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She nodded her affirmation.“I wish you would have told me the truth, though.If I would have known I was going to have a holiday in an empty hotel, I might have packed differently.”
She laughed and in that moment it was as if the years melted away and the stress of real life—our life and everything we’d been through that had made my love so sad—vanished and she was happy again.Maybe it was the place?Maybe it was Vegas?It was too soon to tell.I definitely needed more time to figure out what the deal was with the hotel before I started down that road, but there was definitely a shift within her.And I liked it.I liked it a lot.
Lexi ran her fingers down my back and I tilted my head down to take her lips in mine.The kiss wasn’t long enough, but there’d be time for more later.“Should we go see why Keith is so excited about the outdoor space?”
Her smile lit up her face.“Absolutely.And then maybe later we could find some time to be alone?”
Yes.I definitely liked this shift in her.
~Lexi~
I wasn’t stupid.There was definitely a reason Leo had brought us to an empty shell of a hotel.And I’m almost positive it had something to do with him wanting to run it.Or at least Keith wanting him to run it.Either way, I could see right away that Leo was worried about my reaction.Hell,Iwas worried about my reaction.But surprisingly, I wasn’t upset.It was easy to see the way his face lit up when he looked around the empty lobby.Whatever was going on with the hotel, Leo was in his element.He loved a challenge and this was definitely that.
“You’re pretty amazing.”He gave me another kiss and looked me deep in the eyes, no doubt trying to figure out what had gotten into me.
“You can stop looking at me like that.”I laughed and it felt good.“Honestly, I’m fine.”And surprising even myself, I was.“Come on.”
I dragged him toward the door and the oversized patio on the other side.The whole wall was made up of windows that could open, giving the already huge room an inside/outside feel.The lake was just beyond, glittering in the desert sun.It was very different than the mountain lake I was used to, but there was a different kind of beauty to the sparkling water, and I could easily see the appeal of jumping in on a hot day.An oasis in the desert.The name of the resort was perfect.
“Mom!”Ben’s voice yanked me back to the scene in front of me.“You have got to see this pool.”I turned to where he stood at the water’s edge, practically jumping up and down from the excitement.He was such a water baby, I could only laugh and shake my head.It was clear he was desperate to get in and go swimming and I couldn’t blame him.It was one of the coolest pools I’d seen: a lazy river wrapped around the outside; the pool itself was graduated in depth, surrounded by lush gardens and lawns with a waterfall at one end.The outdoor space was in direct contrast to the unfinished indoors.
“It looks pretty awesome.”I joined Ben on the edge of the pool and put my hand on his shoulder.“You should join them.”I nodded toward the two other children, who did look awfully similar in age to Ben.They floated on tubes around the lazy river.If you could call it floating.Mostly they were pushing each other off, diving under, splashing, and just being kids.
“Can I?”
“Of course you can.”It was Leo who spoke, but it was the only invitation Ben needed.“Go.”
“There’s a change house over there, buddy.And Evan has his extra suits in there.He’s about your size.”Keith pointed just behind them where there was a small outbuilding almost completely surrounded by lush vegetation.“Go change.Ruby and Evan will grab you a tube.”He whistled and waved the kids over.As they made their way through the water, Ben took off to get ready and I wandered around the pool’s edge, taking in everything there was to see.
And there was a lot to see.
Besides the pool we stood beside, there was more.A lap pool was tucked a little farther down a path.That pool was fed by the lazy river and a fountain that spilled into one end.An elaborate stream-like system continued from that pool and trailed down toward the lake and what resembled a tropical sandy beach.
Without even knowing I was doing it, I found myself walking toward the beach.I kicked my sandals off and sunk my toes into the silky sand that covered my feet like a warm blanket.It was incredible.If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was in the Caribbean.Palm trees surrounded the beach area and chaise lounge chairs were scattered about.I drifted closer to the water and was about to test the temperature when Keith’s voice stopped me.
“Incredible, isn’t it?”
I turned and smiled.If someone would have told me I’d be smiling only hours after landing in Las Vegas, I would have told them how crazy they were.But I was.And the smiles were genuine because I didn’t feel the anxiety I thought I would.But this wasn’t Vegas.This was...
“It is incredible,” I agreed and turned back toward the lake.People were stand up paddle boarding around the shoreline, with a few braver souls headed out into the middle of the lake.There were a number of kayaks scattered across the surface as well.But no power boats.“It’s oddly peaceful.”
Keith stepped up so he stood next to me.“Right?Because there are only a handful of power boats allowed on the lake, and those are gondola style that don’t go very fast.In fact, there are a lot of regulations, mostly surrounding the wind.But I guess that’s what keeps it so calm and safe.”
“Wind?”
Keith nodded.“It can get pretty windy in the desert, and quickly, too.So when the wind speed hits a certain point, a call goes out and they shut it down.It keeps everything really safe and then there aren’t any worries about accidents because, let’s face it,” he grinned, his teeth flashing in the sun, “an accident history tends to put a damper on vacation bookings.No one wants to die while they’re on holidays.”
“I suppose not.”I shook my head and laughed a little.“So what’s going on with this place?”There was no point beating around the bush with him.I wasn’t dumb or blind and there was clearly some reason we were there.And it was more than aholiday.Much more.I might as well find out what it was right away.
“Right to the point, aren’t you?”
“You know me.”In fact, he didn’t.But that didn’t really matter.“Why are we here?”
“Leo always said you were pretty straightforward.”
“No point in anything else.”I sunk my toes further in the sand.The action relaxed me as the grains slid over my skin.“So?”
Keith sighed next to me.I waited while he exhaled a long breath.“The original investors designed Lake Las Vegas to be an upscale destination for the wealthy who liked to visit Vegas, but wanted a bit of a more ‘posh’ experience.”He held up his hands in air quotes.“The handful of separate investors signed on to build big resorts on this side of the lake, while the rest was for private development.”I followed where he pointed to the mansions that dotted the hillside across the lake.“Celine Dion has a spot over there, with a helipad so she can get easily to and from the Strip for her shows.”I raised my eyebrows, but didn’t interrupt him.“Anyway,” he continued.“Everything was going well until 2008 and the bottom more or less fell out of the economy and the luxury hotel market.This place was half finished when the shit hit the fan, and the financial backers just walked away.Which means—”
