"Is that jackass still here?"
"No, Val and I banned him from the resort for life." Eve smiled. "Val literally threw Nico into a cab, along with his luggage, and told Phil to dump him off at the airport."
"Wish I could've done that." I rested my arms on the island, my thoughts rewinding to the last thing Mara said to me before she climbed into Val's truck. "Mara says she needs to sort through all the emotional stuff that happened this week and that means she can't have any contact with me for a while. That feels an awful lot like I've been cut out of her life."
"She'll be back. I can feel it."
"I hope you're right." I drew random patterns on the butcher-block island with my fingertip, obsessed with the pointless task. "I don't have good luck with women. Don't have any luck at all, actually."
"This time it's different." Eve clasped my hand to stop me from drawing invisible lines. "I saw you with Mara. What you two have isn't a fling. It's real, and I know she'll figure that out too."
"Mara needs to learn how to stand on her own two feet, and I get that. But I can't help worrying she'll realize I'm not the right one for her, and I'll be out in the cold. Again."
"Give it time, but don't wait weeks like Val did with me."
I glanced at her sideways, smirking. "Yeah, I remember how you jumped on a plane to California so you could go smack some sense into him."
"When you love someone, you fight for them. That's what I learned last summer."
"First, I have to let Mara do her self-analysis thing. Right?"
"I can't tell you what to do, Ollie. You know Mara better than I do."
"Yeah, I guess." I checked my watch, groaned, and slid off the stool. "A new guest will be here any minute. Better get out there and greet them."
"Let me do it." Eve hopped off her stool. "You need a few days off. Go hang out with Damian and the rest of the gang." She tugged on one of the buttons on my shirt. "And get out of these clothes. That's an order."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and you're moving back into the guest room here." She tapped my chest. "That's also an order. You wouldn't leave me alone when I was down in the dumps about Val leaving, so I won't leave you alone either."
"That sounds vaguely like you'll be stalking me."
"Only if you try to get away from me." She smiled and patted my cheek. "Relax. I'll ask Damian to keep an eye on you when I'm not around."
"Great. I have a feeling I'll be stalked by everyone at the resort." I pumped my fists in the air halfheartedly and gave a phony whoop. "This is the awesomest vacation ever."
"We'll stalk you only because we love you."
She kissed my cheek and left.
I got my stuff moved into Eve and Val's guest room and got rid of my clothes, then headed out to the lawn. Damian and some of the other guests were playing badminton. I spotted Heidi slinking toward the driveway while lugging a wheeled suitcase.
So I hurried to catch up to her.
Heidi froze when she saw me. "Ollie? What are you doing?"
"Don't leave, Heidi. Not because of me."
"I'm not leaving because of you. Not completely. I need to go home and get my head on straight, somehow."
"Women are walking out on me all over the place today."
"Mara will be back. She's crazy about you." Heidi lunged toward me to give me a quick hug. "You deserve to be happy, Ollie."
"So do you. Promise you won't stay away from the resort on my account. You and the rest of the Kittens love it here."
Heidi rubbed her arms. "We'll see."
A cab drove up, but it wasn't Phil driving this time. He'd still have been on his way to the airport with Nico. I held the door for Heidi while she climbed in, then I bent to kiss her cheek.
"Have a safe trip home," I said.
She smiled a little. "You're a good man, Ollie."
I shut the door, then stowed Heidi's suitcase in the trunk. And for the second time today, I watched a woman I cared about disappear down the tree-shrouded driveway.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mara
"Make sure the new sign gets put up today, and change those lights in the second-floor hallway," I said to Roger, the head of maintenance in this apartment building. "I don't want any gloomy areas in the public spaces. This building needs to be light and cheerful and welcoming."
"Will do." Roger smiled. "You're really on fire these days, aren't you? A new sign, new decor, new furniture in the lobby. You even hired full-time, on-call child care so parents can go out to dinner and a show without needing to search for a sitter."
"Everyone deserves to have fun. That's something I've learned lately, and I want to ensure our tenants enjoy living here." An idea popped into my head, and I said, "Oh, I also want to have weekly pool parties, weather permitting, with free food and beverages."
Roger scribbled on the almost-full sheet of paper clamped onto his clipboard. "Danny says the tenants keep raving about you and all the changes you're implementing. They love the suggestion boxes you've put on every floor too."
Danny manned the front desk during the daytime, while his twin brother, Dave, handled things at night. Twenty-four-hour concierge service was another new perk. The suggestion boxes on every floor meant nobody needed to feel self-conscious about voicing their opinions, since they no longer had to drop off their suggestion cards at the front desk. They could still do that if they wanted, but they had other options too.
"Thank you, Roger," I said. "I couldn't have done any of this without you and the rest of the staff. It's a team effort."
"With one very smart, very talented woman at the helm. You're our captain, Mara. We follow your
