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“You never know if an opportunity will come your way,” he said
“I can only hope I’ve been trying for quite soet a full-time permanent position”
“At a hotel?”
“Yes And to tell you the truth, I’ve doneto further my education My dream one day is to open up my own bed and breakfast” Stars lit up in Abbi’s eyes
Chase felt the infectious spark of her enthusiasirl with a dream and a plan to work hard for it God, he liked that She wasn’t looking for handouts or an easy way, just to work her way up in the hotel chain and gain adequate skills and knowledge to reach the top Good on her That was just how his great-grandfather had succeeded in building up the Bel s of hotels andat the botto his way skyward
“The econoot to think about surviving and taking care of my family”
“Your fa with hihts and his emotions He wondered, when she mentioned her family, if she had any children from a past relationship Not that he’d mind at all But was her situation…complicated?
“Yes, my sister My parents have passed on”
“Sorry to hear that”
“Thank you,” she said softly “It’s been a while But anyway, I’n environment co full- time”
“I hear you,” Chase said And he really did into make a mental note to his tea in new hires for permanent positions with benefits None of this part-time contractual work to save the bottom line People should come first How the heck could anyone survive in this economy without a stable job?
“What about you? Are you perhts
“Me?” The question caught hiuard, if only momentarily Most women he’d met already kneho he was and what he was about They kne much money he made, his net worth, the cars and mansions he possessed and his hot connections In fact, they’d always approached Chase with a want or a need, expecting hiifts and whisk them off to exotic places
“Yes, you,” she said with a soft chuckle Oddly, the sound of her smooth velvet voice was so pleasant to his ears Chase actually enjoyed hearing her speak She had a distinctive sweet-as-honey voice
Abbi grinned A cute dimple appeared on her cheek and she looked absolutely adorable Her skin was flawless, he noticed She had on no visibleAll Chase could think ! She truly was a breath of fresh air And it was nice for a change to engage in noret used to this Chase just had to try hard as hell not to slip up and get himself exposed for who he really was That would be the last thing he’d want
“Nah, I’m just here on a contract”
“Oh, you seemed so surprised earlier when I ht-”
“Oh, right What I meant earlier was that it’s usual to have contractors coes in the distant “They’re renovating that lot over there and turning up the spa resort and the ranch to another level Once that’s done, I’ staff would all be permanent employees”
“Of course” Abbi bit her lower lip and glanced around The cool air blew her tendrils of auburn tresses into her face and she brushed theers Chase noticed she had on no jewelry No wedding band or engage He surprised hiht about his old h he had sworn off per to Abbi and wouldn’tto know her better over the course of the next couple of months while he worked as Chad, the contractor
“You’ll like it here There’s a lot going on down here We have different events for guests and staff There’s even a boat race over near the island We have a ranch, of course, where visitors can go horseback riding Then we have the log cabins for souests who prefer to have a private retreat on the land instead of staying at the e”
She looked around eagerly as he gestured to the surrounding cottages The area was filled with so reenery and a wooded area Abbi could see the s Just country life “Nice”
“I know And there are spas in soes and practice yoga and all that spiritual stuff,” Chase said, as he gestured again to the surroundings
They walked up to the ive her a brief rundown of the facility
“Sounds like heaven What a relaxing place to work and to stay” Abbi glanced around at the scenic waterfront “Are you going to participate in any of the events?”