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Zach had never known the love of parents before he was adopted. Braxton kept to himself, but whatever demons he battled were pretty big as well. And Liam, well, he placed himself inside this bubble and refused to let anyone in, so his past had been riddled with rejection. He’d also not gone into details. That was one thing all boys had in common. They didn’t want to get into the ugliness of their pasts. They’d fight those devils all alone to keep the outside world from seeing just how damaged they truly were.
But right now Zach wasn’t going to focus on his past, or that of his brothers’. Yet again, that’s not what Chelsea would have wanted. She’d want him to take a leap of faith, to be adventurous like she was.
So what now? Did he find someone who would want to take on such a business? Find a woman who would want to be the manager of a resort for women only? Did he do it himself? Chelsea would’ve gotten a kick out of her three brothers opening a spa.
The image nearly sent him into panic mode. He needed to thoroughly think about this. Somehow he had to make this work in order to honor his sister’s memory.
“I’m not ignoring her dreams,” he finally said. “Selling to the city will never be an option for me.”
Granted, he was fixing up his own home, and that was taking up a chunk of his time and money. The old Victorian he’d been raised in from a teen was now his, and he’d been slowly renovating it to sell. He’d not mentioned that last part to his brothers yet. He’d certainly give either of them first dibs at the house, but Zach was ready for a change. And he was still up in the air as to whether or not that change would be just a different house or a different town altogether.
Now, though, this resort plan would have him reevaluating everything.
“The concept of a women’s resort and spa isn’t a bad idea,” he went on, shocked at the thoughts flooding him. “Think about it. We’re not far from Savannah. From a business standpoint this idea of hers could work, and there’s nothing else like it that I know of. We’re already a hot spot for tourists who filter over anyway. Why not add more appeal?”
Sophie stared, mouth open, eyes wide. “You’re not seriously considering this.”
Shrugging, Zach merely held her wide-eyed stare. He might not go through with this crazy plan, but he at least wanted to toy around with some of his thoughts and Chelsea’s ideas.
The brief notes he’d seen had his mind spinning. Packages for groups of working women, mother-daughter specials, guest rooms in the mansion or renting one of the two cottages on the land. The ideas were really endless, and Chelsea had one hell of a start already outlined.
Damn it, he already had this business up and running in his head, like some damn kid daydreaming about what they want to be when they grow up. What the hell did he know about a spa? He had callouses, only shaved and cut his hair under duress about three times a year. From a business angle, though, he was pretty confident the spa would be a huge success.
Thinking about something and going after it were two totally different things. Case in point, the woman who stood before him. He’d attempted to go after her once, and that had turned into a living nightmare.
Sophie shook her head. “You’re crazy. You want to discuss this with your brothers before you go any further? As far as Liam is concerned, the property can go to the city if Braxton is okay with it.”
“If I want to move ahead, I’ll buy their portion somehow. If this plan ends up falling through before takeoff, we’ll all sit and discuss other options.”
No matter how adamant Liam was, Zach knew deep in his heart he wasn’t going to sell this property. He couldn’t get rid of that last bond he had with his sister. Selling to the city would have her rolling over in her grave. She’d been so angry when Anna had broken off the engagement with Braxton, she’d actually confronted the woman. Thankfully, Zach had gotten there in time to break up the scuffle that was about to break out.
Sophie raked her hands through her golden hair and sighed, reminding him that she still stood way too close to him.
She pointed toward the bed. “That’s the stuff I want to take. You okay with that?”
Zach glanced down at the photos, the clothes, the sketch of the Eiffel Tower. “Yeah.”
He picked up the framed pencil drawing and studied the picture. Sophie didn’t say a word.
“This is really good,” he muttered before glancing up at her. “It looks similar to the pencil drawings in your office.”
Sophie nodded. “I got them all at the same time and gave Chelsea that one.”
Her eyes darted around. She was lying about something. Why? Or perhaps she was nervous being in the same room, a bedroom at that, with him. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable—or any more so than usual. Being alone together was a bad, bad idea.
When Sophie bent to scoop up the remainder of the items from the bed, Zach didn’t step back. Torturing himself further wasn’t a smart idea, but damn it, he couldn’t force himself away from her. That floral scent of hers wrapped all around him, mocking him. Nothing good could come from allowing his mind to focus on how perfectly amazing this woman was. She belonged to someone else. A schmuck with a perfectly parted haircut and some sporty two-door car, but still.
As Sophie straightened, he passed over the framed artwork, but didn’t move.
“What?” she asked, clutching the items to her chest.
Such a small gap between them now. So close he could see the black ring around her green eyes, see the slight smudge of makeup beneath one eye, as if maybe she’d shed a tear before he arrived. His perfectly polished Sophie was a bit imperfect, and damn if he didn’t want to ruffle her up even more.
Wait. His Sophie? Only in his every waking fantasy.
“Do you need help out?” he asked, unable to come up with anything better.
She shook her head, sending a stray strand of golden hair gliding across her forehead. “I’ve got it. Are you sure you don’t want help here?”
