“Wow,” Damon whistled, “your hair looks…’ He seemed a little flustered, “You look stunning.”
“Thank you,” I smiled at him. For some reason, I was really pleased and relieved that Damon seemed to genuinely like my new hairstyle.
“So, are we off to the golf club?” Damon asked me.
“No,” I shook my head, “the manager called to let me know he was able to book the tee-times.”
“That’s awesome,” Damon gave a victory fist pump, “you really are the best.”
“Thanks,” I said, “but you wanted me to go with you to check out the place for a poker night?”
“Yes,” Damon pointed at me, “let’s do that now instead of the golf club.”
“Good idea.” We walked to the car. “After this, all your other activities are booked right?”
“Yes,” Damon nodded, “except for one but they are getting back to me later today.”
“Good,” I put the scarf I’d bought from the hairdresser over my head so the wind didn’t mess up my new hairdo as Damon wanted to drive with the convertible’s top down. “Let’s go check out this venue then.”
CHAPTER 6
Damon
“Are you sure you want to have a poker night all the way out here?” Carla asked me as we drove into the grounds of the old manor that had been converted into a hotel.
“I’ve hired one of those party bus limos,” I told her but could see she wasn’t impressed.
“Okay,” Carla gave me a tight smile before climbing out of the car and replacing the scarf around her head with a hat “But we can’t stay here for too long as you’ve now put me behind on my schedule. I still have to organize the venue for tonight.” Her cheeks were flushed with anger I noted although she was trying not to show how irritated she was.
“Mr. Winters?” A tall man who was impeccably dressed and well-spoken walked out of the manor house to greet us.
“Hi,” I greeted the man. I felt a little underdressed. I’d known that this venue was one of the top five-star hotels on the island but I hadn’t realized just how upper class it was. “This is my colleague…” Before I could introduce Carla to him, the man stepped up and smiled at her.
“Miss Reynolds,” the man greeted Carla, “what a pleasant surprise.”
“Mr. Henley,” Carla smiled at the man. “So, this is your latest project?”
“Indeed,” Mr. Henley nodded, turning to look at the stately old manor.
“It is beautiful here,” Carla told the man.
“I believe you are interested in our games room, Mr. Winters,” Mr. Henley addressed me but not in the relaxed manner he’d done to Carla. She really did know nearly everyone on this island! We followed the stuck-up Mr. Henley into the hotel. The man was like someone straight out of a period drama.
He led us through the amazing lobby of the hotel to the games room. It was impressive.
“Is the room free for the dates Damon sent through to you?” Carla asked the man.
“Luckily, we had a last-minute cancellation,” Mr. Henley told us. I wanted to laugh at the stuck-up snob. It was me that cancelled dumb ass! Okay well, my father’s new assistant had cancelled it. Luckily, my father’s assistant had also booked it with the wrong name.
“That is lucky,” Carla turned around and raised an eyebrow at me. Did she suspect it?
Keep it cool, Damon, just keep it cool. Although Carla had said she was going to see my father about the land we wanted to lease, she hadn’t said she was going to lease it to us as yet. She wanted our plans and to do a feasibility study. I had to keep trying to gently nudge Carla to lease the land to us and forgo the study as my parents were on a tight schedule. So, I had to at least try and keep on her good side. If that were at all possible for me. Carla really seemed to have a problem with me. But unless we are together, I won’t be able to get on her good side. Maybe, it’s a little underhanded but whatever.
“Let me show you around the grounds,” Mr. Henley offered. “Our guests, including day guests or, in your case, Mr. Winters’ evening ones, are welcome to enjoy them.”
“Great,” I said ignoring the impatient glare from Carla. As we walked through to the back doors that led to the magnificently manicured lawns and pool area, I spotted a waiter walking an iguana on a leash. “Is that a hotel pet?”
“That’s Harry.” For the first time since we met, Mr. Henley gave me a big smile. “We found him here when we bought the manor. He was still a baby and was injured.”
“Can I see him?” I asked Mr. Henley.
“Of course,” Mr. Henley called the man who was walking Harry over.
The man gave me Harry’s leash and told me he liked to walk near the pool and catch insects. I also noticed Carla stiffen as she looked down at Harry in horror.