find it helpful to read the report with someone by them. That way I can answer any questions you might have.”

  She nodded, not knowing what she was expecting. She tore open the envelope, leaving a jagged edge to the top of it. The report wasn’t long, and most of it she already knew.

  “He’d opened five accounts in my name?” she asked, wondering what the damage would be on that, and how much more she’d have to repay.

  He nodded. “But the good news is those accounts and the credit cards he opened and maxed out in your name are all part of the identity theft portion. You aren’t responsible for any of that.” He swallowed. “Because you gave him direct access to your other accounts, there’s nothing that we can do to recover that money. I’m sorry. He’s done this before, but with his prison sentence and more evidence coming out against him, it w
ill be a long time before he can get out.”

  Callie nodded. This was the final piece of closure she needed. She asked a few more questions about the document and made sure there was nothing else that she needed to do. When he’d given her all the answers, she said, “Thank you for your help, Dawson.”

  “I wish it could have turned out better for you. The money is all gone. We can’t find it anywhere. But you won’t be responsible for any more damages.”

  She nodded. Her house and her possessions had already been factored into the deal. She really was where she was. Starting over with her dreams and a job that would make that possible. She looked up at the resort. After six months of it feeling like home, it was officially now her only home. And she loved it. Her fellow coworkers had taken on the role of family. And she was going to give this place her all until it was time for her to spread her wings and let her dreams fly again.

  Dawson was watching her with a concerned look on his face, but she only smiled. It was amazing to her that such final news could bring her to a place of peace. Even after they’d caught Michael, there was still a chance that they’d find her money stashed away somewhere under a mattress or in a foreign account, but with that possibility gone, it was now going to be easier for her to really sink herself into her new position and to rebuilding her dream without holding out on the hope that maybe her money could be recovered and she could immediately launch into her purse dream again. It was maybe the best news she could receive, because now she didn’t have to wonder anymore.

  She threw her arms around Dawson’s neck and gave him a huge hug before she realized what she’d done and stepped back. “Thank you,” she said.

  Dawson nodded, looking confused. “I do what I can. I wish there was more I could do.”

  “It’s what it needs to be. And I’m glad to have the closure.”

  He picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze, leaving a card in hers. “This is my direct line,” he said. “You let me know if I can ever help you again. Your details about his travels and where he had said he went made it possible for us to catch him, and I’m indebted to you.”