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  “Oh, I’m sorry about L.B. Here, let me put him in the Jeep.” Serena opened the door and L.B. jumped in without being told.

  “He’s very well behaved.” Gabrielle felt she had to say something.

  “I just rescued him three weeks ago. He just looked up at me and I knew we were destined to be together. That’s why I want to open up a doggie daycare. The Pet Posh Inn. For anybody who wants to bring their dog on vacation with them, but still be able to ski and have fun around the area.”

  “Oh, I was under the impression it was a child daycare. So, you want us to design a doggie daycare?” Gabrielle shot Brad a look to tell him they would talk about this later.

  “Is that a problem? Have you done anything like this before?” Serena asked.

  “We helped design Denver’s ASPCA shelter. The one off 470. It blends well with other businesses around the area. Since you don’t really have any close neighbors where you’ll have to keep a similar décor, your vision can be whatever you want it to be. We’re here to look at the land and talk about what you see happening here,” Brad said.

  Gabrielle stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his syrupy sweet ass-kissing sales technique. Instead she studied Serena’s reaction to what he was saying and watched her nod as she absorbed all of his clichés. She couldn’t blame her. Brad was smooth and nice looking. She wondered how many times he slept with clients to seal the deal. Another cliché.

  “What do you think, Gabrielle?” Serena asked.

  Gabrielle cleared her throat and looked directly at Serena. Her blue-green eyes were stunningly pretty, but they were guarded. Her posture was straight, but the confidence she had was fragile. This was a woman who’d just made a major decision and was trying to get comfortable with it. The Jeep had temporary tags on it and she’d just revealed that L.B. was a recent adoption. Everything about her said new money. Maybe she had just received an inheritance. How else could she afford to do this at her age? She was definitely younger than Gabrielle.

  “We can do whatever you’re envisioning. I can get the surveyors out to mark the property. Then we can put our heads together and design exactly what you want,” Gabrielle said.

  Serena smiled warmly and Gabrielle knew she’d said the right thing. They started a walk around the property. Gabrielle followed and took notes as Serena explained her vision. She wanted people and their pets to feel comfortable here. This needed to be a safe and trustworthy place for people who either came to town and wanted their pets with them or for people leaving town who couldn’t take their pets, but wanted to place them with people they trusted. It wasn’t a new idea, but Gabrielle felt Serena’s passion for her vision and knew it was going to be a success. Especially since she was going to plug a lot of money into it. Curb appeal spoke volumes.

  “I’d like to have a sit-down somewhere and discuss this further. Do you have time to grab lunch with us?” Gabrielle asked.

  “If we head back to the lodge, we can set up in one of the meeting rooms and have Franklin’s cater us lunch,” Serena said. She looked at Gabrielle’s three-inch heels. “And you probably want to slip into something more comfortable. Those shoes and this property aren’t a great match.”

  Brad snickered and Gabrielle shot him another look. He had to have known all of this. She didn’t figure him for a saboteur, but nothing shocked her anymore. “That sounds great. We’ll meet you back there.”

  The second they slipped into the car, Gabrielle turned on Brad. “Seriously? You told Christopher it was daycare. Did you not know it was for pets?”

  “Absolutely not, but you have to admit, her idea is brilliant.” Even though Brad was laughing, he shook his head. “At least you won’t be bored. And this isn’t a hotel. Well, at least not for humans.” He was still laughing when they pulled up into the lodge’s parking lot.

  Chapter Seven

  “Don’t mind Lucky Baxter. He’s really a sweet dog.” Serena reached down and stroked his wiry fur. He looked up at her so trustingly from his bed inside the small conference room the lodge reserved for their meeting. Serena felt her heart melt at his utmost trust in her.

  “What kind of dog is he?” Gabrielle asked.

  “He’s a mutt. I think terrier and maybe labradoodle? I suppose I could do one of those DNA kits you can get for your dogs now.” Of all the people Serena could have a meeting with, Gabrielle was not at all who she expected. It was a blessing and a curse. She made Serena nervous because of her confidence and good looks, yet both of those traits excited her, too. Was her skin as soft as it looked? And even after being outside for half an hour, Serena could smell her lotion or shampoo. She smelled like freshly baked cookies. It made her smile. Why, yes, I’ll take a crumb, thank you, she thought.

  “He’s very well behaved.”

  Serena noticed the way Gabrielle’s voice wavered and how her eyes darted from Lucky Baxter to the door and back. “If you’d like, I can put him in the office. He probably needs to spend some quality time with his Aunt Jackie. He’s pretty much the mascot here. I’ll be right back.” When Serena stood, L.B. did, too, and followed her as if he was born at her side. She left him in the office with explicit instructions at the front desk to keep him in there until she was back.

  Serena returned the same time lunch was delivered. The next fifteen minutes were punctuated with small talk and praise over the delicious food. It was hard for Serena to keep her eyes off Gabrielle. She was very attractive, but not overtly. She could have accentuated her features with different makeup and let her hair down, but Serena guessed this was her work persona. Her eyes were captivating. She wore glasses, the fashionable kind with thick black rims that made it hard for Serena not to make eye contact. Gabrielle fascinated Serena. Brad was attractive in a jock turned model kind of way, but Serena wasn’t interested in him. All of her attention was on Gabrielle.

  “If you’re interested in working with us, I have the paperwork for you to sign and then I can let the two of you work out the details.” Brad slid the paperwork to Serena. “Gabrielle is one of our best. She won’t disappoint you.”

  Serena reviewed the paperwork, wishing Chloe was here to give her the go-ahead. It was Chloe who had recommended Arnest & Max so, with a burst of confidence, she signed her name on the proverbial dotted line. It wasn’t the full contract, just a retainer so they could get started. The most she’d be out was a few thousand dollars of design time.

  Serena shook Brad’s hand and watched as he gathered up his things and nodded to them on his way out. “Let me know if you need anything else. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

  There were a few moments of awkward silence as they settled in to discuss Serena’s vision.

  “First of all, I’d like to know why this? What made you want to buy land and open up the Pet Posh Inn?”

  Serena liked the way Gabrielle kept eye contact with her and made her feel like her answer was the most important thing. And her eyes. Had she ever seen that color before? They were light brown with a copper ring along the outside of the iris.

  “When I was thirteen we had a dog that we had to get rid of because of our living circumstances. I never knew what happened to him.” Serena’s mind wandered for a bit as she thought about King and the last day she’d hugged him and kissed his perfect black nose. She shook her head to snap herself back into the conversation. “Now I’m in a position where I can have as many pets as I want. That’s not logical, so I decided to find a different way to surround myself with animals.”

  “I get it. Let’s talk about capacity and the overall look. What are you envisioning? Rustic? Clean?” Gabrielle had her iPad ready for note taking and her Apple pencil in her bag in case she needed to do some sketching.

  “I think it should be a log cabin style, but clean. I want it to look new, not like a place Abraham Lincoln grew up in,” Serena said. Gabrielle’s soft laughter set adrift a sea of butterflies in Serena’s stomach. The feeling was so foreign that she put her hand across her midsection to hold h
erself down. She wasn’t getting anything other than professionalism from Gabrielle, so she was conflicted by the sudden desire that filled her. It was probably because this was the first time she’d been alone with a woman who wasn’t her friend in a long time. When was her last date? Six months ago? How long had she and Amber been apart now?

  “How many rooms are you thinking? And what kind of rooms? Big? Small? Both?”

  The questions swirled around in Serena’s head. She had barely considered specifics. “I want a dog area, but I also want a cat area. And while we’re at it, a room for small pets like rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, and even birds.

  “So, at least a dozen large rooms for big dogs, and double that for the medium and small dogs. Definitely posh. Heated floors, but easy to hose off and clean.” Serena rattled off her vision while Gabrielle continued to type. Activity rooms, outdoor corrals for the different-sized dogs, a play space for cats, large windows for the bird room, and a quiet space for the little pets who were sensitive to noise and light. “Oh, and we’ll need a few offices. At least one for me, one for the office manager, and one or two for the vets on staff.”

  Serena watched as Gabrielle scribbled the last of her notes.

  “I’ll have our surveyors mark off the land so I know where it is and we don’t build on something that isn’t yours. I’ll come up with a few ideas based on today’s conversation. Give me a week and I’ll be in touch,” Gabrielle said.

  “What do you need from me?”

  “I’m going to need the title or the plot called out on your paperwork. If you don’t have it, that’s fine. I can get a copy down at the courthouse. It’s so our civil engineers know how to plumb for water and sewage. I need the property dimensions so we are maximizing the area.”

  “Do you know how much this is going to cost me?”

  “Once we come up with a design that you like, then I’ll have to figure out hours it will take to engineer—both structural and civil—and you’ll need to find a builder you like.”

  Serena sat up straight. “Wait. I have to come up with the builder?”

  Gabrielle touched her hand lightly. Serena held her breath at the softness of Gabrielle’s fingertips. “Not at all. We are happy to give you a list of the companies we’ve worked with and trust.”

  “If you don’t mind recommending a company, that would help me out immensely.” Serena realized she was putting all of her eggs into one basket trusting Gabrielle so quickly. It was completely out of character for her, but Arnest & Max came highly recommended.

  “Serena, I’ll go back to Denver and work up some ideas. Let’s plan to meet next week. Are you up for coming to my office? I have better equipment there to show you my vision.”

  Serena liked the way Gabrielle said her name. Her voice was honey—smooth and thick, and made Serena stumble a bit before committing. “Yes. I can come over whenever. Just give me the address and when and I’ll be there. L.B. will stay home.”

  Gabrielle opened up a small silver case from her purse and pulled out a business card. She flipped it and wrote down her cell number. “If you can think of anything at all or need to just talk, please don’t hesitate to call me. I’m available any time.”

  “So, you’re a workaholic,” Serena said.

  Gabrielle shrugged. “I love my job and I love it when I get to do creative things. I’m looking forward to this. You have so much potential, and I’m excited to get started.”

  If Serena wasn’t convinced before, she sure as hell was now. It was nice to talk to somebody about her vision and not have people judge her for her decision. She’d broken down and told Faith about winning the lottery two days after Diane left for California. Faith was angry at first that Serena had waited to tell her, but after her initial shock, she understood and cried with Serena at her good fortune.

  There was a bit of a struggle on whether Diane should be notified. Faith wanted to tell her right away, but Serena stood her ground. It was her story to tell, and Faith was going to have to give her time until she found the courage. She knew Diane would want money. Not just a little bit like Faith, but millions. It wasn’t a conversation Serena was ready to have with her mother. She wanted most of it invested so when her mother asked for a handout, she would only be able to hand over a small amount. She loved her mom, but she also saw what excess money did to her. More drugs, more booze, more weekends away.

  Everyone Serena had told was supportive, but there was always a layer of fear, whether for her or themselves or someone else. Gabrielle didn’t have that. She seemed like she simply wanted to make Serena’s vision come to life.

  “I’ll be sure to call you if I think of anything else. This is all new to me. You’ve probably done this a million times.” Serena fidgeted with the business card until Gabrielle looked at her hands to see what she was doing with it. She quickly slid the card into her pocket.

  “Well, not really a million, but I’ve been an architect for ten years. Most of my projects have been pretty standard, but I’m excited to have a bit more of a creative license with your dream.” Gabrielle’s smile made Serena’s body swell in all the right places. She took a step back, suddenly nervous at her nearness.

  “I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I’d better go find L.B. and get home,” Serena said. She grabbed her messenger bag and opened the door for Gabrielle, sneaking a peak at her long legs and noticing the dirt on one of her heels. “I’m sorry you didn’t know we were going to the site.”

  Gabrielle looked down at her shoes. “It’s my fault. I assumed we were just meeting in town. I should have asked questions.”

  “Or Brad should have told you,” Serena said.

  Gabrielle playfully shrugged, but Serena saw a little spark of fire in those beautiful, unique eyes. There was tension there, but she didn’t want to pry. It was too soon.

  “Or that. In all fairness, I slipped out early to meet my best friend’s little sister, so he might have told me and I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Did you go zip-lining?” Serena asked.

  “Sadly, no. We spent most of the night at Franklin’s appreciating a new wine they were promoting. Which, by the way, was excellent and we gave them thumbs up.”

  “There’s always next time. I have a feeling you’ll be spending a lot of time in Vail,” Serena said.

  “I have a feeling you are probably right. Call me if you need me,” Gabrielle said.

  Serena slipped behind the front desk to pick up L.B. but watched Gabrielle until she disappeared behind the elevator doors.

  She opened the office to find him on the small office couch curled up on Jackie’s lap. They were both eating pizza. Serena put her hands on her hips. “Really? People food?”

  Jackie held her hands up in surrender. “Hey, when a millionaire pup wants pepperoni and sausage pizza, I oblige. I mean, you did put me in charge of him until your meeting was over. How did that go?”

  Serena plopped down in the chair opposite the two snugglers and sighed. “The architect, Gabrielle, is smart, has legs that go on forever, smells good, is charming, and has these beautifully light brown eyes with copper circles that are mesmerizing.”

  “So, let me get this straight. She’s gorgeous and smart and you’ll spend a lot of time together during this project, yet here you sit all mopey. What’s the problem?” Jackie asked between bites of the pizza.

  Even though she wasn’t hungry, Serena grabbed a piece of pizza to have something to do. “It’s the worst news, really.”

  Jackie sat up, prompting L.B. to jump down and onto Serena’s lap. “Oh, my God. She’s married. Son of a bitch.”

  “Worse. She hates dogs.”

  “What? You’re kidding. Did she actually say that? Because that’s not professional at all.”

  Serena waved her hand at Jackie. “No, no. She didn’t say anything, but she wanted nothing to do with L.B. That’s why I had to put him in here.”

  Jackie shook her head. “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe s
he loves dogs but she’s allergic. Or maybe she’s scared of them. Maybe you can be her heroine and either give her Allegra or show her how sweet and loving this handsome boy is.” She waved her crust at L.B., who looked at Serena for approval. Serena nodded once and L.B. jumped down and was on Jackie’s lap within two seconds. “When do I get to meet her?”

  “Oh, she’s staying here. She’s the one I gave the suite to.”

  “That means she’s going to check out. So, I can check her out.” Jackie wagged her eyebrows at Serena.

  “I’m going to tell Chloe that you’re hitting on my architect.”

  “I’m going to take a photo and show Chloe. Then we can all talk about her.”

  Serena gasped and whispered, “No, you won’t.”

  “You’re right. I’m entirely too lazy to get up at the moment, but just know that we will meet her. And I’m sure she will be fabulous. When do you see her next?”

  “She said next week sometime. I don’t know how that’s even possible, but she said she’ll have a starting point for me. And she’s excited to get to be creative on my project. From what I gathered, she does a lot of franchises and buildings that already have a set structure,” Serena said.

  “Just don’t let her talk you into something you don’t want. This is your dream, your vision. You make sure she hears what you say, and you stick to your guns. I don’t care if she has a great ass or not.”

  Serena smiled at Jackie’s passionate nature and how protective she was. If she only knew just how tight Gabrielle’s ass was, she wouldn’t be so fierce with her words.

  Chapter Eight

  “I can’t even begin to tell you how conflicted I am about this project,” Gabrielle said as soon as Rosie picked up the phone.