As I did every time I arrived, I took a second to admire the hotel. It had the overall feel of a mountain lodge, with a mix of traditional stone, modern wood, and distinct southern touches. Marks properties were boutique hotels, and this one had only forty-two rooms. With every location, we aimed to give the guest a luxury lakeside experience.

Just like it did every day, my blood pumped a little harder with excitement and pride. Even though I hadn’t been on-site from the beginning the way Angelica had, I loved this property with every fiber of my being. Which was sort of strange since I’d been determined to keep my distance from the time Angelica had announced we would build a property on Dragonfly Lake.

Sometimes it was funny the way life threw things at you that you didn’t think could ever work out but then they did.

The hotel was deserted, as I’d expected. I’d only just started interviewing candidates for the general manager position, so there weren’t any employees yet, and the construction crew didn’t work on Sundays.

I took Presley to a door on the side that was close to the executive offices and let us in. The interior was further from being finished than the outside, but the offices were nearly done, so I’d been able to move from the trailer to these much better digs.

“Would you like a tour?” I asked her. I loved showing this place off even though it wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as it would be.

“Of course.”

She set the donuts on my desk and pulled out her coffee.

“Floors are brand-new, so don’t you dare spill that,” I teased her.

Raising a brow, she set her latte back on the desk. “I’m not tempting fate.”

I led her out of the offices to the public areas. The lobby was taking shape, with a fireplace that stretched up two stories, rustic wide-planked wood floors, and earth tones on the walls. There were wood features aplenty, including a stunning staircase with contemporary hand-carved railings.

“This is amazing,” Presley said.

“The floors look fantastic.” When I’d left Friday, they’d had another day of work to finish this large area, which they’d done yesterday. I’d worked from the home office I shared with Holden, where he’d added a desk for me. “I need to take a few shots to send to Angelica. She’ll be thrilled with this.”

I took my phone out of my pocket and snapped photos from different angles and perspectives, put them in an email, and sent them to her.

“How is she?” Presley asked somberly.

“She never says, but her check-ins were sporadic last week, which speaks volumes.”

“I can’t help but feel for her. No one deserves to go through that hell.”