Page 83 of Last Resort

I’m dressed and heading out the door to find Callahan when I get a text from Brady to meet him at The Cove. That my presence is being requested.

When my texts remain unanswered after some time, I decide to head out to find him.

The resort is buzzing with activity this evening. Tonight is our second Beachfront Friday and guests are milling about on their way to see what all the preparations and signage are about.

It brings a smile to my face to see a difference already from my first day here to what I think is now my forty-somethingth. It seems that guests are preferring to stay at the resort and enjoy its activities rather than head to other resorts.

We still have a long way to go, but the new resort signage definitely has set the tone for things to come and improvements to expect. New uniforms for the staff have been ordered, which only add to the sophisticated esthetic that Sharpe properties exude.

And Callahan’s dinner meetings have paid off. We’ve had a ten percent cost reduction from our linen supplier as well as a twelve percent cut from our alcohol vendor. Add to that, he’s found a more professional landscaping company who will actually do more for less. In other words, Ocean’s Edge was being swindled.

Things are definitely heading in the right direction.

And that’s exactly what I told Roz earlier when we talked on the phone. Despite the steady drumbeat pounding in my head, I was able to update her on the week’s progress. I could all but see her checking off items on her work-in-progress status sheets she keeps for each project.

“This is how success starts, Sutton,” she’d said before hanging up.

And she’s right. This is how success starts.

One building brick upon another.

And after Callahan told me about the origins of the resort’s purchase and the negative projections by his brothers, I’m further determined to turn this place around. Not only for myself but so he can prove to them he’s capable of doing his job.

Plus, I’m not going to lie. It’s exciting to see changes happening so fast.

Maybe his brothers will step back and praise him for following through with what he said he would.

But the idea of him walking away from all of this when it’s done makes my chest hurt. To have a family dynamic that seems repairable and not want to work at it kills me.

Then again, I may not know the full story.

I wander over by the bar and smile when I see Keone. That man is a fount of knowledge when it comes to the staff, to the island, and to the whispers no one is supposed to hear. I seriously wish we could duplicate him.

“Hey, Keone. How’s the night shaping up?”

“All good here, Ms. Sutton. This new Beachfront Friday thing you’ve got going is definitely good for business.”

“Good to hear.”

“And you? You good? Can I get you a drink?”

I cringe at the thought of a drink. Screw the hair of the dog theory. “I’m good. Thanks though. I’m on my way to meet Brady at The Cove, but I was just trying to find Callahan before I do.”

“The man is in high demand tonight, that’s for sure.” He laughs, pulling me from the text that just hit my phone from Brady telling me he figured out whatever it was he needed me for.

“High demand? Does he have more meetings?”

Keone shakes his head, and then lifts his chin behind me. I follow his stare.

Wow. The woman standing there is stunning and yet, at the same time, seems out of place. Sure, she has the look of a Sharpe International regular—commanding attention and acting as if she owns the place—but something about her has me straightening my shoulders.

“Keone? Who is—”

“Gia Diamante,” he says. “She was just looking for Callahan too. My guess is she’s not looking for a ‘meeting’ though.”

His chuckle resonates as my stomach drops.

That’s Gia?