Laura's Big Win
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Laura's Big Win
WINDMERE series - book one
Michelle Tschantr?
Laura's Big Win
Copyright ? 2010 by Michelle Tschantr?
All rights reserved.
{3nd Edition ? 2017}
Cover Design & Formatting by: Laura Shinn Designs
https://laurashinn.yolasite.com
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
Laura's Big Win is a work of fiction.
Though actual locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any resemblance of characters in this story to any person living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Dedicated to:
?the survival of love.
CONTENTS
Preface
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Epilogue
About the Author
Preface
In Windmere Series, book one, "Laura's Big Win", the reader meets Laura Nessing and Ryan Williams, two people with deep emotional voids in their hearts. The common thread is the place called WINDMERE, a former private estate, maybe with some magic included, but certainly with dynamic relationships as things evolve between Laura and Ryan, each filling the void in the other's life, unsure about many things but sure in the growing love each has for the other. Many of the characters one meets in book one also play parts in subsequent releases, such as "Score One for Angela", and "Magnetic Love: When Opposites Attract".
Chapter One - Ryan, In The Beginning
Ryan Williams happened to be an only child, but by neither his nor his parents choice. The baby who would have been his brother never made it into the world, and the miscarriage with his mothers general condition dictated there would be no replay. The good news was that his parents, however they may have favored him, always set high standards, not unrealistic standards, but ones he could reach only by stretching his boundaries. And he stretched regularly. Always attracted to a challenge, he took AP courses in school, ran the lonely man's sport of cross country, played football and basketball as well. Ryan always managed to find a part time job, whether at the resort his parents owned and operated, or in the off season doing deliveries, whatever it took. Someone having a hard time with their own kids asked his parents one time how they talked him into going to college, and his father replied "We never talked about if he was going; we just talked about where. 'If' never came up."
An observant learner in the school of business, Ryan quickly learned that to really get ahead of the pack, he needed something the pack didn't have, and he reviewed his assets. Other than the somewhat small resort his parents owned and operated, there wasn't much in his asset stack. Too, he believed they would probably expect him to come home after graduation and help run the place; after all, he did consider his life up to that point to be a result of their care, and although they didn't really look at it that way, he felt he at the least owed them some time back.
Ryan considered his future potential at some length. He was aware that he did not have the resources to start out on his own, that he would have to find some means of leveraging what was available to him already, which was limited to what his parents already controlled. He was also acutely aware that their assets represented their financial future, so whatever he did, he would have to ensure their protection. After studying the options at some length, he realized that possible expansion of the existing operation was probably out of the question. It would be costly at very best, and there were already plenty of rooms available in the general area. The other problem was that the site was limited both in physical size and by being at the end of the access road; that's when he realized the biggest asset of the site, limited access. 'Privacy,' Ryan thought, 'is what I can use. Suppose I make this a privacy issue, maybe a security issue, even put in a control gate so traffic is limited. I don't have to sell the sun and water; everyone here does that for me. Suppose I sell seclusion and security; we're already at the end of the road, so I can control that, and the other side of the site can easily be made inaccessible. We can spruce up a little, maybe add a gate house, and charge accordingly.'
The summer of his senior year in college he worked on his plan while helping out his parents around the resort. It wasn't that he didn't see the women lounging by the pool watching his tall, muscular form walk by. It was simply that he reasoned there would be time for that later; he had other things to do. At the end of the summer, he presented his plan to his parents, even telling them the risks involved. To protect them, he had devised a property exchange deal where they would sell the property to him, a bank would hold the mortgage, and Ryan would be on the hook through his own corporation to repay that money. His parents realized he had covered all the bases, including hiring them back to run the operation until they wanted to retire. That way, their assets were well protected should anything go wrong. They were impressed that their son had seen some potential they had never suspected existed, and after looking at all his homework, decided they should support him in his efforts. The real change was nine months away when he would return full time to make the alterations and take over the operation.
Ryan initiated internet advertising, staying away from the lengthy mundane chat about tennis courts, water sports, and things like that, and instead touted benefits of "comfort and security with all the amenities for yourself and your friends in our family compound." He was well aware how much it sounded like a similar site up in Hyannis Port that everyone knew about, and liked the comparison for the exclusive tone it set. e was awareHeBetter still, he noted the exclusive clientele, and the limited openings remaining available for the summer, even though he actually had no real bookings at the moment. The physical work took place during May while the facility was shut down, and with Ryan there as much as he could with school still in session, things took shape quickly because of the intense and interlocked planning he had done. His parents were briefed each Sunday before he returned to campus on what was to take place the next week, and things unfolded like an inflatable toy, including inflating the new poolside toys. Memorial Day saw him out of school except for final graduation in June, the new gates turned on, and an immaculate used Mercedes Limo in the drive for the runs to the local airport. Knowing the best internet sites on which to advertise had been mostly good research, with a little luck thrown in; within 24 hours of the web site opening, bookings came in like birds on wing, including credit card numbers, reservation fees, the works. If he was at all nervous, Ryan did not show it on the surface, strolling through the guests with a smile and confident stride, as often as not drawing a lustful glance over the shoulder from a wife or girlfriend on the prowl. But this was business, and Ryan understood the requirement of keeping his life and that of the business as separate entities.
Although they operated year round, the three summer months were critical in profitability for the year, or so Ryan thought. In the past, the resort had operated year round because of the tem
perate climate, but the "off season" bookings were a little more scarce, and while they did bring in a net positive bottom line, it was as much to keep good employees working as to make a significant profit. What Ryan had not anticipated was that his business plan had all been based on the former operation. This new operation had a life of its own, and a much different business plan. High end spenders vacationing there with their "friends", mostly female, saw the potential for using this place as a tax write off for secure business meetings in the fun and sun, an opportunity frequently pointed out by Ryan as soon as he saw the direction things were taking. Sensing a growing opportunity, Ryan took some of the revenue flood and built a media center adjacent to the main dining room but with access to the pool. It could seat maybe 40 persons comfortably, but was appointed with materials that could withstand patrons right out of the pool returning to a presentation after a poolside lunch and a quick dip. The attraction was immediate, and their fall bookings went to maximum. Ryan was aware of the success, but was particularly pleased with himself the day the local airport manager called to thank him personally for the private plane landing fees he had been collecting that summer, and into fall. It was, he said, a bonanza to their small operation.
One of the fallouts of the successful migration from public resort to private playground was this young man's growing reputation among other resort owners as having not only the foresight and knowledge to make the change, but the internal fortitude to pull it off while still attending class. Ryan was now full time, as were his parents, but he realized there was a lot more fun in creating this place than in operating it. He didn't mind the daily operations, and frequently found things to improve on, but the routine didn't stimulate him and he soon discovered the "need" to hire a manager to handle many of the daily routine items. His parents understood the need, and were in many ways grateful for the additional young staffer who could handle things on a 24/7 basis. Ryan saw to it that the pay scale was more than adequate, since he wanted little or no turnover in staff. And one day, when a competitor called about hiring his management services, Ryan took the bait. His only stipulation was that he not be hired to work against himself; he considered that to be a conflict of interest, regardless of how many promises were made, and could not allow himself to do it. But that didn't keep people from calling anyway, and after a couple of successful business turnarounds, he had a whole new direction on his plate.
Three years into the new business plan, Ryan realized there was more he needed to know, particularly about financing things and how to protect himself and his parents if nothing else. A number of his alliances had now grown into multi-million dollar operations with overlapping layers of financing that seemed just a little hazy to him. After considering how to approach the situation, he changed his working arrangement to part time and at the ripe old age of 25 enrolled in a two year MBA program at his alma mater. It was almost strange to be back in class again, particularly since he was a little older than the majority of students. Many of them had simply stayed in school after graduating from four years, and the vast majority had no real clue how business actually functioned in the daily activities of the world. Ryan soon learned that a number of the faculty were equally limited in actual application, but the courses he needed most, finance, were frequently taught by business persons who had retired and elected to teach part time for something to do. Ryan quickly became rather a pet student, but he worked hard at not letting it interfere with learning. The first year passed quickly, especially with commuting home now and then to help earn his keep, and a limited number of consulting jobs on the side when he felt the need to get away for a few days. Financially he was in good shape, but when the student teaching job came open, he was encouraged to take it by his professors. He often reflected back that they were just trying to get even with him for being in their classes, but it was in good fun and certainly a new challenge for him. Being in front of people was no problem, but doing a different routine every day and staying ahead of the class was a new challenge he relished as a mind exercise.
Three days into the course, he discovered another reason for teaching: Mary Younger, sitting about the middle of the room. But this was business, and as he had done at the resort, he kept his distance, only taking admiring glances when he was sure she was not looking. Ryan was very good at maintaining business confidentiality, but the personal level was something at which he was not practiced; it was down to a matter of hours before Mary was made aware of his interest by every other woman in the class, even if he did keep his distance. She had been doing course work at a junior college part time, trying to decide what career to follow, and now in her mid-twenties, she had decided business courses were where she needed to be and she transferred to full time. A dedicated and bright student, she seldom needed help with anything in the course, but that didn't stop her from creating opportunities for Ryan to step up. Meeting in the campus coffee shop to allegedly discuss a class, Ryan finally broached the subject of their relationship and explained why he had been maintaining his distance, the student-teacher thing and all that. Mary understood his dilemma, but it didn't change her mind. This man was worth going after, and she opened the dialogue.
"We're on quarters, and we are now four weeks into this course. In eight weeks the class will be over. I guess what I really want to know is, when the class is out, is that it for us, or is there more? A girl has to sort of know these things, you know, and truthfully, I just can't read you, so I'm asking."
"You know me, at least some, and you know why I've stayed at arm's length; I think that's only fair to the other students. But I'm not blind, or unaware of you. At the end of class, if I reach out, will you be there?"
"If you want me to be there, I'll be there."
"I want you there, and I think it's going to a damn long eight weeks; if we can stand that much, it's good practice for a lifetime."
Mary was startled at this turn of events, from a simple dating situation to a comment about a lifetime commitment, but she realized this was a man who knew what he wanted, and she was apparently what he wanted, pretty much sight unseen. Maybe he was a quick learner, or a good reader of people, or something. She only knew for sure that she wanted to know all those things about him, and it would indeed be a long eight weeks.