Free The Lure of Love by Mona Ingram

Jamie and Craig as they walked across
the lawn. “What are the odds? All three of us at the same time.”
    Brooke
exhaled slowly. “At least they’re different men.” She checked her watch. “I
thought I’d see if Jamie has time to talk. It’s about business; do you want to
be part of the conversation?”
    “I’d like
that. I’ll just go check on the kitchen staff.” She looked around at the empty
lobby. “Our favourite table?”
    Brooke
nodded.
    “Okay, see
you in five minutes.”
    * * *
    Leeza studied
the other two women as she walked across the lobby a few minutes later. It was
amazing to her that the three of them had become friends, since outwardly they
appeared to have very little in common. They differed not only in appearance,
but in the way they approached life. Jamie was probably the most
straightforward person she’d ever met. She met challenges head on and was
unscrupulously honest in all her business dealings. It was unfortunate that the
Lodge was suffering as a result of the most recent world financial crisis.
    Brooke was
another story altogether. Tall, beautiful and elegant, she wasn’t inclined to
reveal a lot of personal information. But there was no doubt that she was a
clever businesswoman. Leeza smiled. If anyone was a match for Billy, it was
Brooke.
    And then
there was herself. People were always surprised when they found out that she
was a chef. Hell, she surprised herself sometimes. Pale and short with cropped
black hair, the woman who looked back at her from the mirror appeared closer to
eighteen than to thirty two. Thirty two and dangerously close to falling seriously
in love for the first time…but with the wrong man. She gave herself a mental
slap and joined her friends.
    “Everything
okay in the kitchen?” Jamie asked out of habit.
    “Everything’s
fine.” Leeza settled in. “What’s up?”
    Jamie
shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is Brooke’s meeting; she has some ideas.”
    Brooke turned
and pointed to a small unused space that opened onto the lobby. “For starters,
I’d like to turn that little alcove into a shop. I understand it used to be a
store of sorts but when the campground was enlarged the store was moved out
there.”
    Jamie glanced
across the lobby. “It really is wasted space. What were you thinking?”
    “I want to
carry items that will appeal to women. The men buy all their fishing gear and
stuff in the campground store when they buy their fishing licenses, but we
don’t have anything to interest the women.” She looked at the two other women.
“Have you visited a spa recently?”
    They looked
at each other and shook their heads.
    “No, well
that’s okay. Spas these days make money from more than aesthetic services. They
do very well from the product lines they carry. Nail care, skin care, facial
supplies. You’d be astounded at the variety that’s available. Since coming here
I’ve watched the women who come with their husbands and a lot of them are
bored. We don’t even have fashion magazines they can buy. But if we can make
the wives happy, the men are likely to stay longer. It’s win win. The best
thing about the location is that it will take very little money to get it up and
running.”
    Jamie tried
not to show her disappointment. “Sounds good, but I don’t have any money to
experiment right now. Plus it’s getting close to the end of the season.”
    Brooke
nodded. “I know that. I have the money to fix up the space and buy the product.
We should look at it as product testing. We can use it as a promotional tool
for next year while we see which products sell well in this area.”
    “Next year?
What happens then?” Leeza shook her head. “I can’t keep up with you.”
    A faint smile
flitted across Brooke’s face. “Hear me out on this. It’s going to sound a
little far-fetched at first, but we can do it.” She took a deep breath.
    “Jamie, you
own the lakefront property to the south of the lodge, right?”
    Jamie
frowned.